No doubt the island quite different, any insights on island life would be much appreciated !
You should still reserve in advance if you want an automatic truck. It may not have changed as much as you think -
when I was there in October, the gas station I used didn't take VISA or MasterCard - so carry some cash. Van Den Tweel is a really nice grocery store, but when staying north of town, Zhung Kong, though way smaller and more basic, may do fine for you (it's just north of the Buddy Dive area).
To me, Bonaire feels a tad more 'bustly' (I imagine the cruise industry has something to do with that), but still pretty rustic.
Someone else remembers City Cafe! I really liked it. The retail location of Cactus Blue also closed; the name Cactus Blue went to a food truck, still in business though it's changed ownership. Years ago I also ate at Papaya Moon (IIRC) and Richard's, also not there anymore.
there's food truck often found at one of the kite surfer sites on the SW side.
When I was there in October (
my research notes) the Cactus Blue food truck was at the Corporal Meiss dive site, between Windsock and Bachlor's Beach, south section of the coast, and just north of Windsock is the Port Bonaire Dive Friends location for swapping out tanks, so this is a good stretch to know. I was quite happy with Dive Friends as services provider.