TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Emilio's

One of the prettiest restaurants on the island is Emilio's which is actually only 9 minutes from Royal Palms if no traffic
It is about a half mile from Marks and sits at the bottom of the zip line adventures
Although we have been there at least twice, we missed their little sign (big one was down because of a storm) and traveled a bit too far into the island venturing into uncharted territory which did not make us feel uncomfortable
a quick turn around and the building was easier to see from the road coming in the opposite direction

candles led the way to the beautiful stone building transformed from a former sugar boiling house
only about 4 couples where dinning and we were really not greeted by the lonely bartender until we greeted him first

a server came over and showed us to our table, shortly thereafter offered us water but waited about ten minutes before offering us any cocktails
drinks were made quickly but sat on the end of the bar while the two servers who saw them decided to deliver them
my wife's mojito was well prepared
Emilio's is an open air restaurant along with outdoor seating, they have recently added air conditioning which was working on all cylinders keeping the room very comfortable

shortly after orders were taken my water glass remained empty while both servers passed by our table without even glancing over,
we had to ask for the water to be filled
servers would walk by all table all night and not do a "look over" to see if anything needed to be refilled

there was absolutely no friendly conversation from either server, almost robotic like service

Emilio's offers a $57 three course prix fix with a surcharge for filet and short ribs

appetizers got us off to a good start with the fishcakes and octopus
3 petite fishcakes were served with a small salad, crispy prosciutto and a delightful pineapple salsa
while the octopus was tasty, the three bitesize pieces had a little chew and had me wishing for a larger portion
both dishes were artfully presented

for my wife's main, four medium sized pecan dusted scallops were missing that necessary sear and lacking any sauce for the mild tasting scallops
the scallops were not overcooked and served over lite basmati rice
it think the dish would have benefitted with a lite sauce, maybe a citrus buerre blanc

I ordered the shrimp risotto which my wife has had it the past
I really enjoyed the cheesy risotto topped with 8 medium sized shrimp
no one checked on us if we were enjoying our meals or not

for dessert, my wife ordered her favorite carrot cake which is prepared with one of the owner's recipe
the small slice of cake was served with what I believe was a citrus cream cheese frosting on the side and presented on a happy anniversary plate
one bite of my rich slated flourless chocolate "tarte" and I knew I had it last year
despite the small size, it was rich enough to satisfy

coffee was never offered

while the food was good and presented nicely, nothing really awoke our taste buds except the chocolate for me

we have had nicer and more attentive service on previous visits

minor details was a bar stool in the corner filled with the server's backpacks and other belongings
also a very unripe mostly white strawberry garnishing my wife's dessert
most notably was the service, just take order and deliver


while I'm sure most guests will enjoy Emilio's, unfortunately it is scratched off next years list

Thanks for your reports. While I have never eaten at Emilio's, it is reviews like yours that I appreciate. Too many other places for mediocre service like this and lack of attention to detail. Pretty sad since the owner has been in the restaurant business a long, long time.

Norm has been there on all our previous visits and always seems to stop by each table before leaving for the evening
one of his relatives used to oversee the restaurant in his presence

We have only eaten there once, way back when Dino was there. We were not impressed then and haven't been back. The service was horrible, although at the time we blamed it on the table for 10 next to us, which is always a challenge for a restaurant. Too many good restaurants on SXM where one is appreciated, to go to one where you are ignored.

Is Emilio's the place famous (or infamous) for white chocolate mashed potatoes? We watched a YouTube video on local restaurants that recommended the place, and while the restaurant was beautiful in terms of setting, the chocolate mashed potato part was a head scratcher for me.
Agree that it is off-putting to feel like a burden when so many hospitable and delicious dining experiences are out there. Thanks for sharing, as always. Glad the food was at least "good".

Emilio's was a one and done for us. One of the worst Duck dinners I've ever had and can't even remember what my wife had. Same service you experienced.

We walked into Emilio's for Sunday Brunch and we couldn't figure out to whom to speak about getting a table or anything. After walking around looking lost for 5 minutes, we opted to go elsewhere. And we have never been back. We can get that kind of service at any of the Divi restaurants without leaving the resort! :-)

We met the owners of Emilio's at La Cigale. We struck up conversation not knowing they owned a restaurant. They mentioned how nice it was to have some time away from their place and to check out what other places were serving.

Had we read your review before that meeting I would not have hesitated to tell them what we had heard in hopes they would take it to heart and improve.

That could have been an uncomfortable conversation.

Scuba I don't mind "uncomfortable" conversations if it filled with truths.

Well said and it would have helped them to make the improvements. That's whats is means by being constructive .

If he indeed would take constructive criticism and make the changes.

IMHO, most of his past ventures have been mediocre at best. Sad to waste such a nice setting in this case.

While I do my best to give a honest review of a restaurant, I would much rather that they always be positive
There are times that certain issues can not be ignored such as a large party delaying food

I use this forum to allow others to make a decision if they may enjoy visiting a reviewed restaurant

I have visited several places after reading about it on this forum as well as my on island gourmand

I will not bash a restaurant on trip advisor as possibly it may have been an off night, but in this case on a slow night there is not excuse for any issues with service

I am hoping to pm the owner so he is aware of what we observed

He is a dedicated restaunteer and hopefully appreciate the honest criticism

I think we all appreciate your fair and balanced reviews. I know I do.

Fair and balanced for sure and appreciated as Linda stated.

I truly enjoy reading your reviews (and Linda's too). Any restaurant can have an off night. But it would appear many of us have experienced similar situations so this is not just an off night.

I agree with mahokid that the lack of a “front desk” of some sort makes it a bit awkward to know what to do when entering. I will say though that each time we have been there, the service and the food have been great. We were just there this past August for Sunday brunch to celebrate our anniversary. I think it depends on whether the owner Norman or the lead manager Marinella is working. When they are there, the service is good. When they are not there, the service can be spotty. Should not be that way.