Eating out in Punda: where the evening happens

Mambo Beach Boulevard has the beach bars and the view. Punda has the city: narrow streets with terraces between them, facades lit up as soon as it is dark, and a crowd drawn in good part from the island itself.

Where it happens

The Gomezplein and the streets around it are busiest in the evening. On the quay itself you sit looking at the water and across at Otrobanda, which is at its best if the bridge happens to open while you are there. A few streets inland it gets quieter and more local.

What to eat

The range runs from Venezuelan and Colombian to Dutch, Italian and Asian. If you want Curaçaoan food, ask for keshi yena, a stuffed cheese dish, or for funchi as a side. Fish is good almost everywhere; it has not come far.

Practical

Booking on a Friday or Saturday is not excessive, particularly at the waterside places. Midweek you can usually walk in. Many kitchens close earlier than you may be used to, so arriving late can disappoint.

It is a quarter of an hour from Mambo Beach. If you are drinking, take a taxi back rather than the car; checks do happen and the fines are not small.