Shopping for Food?

[Trailboss123]

@scubadada beat me to it, for convenience to where you will be staying at Den Laman, Zhung Kong, which is just a 1/2 mile north, does have a selection of fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses, snack foods and a decent selection of various libations, including Chilean and Argentinian wine. Van Den Tweel is the "go to store" for most things, if planning to do a lot of self made meals.

@dmaziuk has referred a couple of times to "at the buns" -- It is actually called Between 2 Buns and is a short stroll across the parking lot of Den Laman. Great restaurant for breakfast, lunch, pastries, pies, cakes, deli... All of which can be eaten on site or purchased for takeaway.

Also, a couple of doors down from Between 2 Buns is a Surinamese restaurant. They are a pretty eclectic little spot. They sell some high quality Belgian beers from their cooler and also do some decent ice cream.

 

[boat sju]

You guys are joking about packing frozen meat in your luggage, right?

 

[agd]

You can get everything in Bonaire.....but not every time.

Last week there were no oranges, nor was there any fresh milk. But now they have both again. Bananas were absent completely for 3 weeks, but they can be found now.

More tragically, the best beer on the island, the AH branded premium lager is sold out and in the past I have waited a couple of weeks before it was re-stocked. Now I keep a slab of it in reserve for these situations, so I am ok but if you are here for just a week you will have to make do with Amstels or other lesser substitutes.

But in recent years, particularly since Van Den Tweel opened, there is a full array of good and interesting products, some new to you, that will surprise and delight.

You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need. (Whoo-Hooo).

Andy

 

[CT Sean]

Just another recommendation for Van Den Tweel. It's not quite on the level of a Publix or Winn-Dixie that I assume you are used to, but it's not too far off. Plus its fun looking a the stuff that isn't sold in America and wondering what some of it is since not all labels are in english.

 

[Kksmama]

You guys are joking about packing frozen meat in your luggage, right?

I'm not joking. I pack food on a regular basis for different reasons: it gives me luggage space on the return trip, it is convenient to have a start on meal planning, I can be picky about my ingredients, it is frugal, it is amuses me (Chrissy Teigen and her emotional support casserole). Took my famous chicken soup to my mom when she had cancer, blah blah blah she is well now. (blah includes chemo and surgery, but I'm pretty sure the soup was relevant).

You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need. (Whoo-Hooo).

Andy

Perfect song for Bonaire, thanks!
We will also eat out, and get take away from Between Two Buns, AND visit the markets. Food is important to me, and diving makes me hungry.

 

[ljwillia]

We enjoyed gin and tonic's while on the island. My husband was impressed that Van Den Tweel's had tonic with real quinine. He insisted we drink more for medicinal reasons. We had to protect ourselves against malaria from all of the mosquitoes

 

[dmaziuk]

We enjoyed gin and tonic's while on the island. My husband was impressed that Van Den Tweel's had tonic with real quinine. He insisted we drink more for medicinal reasons. We had to protect ourselves against malaria from all of the mosquitoes

They make coke with Real Sugar. That's my rum'n'coke story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[Ray and Pam]

You guys are joking about packing frozen meat in your luggage, right?

May have been on the old BonaireTalk, they were bringing in live "Maine?" lobsters to cook later.

 

[Jersey]

IDK if they still do it but vendors from Curacao or? used to set up in the little pavilion downtown selling fresh produce - and IIRC we saw some fish there also once. It's this one - downtown bonaire - Google Search:

DiverSteve I believe they were from Venezuela. Haven't seen in a couple years. There was a farm stand for a few years across the street from the Curoil gas station on Kaminda Gurubu. Take the inland road off the circle at Den Laman till it deadends on Gurubu, make a right. Sold very reasonably priced produce, some local. You may be able to pick up some fresh fish from the charter guys across the street from It Rains Fishes - be there when they come in. I observed some bills and fish changing hands a couple times.

Boat SJU - nope, not joking. Partly a holdover from the days when the only grocery store was Culitmara, open till noon on Saturday, not at all on Sunday and the selections could be questionable at best. I happen to like my organic grass fed custom cut beef and my homemade-no-MSG meatballs. My dive buddy once took an entire frozen turkey on a Thanksgiving dive trip & I routinely taken whole frozen chickens to Grand Cayman. More money for diving or dive gear!

Pam and Ray - I'm not a fan of Carib Lobster, much prefer cold water clawed bugs, so I kinda understand. My buddy is a lobster snob - won't eat one he didn't catch

 

[Lorenzoid]

Last week there were no oranges, nor was there any fresh milk.

That must have caused widespread panic among the Dutch residents/visitors.

We enjoyed gin and tonic's while on the island.

I like G&Ts, and on Bonaire I also enjoy gin-and-bitter-lemons. Bitter lemon (soda), such as Schweppe's brand, is hard to find in the US. I think it's more of a thing in the UK/Europe.