TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Dutch side Italian

Hi -
We rarely end up eating dinner on the Dutch side (nothing too deep here, just that we stay on the French side and like to stick close to home most nights). I'd like to plan at least one dinner on the Dutch side this time, preferably Italian. I see a lot of the same restaurant names thrown around. I know Roma is a favorite. Are there any Italian restaurants with a nice view? Sale y Pepe has good reviews for the view but kind of mediocre to bad food reviews. Thanks.

No view but La Rosa has amazing Italian food, been going there for 20 years! Roma gets a lot of hype but not nearly as good, but Roma is inexpensive so I guess you get what you pay for 😀

To me ROMA is over and above any other Italian restaurant on the Dutch side for true Italian prepared dishes. Others claim to be but ROMA is the best in my opinion.

Scuba if you want to sit in the area between Roma and Mr. Chow is it first come /first serve or up for reservation? Isn't that where the HH specials are where you can order from both places?

Yes, if you want the happy hour specials between 5 PM and 7 PM. You need to sit at the bar or at the bar tables across from the bar to get that menu.
It has items from Mr. Chow and Roma.


Drphilsxm

Got to go with Scuba on Roma

I like both Roma and La Rosa. La Rosa to me has a nicer environment but I like the outdoor seating at Roma as well. Both have good food.

tried the summer prix fix at La Rosa last year and was not impressed

We went to Roma twice which is against our rules
wife repeated fried calamari which also against rules but it was that good

one of few restaurants that actually has a manager / owner watching over the dinning room

I'm not sure about reservations for HH at Roma/Mr Chow. Maybe someone else can answer that question. We always have gone for dinner at Roma which we make reservations for outside seating.

I have been to Roma for their happy hour and happy hour menu several times. I have never made a reservation. I usually go shortly after 5 PM.

Drphilsxm

I don't think they take them for the HH hour, unfortunately. One needs to go early. Otherwise, you may be standing around waiting for the folks at the bar to stop watching TV after dining. At least that was my unpleasant experience. Once finally seated at the bar, however, the bartender was delightful and the food superb.

We just got in from Roma. We had a drink at the bar for HH and we did see a couple of reserved seats at the bar, which ended up being friends that I know and many on here do as well. At 5:15, there were seats available at the bar and then about 7:30 they were filled with people eating and drinking. My advice, go early!

Linda, the bartender in August was very personable but he was serving last night. The two guys behind the bar last night were lacking in personality.

We have enjoyed Isola in the past. They have an outdoor seating area with a great view of the sunset. We understand that new management has taken over. The carryout pizza we had on Sunday night was as good as ever.

Friends ate there Monday night and said Isola was good there was an hour wait to eat, so they must be doing something right.

Not Italian but the same friends ate at the restaurant at Royal Palm one night and they said it was surprisingly good.

We enjoyed Roma thoroughly and I think their italian is slightly better than Sale e Pepe. But we do still like both of them a lot.

JD--shocking, that the restaurant at RP was good. Are there new owners at the restaurant?

Carol 2 years ago when we stayed at RP I believe that's when the operation of the restaurant changed. We had a few breakfast there and a couple of dinners and had no complaints.

Because hubby is Italian and an "Italian food snob", we hadn't been to places serving Italian food. Last year Whaletail and his wife took us to Roma and hubby loved it! So I guess that's the place to go lol

Whale Tail--OK, I don't remember seeing that. Good to see that the folks at RP FINALLY have a decent restaurant. Perhaps that was when Hilton came in?

If it has any connection to the Pelican Grill at Flamingo the food will be good.

Been following Marco at Roma from before he was at Isola and everything was good, however the last two times at Roma food was mediocre.
La Rosa Too is quiet, very comfortable, linen table clothes, great food and if you want, you can sit outside also.The prices are very comparable
to Roma.