Best Places To Eat In Caracas, Venezuela: A Crucible Of Flavors

1. 1. Best arepas: Arepa Factory

Arepa is the queen of Venezuelan food. Made with corn flour and fried in a special way, it can be filled with red meat, avocado, chicken and many other delicious ingredients. Chefs can get pretty creative with the fillings. However, arepa is also a great snack and can also be eaten for breakfast. It’s all in what you decide to put inside.

Arepa Factory is considered one of the best “areperias” in Caracas. When you enter this small but famous joint, you see the first sign that eating there will be a great experience: “Attention: our arepas are roasted when ordered. Time of wait can vary from 7 to 15 minutes”. Arepas are fresh made here! Try their famous Arepa Reina Pepeada, filled with chicken and avocado. Make your order and take a seat. In 15 minutes tops you will get your arepa. Enjoy this perfect Venezuelan dish.

Arepa Factory

Address: Cristal Palace Transversal 2, Caracas

2. 2. Best pabellón criollo: El Aranjuez

The pabellón criollo is one of the most representative dishes of the Venezuelan culture. Filled with color and different flavors, it evokes the union of different ethnicities. It varies from region to region, but its main ingredients include carne mechada (meat that was cooked for many hours and later cut into little pieces), rice, black beans and fried bananas.

The best place to try this meal is Aranjuez, a restaurant that specializes in meat dishes. It is a small colonial house transformed into a restaurant. Its simple decor and friendly staff will make your night very enjoyable.

El Aranjuez

Address: Calle Madrid, Caracas

3. 3. Best cachapas: Cachapera Doña Inés

Corn is an important ingredient in Venezuelan meals and cachapas are no exception. This tortilla made with corn and eggs, is a typical side of the road snack. However, every restaurant in Caracas can prepare you one. This is a sweet and salty dish. You can top it with whatever you want but most Venezuelans cover it with some kind of cheese and butter.

Cachapas are Doña Inés’s specialty. Our recommendation is to order one with “telita” cheese and pernil (meat). These huge cachapas can be shared. You won’t be disappointed.

Cachapera Doña Inés

Address: Carretera de La Unión, Caracas

4. 4. Best asado negro: La Casa Bistro

Asado negro can translate to black roast. It is a very popular dish in Venezuela. The legend tells that this typical Caraqueño dish was born in the stove of a high society family, when one of the maids accidentally forgot the meat stew in the fire. It consists of a piece of meat bathed in its own dark juices with some traces of sweetness.

It takes a lot of time and technique to cook it right and that is why you should try it in a great place like La Casa Bistro, a restaurant known for its fine cuisine. If you are a meat person, you should visit this restaurant that makes the perfect, most tender meat slices of asado negro.

La Casa Bistro

Address: Caracas 1083, Caracas

Website: La Casa Bistro

5. 5. Best pastel de chucho: Hajillo’s

This might be the youngest of the typical Venezuelan dishes. It has only 30 years of history. It was created by Chef Ruben Santiago in his restaurant in Isla Margarita. Its main ingredient is the chucho, a huge fish similar to the stingray, along with carrots, eggs, olives and capers.

Hajillo’s is a restaurant located in the fanciest neighborhood in Caracas. If you want to have a refined evening and enjoy a perfect culinary experience, visit this restaurant and order pastel de chucho.

Hajillo's

Address: Calle Miranda, Centro Comercial Doña Auroral, Local 4. El Hatillo, Caracas

Facebook: Hajillo’s

6. 6. Best sweets: El Rincón Andino

Now that you’ve learnt about all the main Venezuelan dishes, it’s time to talk about their sweets. Venezuelans take their sweets very seriously. They consider desert as just as important as the meal before it. Some of their deserts have an aboriginal origin, like majarate. Some others are from the colonial period, like Torta de Jojoto and quesillo de piña, among others.

El Rincón Andino is the perfect place to taste some of the country’s main sweets: aliados, guayaba bites and melochas. This will be entirely new flavors to you because these fruits can only be found in the Caribbean and the countries around it, so you shouldn’t miss the chance to try them.

El Rincón Andino

Address: Av. Pichincha, entre la Av. Tamanaco y la Av. Guaicapuro, Caracas

Facebook: El Rincón Andino

A mix of flavors in Caracas, Venezuela

Caracas has a lot to offer, specially regarding flavors. Either if you are getting a quick lunch or a fancy dinner, you should try some of these restaurants. Many places in Latin America share ingredients, but each country and each city has its own way of preparing each meal. Combined with the cheerful atmosphere and the Caribbean music, eating becomes a new experience. Enjoy Venezuela, its food, its friendly staff and its music. Go out with some friends, share some plates, share some deserts, mix the flavors like locals do when they dine out. Enjoy Caracas and its thousand possibilities!