Venezuela For The Gourmet Traveler

Popular Foods & National Cuisine

Arepas, Pabellon Criollo

Popular Beverages & National Drinks

Rum

Best Dining Destinations

Caracas, Margarita Island

Foods

Arepas

Arepas are cornmeal patties that are filled with cheese and then grilled to perfection. These are extremely common as a street food and should put hunger at bay when waiting for dinner.

Pabellon Criollo

Pabellon Criollo, or Creole Flag, is Venezuela's national dish and no visit to this South American country will be complete unless you try it. This flavorful dish consists of shredded flank steak, black beans, rice, plantains or bananas, onions, tomatoes, and spices. The end result and presentation should resemble the national flag, hence the name of the dish.

Drinks

Rum

With Venezuela being a large producer of sugar cane, it comes as no surprise that rum is a very popular product. Some great rums are produced in Venezuela and when mixed with the fresh and exotic fruits that are grown in this tropical country, refreshing beverages are formed.

Destinations

Caracas

Caracas offers a wide variety of restaurants to choose from when dining out. Local cuisine does not vary much from other nearby countries or those that are in Central America and the Caribbean except for a few extra touches that give the food a local appeal. Seafood restaurants are abundant as well as places to enjoy a good beef meal.

Margarita Island

One of the top tourist destinations in the southern part of the Caribbean, Margarita Island. Many of the resorts located here offer great dining experiences with seafood and french-influenced cuisine toping the lists.