4 Best Restaurants in Bonaire

The Wapana Hotel's culinary gem offers an intimate alfresco chef’s table experiences on only six tables at a time, three times a week, paired with fine wines by the glass. The grounds are lovely and the ambience enchanting, but it is the food---like the chicken ballotine stuffed with lemon mousse---that has locals and visitors alike scrambling to secure reservations. Thursday night is Italian Night, typically reserved only for hotel guests, but spots sometimes open to the public depending on capacity.

Chogogo Beach Resort’s new signature restaurant is a cut above on every level, attracting local bon vivants and visiting foodies alike. Their small menu of international a la carte specialties---think steak, veal tartare, local vegetables with demi-glace---are reliably good, but it’s the choice of inspired chef’s table experiences, often paired with wines, that really attract gourmands here. Service is stellar and the ambience is alfresco seaside romantic.

Owners of the critically acclaimed De Librije restaurant in the Netherlands and longtime Bonaire visitors, Dutch master chef Jonnie Boer and his wife, Therese, operate this hip restaurant in Delfins Beach Resort. Enjoy some of the island's most exciting and creative fusion fare (miso-cured monkfish, sweetbreads with peanut, coconut, and pineapple)—prepared in an open kitchen—in a gorgeous seaside setting with glassed-in banquettes. This beachfront spot is also open for breakfast and lunch. Reserve the private palapa over the sea, called Table 14, for a special occasion.

This urban-chic establishment housed in a century-old traditional home with a magical seafront setting provides impeccable service and a creative, diverse menu that emphasizes grilled local fish—the restaurant even has its own little seafood market just outside. Open for lunch weekdays with a diverse menu of Dutch-style sandwiches, wraps, burgers, and fish-and-chips, too, it's a wonderful downtown spot for watching the boats on the water. There's a great kids' menu, too.