Aruba Beach Café
1 Commercial Blvd.
Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida 33308
Open Monday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m.-11 p.m.
954-776-0001
954-776-0001
By Jane Feehan
Whether stopping in after a swim, taking a walk on the nearby pier or gathering with friends, Aruba Beach Café can make any occasion seem like a party. It’s festively noisy and usually crowded with only a pane of glass separating diners from beach goers. Their tropical drinks and food with a Caribbean flare add to the fun.
Salads are oversized and fresh and so are the burgers and sandwiches ($12-18 average). They serve up a great lobster salad club. Skip the club format on whole wheat for this creation; ask for it on Bimini bread. Speaking of Bimini bread, they present a large hunk of it on a board with some food orders – delicious.
Seafood dishes ($22 average) for the most part are good but not exceptional; fish tends to be frozen, but heck this is more about fun than food. Three large bars, a complimentary pig roast on Friday Happy Hours (4-7 p.m.) and steel drums beckon drinkers but Aruba welcomes families to its large dining room.
This beach side spot has been several iterations over the past 40 years or so, but Aruba has reigned longest, thanks to their winning formula for an entertaining, casual atmosphere and decent menu. Service: fair to good depending on the crowds. Breakfast served on Sundays. Copyright © 2010 Jane Feehan, all rights reserved.
For more information on Lauderdale by the Sea: http://www.lauderdalebythesea-fl.gov/
Lauderdale by the Sea Chamber of Commerce: www.lbts.com
Tags: beach restaurants, beach dining, Lauderdale by the Sea, Florida, seafood restaurants, Fort Lauderdale, happy hour, restaurant reviews Fort Lauderdale
