Soulful, Family-Friendly and Community Driven.
Playa Forti Restaurant is located in the Westernmost part of Curaçao, also known as Westpoint. We are driven by our long-standing commitment to the Westpoint community. We support fishermen and the local economy, while offering great food. ​This is our history.

​The very first mention of Playa Forti in history comes from the documents of Commissioner Jean Rodier in 1774. His documents describe the foundation of a Fort at this exact location. The Fort has been built in the Napoleonic era as a means of defense for anchoring merchant ships. It is fascinating to also know that even back then, a little fishermen's village had established itself here with hard-working locals. Jean Rodier goes on to mention the presence of four canons and munitions, although the large gun-carriages had fallen in disrepair. The house on the premises also needed restoration. 

In years to come, Playa Forti became an important location for commerce. Merchant ships could easily anchor close to shore and transport products, horses and donkeys which were difficult to deliver on the Westernmost part of the island. It's not clear when the Fort was completely decommissioned.

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WESTPOINT HISTORY

The Story of Restaurant Playa Forti
Playa Forti Restaurant can find its roots all the way back to when the Dutchman, Leslie Jenkin, spotted the remains of the Fort in 1958. It is said that he fell in love with life in Westpoint and decided to build a restaurant on the Fort foundations. He was a pioneer and a visionary. Back in the day, no one had imagined to make a restaurant on that very spot. The iconic canons still grace the entrance of the restaurant to this day.

The restaurant was briefly rented for some years to the Vrolijk Family, until the Jenkin Family took over again in 1982/83. During the most trying times, the matriarch of the family, Maria Luisa Rivera-Jenkin, truly stepped up to manage the restaurant and instilled a positive can-do attitude. Nevertheless, after many years, the restaurant closed its doors. Waiting for the next generation. 

Playa Forti Restaurant reopened its doors in December 2018 when the next of kin took over with her husband. The couple being very much visionaries, like the late mister Jenkin, refused to let go of the family legacy.  While both have full time jobs, they embarked on the challenging journey of rescuing the restaurant. Together, they decided to give the Playa Forti Restaurant a second breath of life. The couple and their crew were warmly welcomed by the Westpoint Community and have become part of a bigger family than they could ever imagine. Since then, they have been happy to invite guests to taste some of the wonderful love Westpoint has always given to all.  

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