Don Jacinto is a long-running Colombian-Caribbean restaurant on de la Sallestraat in Oranjestad — beloved by locals and the South American expat community for generous portions, authentic Colombian classics, and prices that make a full meal genuinely affordable. With 1,500+ reviews and a 4.4-star average, it’s one of the best-known non-tourist restaurants in town.
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About Don Jacinto Restaurant
The dining room is casual and unpretentious — Don Jacinto isn’t trying to be Instagram-famous. It’s the place locals go when they want a steaming caldo de costilla, a full bandeja paisa, or a fresh fruit juice in flavors you’ve never seen back home. The kitchen runs all day, lunch through dinner, and the staff is warm and bilingual. Service can be busy at peak hours — the wait is part of the experience and the food is worth it.
Signature Dishes & Menu Highlights
Order the bandeja paisa (the Colombian national dish — beans, rice, plantain, chicharrón, chorizo, fried egg, avocado, arepa) for a true taste test. Other standouts from the current menu: the cazuela paisa ($17), sobrebarriga ($18), bistec a caballo ($19), and the patacones with queso or guiso criollo ($7). Made-to-order fresh juices are $8 — in water or milk — and the house limonada starts at $3 a glass, $10 for a jug. There is also a proper breakfast card from 8:30 am, built around caldo de costilla.
The full menu with prices — checked September 2026
Transcribed in September 2026 from the restaurant’s own online menu (linked from its official site). Prices are in US dollars; the menu lists Aruban florin (AWG) prices alongside, and dishes can change.
Breakfast — $10 to $15
- Caldo de costilla (beef-rib broth with rice and arepa) — $15 · Calentado trancado (rice and beans, fried egg, grilled meat, chorizo, campesino cheese) — $15 · Chicharrón completo — $15 · Nido cremoso — $15
- Amanecer paisa, cazuelita delirio criollo, alma de aguacate, salmocito fresh, waffle andino — $13 each
- Tortilla de omelet — $12 · Changua colombiana — $11 · Chorizo ranchero — $11
- Huevos al gusto, chicken or classic sandwich, rellena colombiana — $10
Colombian classics — $14 to $19
- Bandeja paisa (chorizo, grilled beef, rice, red beans, chicharrón, arepa, sweet plantain, avocado, fried egg) — $18
- Bistec a caballo, parrilla mixta personal, lengua en salsa de champiñones — $19
- Sobrebarriga (stewed or seared), chuleta de pollo o cerdo, carne a la parrilla — $18
- Cazuela paisa, lengua en salsa, hígado encebollado, pechuga a la parrilla, lomo de cerdo — $17
- Caldo de costilla — $15 · Sopa de mondongo — $14 · Combinado — $14
Grill mains — $19 to $35
- Churrasco — $35 · Filet mignon — $32
- Lomo mar y tierra — $25 · Costillas BBQ — $23 · Picada personal — $22
- Carne en salsa de champiñones — $20 · Pechuga en salsa de champiñones — $19
Pastas — $18 to $28
- Alfredo con camarones or a la marinera — $28 · Con salmón — $25 · Boloñesa — $21 · Alfredo con pollo or con vegetales — $18
Fish and seafood — $17 to $39
- Langosta (lobster) — $39 · Pulpo (octopus) — $38
- Camarones del Pacífico en leche de coco — $29 · Camarones apanados or al ajillo — $27 · Salmón al ajillo — $27 · Grouper con camarones al ajillo — $27
- Grouper en salsa de mariscos — $26 · Cazuela de mariscos — $25 · Grouper apanado — $18 · Grouper al ajillo — $17
- Whole red snapper (pargo rojo entero) — market price, ask your server
Starters and snacks — $3 to $16
- Ceviche tropitomate or mixto — $16 · Ceviche de chicharrón — $15 · Salchipapa — $13
- Calamares fritos — $12 · Ensalada de la casa — $12 · Canasta de plátanos con lengua — $10 · Burgers, alitas apanadas or nuggets — $11
- Patacones or tajadas maduras con queso — $7 · Arepas con guiso criollo — $6 · Mazorca asada — $5 · Empanadas — $3
Desserts and drinks
- Desserts $5–$15: quesillo $5, tres leches $6, torta de zanahoria or almojábana $7, oblea clásica $8, cheesecake (frutos rojos or maracuyá) $9, brownie con helado $10, super oblea $12, waffle bono primavera $15
- Fresh juices $8 (in water or milk) · house limonada $3 a glass, $10 a jug · plus long house-cocktail and coffee-shop lists
Our verdict
The Colombian classics between $14 and $19 are the reason to come — a full bandeja paisa is $18, and Google’s crowd estimate puts a meal here at AWG 20–40 (about $11–$22) a head, which is local pricing, not strip pricing. The breakfast card from 8:30 am — caldo de costilla, calentado, changua — is something almost no tourist-zone restaurant in Aruba offers. The ceiling is the grill and seafood board (churrasco $35, lobster $39, octopus $38), and the whole red snapper is priced by the day, so ask before you order it. Every price is listed in dollars and florins — the sign of a place that feeds locals first.
Practical Information
- Address: de la Sallestraat 26, Oranjestad, Aruba
- Phone: +297 585 8769
- Google rating: 4.4 ★ from 1,609 reviews
- Website: donjacintoaruba.com
- Map:View on Google Maps
Hours: Daily 8:30 am – 10:00 pm (per the restaurant’s own site, September 2026)
What Diners Say
Diners consistently call out the portion sizes (you will not leave hungry), the authenticity of the Colombian flavors, and the value. Recurring praise: ‘best Colombian food in Aruba,’ ‘huge portions,’ ‘real Colombian fresh juices.’ The casual atmosphere is part of the appeal — this is a working restaurant for the local Colombian community, not a tourist trap.
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