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When presented with the news that 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar & Grill had just introduced new drinks and dishes to its menu I knew I had to do my civil duty to report!
If you are unfamiliar with this spot, 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar & Grill is located right at the heart of he Renaissance Marketplace, in Oranjestad, truly in the center of it all. The concept is laid back and tropical, where one can sit and enjoy people-watching and the Aruban breeze with a drink in hand.
What I did not know is that its name is inspired by the Alan Jackson & Jimmy Buffet song “It’s 5’OClock Somewhere” and oh boy I am going to use some quotes from that song in this review.
First order of business is a round of drinks. As the song says: “Pour me somethin’ tall and strong” and our waitress, Ari, made sure they did, these drinks are TALL.
Margaritaville Gold Tequila, triple sec, mango purée, house Margarita blend, and fresh jalapeño. Refreshing as they come, with a slight hint of spicy.
$12
Margaritaville Silver Tequila, peach schnapps, blue Curaçao, and Margarita blend. I am sure you are familiar with the vodka-based Electric Lemonade, well consider this the tequila version of that. The blue hue makes it a cool-looking island drink.
$10
Margaritaville Silver Tequila, grapefruit juice, simple syrup, and house Margarita blend. I loved this one even though I am not the greatest fan of frozen drinks, it must have been a hot day, offer me anything grapefruit juice and I am in!
$10
Three drinks in and I was feeling the buzz (and the booze) and what is a bar experience without bites? The 5 o’Clock Somewhere crew has got you covered.
Landshark-battered shrimp served with homemade Thai chili sauce. A generous serving of beer-battered jumbo shrimp that felt perfectly paired with the Margaritas. The sauce has that Thai touch, a sweetness to it that went well with every bite.
$18
Chicken and potato croquettes with cream cheese served with spicy mayo. These were my favorite! I usually think of croquettes as something mixed in with the potatoes, in this case, the potatoes are the shell to a creamy core of chicken and cream cheese. These are crispy CI-TY! Could have eaten 10 of them.
$11
Hand-breaded shrimp served with sweet pineapple chutney dipping sauce. Honestly, what is not to love? The star here is the sauce, the pineapple chunks in there made an impact. If you think about it, shrimp + coconut + pineapple is the perfect trio.
$18
To accompany it all, a massive drink, The Island Breeze surprised us: Margaritaville Passion Fruit Tequila, Last Mango Tequila, passion fruit purée, and Margarita blend with an inverted bottle of Landshark beer topped with orange liqueur and cherries. Good lord, how did we manage? It was so good.
All those bar bites awakened our hunger, so we ordered bigger dishes because we have to live large.
Angus beef, caramelized onion, cheddar cheese, and avocado served with French fries. I am personally not a huge fan of BBQ stuff (gasp!), however, I had a bite, and it was juicy, the avocado (or should I call it guacamole) added a layer of interest to it. My friends raved about it.
$18
HOT DISH ALERT! (literally). Breaded chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion rings, and sriracha mayo served with French fries. Oh, you’ll see me coming back for this one. So crispy and flavorful with literally all the ideal ingredients inside. The charred jalapeño that crowns the bun adds that extra heat.
$18
Now, if you cannot decide what bar bites to have or want a bigger portion for yourself, they have snacks and seafood platters.
The Snack platter takes the first place for me. 5 5 o’Clock croquettes, bitterballen, tequeños, and nacho chips with cheese sauce. The tequeños were the star and how could they not, just look at those perfect golden brown cheesy sticks!
$25
The Seafood platter has a little bit of their seafood bites if you want to sample it all. A sampling of Landshark fish & chips, coconut shrimp, and Lava Lava shrimp served with French fries. They made sure to include the sauces too plus tartar because what is fish & chips without one?
$29
Here are more drinks we tried:
Margaritaville Light Rum, blue Curaçao, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice. It is a blue Piña Colada and if you are a fan of them, don’t miss this one.
$10
Black Cherry White Claw Vodka, Cointreau, and wild berry mix. The table favorite! We all loved this one and you definitely will see me coming back for it after all I haven’t met a Martini I didn’t like.
$12
Shanky's Whip, Kahlúa, vanilla ice, cream, Hersey’s drizzle, and whipped cream. For all the mudslide lovers, I know you are out there!
$15
Margaritaville Gold Tequila, Fireball, amaretto, and house Margarita blend. Well, I know these devils, Tequila + Fireball? Beware.
$14
Whitley Neil Rhubarb & Ginger Gin, La Marca Prosecco, house Margarita blend and passion fruit purée. This is a refined one, my second best hitting all the right notes. I would have preferred its presentation in a spritzer glass with ice though.
$15
Another case of “What’s not to love?”. If you are a chocolate cake sommelier who has tried them all, add this to your list.
$9
Oh Churros, they never fail. I actually love that they have become so popular in Aruba.
$9
And there you have it!
I tried all new items so you know what choices to make when you visit 5’Oclock Somewhere Bar in Aruba, and as the song says: “Tomorrow mornin', I know there'll be hell to pay…Hey, but that's alright!”
Now it is time for you to go and report back! Until the next one!
