Aruba Beach Cafe wins the best beachfront restaurant in South Florida

By Eric Tovin •

Before Dwayne Wiseman, manager at Aruba Beach Cafe, started working with the restaurant, he was a customer.

“The one thing about Aruba, people remember it,” Wiseman said. “When customers come back and eat outside on the beach, I mean, look at that view. It’s just hard to beat.”

Off the coast of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Aruba opened its doors in 1983 and was inspired by the Aruba island.

Readers of the South Florida Sun Sentinel voted it the No. 1 waterfront restaurant in South Florida in March 2025.

Daisy Muddimer, junior environmental science major, went to the restaurant late at night on Thursday, March 27, and enjoyed the peacefulness at the beach.

“I think Aruba is funky, fun and fresh,” Muddimer said.

Its location off the beach, Caribbean theme, live music throughout the day and the menu contribute to the tropical paradise atmosphere the restaurant was built upon.

“One Happy Restaurant” is Aruba’s motto, taking after the “One Happy Island” slogan for which the island of Aruba is known.

Christopher Nealon, Aruba’s executive chef, has been awarded numerous honors, including Florida Trend’s Golden Spoon and the Florida Magazine Readers Choice awards.

Nealon attributes his recognition to his loyalty toward Aruba and involvement within the community, being a regular donor to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

“I’m one of the longest tenured chefs in a singular establishment. There’s a lot of chefs that jump around, I know a lot of them,” Nealon said. “I’ve participated in the March of Dimes for 14 years, and I’ve gathered other chefs I know to do more events and fundraisers for the community.”

Nealon has been serving South Florida for 47 years. After a short time spent in the Caribbean, Nealon came back home to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea to continue his cooking tenure. He has been with Aruba Beach Cafe for 37 years, growing alongside the restaurant and bringing Caribbean flair to South Florida.

“Before I came here, I was in the Caribbean. I was heavily influenced by the Caribbean and brought it to South Florida,” Nealon said. “I started a restaurant business here in [South Florida] before I went to the Caribbean, and the owner of Aruba remembered me from my time down here and that’s how I wound up at the Aruba Beach Cafe.”

Wiseman believes the long-tenured crew has been the key to Aruba’s continued success.

“It’s the team. It starts off with the chef, the sous chefs, the bartenders who’ve been here for 30 years,” Wiseman said. “It’s the consistent faces who know the restaurant and have been here for so long. That’s what keeps it the way it is. We’re like a family here, and it translates to our guests.”

Wiseman also believes it’s the same loyal crew that gives Aruba the upper hand against competitors like Boathouse at the Riverside, Deck 84 and Sea Watch on the Ocean, among others.

“All those restaurants have great food. What sets us apart is the tenure, the people that’ve been here for all those years. They care about what they do,” Wiseman said. “And it shows. Employees in those other restaurants may be there for two to five years, and that’s a long time for them. But here, our guys have been here for 30-plus years, so they know the food, they know the menu like the back of their hand.”

Wiseman said Aruba Beach Cafe stays connected with the Broward County community and beyond through involvement in local events and charity,
“We try to get involved in events, we recently did the ‘Taste of the Beach’ event, the Wilton Manors Dine Out, we’ve participated in the March of Dimes,” Wiseman said. “I think it’s just the connections that everybody has outside of the restaurant that keeps us involved in the Tri-County area.”

For more information:
Address: 1 Commercial Blvd, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL 33308
Contact: 954-776-0001
Hours:
Monday to Tuesday 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Wednesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.