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RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

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CUISINES
International
Meals
Dinner, Late Night
FEATURES
Reservations, Parking Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service
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Reviews (1,239)
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Traveler rating
1,124
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All reviews amuse bouche tasting menu lamb salad chef dennis months in advance dining experience other guests new friends fellow diners course dinner make reservations wonderful evening food allergies glen foodie aruba
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Reviewed 4 weeks ago via mobile

We dined at Carte Blanche in the past and it was amazing, food, service, etc. Our experience this year was totally different, the service wasn’t attentive and the food mediocre. We did notice that neither the chef nor the front of house person that’s been...there on previous visits were present. I believe we overheard that they were away for a break, maybe that’s why it was so disappointing. There were only 12 people dining, so there wasn’t really the excuse of being busy.More

Date of visit: February 2024
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Reviewed November 26, 2023

I tried 3 tasting menus in Aruba. All are good, but Carte Blanche stands out. 1. The chef is a solo act. No sous chef. He is a masterful artist in his kitchen. 2. The service is friendly, attentive, and approachable. Not pretentious. 3. The...wine pairings are worth the price tag. No big labels, but excellent, well considered pairings that don’t leave you resentful for dropping another $84. Although, the price of the pairings is very reasonable relative to other comparable tastings. 4. They are generous with the wine pours and refills for wine pairings. You should take a taxi and not drive to fully enjoy the experience. 5. The chef really gives a daxn. He comes out to the tables to explain each ingredient of the dish. Worchestershire sauce with the beefsteak tomato, Beurre Blanc, vermouth, and bright beet purée with the Baracuda dish, the local caught lobster spaghetti is perfectly al dente and the lobster is prepared excellently. But, what puts it over the edge is the spicy Sangiovese wine pairing. The lamb was so tender. Again, the Napa red blend pairing took it to another level. 6. Above and beyond attention from the chef. He saw that I was dining alone and came out and offered to do a chef’s choice of his favorites. Then he came out to explain with each course to me, while he rotated attention among other tables. 7. Accommodating to my gluten free preference. I cheated on the lobster spaghetti because… hello, come on, how often do you get house made pasta and local caught lobster. 8. I was the only person of color on the restaurant and the chef and servers did not care. They treated me like a foodie who truly appreciated his craft. This was a welcome gift. Sadly, this not always the case. Awkward and uncomfortable interactions happen often enough, that I notice when I have good experiences. 9. Final course is the chocolate lava cake. Enough said. drop the mic. This chef knows his audience. He offers a frou frou cheese plate with port for the old school. But, indulges his contemporary audience that wants dessert to legit be a dessert. The menu pairing is mini contreau martini, but I was giving a Moscato Rosa. I abhor moscato, but this was not offensive and actually captures the orange in the dessert quite well. 10. Outdoor ambiance is excellent. They even had bug repellent upon request. Attention to detail is a lost art upon which Carte Blanche thrives. 11. My primary server, Mily, was phenomenal. The head server was also excellent. But, Mily poured my wine pairings. So, she is the center of the universe in my world. Well done. #MichelinStarMore

Date of visit: November 2023
Helpful?3  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed October 6, 2023 via mobile

Hubby and I had a lovely dinner on their official 1st day of 2.0! Really nice intimate vibe at this restaurant that offers 3-6 course/plates tasting menu in downtown Oranjestad. Amazing exquisite food prepared by Chef Dennis and service was attentive. Glen and Milly were...so friendly and very pleasant to chat with. There are 10 dishes on the menu to choose from and we opted for the 4 course/plate with wine pairing. Below are the dishes we tried: -Beefsteak Tomato (interesting name for an octopus dish :P ) -Pumpkin Tortellini -Rosada & Shrimp -Sea Bass -Caribbean Rock Lobster x 2 -Veal Cheek -Skirt Steak Everything was so delicious and in good portion. Tasty tortellini, fresh seafood, perfectly cooked sea bass. I don’t know what magic Chef Dennis did on the spaghetti in the rock lobster dish, it was outstanding. And the veal cheek was absolutely phenomenal. The night exceed our expectation! We are visiting the island from NYC and have been to many tasting restaurants all over. Carte Blanche 2.0 is definitely one that I would recommend. Great value and incredible experience. If anyone is looking for a quiet intimate fine dinner or want to indulge on a special occasions, be sure to make a reservation in advance as there are limited tables. Glen, we will see you again on our next visit!More

Date of visit: October 2023
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Reviewed May 27, 2023

Having visited Carte Blanche since the first year they opened, we felt it was time to post a review given how many similar concepts have opened up on the island. We look forward to our visit each year and have always been impressed by the...food and service (and have enjoyed meeting most of the other guests as well!). The concept has changed a bit over the years - what was once a counter service meal inside is now a communal table outside (which started during covid) where they've created a serene garden atmosphere that encourages conversation. The food we've had over the years has rivaled Michelin starred restaurants, and typically has consisted of an amuse and then various salad, pasta, fish, and meat courses, as well as dessert. They've been able to accommodate my specific allergies with advance notice, and we've seen guests with other allergies receive alternate dishes throughout the meal. We've always found the wine pairing to be great and complementary to the food, but the staff has never pressured guests to partake (and we've seen guests order sodas, light beers and espresso martini's to pair with their meal as well). Glenn as the "host" and bartender has great banter with the guests, helping everyone feel at ease and creating a genuinely warm environment. It's been great to see Chef Dennis succeed at his new endeavors (we eat at Wilhelmina each year as well) and Carte Blanche continues to draw us back each year.More

Date of visit: May 2023
Helpful?1  
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Reviewed May 21, 2023 via mobile

In my time visiting the island, Carte Blanche is an automatic reservation that we make months in advance. For us, it’s about the experience of meeting diverse groups of vacationers paired with consistently spectacular courses. Perhaps most of all, the warm, engaging and attentive staff...round out a wonderful evening in Aruba. Our last visit featured the amuse bouche followed by 2 fish and 2 beef dishes. There is so much variation in the preparation, textures, accompaniments and presentation. The highlight for me was the difference between the bulgogi and the beef short rib. Dessert was incredible, featuring cherries, chocolate and ice cream. We love the conversation, laughs and interactions with fellow diners and engaging hosts, chef, and staff. The level of attention and service is unmatched here. Whether you do the wine pairing or not, whether you have food allergies or not, whether you are an introvert or extrovert, Carte Blanche is a special evening.More

Date of visit: May 2023
Helpful?2  
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Reviewed April 5, 2023

2 people 3 cocktails 1 glass of wine 15% tip $340. The food is good but ur better off just going to Wilhelmina which I love which is normally say $110 a head with wine/drinks. Honestly ur better off hitting somewhere else. Half the table...was the hostess’ friends getting extra wine pours and they thought they were real cool. And let you know it. The food first four courses were good but nothing mind blowing. The last course desert was average at best ate half. Amuse buche was the same they give to everyone At Wilhelmina for the last 5 years. Save ur $ and do something else.More

Date of visit: April 2023
Helpful?2  
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Reviewed April 3, 2023 via mobile

Always beating expectations! Wonderful meal and experience with Glen pouring and Reese cooking. Thank you again and look forward to our next experience with you!

Date of visit: March 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed March 25, 2023 via mobile

This is, in my opinion, the best chefs table experience on Aruba, and there are many to choose from. This is the original and the quality couldn’t be higher. Only 12 sit each night at a lovely outdoor courtyard. Host Glen and chef Ries provide...a delicious and entertaining evening where you can enjoy a leisurely meal among new friends. We started with Prosecco and an amuse Bouche the. Moved on to two seafood courses and two meat courses ending with a sampler of three different desserts. Wine pairing is an option of you can select a bottle from their extensive wine list. Their cocktails are also noteworthy. Reservations cannot be made more than six months in advance, but carte blanche fills up very quickly so I recommend reserving as soon as you are able. Bon Appetite!More

Date of visit: March 2023
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Reviewed January 29, 2023

Been coming to Carte Blanche every year for 10 years. Being on an island we love the new outdoor table experience. The food is always amazing and portioned well so you will not leave hungry. The wine pairings perfect and generous. The best part for...us is meeting the other people and developing great conversations and a few long time friends.More

Date of visit: January 2023
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Reviewed January 26, 2023 via mobile

If you want an amazing dinner experience, you MUST come here for dinner!!! Make reservations way in advance as these dinner seats are very hard to get. The food and wine pairing is absolutely phenomenal and Glen will take excellent care of you! You will...not be disappointed with this place and will want to come back over and over again!!!More

Date of visit: January 2023
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Reviewed January 21, 2023 via mobile

We have visited chef’s tables this week and this one was a big let down. The fish chosen for 2 of the courses was not the best flavor and the trimmings and sauce did not help. It was also frustrating because lamb was chosen as...the main course. Reality is there are many people who don’t like lamb and went without a main course. It just wasn’t the quality of food you would expect for a chef.More

Date of visit: January 2023
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Reviewed January 5, 2023

Hello Aruba Foodies My review on Carte Blanche DONT GO!! I usually don’t post negative reviews for any restaurants, but this time I decided to maybe save some of you few hundred $$$ Where do I begin? Carte Blanche used to be one of my...favorite chefs table experiences, but for the first time in many years it was a huge disappointment We did not see the chef prepare anything, there was not a view of open kitchen as they advertise, in fact we couldn’t see much of anything. We were seated in a bizarrely dark garden which completely negates the purpose of being able to enjoy the food presentation of the extremely expensive meal. We were using cell phone flashlights to look at our food. Again, bizarre. And outrageously unprofessional even though we mentioned that it’s very dark. Good thing they name the dish, because I couldn’t see anything The dishes alternated between being underwhelming, mediocre and stunningly bad. A lamb dish was served completely raw and not well trimmed. Not a single dish we remember that we liked. Maybe if the chef could see what he was plating he would realize it wasn’t serve-able. He definitely had a vision that a table of shmucks would pay him $$$. Let me mention that I don’t know who was cooking, but not the original chef and owner Dennis, and I wish we knew that. We were not as harsh as should have been at dinner because there were other people and we did not want to cause a scene. Once the nausea of paying $400 for this “experience “ somewhat receded, we reached out to the maìtre d‘ with polite , but blunt and honest feedback. He didn’t apologize. He didn’t deny that it was not a chef experience or the food was not so good, he instead said that “it looked like you were having fun” I don’t know how he saw anything there but I told him I’m not paying to make friends. He told me to go f*ck myself, so there’s that. Carte Blanche SAME TO YOU!More

Date of visit: December 2022
Helpful?3  
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Reviewed December 2, 2022 via mobile

Carte Blanche came highly recommended by many people and wowed us. What a great experience being seated with 6 other couple all enjoying a chefs tasting dinner along with wine pairing. Food was off the chart. The environment of sitting with strangers was so enjoyable...that we met up with one of the couples on another day.More

Date of visit: December 2022
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Reviewed November 29, 2022

My wife and I love Carte Blanche Restaurant. We are coming back ta have diner every year for many, many years and every time it gets better and better. Delicious food, excellent wine pairing and a lot of fun. We had diner in many restaurants...in Aruba, but Carte Blanche is the Best!More

Date of visit: November 2022
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Reviewed November 15, 2022

Wonderful five course dinner. Chef and Glen were friendly and fun. The menu is a surprise but all ingredients are fresh and beautifully plated. The wine pairings were spot on for each course.

Date of visit: November 2022
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Questions & Answers
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terrym4567
May 31, 2020|
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Response from gracie5559 | Reviewed this property |
Pretty close. $109 per person for meal and $89 for wine pairing which is optional plus gratuity. Very much worth the price if you enjoy dining on excellent food generous wine pairing over a 3-4 hour of social dining with the... More
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debrahaggart
October 20, 2019|
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Response from Geoffrey F | Reviewed this property |
It's around $220 per person with the wine pairing option. Totally worth it even though it's steep!
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debrahaggart
October 20, 2019|
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Response from William Randolp... W | Reviewed this property |
worth every penny!
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CARTE BLANCHE RESTAURANT, Oranjestad - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Carte Blanche Restaurant

Carte Blanche Restaurant is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travelers:
  • Food: 5
  • Service: 5
  • Value: 4.5
  • Atmosphere: 5