Last updated: August 27, 2026
Wondering where to eat in Palm Beach beyond the resort restaurants? The Noord neighborhood behind the strip is where the island actually eats — food trucks, a 150-year-old farmhouse, and the best burger fridge-full of craft beer you will find. Local picks only; no ad budgets involved.
The Old Cunucu House — grandma’s Aruba, preserved
Inside a 150-year-old traditional cunucu farmhouse, this Noord institution serves the island’s heritage plates: keshi yena, stewed goat, fresh catch with pan bati and funchi. Live Aruban music completes it. For a first taste of true Aruban cooking, start here.
The Local Store — rumshop meets gastropub
Set back from the strip, the Local Store pours from more than 90 craft beers — fresh IPAs land every Friday — alongside what many call the island’s best burgers and wings. Order the funchi fries with melted gouda. Every night the room fills with locals, which tells you everything.
Wacky Wahoo — the fish house worth booking ahead
The area’s cult-favorite fish house needs no introduction here — it gets its own full guide. Book days ahead; the catch is worth the planning.
BBQ Express — the food truck the locals chase
A moving target around Noord, and worth the chase: grilled meats and chicken chicharron done the local way at local prices. When you spot the truck, stop — that is the rule.
Eduardo’s Beach Shack — the healthy morning
Smoothie bowls, açaí, the famous mango madness, and breakfast tacos — Eduardo’s is where Palm Beach recovers from last night. Perfect fuel before a morning sail.
More local doors around Noord & Palm Beach
Keep these in your pocket — each earns its place:
- Hadicurari — seafood on the fishermen’s pier since 1999; catch-of-the-day plates and toes-in-the-sand sunset tables between the Holiday Inn and the Marriott.
- Bugaloe — the classic pier beach bar: cocktails over the water, live music, and a front-row sunset every single night.
- Pika’s Corner — casual Aruban fusion in the Noord interior; a true local staple.
- Sultan — the neighborhood’s Middle Eastern stop for shawarma-style plates.
- Craft — the food-truck-and-cocktails yard; several kitchens, one round of drinks.
- Scott’s Brats — the beloved bratwurst stand by the Palm Beach walkway; a grilled brat, a cold drink, sandy feet. Perfection has few ingredients.
- Fisherman’s Hutt — the easygoing seafood stop out by the windsurf beach; fresh, simple, and right where the kites fly.
- Indo — the neighborhood’s Indo-Surinamese kitchen; Suriname’s Javanese flavors, island portions.
- Los Cafeteros — Colombian comfort in Noord, coffee-country style.
- Ruiz — the legendary Tanki Flip food truck for the late crowd: open 8 p.m. to 3 a.m., closed Sundays. Where the island eats after everything else closes.
- Nos Clubhuis — a beloved local hangout near the Fisherman’s Huts; come as you are.
The district’s Chinese bar-restaurant: Ling’s
An island tradition worth knowing: almost every Aruban district has its own local Chinese bar-restaurant, thanks to the island’s deep-rooted Chinese community. In Noord that is Ling’s — cold beer, big plates of Aruban-Chinese cooking, and a room of regulars. It is local Chinese, island-style, and it is delicious.
Making the Noord food day
- Morning: Eduardo’s smoothie bowl, then Palm Beach or a boat.
- Lunch: hunt the BBQ Express truck, or burgers at the Local Store.
- Dinner: Old Cunucu House for heritage, or Wacky Wahoo for the catch.
- Different vibe? The San Nicolas food guide is thirty minutes and a world away.
The island-wide list lives in our guide to where locals actually eat and the full Aruba food guide. More Noord spots are coming as our local scouts report in.
New to the menu names? Our Aruban food dictionary explains every local dish — pastechi to keshi yena — before you order.
