RachelI normally don’t dine out a lot during my travels. Being a student, I’m always on a backpacker budget, and preparing food yourself saves a lot of money! However, since we’ve been here for a longer period and my family visited us on the island, it feels like we pretty much ate our way around the island!
Being on a budget, I love to find restaurants that offer great value for money. For me, the location and ambiance of a restaurant are way more important than the food itself. But luckily Curaçao offers a lot of affordable restaurants whit an amazing setting AND delicious food! Here are my favorites!
Zest Curaçao
Fine dining in a fancy restaurant or rather with your feed in the sand? Zest offers both options, either in their restaurant or Beach Cafe. I think you can guess my preference: feet in the sand at their Beach Cafe of course! The beach cafe is open from 9 AM to midnight. You can start the day with a delicious coffee or a healthy smoothie. For lunch, you can sit at one of their picnic tables on the beach and enjoy a poke bowl, fresh fish, or meat from the grill! Enjoy your dinner under the stars, right on the beach, where little lights and candles create the perfect ambiance for the perfect night out! This place is also perfect for young families with children, as they have a kids menu and playground!
TIP: Every Friday, you can start your weekend with a Happy Hour at Zest! Enjoy a delicious Spritz from 6 PM ‑ 7 PM for half the price while watching the sunset!
Price indication: $$
Location: Jan Thiel Beach
Zanzibar Beach & Restaurant Curacao
Start your day on the beach and immerse yourself in the ultimate holiday feeling, everything is served on the beach: from breakfast to dinner, from coffee to cocktails! In the evening the beach transforms into a cozy restaurant setting where you can have sunset dinner or late-night snack with your friends and family! Are you a pizza lover like me? Zanzibar is famous for its delicious pizzas, which they bake in a traditional stone oven.
Price indication: $ (pizza) – $$ (meat/fish)
Location: Jan Thiel Beach
De Visserij Piscadera
The next restaurant on the list is De Visserij (the fishery). As the name does imply, they serve fish. However, the concept they offer is quite unique. The restaurant was founded to help local fishermen with selling their catch. At the Visserij they buy their fish directly from the fisherman, so it won’t get any fresher than that! They serve several fish ranging from tuna, red snapper, dradu, to shrimps, which are all really fresh, tasty, and super affordable. They also serve the best fries we have tasted so far on the island, so make sure you give those a try as well!
The ambiance at De Visserij is a bit different from the other restaurants in Curaçao. It is a bit more basic and you have to order your food and drinks at the counter. After you ordered you get a sign containing a number and you can pick any spot that you like. They will bring the food to your table in a couple of minutes, as the service is super quick. To sum it up, don’t expect a fancy restaurant but just enjoy the beautiful ocean view, relaxed atmosphere, and the super fresh and affordable fish that they serve at De Visserij.
Price indication: $
Location: Piscadera
Restaurant & Café Gouverneur de Rouville
When you want to go for a restaurant that is a bit fancier, but still reasonably priced, Restaurant Gouverneur is the place to be! In my opinion, Gouverneur is definitely the best restaurant in Willemstad! The restaurant specialised in both local and international cuisines, while always adding its own Caribbean twist. While we were there, we had a carpaccio as a starter and a tournedos and a seafood tagliatelle as our main course, all equally delicious!
What makes this place even better is its stunning view. Make sure to reserve one of the spots on their balcony, to look across to the famous Handelskade of Willemstad (yep, that’s the one with the colored houses). If it is fully booked they also have a lovely indoor garden, so a beautiful spot is guaranteed. Last but not least, the service was quick and super friendly!
Price indication: $$ – $$$
Location: Otrobanda (Willemstad)
Chill Curaçao
Another restaurant that is really worth a visit is Chill & Grill. This restaurant is located at the popular Mambo beach (one of my favorite beaches) and, as the name already gives away, they offer a chill atmosphere and the best meat and fish from the grill! Chill & Grill is especially famous for its delicious chicken, tenderloin, and fish skewers, which are served with bread and salad. Also here you can enjoy your food with your feet in the sand, underneath the palm trees. Good to know: they also have happy hours on Friday and Sunday from 5 PM until 6 PM! Overall it is just a super relaxed place, that serves good food for a reasonable price.
Price indication: $ (burgers) – $$ (meat/fish)
Location: Mambo beach
