I came here once, around a year ago, and came back lunch last week. Â I must say the food has definitely improved! Some of the tastiest fish tacos I've had! And at a great price! The only thing that disappointed me were the drinks. My daiquiri was not as tasty as I remembered. For one of the only places in providence with blended cocktails, I expected them to be a little bit better.
Fun Aruba theme! Definitely will come back at night.
The big crowd-pleaser is the big fishbowl mix drinks. Some nights the drinks are watered down and other nights they could knock you on your ass. But the amount of sugar in them keeps me awake.
The fish tacos were ok, but every time I order they taste different, sometimes a lot better then other times.
Consistence is a big problem here. I've had too many people tell me they have the best fish tacos, but I've gone on a very bad night, I've also gone on a good night and they are pretty good.
The service is really disorganized. and the menu is hardly a menu.
They try a little to hard with gimmicks, some nights they do drink and food specials to get a crowd in, and sometimes they do things like karaoke, but the place is tiny inside. There is no room to move around when its packed so don't plan on going with 6 people and finding a table.
I've been going to Aruba Steve's for a few years now, and I've always had a good time. Of course that always comes with good company! They have different specials and events throughout the week...such as fishbowl Mondays, $1 Taco Tuesday, Trivia, Karoake and live bands on the weekend. How can you go wrong there?
Admittedly, I'm a college student, and as Aruba's is next door to Johnson & Wales you will get your fair share of young people at night. But during the day it's a good place to sit back and enjoy a fishbowl. For the most part, everyone who works there is super nice and is willing to BS with ya about the game. And if you're not really sure what you want to drink...ask for Tommy and tell him what liquors you like and what your tastes are for the day and he'll whip up some random concoction for you, usually soo delicious it's what you drink the rest of the night.
Another great thing about Aruba's, there happy hour and late-night food specials...can you say $1 quesadillas and taco's!
Aruba Steves is a VERY small restaurant located in downtown Providence. Â There's a bar and five or six tables plus a couple of high-tops. Â The menu parallels the restaurant - not a lot going on but it works. Â There's a nice selection of of tacos and quesadillas, as well as several hot dog options (I know...kind of out of place). Â The atmosphere is pretty funky - very colorful walls, hanging lights, fun decor, and TVs showing sports.
A friend and I split the buffalo chicken quesadilla and it was VERY yummy and only cost $8. Â I also ordered "bottomless" chips and salsa, which was pretty good but not great, as far as chips and salsa go. Â It cost $4 but don't be fooled - it includes bottomless chips but additional salsa costs .50 per refill, and the refill was only about half the original amount of salsa that came with the chips. Â (I was a little taken aback but it seemed to be a trend, as another friend ordered a cheese quesadilla and it cost the same as the chicken quesadilla.) Â Two people in our group ordered the fish and shrimp tacos and raved about them.
Aruba Steves has nightly drink specials which compensates for the other funky pricing. Â We enjoyed $4 rum drinks (Thursday night) and were also told that there was some sort of beer special while the football game was on (and *only* while the football game was on).
I doubt I'll go back to Aruba Steve's because there are so many other places that are more enjoyable, but it was nice to try and the server was very friendly and attentive.
Was here yesterday with a big group of girls. It was in the afternoon so it was not crowded. I like the fun decor here and the jars/fishbowls. very cool. My friends loved their drinks, especially the mojitos. The guy working was fun and super nice. Maybe he just liked having the place filled with women lol. Overall it was a great experience.
Review Source:I love going out to a lot of prov bars...I fully enjoy a good dive bar. this place...meh.
the drinks are weak. Â the bartenders dont even know how to make their mixed drinks listed as drink specials. Â depending on the day you go the cheap pbr isnt all that bad but thats about it for highlights of this place. Â
you wonder why this place is right across the street from a big college and yet has no one in it on a saturday night.
the bathroom is also nicer than the bar itself.
you will also be kicked out right at 2 or ushered towards the door.
id rather just goto tommy's  a min up the road if im not looking for a club type atmosphere and want some good/cheap drinks....atleast the bartender there knows how to make drinks and isnt douche.
aruba steve's will be closed with in a year I bet judging by the lack of business and the jerks that work there. unless steve gets back from aruba and douches the place before its too late.
this is one of those places that makes you wonder why you waste money on opening a bar...take some pride in your work or just blow your money and fail
Good music, good margaritas. The bartenders can make interesting drinks if you decide to give them creative license...but as someone who doesn't enjoy a whole bushel of mint leaves clogging up their straw, I always regret that decision. The guacamole is brown and tasteless, I'm assuming because it's been sitting out? I've gotten it twice and both times were a bust. Reiterating pros: good music, good margaritas.
Review Source:Just a little dive on Dorrance Street with a theme. Mostly JWU students, a few clearly drunk and stumbling, but that's probably the demographic there.
We saw the bartender pour a good amount of rum into our fishbowl, yet it still tasted too sweet and syrupy. Not a bad price for the size but I'd rather have had a less mixed drink.
Bar staff was uninterested. Texting or watching TV, mostly.
Gentleman on acoustic was super! He made it fun as we drank through our fishbowl.
went here tots last minute to wait for our final destination. place was meh... the decor was very on point to the theme + they had a guy on acoustic. He wasn't bad! It was really clean inside + the staff were... well meh. Not too friendly at all... but not mean...
Seems like a handful of jwoos + the occasional rando at the bar---pretty empty at 10pm on a Saturday. I wanted to love the fish bowl (called something like aruba ocean) that we got but... alas i'm pretty sure there was little to no alcohol actually in it. Â boo.
We did unlock the yelp discount though which was nice... since we had Kool-aid. sad fish bowl.
If you need a stop in aruba this is your kinda place.
Love stopping in here for a cold one when I'm out on the town hopping around place to place. It's a little small but it works well, it's definitely set up well. There's usually good drink specials and the bartenders are always pretty fun. I like that there is a guy at the door checking ids at night. Keeps the kids and under age drinkers out. Â Huge plus in my book because when I go out I don't like to be swamped by drunk college kids. They usually have a nice collection of bands and performers on the stage. A lot of groovy island music that I def get down with. Good times all around. Â Worth stopping by on your Friday/Saturday or what ever day you choose to go out and cause some trouble :)
Review Source:Awesome mixed drinks and tasty fish tacos!
The cocktails either come in a mason jar or in a FISHBOWL. Yes, a fishbowl. And it's pretty good sized for one person. On Mondays you can get them for $10!
The place is happy and cheery and always has good tunes. Some nights they even have live acoustic music.
I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the food. The fish tacos were really fresh and well seasoned, and the guacamole was fantastic. I don't think their chips were homemade, but they were decent nonetheless.
I will definitely be back again soon. Any place that serves margaritas in a mason jar is my cup of tea!
I was pleasantly surprised by Aruba Steve's  We stopped in prior to seeing some friend's band at PVD Social Club, grabbed a couple of beers and one of their mini pizzas.  The Pizza, jerk chicken, was surprisingly tasty and the bartendress was extremely friendly.  They had a little 3 piece playing, and combined with the decorations, made for a really fun, unique atmosphere I def didnt expect in downtown Providence.
Review Source:I am strictly rating the place on the mixed drink and the mango beer as well as the fish tacos and the BBQ pork sandwich. We went there for lunch, place was empty , having said that the chef was very nice and the server was very pleasant. fish tacos were very good and although the bbq pork could use a little help, overall it was pretty good and I would give it another try...
Review Source:So I have been to Aruba Steve's several times in the last few months since they opened. Â I work right around the corner, so was excited to have a prospective new place to go for drinks and snacks with my coworkers.
I've been there for lunch, late night drinks, trivia, after-work drinks, etc. I can't say that I have ever been impressed. Â The tiki atmosphere is the most appealing aspect of this bar. Â Drink prices and selection are reasonable, but nothing special. Â The fishbowls are tasty, but they're not cheap. Â Trivia is fun, although I have yet to see it really busy. Â The food is pretty terrible, and the service always sucks. Â ALWAYS! Â I have had to get up from my table on more than one occasion to get my drink refilled, and the bartenders never have a friendly demeanor. Â Like I said - service sucks. Â
My last straw occurred today. Â The owner of Aruba Steve's logged into Foursquare, which posted onto Facebook around 1pm that they were offering $2 Bud Light pitchers all day. Â I am a sucker for a bargain, so off to Aruba Steve's I went. Â When my friend and I arrived and asked about the deal, we were told it was a mistake. Â That was it. Â Even though we showed the bartender the post, he brushed it off. Â No apology for the mistake, no offering us anything to make up for it - nada. Â Just a swift scoff that we were wrong. Â So, we left. Â In my opinion, the staff at Aruba Steve's needs a thorough refresher course on customer service. Â They have a great location with lots of potential, but they're not going to maintain any customer base with that attitude.
Aruba Steves is a decent bar in Providence. Â The beer selection was standard, and I had the fish tacos, which weren't too bad. Â There weren't many people at the bar on the Thursday night I was there, though, so I didn't stay long. Â Also, the bartender seemed more interested in talking to the locals, than making sure my friends I and were being served/were content.
I was there on an 80's themed night. Â The "DJ" (ie the guy with his Ipod hooked up to the speakers) kept asking the 10 people at the bar for requests. Â My friends and I requested several songs. Â However, he was quite the 80's nazi. Â He literally rejected 10 of our requests because the songs were either from 1-2 years before or after the 80's. Â I could understand his strictness if it was a bar full of 80's enthusiasts, but the 7 other bar patrons didn't seem like the type to mind going a little into the late 70's and early 90's.
Handlebar mustaches and a coed crowd that just graduated. Â Yelp reviews oversell this place (and I'm not sure if it's because their check in offer comes with strings attached: like them on Facebook and give a positive review on Yelp).
This place has no soap in the bathroom. Â I'm not sure if the kitchen and weight staff use another bathroom or if they have a secret stash of antibacterial that they don't want to share with their patrons, but assume that nothing should be touched.
On the plus they have cheap eats: $1 tacos and $5 burger special, neither of which were special. Â
After frequenting the Steve's, and not wanting to end our date on a low, we promptly went to Red Fez and had an enjoyable meal with yum yum drinks. Â Burgers there are also $5 but they are DELICIOUS.
Stopped I'm here one day with a couple of friends and it was actually a pretty nice place.
The bartender was pretty nice and the drinks were really good. Get two speciality drinks to get your drinks in a fish bowl which is perfect for sharing and delicious.
Went on a Monday night it was kinda dead do not sure what days are good, but grab a couple of friends and check it out and you'll have fun regardless.
Me: I'd like a draft Peak Organic Pale Ale, please
Bartender: The barrel just finished
Me: It's OK, I'll wait for the new one
Bartender: We don't have any more
Me: (thinking) hmm ... what sort of place runs out of one of their two (count 'em) draft beers at 6.30pm?
Bartender: We have a list of bottled beer! (hands me the list)
Me: Great! I'll have a bottle of Peak Organic Pale Ale
Bartender: We ran out of that.
Me: (thinking) stay calm ... stay calm .. 1000, 2000, 3000 ...
Me: OK - then I'll have a ....
Bartender: All we have is Corona, Miller, Bud .... blah, blah, blah
Me: Why don't you put a sign up saying that you have run out of all the decent beers on the menu. Or maybe that you never actually had any of them in the first place?
Bartender: Ummm ...
This place is the Monty Python Cheese Shop of bars ... <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DB3KBuQHHKx0&s=cabac3d464dc111f8443a382e67b098571f4cbee8f1f19bbe64da3ccca91c735" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/w…</a>
One happy bar for sure. The bartender was sweet-n-friendly and the playlist and  bright Caribbean-vibe colors  were a mood booster.
I was too happy to be all *that* bothered by the scant two beers on tap (Narragansett and Shock Top), but c'mon, that's pretty weak. The coconut-Malibu + mango-Malibu + pineapple-Malibu + you-get-the-idea mixed drinks might've more been palatable for "pre-gaming" in my freshman dorm room.
My friend and I both had the fish tacos. Not too much to say; they hit the spot but I had to add table salt to bring out some flavor.
I like what they're going for and I'd definitely give it another go when there's a live music night. Though I have to wonder, will a visit to Aruba Steve's in a Providence January feel like a relaxing escape, or a bit weird?
This was the second time going here, the first time was a little better..but this time was terrible.
The ambiance is awesome, but the food is meh.
First, they were out of the beer we wanted, then the other kind we usually drink was warm (he warned us, so that was nice) Second, I ordered nachos, and he didn't tell me they were out of jalapenos (one of the 5 ingredients), until I asked for more and then he let me know there weren't any on there, and they were out. My boyfriends wrap was OK, but we kept finding clove remnants in the wrap itself, and it was overpowered by the taste of clove.
so yea, this place will be cool when you're trying to get some booty while college is going on, but I wouldn't suggest the food to anyone.
I stopped by because my wife had bought the groupon for the place and we decided to give it a whirl. It was lunch and when we walked in I thought for sure the food would be only so-so because it just looks like a bar first, food second kind of place.
I was pleasantly proved wrong. I got the pulled pork sandwich which was great and my wife got one of the salads which she loved. Even if we didn't have the groupon we wouldn't have been set back all that much and we each had a beer. Its nice to have your low expectations proved wrong.
I would definitely stop by again.
One of the rising Providence Pubs that needs attention! This place is great, new and fresh to the area with great drinks and food to match. Mahi Mahi Tacos are out of this world. Pulled Pork sandwich opens your taste buds to allow you to enjoy a refreshing island drink. Escape to Aruba in downtown Providence.
Stop by on a live music night and be blown away with get sounds from acoustic karoke and live Kyle Nicolas.
Staff is great, Steve did a good job staffing to find the friendly essentials you want. Some go getter staff during the school year Tommy and a friendly face Dillon often welcome you with One Happy Bar.
My colleague and I went here for lunch and we were both pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. I ordered their house specialty of pulled pork - not only did I receive a generous amount of pork but the sauce had a very nice flavor. Â My friend got the jerk chicken pizza and was also surprised by the spicy sauce. Â
I was a little bummed my sandwich didn't come with fries but I think my waistline approved of that :)
Two Words: Acoustic Karaoke: I had never seen it, and I loved it. Â I was invited to Aruba Steve's on a Tuesday Night, and was pleasantly surprised to find Mark Beauchemin (formerly of the band SR 71; do you remember 2000's 'Right Now') playing his acoustic guitar next to a mic with a revolving singer. Â I have a weak spot for both Karaoke and Acoustic guitar, so this was a marriage made in heaven.
This place is small, only fitting 50 or so people, but is perfect for a relaxed night out. Â Decorated with surf boards, colorful lights, and a fish tank between the bottles on the bar I immediately felt like I had landed on the islands. Â
Minda the bartender and Steve the owner were great. Â The drinks were delicious (how I love a mojito). Â And the fish tacos were a tasty treat. Definitely 'one happy bar'; I will surely be back.
Yayy! I get to write the first review for  Aruba Steves! This place is so cute, colorful and cheery. With the slogan "One Happy Bar" on the sign, it better be.
   The drinks are delicious and not over priced. The menu looks good, but we didn't try anything. They have pizza, jerk chicken, burritos and nachos. They have entertainment every tuesday-sunday night. The owner said they have acoustic karaoke, karaoke, and live bands. The owner was super nice, and it turns out he actually owns 2 or 3 bars (I cant remember) in Aruba!
  The bartender was cool, drinks weren't skimpy, good music was on... we'll definitely be back!
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