BBQ Express Aruba: Smoked Meats Takeaway in Noord

BBQ Express Aruba is a takeaway-focused barbecue spot tucked away on Palm Beach 6D in Noord — the kind of unmarked local-favorite where you order at a counter, watch the meats come off the grill, and either eat at a small picnic-table seating area or take it back to your villa. The 4.5-star rating with 320+ reviews tells you the kitchen runs hot and consistent.

About BBQ Express Aruba

The format is fast-casual: counter ordering, generous portions, very local pricing. Meats are grilled or smoked over charcoal in the open. The menu is built around charcoal-grilled platters — chicken, steak, ribs, pork chop (the chuleta), chorizo — plus burgers, wraps, late-night sandwiches and a Dutch-style kapsalon. Sides are simple: fries, rice with beans, and loaded fries with cheddar and bacon. Cash and card both typically accepted; takeaway is the dominant order pattern.

Signature Dishes & Menu Highlights

Order the ribs platter, the grilled chicken platter, the chuleta (pork chop) plate, or the Mix Platter — chicken, steak, ribs, chorizo and pork chop on one tray — for sharing. On the restaurant’s own ordering site, the “most popular” tags sit on the Tenderloin Platter, the two-meat Mix #2 and the Garlic Shrimp Platter.

The full menu with prices — checked September 2026

Transcribed in September 2026 from BBQ Express’s own online-ordering menu, where pickup orders are placed. Prices are in Aruban florins (AWG) — the florin is pegged at 1.79 to the US dollar, so AWG 27 is roughly $15. Where two prices are shown they are small / large.

Platters — grilled over charcoal, with your choice of sides and sauces

• Chicken Platter — AWG 21 / 27
• Steak Platter — AWG 23 / 29
• Ribs Platter — AWG 24 / 31
• PorkChop Platter (two chops — the chuleta) — AWG 21 / 27
• Chorizo Platter — AWG 21 / 27
• Stew Beef Platter — AWG 21 / 27
• Chicken Chicharron (crispy fried chunks) — AWG 24
• Hot Wings Platter — AWG 17 plain / 25 large
• Philly Cheese Steak Platter (with fries and a drink) — AWG 28
• Pulled Pork Platter — AWG 29
• Tenderloin Platter — AWG 32
• Rib-Eye Steak 10 oz — AWG 35
• Picanha 10 oz — AWG 39
• Garlic Shrimp Platter — AWG 37

Mixed grills

• Mix Platter (chicken, steak, ribs, chorizo, pork chop) — AWG 58
• Mix #2 (choice of 2 meats) — AWG 34 · Mix #3 (3 meats) — AWG 40
• Mix Deluxe #2 (1 premium cut + 1 meat) — AWG 52 · Mix Deluxe #3 (+ 2 meats) — AWG 60
• Surf & Turf (tenderloin with shrimp or conch/karko) — AWG 48 · Surf & Turf Deluxe (picanha or rib-eye) — AWG 52

Burgers, wraps and sandwiches

• Express Burger — AWG 22 (combo with fries and a drink 29)
• The Jam Burger (bacon jam) — AWG 23 (combo 30)
• Veggie Burger (vegan patty) — AWG 22 (combo 30)
• Express Wraps — chicken, pork chop or chorizo AWG 21, steak 22, tenderloin 24, shrimp 30
• Sandwiches on a hoagie roll — chicken or pork chop AWG 16, stew beef 17, steak or chorizo 18, pulled pork 22, tenderloin, Philly cheese steak or garlic shrimp 23

Kapsalon, soups, salads and tacos

• Kapsalon (fries, melted gouda, diced tomato and cucumber) — chicken AWG 23, chorizo 25, steak 26, shrimp 32
• Caesar salads — chicken AWG 21, tenderloin 25, shrimp 31
• Beef Soup — AWG 15 · Creamy Oyster Soup — AWG 18
• Korean Chicken Taco (3 pieces) — AWG 25

Sides and drinks

• French fries — AWG 8 / 10 · Rice with beans — AWG 10 · Loaded fries (cheddar sauce, bacon, sour cream) — AWG 12
• Sodas, Fuze Tea and water — AWG 3.50 · fresh lemon juice AWG 8.75 · fresh kiwi or fruit punch AWG 9.25

Our verdict

The platters are the point: charcoal-grilled meat at AWG 21–31 (roughly $12–17) with a real small/large choice is local pricing on the Palm Beach side of the island, and the premium cuts top out at AWG 39 (about $22) for a 10 oz picanha. The AWG 58 Mix Platter covers five meats and feeds a group for around $32. The cheapest proper meal is a hoagie-roll sandwich at AWG 16–18 or the plain hot wings platter at AWG 17. The hours are the other thing to know: the kitchen runs until 2:00am most nights and 4:00am on Friday and Saturday — worth remembering after a late night out — but it is closed on Tuesdays, and everything is pickup only.

Practical Information

• Address: Palm Beach 6D, Noord, Aruba
• Phone: +297 594 1250
• Website: bbqexpressaruba.com
• Google rating: 4.5 from 321 reviews
• Map:View on Google Maps

Hours (per the restaurant’s own ordering site, September 2026):

• Monday, Wednesday and Thursday: 6:00pm – 2:00am
• Tuesday: closed
• Friday and Saturday: 6:00pm – 4:00am
• Sunday: 5:00pm – 1:00am

Pickup only — order through the online menu and collect at Palm Beach 6D.

What Diners Say

Reviewers describe BBQ Express as ‘the real deal’ for Caribbean barbecue at honest prices. The portions are called ‘huge,’ and the chicken in particular gets repeat praise. A favorite of villa renters who want to bring food back rather than dine out.

Plan Your Visit

• Palm Beach restaurants
• Noord restaurants
• Need a rental car to get here?
• Aruba travel essentials

Practical details worth knowing

Aruba sits outside the hurricane belt, which is why the weather here stays reliable when much of the Caribbean does not. The island runs on the US dollar alongside the Aruban florin, so American visitors rarely need to change money, and English is spoken almost everywhere alongside Dutch, Papiamento and Spanish.

Distances are short. The island is roughly 32 kilometres long and 10 wide, so nothing is more than about 40 minutes from anywhere else. Most visitors base themselves on Palm Beach or Eagle Beach and reach the rest of the island by tour or rental car.

When to go

Rates and crowds peak from January through April. May to early December is quieter and noticeably cheaper, with calmer seas and the same near-constant sunshine. Rainfall stays low year-round, and what does fall tends to arrive as brief afternoon showers rather than washed-out days.

Booking ahead

Tours sell out faster than hotels here. Reserve 24 to 48 hours ahead in low season and three to five days ahead in peak months, particularly for catamaran sails and sunset cruises. Most bookings cancel free up to 24 hours before, so there is little downside to locking something in early.

Compare the options and prices

These are the best-reviewed trips in this category right now, ranked by rating weighted against review volume so a single five-star review does not outrank a thousand. Prices update automatically and free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before on nearly all of them.

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