Zeerovers, Savaneta — where Aruba actually eats

A no-frills fishermen's pier where locals have eaten fresh fish for decades. Order by the pound, grab a number, sit over the water.

If you only leave your resort once for a meal in Aruba, make it this one. Out in Savaneta — the island's sleepy first capital — the boats pull up to the pier, the day's catch goes straight to the fryer, and an hour later it's in a basket in front of you. No menus with photos, no fuss. This is the real One Happy Island.

Why go

Zeerovers isn't trying to impress you, and that's exactly why it does. Snapper, wahoo, sometimes barracuda — whatever came in that day, sold by weight and fried crisp. The peel-and-eat shrimp are the sleeper hit. It's cheap, it's honest, and it's the meal visitors talk about long after the tan fades.

What to order

• Fresh fried fish — by the pound, crisp outside, sweet inside.
• Peel-and-eat shrimp — don't skip these.
• The sides that make it — pan bati, fried plantain, fries, pickled onions, and that punchy hot sauce.