First time having Venezuelan food!…read more This was at a small local restaurant, El Venezolano on Danforth. We got the El Venezolanito, which came with 2 arepas, 2 mini cachapas, 2 tequenos, 2 mini empanadas, and 2 patacones. Finished off with some churros! Apologies in advanced if I butcher the descriptions! Might be helpful to people that are new to Venezuelan food like me. - arepas: cornmeal cakes stuffed with meat - cachapas: Venezuelan corn pancakes - tequenos: fried bred cheese sticks - THESE WERE AMAZING -empanadas: baked pastry pockets - patacones: fried plantain I really liked the dipping sauce and the owner gave me 2 small containers of it to take home which was super sweet!

Best thing about Toronto is finding gems of restaurants like these! Small shop but full of life,…read morepassion and flavours! The staff are super friendly and lots of locals come here. The wall decor is cute too. Empanadas were oily but tasty. Great little garlic dip that comes with! I wanted to try the assorted platter of appetizers (El Venezolanito) but I was hesitant on the price as it increased by almost $9 since last year.

I was driving by one day and noticed the new sign, Latin Hut, it stood out and i knew i needed to…read morestop in and try it out. I ended up getting (2) Arepa Sandwiches. First was the Mechada which was shredded steak. The flavour was amazing, the beef was so tender and the seasoning was absolutely amazing. The second Arepa was the Reina Pepiada which is shredded chicken mixed with avocado and some mayo. There was a little too much mayo for my husbands liking but i thought it was perfect. the arepa size it self was fairly large and they were not stingy with the quantity of meat. Overall at the $8.99 price point per sandwich i definitely got my bang for my buck! I will be back to try the empandas and the cuban sandwich is next on my list! Can't wait to try the smoothies when the warmer weather hits!

Passionfruit slushie tasted decent, but was not a slushie, but passionfruit juice with ice shreds…read more Steak cachupa was good. It was sweet & salty. The steak was tender & tasty. There was a lot of meat & quite a lot of cheese. It had a chewy & crispy body & was served with a very light tasting creamy sauce.

Simple and down to earth Venezuelan food. The owner was fantastic and explained all the different…read moreitems to us. I'm guessing this is more of a takeout place but was very happy to see that they have a small indoor seating area and some picnic tables outside. Everything was delicious! We had: * PARRILLA MIXTA - Grilled beef tenderloin, grilled breast chicken, chorizo, yuca fries, arepitas, nata, and guasacaca * PATACONES FLYING PORKY - Pulled pork with pineapple chutney sauce, ham, grilled fresco cheese, lettuce, tomato and salsas * TEQUEÑOS - Venezuelan cheese sticks * Drinks - Papelón con Limón (lemonade with cane sugar), Chicha (Venezuelan rice drink), and Passion Fruit Juice (my fav). I don't live close by, but if I ever have a craving for Venezuelan food, I will definitely drive the distance for it!

O-M-G! Gluten free empanada, arepas extraordinaire! I'm in Heaven!…read more And even better, these are the most lovely humans! Come here, you will not be disappointed!

They get 2.5 stars…read more Bandeja paisa: steak was decent, crackling was so-so (pretty crispy but not that moist or flavourful). Sausage tasted decent but slightly dry. Egg was a bit overdone & arepa was decent though somewhat crispy  Beans were decent. Plantain was so-so (not crispy or sweet). Pork tenderloin was pretty tasty but tough & dry especially for a tenderloin. Rice was decent, with a slight flavour, but a bit mushy. Plantain was crispy. The restaurant interior was decorated quite nicely but was very warm (in summer) & service was disorganised & some servers didn't speak English well so communication was sometimes difficult. I asked if the pork tenderloin had a sauce; they said no but it came with a tomato & peppers sauce. They also billed me wrongly.

Incredibly delicious food, authentically Colombian, big portions, and amazing value for money. The…read moreseafood dishes are filled with various different kinds of high-quality seafood to the brim (more protein than rice). All the staff are so friendly - from the waitstaff to the chefs / owners and kitchen staff, everyone in the restaurant seems to exhibit the Latin American hospitality and friendliness. The place feels homey, cozy, and festive with the music in the background (from the TV screen on the wall), and big photos depicting different places in Colombia along the wall. Ambience is very laid-back and casual, with amazing food that tastes homemade and authentic. It took a while for the food to cook and come out (about 40 minutes) - mostly because of the Cazuela de Mariscos (seafood soup) that took the longest to cook. It was also during a very busy time on a weekend. They seemed to have a constant flow of incoming catering and take-out orders (a good sign), and the restaurant itself was packed. All / most mains come with coconut rice, salad, and tostones (fried plantains). As for drinks, you can order freshly squeezed juices in either water or milk. We ordered the fresh strawberry & blackberry juice in water, as the one in milk would make it more like a smoothie. Each juice order comes in a jug (whether it be a small or large jug). This came as a surprise to us - really good value for such a large volume of juice ($6 for a whole "small" jug that turned out to be quite big, enough to refill each glass a few times for 2 people). The juice itself tasted fresh, natural, and refreshing. Dishes that we tried: 1) Filete de Tilapia con Camarones (grilled tilapia fish fillet & shrimps with coconut rice, plantain, and salad) - Big pieces of fish and lots of small shrimps, in a very delectable sauce. 2) Arroz Marinero (seafood rice with plantain & salad) - Loved this dish. The rice was a bit soupy which I liked. It was a bit like a soupy paella (including the rice) - very delicious and packed with various kinds of seafood. 3) Cazuela de Mariscos (seafood soup with coconut rice, plantain, and salad) - Very creamy soup, like a chowder. I'm not a big fan of chowders / cream-based soups in general, but others liked it and said this was good. 4) SIDE: Ensalada (House Salad) 5) Arepa de Chocolo con Queso (sweet corn dough with cheese) All of the main dishes were EXCELLENT - loved the mixed seafood (fish fillet, shrimps, octopus, squid, etc.). There was so much seafood in every dish. In most places, you get more carbs / rice compared to the protein. Here, it was the opposite. The coconut rice was a bit dry but it's decent - good to soak up the sauces of the main dishes. The salad is just shredded cabbage and carrot with big sliced tomato. I was a big fan of the salad dressing (some creamy mayo-like dressing), but luckily the dressing was only at the top of the salad (the bottom part of the salad remained fresh and crunchy, which I liked). We ordered the Arepa de Chocolo con Queso for to go. It was different than the Venezuelan arepa that I'm used to. The Colombian arepa seemed to be sweeter and more buttery. It probably would've been better if it was eaten right after it was freshly made, and while it was still warm. There was a lot of cheese in the arepa, giving it a nice salty and savoury contrast to the sweet corn dough. After you're done the meal, you go up to the counter to pay (instead of having the bill brought to your table). Great food overall - I would not hesitate to come back.

La Parrilla is a small takeout restaurant that's big on flavours! The food is meticulously prepared…read moreto order fresh from the grill. What is the meaning of 'parrilla' you might ask? It's a traditional form of Argentinian barbecue on the open fire. I've tried Brazilian rodizio and Venezuelan arepas but that was near the extent of my Latin American foray so it was exciting to taste the cuisine at this hidden gem. The must-get menu item is their charcoal grilled chicken. It's sort of akin to Portuguese chicken but in comparison the meat here is more juicy and better seasoned. The half chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender with slightly smoky flavours, then even tossed in chimichurri sauce. Perhaps greasy yet each meaty bite is satisfying! Honourable mention also goes to their empanadas. A pretty sight: golden baked crust folds over the fresh beef filling, that might be even better by the dozen. And at their price point, I can see why guests generally agree La Parrilla is a 5-star visit. I ordered ahead and the food was ready for pickup upon arrival to avoid any wait. Owner Serge was friendly about offering an extra sauce on the side along with chimichurri tossed on the chicken. Definitely get that sauce, as it adds dimensions to the asado / grilled meat. It's not easy for family businesses to operate these days, so I applaud that La Parrilla charcoal churrasqueria continues to offer top notch food from this little plaza.

We went to this restauran, La Parilla to have a barbecue. Unfortunately, the food was all dry, the…read moreempanadas were not well cooked and the rest was not much better. The worst part was the terrible service from the waiters; especially from this older man who was rude and disrespectful to the customers. To make it even worse, their prices are outrageous! A MINI empanada is $3.50 each and a can of coke is also $3.50 each and you can check on their website the ridiculous meat dish prices! Don't bother trying this restaurant, it will definitely not be worth your money!!!

Came with a friend to try the $14 vegetarian arepa which was tasty. For $16 we shared the yuca…read morefries and two empanadas (spinach and sweet plantain with beans). Everything was made fresh and hot. I only wish they had a fresh element like a side salad as most things are deep fried. We sat outside to enjoy some sunshine. Service was friendly.

I truly feel like whatever Arepa I got, I would have been satisfied. The soft Arepa with the tender…read moreslow braised beef with the beans, cheese and soft plantain was fantastic. This was my first time trying an Argentina Empanada, Spanish bechamel to be exact, and this reminded me of a Quiche but the inside was more moist and 'raw'. Tasted great You can dine in, they have seating at the window, middle of the restaurant where the kitchen is an open concept. Ran by 3 lovely women. They also have plenty of seating in the back. I ordered take out and it took about 15min to get my food, well worth the wait!