The recent Forbes article claiming to present the “best restaurants in Aruba” is not serious food journalism. It is, at best, a glossy tourism piece disguised as culinary authority.
As an Aruban-born resident and an international traveler who has dined in Michelin-star restaurants across Europe, North America, and beyond, I have experienced what real excellence looks like. I have also eaten in every restaurant mentioned in the Forbes article. And I can state plainly: the praise being handed out does not match reality.
This is not a personal attack on the restaurants. Some are pleasant. Some are decent. A few are good within the context of Aruba’s tourism market. But calling them “the best” in a way that suggests international-level quality is misleading.
The problem is not taste. The problem is standards.
Real restaurant criticism is built on technique, consistency, discipline, ingredient quality, balance, execution, and professionalism. The Forbes article evaluates none of this. Instead, it leans heavily on atmosphere, storytelling, branding, and curated experience — the language of marketing, not gastronomy.
That distinction matters.
When a platform like Forbes publishes such a list, readers expect credibility. What they get instead is a polished brochure for tourists.
There is also an uncomfortable truth that no one wants to say aloud: Aruba’s tourism market is not dominated by experienced fine-dining guests. Many visitors are easily impressed by décor, price, and presentation. That creates an environment where mediocrity can be oversold and where genuine critique is avoided to preserve commercial relationships.
That may be good for short-term promotion. But it is bad for Aruba.
Inflated praise does not elevate the island’s culinary reputation — it damages it. Serious diners recognize exaggeration immediately. Over time, credibility erodes.
If Aruba wants to grow as a culinary destination, it does not need flattery. It needs honesty. It needs higher standards. It needs critics who are willing to say: this is good, this is average, this is not acceptable — and this is where excellence truly begins.
What Forbes delivered instead is safe, promotional, and superficial.
Aruba deserves better than marketing copy dressed up as journalism.
