Must-see restaurants in South America

  • El Arepanito

    Venezuela

    Open later than most places in town, this popular restaurant serves tasty arepas, pizza and fruit juices in a pleasant plant-filled patio or in the air…

  • Calabacín y Nueces

    Venezuela

    For vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike, the best budget option in the center is this healthy spot. It serves up hearty meat-free set meals, delicious…

  • El Rancho de Pablo

    Venezuela

    Right on the beach, this relaxed and friendly bar-restaurant has good service and pleasant wooden fittings. There’s a large menu of seafood, grills and…

  • Trattoria

    Venezuela

    Mix and match with a dozen types of fresh pasta and 15 yummy sauces at this friendly family-run Italian restaurant. Self-caterers can also take delicious…

  • Wok

    Venezuela

    Throbbing music, muraled ceilings and a minimalist modular wood decor set the stage for tasty stir frys and sushi. Proceed to the adjoining rooftop bar…

  • Grill House

    Venezuela

    A large and busy eatery on the main drag offering a large selection of good value pizzas, cachapas (corn pancakes), arepas and parrillas (mixed grills)

  • El Sazón Tropical

    Venezuela

    For good ol’ down-home creole cookin’, look no further than this affordable restaurant. There’s even a respectable paella to share, if you have the…

  • Restaurante La Abadía

    Venezuela

    This atmospheric colonial mansion serves quality salads, meats and pastas. It has a cocktail bar in a basement catacomb, plus several intimate indoor and…

  • Granja Natalia

    Venezuela

    This mountaintop restaurant isn't just about the view, but attracts local visitors for its wonderful French-leaning cuisine and excellent house band…

  • Restaurant Mi Vaquita

    Venezuela

    Founded in the early 1960s, Mi Vaquita is arguably the best known steak house in town and it does a great job. It has a warm timber-decked interior and a…

  • Ying Ping

    Venezuela

    One of two good Chinese restaurants on the main square (the other, Young Hua, is also recommended), Ying Ping does fantastic homemade rice noodles and has…

  • Restaurant Tibisay

    Venezuela

    Mind your matches, the local firemen eat here. You can see why – it serves solid, stick-to-your-ribs food in an unpretentious cafeteria atmosphere, and…

  • Vivaldi Panadería

    Venezuela

    A tranquil spot for frothy cappuccinos, excellent pastries and a morning newspaper, Vivaldi’s bakery has a pleasant little terrace or air-con interior…

  • Boulevard

    Venezuela

    This simple place, popular with city workers, covers the bases for a simple lunch or breakfast of dishes such as fried chicken, grilled fish, empanadas…

  • El Bodegón del Centro

    Venezuela

    Cured hams hang behind the large bar in this tasca-style restaurant that does solid, stick-to-your-ribs food. Ignore the menu and ask for the special of…

  • El Amir Palace

    Venezuela

    Crisply dressed waiters shuttle Middle Eastern specialties like shawarma and (so-so) falafel to your table, although its long menu also includes pasta,…

  • Panadería La Gran Costa Nova

    Venezuela

    This mammoth bakery packs them in at all times of the day, and no wonder – they crank out yummy breakfasts, lunches and snacks. It also has good pastries…

  • Restaurant Vegetariano

    Venezuela

    This salad-lover’s delight is a welcome refuge from the usual Venezuelan deep-fried yumminess. Wholemeal (baked) empanadas, natural juices, good bread and…

  • Arepera Doña Petrica

    Caracas

    This arepa restaurant, serving healthy-sized, inexpensive portions to beer-drinking locals, makes a casual introduction to the basics of Venezuelan…

  • K’Sualmania

    Caracas

    Run by a corps of kinetic young women, this spiffy little Middle Eastern joint has some of the finest falafels and tabaquitos (stuffed grape leaves)…

  • Mi Tasca

    Venezuela

    One of Tucupita’s best eateries, with a varied menu, good prices, generous portions and friendly service. Try the lau lau (catfish) – it’s delicious.

  • Bar Restaurant Hong Kong

    Venezuela

    A reliable mainstay in the center of town, this new Chinese restaurant has a huge menu and great-value set meals that keeps it busy with locals throughout…

  • Parrilla Barí

    Venezuela

    The restaurant of Hotel Parilla Barí looks extremely basic, yet the food is OK, portions are generous and almost none of its 40-plus dishes cost more than…

  • Recoveco

    Venezuela

    This superb restaurant reinterprets classic dishes with a contemporary twist and serves them up in an unforgettable mountain setting. Reservations are…

  • Restaurant Gran Furama

    Venezuela

    This popular place has a surprisingly large and impressive dining room where the flamboyant platos calientes send fireballs leaping to the chandeliers.

  • Kiosko La Sirena

    Venezuela

    If you’re on a strict budget, settle in at this food shack by the lagoon. Breakfast is empanadas, and hamburgers and meat grills are available in the…

  • Restaurant Rancho Típico Mandinga

    Venezuela

    A large, barn-like eatery on the beach, Mandinga is fun when it’s busy, but can feel like an aircraft hanger when it’s not. Seafood is the speciality here.

  • La Churuata

    Venezuela

    Far from the palm-thatched jungle hut the name suggests, this trendy steak house combines delicious food with enjoyable decor. There’s also an adjacent…

  • El Rincón de Walter

    Venezuela

    Just outside town, on the road to Maturín, is this small joint dishing out tasty cups of strawberries and cream. It’s worth the 20-minute walk from center.

  • Tumá Serö

    Venezuela

    For a cheap meal in a fun atmosphere head to this ‘boulevard of food’ with dozens of different outlets serving everything from arepas to noodles.

  • Pastelería Jeffrey’s

    Venezuela

    A popular upscale bakery cafe near the Plaza República serving simple breakfasts, good coffee, attractive pastries, cakes, truffles and freshly made…

  • Mojos Chichas Amasisos

    Venezuela

    This small outdoor nook is tucked away in the grounds of the Museo Trapiche, and offers creole breakfasts as well as pasta, fish, beef and chicken for…

  • Mercadito

    Venezuela

    For an inexpensive meal or a quick empanada fix, duck into this maze of food stalls, or try one of the basic criollo eateries nearby on Av Amazonas.

  • El Vegetariano

    Venezuela

    This rather run-down place is nonetheless a good option for vegetarians, as it has a daily changing set menu of Venezuelan food. There are also good cakes.

  • La Gorda

    Caracas

    ‘The fat lady’ has been serving traditional Venezuelan dishes for decades. This is where some five-star hotels send guests who want to eat ‘local.’

  • Las Guaras

    Venezuela

    On the beach behind the Guardia Nacional, this driftwood-signed eatery does two things and does them well – chicken and parilla (grilled meat).

  • El Mundo del Pollo

    Caracas

    Puts other South American pollerías to shame: the rotisserie chicken served here, in a clean, well-to-do carnivore’s temple, is transcendent!

  • Rica y Dely

    Venezuela

    Yes, Baywatch (a David Hasselhoff look-alike) has moved one door down, but he still serves a mean pizza, and he’ll still show you his tattoo!

  • Tasca Restaurant La Gran City

    Venezuela

    It’s nothing special by Caracas standards, but here it’s one of the best eateries in town, and it also offers a solid menú ejecutivo.

  • 4D

    Venezuela

    Opposite Vivaldi is this popular ice-cream parlor with a large, shaded terrace. The enormous and luminous range comprises every imaginable flavor.

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