Bonairean cooking sits between the Caribbean and the wider Dutch kingdom. The dishes that feel most rooted here are practical and filling: goat or beef stoba, kabritu, fish, fried plantain, pumpkin, sweet potato, and funchi, a firm cornmeal accompaniment used to catch the sauce. Tutu combines cornmeal with beans, while cactus appears in soup and, at Cadushy, liqueur.
Fresh local fish is worth ordering when a restaurant can name the catch, but “Caribbean seafood” does not mean everything came from the waters outside the window. Much of the island's food is imported, which explains both the broad international restaurant scene and the prices.
Kralendijk handles ambitious dinners and casual waterfront meals. Rincon is better for a direct encounter with Krioyo cooking, especially around lunchtime. Tamarind, lime, and other house-made juices are good alcohol-free choices, and Dutch snacks, cheese, Indonesian flavours, and Surinamese dishes show how far Bonaire's everyday food connections extend.