Aruba Dining - the Tulip

If you are not tied in to a meal plan at a resort while staying in Aruba, there are a lot of places to go and enjoy a nice dinner. This year, the wife and I have set out to catalog many of the things to enjoy while on the island and this of course includes the dining scene. During our week in Aruba we have selected a mix of restaurants to take a sample of and review for our readers.

We arrived on the island Saturday and after unpacking we went with our friends to a restaurant near the timeshare we were staying at (La Cabana and the topic of another article) called Tulip. The restaurant is located along Eagle Beach (J.E. Irausquin Boulevard 240 Oranjestad, Aruba) and features Caribbean, Dutch and International dishes.

The dining is outside, as many places in the Caribbean and Aruba are, and although it was slightly muggy the evening that we visited, it was not too uncomfortable. The dinner menu features a variety of beef, chicken and fish for main courses and is very reasonably priced for the amount of food you receive. $15 to $20 will get you a plate of food big enough to satisfy your average appetite and then some.

Upon arriving there was a slight wait for a table and reservations, like many places on the island, are suggested but not required. Personally I thought that there was a little too long of a wait for a table and the service was a little slow at taking the orders.

My wife gives them a 3 out of 5 stars for service and promptness and I gave them the same rating which means they are about average.

The ambiance and decor are typical of a Caribbean sidewalk dining experience; outdoors and open air. It was nothing special so again the ratings by myself and my wife were average (3.5 and 3 out of five stars respectively).

When it comes to the menu, Tulip offers a variety, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Entrees included:

Grilled Sirloin Steak

Filet Mignon

Tenderloin Dutch Style

Mixed Grill

Spareribs

Chicken Sate

Keshi Yena

Breaded Chicken Breast

Chicken Cordon Blue

“Catch of the Day”

Red Snapper

Fillet of Salmon

and ranged in price from just over $15 to just over $22 each.

The pretty typical menu selection resulted in pretty much average ratings from both of us as well. I gave them 3 stars and my wife rated it only two and a half.

Where Tulip is better than average however is with the quality of food and the price. The quality of food is definitely above average based on what we sampled. My wife had the Lasagna which she gave 3.5 (out of five) stars and I had the mixed grill which I thought was outstanding and gave it 4/5 in the rating. Really what made the mixed grill stand out was the spicey sausage which I admit I did not eat until Monday morning for breakfast because I was full after eating everything else. The beef was superbly tender and the ribs were crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside which is how I like them.

The portions are definately above average for the price which got the highest ratings from both myself and my wife - 4.5/5 and 4/5 respectively.

It certainly is not a high end dining experience, but the Tulip Restaurant is definately a good place to stop while on the island for reasonable food at a good price and is located near quite a few restorts like La Cabana, The Aruban Resort and Casino, Amsterdam Manor and Paradise Beach Villas and just a short bus or taxi ride (or even walk) from many more.