My wife and I are taking our maiden voyage to Bonaire in October. We are planning on having breakfast and some lunches in the condo but hope to enjoy most dinners out.

So what would your top 5 "Have to try" recommendations (for establishment and meals) be for supper and the occasional lunch? We will be staying at a condo near the Plaza but will have a rental car. How hard are restaurants to locate? Can you get a easy to read map there?

Thanks in advance.

Jamie, restaurants are very easy to locate -- with a few exceptions. There are easy to read maps available at the airport, rental car counters, and condo/resort reception desks.

Our two best dinners on Bonaire have been at Cactus Blue (pricey but tasty) and Warung Louise (which, I think has now closed).

This August we are planning to try the food at Maiky Snack and Bambu, and also return to Cactus Blue.

Hi Jamie, Welcome to BT!

My top 5 are:

Bobbe Jans (great ribs)
Lion's Den (wonderful waterfront dining)
Plazita Limena
Unbelievables
Pasa Bon Pizza

Hard to get a bad meal on Bonaire. Lots of places to choose from. Navigating to them is quite easy, you are basically on one road, going north or south. The rental agency you are renting your car/truck from will give you a free map.

Enjoy your vacation and please post back here a trip report after you go. Love hearing a first timers report and thoughts.

Oh, forgot, feel like steak? Try Patagonia on the harbor. Nice waterfront dining and good food. I know, now that six, I better stop, hard to narrow just to five. You will just have to come back to try them all.

You can pick up the dining guide at the airport. Sometimes the car rental places have it too. They also usually give you a map. Real tiny island and easy to get around. No worries!

My top 5:
Unbelievable
Plazita Limena
Bambu
Pasa Bona Pizza
Patagonia


They run the gambit of price ranges. Ask me again in a few weeks and it might change a little bit. I have a real hard time choosing only 5 because I like so many!

Top 5 (open every day except as listed):
Capriccio's, closed Tues, also serves lunch
Mona Lisa, closed Sat/Sun
Wil's Tropical Grill, closed Sun
Sunset Grill, closed Wed (at Den Laman, also serves lunch, seaside)
Paradise Moon (waterside/marina)

Runner's up:
Pasa Bon Pizza, closed Mon/Tue
El Fognon Latino, closed Tue, also serves lunch
Richard's, closed Mon (seaside)

Local Food:
Antriol Catering, lunch or early dinner (they'll close before 9pm if slow/run out of food)
Maiky Snak, lunch only, closed Thur

Best value meals around $10:
Hamburger & Fish sandwich at Sunset
Chicken or Pork Sate at Mona Lisa (bar meal)
Roasted 1/2 chicken at El Fognon
Pizza at Pasa Bon
Grill Truck (Michael's, on corner between stadium & post office), BBQ ribs/chicken, dinner only, I think he's there every night except Mon

Our list

Richards
Donna and Giorgios
Lions den
Pasa Bona Pizza
Tipsy Seagull at Plaza

Bambu is on the agenda for next trip in November

Oh yeah also Cactus Blue we would go back to and wanting to try next trip Bistro Paris

1.pasa bon pizza
2.pasa bon pizza
3.pasa bon pizza
4.pasa bon pizza
5. and finally pasa bon pizza

I recommend Cap't Don's for pizza and their BBQ night. The best bargain is the Rum Punch party followed by the pasta buffet at the Divi. All you can eat for about $20 per person and the pasta is prepared to your specifications as you watch.

Our top five..
1. For real Italian; Capriccio's
2. Plazita Limena..Had some wonderful meals there
3. Local spots are tied. El Fogon Latino & Mi Banana.
Try 'em both
4. Pizza.. Pizza Temple at Capt Dons. We love THIN crust pizza
5. If you're a carnivore, mixed grill at Casablanca.
And our real favorite..Vince's mixed grill at Bellevue!

If a DePietro recommends an italian restaurant then El Greco has to try it.

Leo..Real EZ.. Just ask Lola what's good tonight.
All the pasta is home made. I'm a big fan of osso bucco, but sometimes they can't get the nice veal shanks, in which case I'll gladly order some of their wonderful pasta dishes. I always ask before ordering.
Between you & me, we've been all over Italy on several occasions from the Swiss border all the way to Sicilia. Plus Nina's Italian & loves to cook. And that's my story.

Our Favorites

Capriccios echo Vince's statements and desserts are great as well.

Wills he is one creative guy and has fun with food

La Guernica we like the tappas

Cactus Blue always some nice menu choices

It Rains Fishes

I could give another few too

Vince, I have a thing for truly exceptional bolognese sauce. When I make my own, I let it simmer for at least 8 hours. By the time it's served there isn't a droplet of water floating in the meat juices. I make my own pasta and I truly enjoy the dish, and I have constructed my own citara to cut my pasta -- I know, I know, ragu alla Bolognese is to be served with tagliatelle, not spaghetti, but no one is perfect.

I am looking forward to Capriccio's.

hmmmm...tough to narrow it down

1. pasa bon
2. cactus blue
3. mi banana
4. bobbejans
5. lions den

also not to be missed are maiky snack and rose inn for lunch, and patagonia for steaks.

Leo..Well we did spend several days in Bologna and I was able to stow away a nice mortatella to sneak through customs. The cuisine was magnificent. I believe they call this area the gastronomic capital of Italy. Yummy...And yes tagliatelle was the pasta served with the bolognese sauce.
At Capriccios, stick with the pasta and you can't go wrong.

Paradise Moon
Richard's
Kon Tiki
Bambu
Pasa Bon
Bistro De Paris
Oops, that's 6.....couldn't help it :o)

We are going to Lion's Den in December and by the sound of it we're gonna like it!

Plazita Limena
Bambu
Mona Lisa
It Rains Fishes
La Guernica

These are the ones that would not miss.

Mona Lisa
It Rains Fishes
Will's
Mi Bananna
Plazita Limena

Plazita Limena - tasty food and great price.
Patagonia - had great steak or pasta.
Bobbejan's - bring mosquito repellent.
Pasa Bon - gotta try the fresh fish pizza. Sounds weird but it's really good.
Maiky Snack - it's in the kunuku - get a tourist map; don't try finding this place without one.

Our most recent top five:

Wils Tropical Grill (always good food)
Cactus Blue (never had a bad meal)
Buddy Dive Friday night BBQ and the regular restaurant(tasty and great value, restaurant was a bit pricy but the meal was really good)
City Cafe (really like their hamburgers)
Unbelievable (good food and service)

Five we won't go back to:

Richards (food is OK but poor service)
Donna & Georgios (just OK food and bad service)
Sunset - Den Laman (staff didn't care that there were shards of glass in the food)
Patagonia (bad steak and other meals were tasteless plus really slow service)
Zee Zicht (just wasn't good)

#1. Capriccio's, and do NOT forget dessert.
#2. Cactus Blue, everything is good there
#3. Pizza at Capt. Don's (I fully agree with Vince)
4. Bobbejans for awesome barbeque
5. City Cafe for a juicy, runs down your arm hamburger.
For some reason, this topic is making me salivate, lol.

Great responses, keep them coming. I can see already that it is going to be difficult to get them all in. The only solution I can see will be to come back again. And again.

Just came back yesterday .. this
time our ratings are:
1. Unbelievables - great addition!
2. Richards
3. Lion's Den
4. Rum Runners (at Cap'n Don's)

My five, no priority:

- Bonaire Grill
- China Nobo
- Bobbejan's
- WindSurf Place
- tie: Lions Den (Sat) /Divi (Fri Pasta)

Monty,
Do you have an recommendations on where to get good pizza on Bonaire, lol :>)

OK, I'll confess, also love Donna & Giorgio's seafood pasta..also their service and location..use to go there when they were at the old location and Francesca?..was about 4 and would make us order ice cream for desert..of course with an extra spoon

Planning a dive trip with 20 plus people in Dec. We are all staying at Buddy Dive. Hand full of people are Vegetarians. Any good places that cater to this issue?

Hi all,

I'm looking for the name of a few places from my last visit:

1) Name of the Indonesian Restaurant downtown, near all the gift shops
2) The restaurant just down from that one, wooden shutters, seats right out to the edge of the sidewalk
3) Name of the bakery up near corner of Gob N Debrot and Antonio Nueman
4) The Pizza place with the stop light blinking outside

Thanks in advance!

hello Rick,
1. indonesian retaurant WAS Warung Louise, there is now a new restaurant called El Mundo - cheap, international food, well....
2. you probably mean Plazita Limena (peruvian restaurant)
3. the Last Bite Bakery
4. Pasa Bon Pizza

Thanks Sylvia!

You sure posted quickly after I did... (you must be another night owl)

Appreciate the info. I have friends heading down there next week, and was trying to give them some info on where to eat.

I say Cactus Blue is one of my favorite restaurants - ANYWHERE! Great food and nice atmosphere. The tuna has always been my favorite but I had barracuda tonight that was really wonderful!! Compliments to the chef!