CaribbeanRestaurant

Charlie's Bar & Restaurant

Name: Charlie's Bar & Restaurant
Address: B v/d Veen Zeppenfeldstraat #56, San Nicolas, Aruba, AW
Price range: mid-range

San Nicolas landmark bar and restaurant, open since 1941

Pricemid-range

AtmosphereDecades of nautical and expat memorabilia crowding every wall and ceiling

LocationSan Nicolas (Sint Nicolaas), Aruba's art district and main street

Cuisine

Caribbean, Creole, Seafood, Bar food

Price

mid-range

Atmosphere

Decades of nautical and expat memorabilia crowding every wall and ceiling

Location

San Nicolas (Sint Nicolaas), Aruba's art district and main street

The place

Charlie's Bar & Restaurant

A San Nicolas institution since 1941, its walls and ceiling covered floor to ceiling in decades of memorabilia left behind by visiting sailors, oil workers and tourists.

Charlie's Bar & Restaurant has operated on B v/d Veen Zeppenfeldstraat in San Nicolas since September 18, 1941, when Dutch couple Charles and Marie Brouns opened its doors. It is one of the oldest continuously operating businesses on Aruba, having marked its 80th anniversary in 2021, and today serves Caribbean, Creole and seafood dishes alongside bar food in the heart of the island's art district and main street strip.

On TripAdvisor it holds a 4.1 out of 5 rating, ranking #197 of 597 restaurants in San Nicolas. Reviews are genuinely mixed: many visitors describe it as a local institution worth the detour for its history and atmosphere, while others find it leans into its tourist-trap reputation, so it is worth going in with expectations set by the memorabilia and legacy rather than fine dining.

Before you go