Savaneta●○○○#16 of 22 Places to Eat in Savaneta

Smiley Satay Asian Street Food

Name: Smiley Satay Asian Street Food
Address: Savaneta 117, Lokaal 6, Savaneta 00000 Aruba, AW
Rating: 4

★★★★☆4.0 out of 5 · 1 reviews

casual

asian

malaysian

Photo: © nfahey via TripAdvisor

Smiley Satay Asian Street Food is a $ asian & malaysian casual restaurant in Savaneta rated 4.0/5 by 1 TripAdvisor reviewers; walk-ins welcome.

About

Smiley Satay is a small Malaysian spot in Savaneta, right in the local strip with the fisherman's shacks and low-key residential streets. The menu skews toward satay and other Asian street-food standards — the kind of place where you order at the counter, grab a table, and the plates come out fast. It's casual and inexpensive, which makes sense given the price tier and the neighborhood vibe. At #16 out of 22 restaurants in Savaneta, it's not leading the pack, but the single review sits at four stars, so someone had a decent meal. Malaysian food is rare on the island, so if you're craving something closer to Southeast Asian flavors than the usual Dutch-Caribbean rotation, this is one of the few options. It's also kid-friendly, which helps if you're traveling with a family and want something easy. Cash is probably smart.

At a glance

Area: Savaneta
Vibe: casual
Price: ●○○○
Reservation required: –
Kid friendly: ✓
Cuisine: asian
malaysian
Dietary options: —

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Tours & things to do nearby

Aruba Bob Snorkel & Scuba

Aruba Bob Snorkel & Scuba runs out of Savaneta, on the quieter south coast, and the #8 ranking among 200-plus water sports operators tells you they're doing something right. This is a half-day operation — four hours on the water — hitting both snorkel sites and dive spots depending on the group. The intensity sits at a 3 out of 5, so it's not beginner handholding, but you don't need to be a pro either. Expect to move between sites, not drift in one shallow cove all morning. The 2,160 reviews skew almost universally positive, and a perfect 5-out-of-5 average is rare for any outfit this active. Pricing lands around $75, which is middle-of-the-pack for a structured tour. If you're staying near the high-rises and want a change of scenery, the pickup logistics usually work out. Book direct through their system.

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Donkey Sanctuary Aruba

The Donkey Sanctuary sits inland near Santa Cruz, a 20-minute drive from the resorts, and it's exactly what it sounds like—a working refuge for rescued and retired donkeys. Over a hundred of them roam the property, and they're friendly in the way animals that see people every day tend to be. You can walk around, feed them carrots (they'll sell you a bag), and learn a bit about how they ended up here. It's free to visit, though donations keep the place running. The #1 ranking in Santa Cruz and back-to-back Travelers Choice awards suggest people find it more engaging than expected. The setting is dusty and open, not manicured, which fits the operation. Kids can get close without much fuss, and the intensity level is about as low as it gets—plan on an hour or so unless you're staying to volunteer. Bring water and wear shoes that handle dirt.

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Clear Kayak Tour

From $70 per person

The Clear Kayak Tour out of Savaneta is the top-ranked activity in this quiet south-coast fishing village, and the appeal is simple: you paddle a transparent kayak over shallow coral gardens and wrecks where visibility is high. The 4.8 rating across nearly 300 reviews suggests the experience delivers on that premise. It's a two-hour outing with a moderate intensity level, so you're not racing — you're gliding and looking down. Savaneta's waters are calmer than the windward side, which helps when you're trying to spot fish and formations through the hull. At $65, it sits in the mid-range for Aruba water activities. Tours go out with a guide, and the kayaks are stable enough that most ages can handle them. Book directly; the operation runs independently. If you want to see what's under the surface without getting fully wet, this is the straightforward option.

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Photos

Japanese Pork Cutlet Serve with Rice and Salad

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Savaneta●○○○© 50lesliew via TripAdvisor

Zeerovers

Zeerovers is a fisherman's shack on the water in Savaneta, and it's about as straightforward as eating gets. You order fried fish by the pound from whatever came off the boat that morning, grab a picnic table on the pier, and eat. The 4.6 value rating makes sense — prices are low, portions are generous, and the seafood is fresh because the boats are right there. The #4 ranking in Savaneta and the 2025 Travelers' Choice award reflect consistent execution more than anything fancy. The atmosphere is open-air Caribbean casual, which means plastic chairs, ceiling fans, and pelicans circling overhead. Service is quick once your order's up, though weekends can stretch the wait. Families do fine here — it's loud, relaxed, and kids can watch the fishing boats come in. Bring cash if you can. The line moves, but it moves at island speed. If you want tablecloths or a wine list, this isn't it. If you want good fried fish without the markup, it is.

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Savaneta●●○○© Management via TripAdvisor

Battata Beach Bar & Food

Battata sits right on Cura Cabay Beach in Savaneta, the kind of spot where your table is practically on the sand. It's the top-ranked place to eat in town, and that 4.9 rating across atmosphere, service, value, and a 4.8 on food backs it up—486 reviews and a 2025 Travelers Choice award mean it's doing something consistently right. The menu runs seafood, steaks, and Caribbean plates, leaning into whatever plays well with beachfront dining. Pricing lands mid-range, and it's kid-friendly without making a big deal about it. The subratings tell you what matters: people come for the setting and stay because the execution holds. Service is attentive without hovering. No reservation required, which is rare for a place this popular. If you're staying south or visiting nearby spots like Zeerovers, it's worth the stop—especially late afternoon when the light hits the water and the kitchen is fully warmed up.

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The Flying Fishbone

The Flying Fishbone is on the beach in Savaneta, and the setup is adults-only French-Caribbean fusion with tables literally in the water at high tide. That #2 ranking among Savaneta restaurants comes with the second-highest review count in the area, and the 4.9 atmosphere score reflects the whole point of coming here — it's romantic in a way that feels less engineered than the high-rise strip options. The food is seafood-forward, competently done, though the 4.3 value score tells you what you need to know: people debate whether the setting justifies the tier-4 pricing. Service scores well, the French influence shows up in the preparations, and the Caribbean ingredients keep it from feeling like imported fine dining. Reservations are required. If you're booking sunset, know that earlier seatings before 7pm can mean harsh direct light — the magic hour matters here more than at indoor spots.

romantic

seafood

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Stay nearby

Savaneta

EVA Resort Aruba

EVA Resort sits on the quieter south coast in Savaneta, away from the high-rise strip. It's a small property — #2 among B&Bs and inns in the area — but the 40 reviews land it at a perfect 5.0, with service and cleanliness both maxed out. That's the kind of consistency you get when a place is small enough to actually care. The subratings tell the story: location, sleep quality, and rooms all sit at 4.9, with service hitting perfect marks. Value comes in at 4.9 too, which suggests you're paying for the attention and not inflated resort fees. Savaneta itself is a fishing village with a few local spots and easy access to the less-trampled beaches on this side of the island. If you want something intimate and well-run without the Palm Beach scene, this is the direction to look. Just know it's small-scale by design — don't expect a sprawling pool complex or nightly entertainment.

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Paradise Found

Paradise Found sits at Pos Chiquito on the south-east end of the island, away from the high-rise strip. It's a small operation — eleven reviews all handing out perfect or near-perfect scores across sleep quality, service, value, and cleanliness. The #9 ranking among Oranjestad B&Bs undersells what those subratings suggest: when every category lands above 4.8, something's working. The location rating of 4.9 makes sense given the address. Pos Chiquito isn't walking distance to the main beaches or the nightlife zone, but it's quiet, and guests who want that seem to find it. The 5.0 for value tells you the price isn't scaring anyone off relative to what they're getting. Eleven reviews is a limited sample, but when sleep quality and service both hit 5.0, it's worth noting. This isn't a place trying to be everything to everyone.

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Driftwood Gardens is a small B&B in Savaneta, the fishing village on Aruba's quieter south coast. It ranks #4 among the five inns in the area, but the subratings tell a different story—perfect scores for rooms, cleanliness, and value, with service close behind. Six reviews isn't a massive sample, but when everyone agrees on 5/5 overall, that consistency means something. The price level is budget-tier, which checks out at around $200 a night for what's listed as a hundred-room property (likely a data quirk—Savaneta B&Bs tend to be much smaller). No beach out front, but they run a shuttle. No casino, no swim-up bar, no kids' club—this isn't a resort complex. The vibe is intimate and quaint, the kind of place where you're staying in a neighborhood instead of a tourist corridor. Walkability is limited, so plan on a rental car or being comfortable with taxis.

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Tio Pepe Bar&Restaurant

Tio Pepe sits in Pos Chiquito, just up from the Savaneta coast, and serves Chinese and Asian food in a low-key setting. It's the kind of neighborhood spot where families show up without a reservation and order off a menu that doesn't try to be trendy—just straightforward dishes at mid-range prices. The vibe is casual, the kind of place where kids are welcome and nobody's checking their watch. There's no buzz online yet—no reviews logged—so you're going in blind, but that's the trade-off with local spots that haven't hit the tourist circuit. If you're staying nearby or driving back from the southern beaches and want something other than seafood or Dutch-Caribbean fare, it's an option. Don't expect polished service or Instagram plating. Expect a quiet meal and a check that won't sting.

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Review summaries are AI-paraphrased from public traveler reviews.