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| - I don't have much to compare it to, since this is the only Venezulan restaurant I know of in AZ. It's very small, definitely family-run, with what looks to be the adolescent son taking orders and bringing out drinks. The young man who seems to be the owner shares the space with Rosati's.
My foodie group saw a write-up of this place in the newspaper so we decided to trek out to Mesa. It was pretty darn good, especially for the price!
They were out of Guayanes (the newspaper had recommended this arepa) so we ordered three other arepas. In case you don't know, an arepa is a corn fritter type sandwich. We had the queso de ano, which appeared to have a salty cheese and potato in it. It was very yum. We had reina pepiada arepa, which was like a mayonaise-y chicken salad with avocado- we didn't care that much for it. But the Pabellon arepa with fried plantain, shredded beef, and black beans was a hit.
We also had the pabellon plate which was quite yummy with the best fried plantains I've ever had. Oddly, the rice was a bit hard and dry. The cachapas jamon and queso de mano was a favorite with my fellow foodies- kind of like a pancake sandwich with ham and cheese. We finished with the quesillo (tastes exactly like flan to me) which was very good.
I'd say it's a bit of a drive for some of us, but it's definitely worth checking out. Not for those looking for heart-healthy eats!
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