My Venezuelan friend took me and my office colleagues to this place for quick lunch. My colleagues arepas and they were huge while I got chicken rice bowl. The food was delicious. It's a very cozy place and good service. I would recommend this one for Venezuelan food. read more

I finally got around to coming here. Hours are a little weird. It says they close at 7:30 PM on Google but at 7 PM on their website and Yelp. To be on the safe side, come here before 7 PM. The parking lot is shared in this little plaza. Spaces are limited. Inside the restaurant has plenty of tables to dine in. You order first, then sit down and wait, and you pay when you're finished eating. I ordered tequenos with cheese, chicken arepa, cordon bleu with chicken empanada, the trio with beef, cheese, plantain, and sugar cane with lime drink. The service was great. The staff was very kind and attentive. Prices were cheap and food portions were big. The staff knows some English, so better brush off on your Spanish from school. Or you can just point. -tequenos with cheese 5 - very cheesy and addicting. -chicken arepa 5 - way better than the ones I had at Top Arepa in Schaumburg. This arepa does not crumble so easily, it holds everything inside very well. -cordon bleu with chicken empanada 5 - crunchy exterior with loads of chicken inside. -trio with beef, cheese, and plantain empanada 5 - crunchy and very flavorful. This one was my favorite. -sugar cane with lime drink 5 - very tasty drink. I could drink a gallon of this. Not sweet at all. read more

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I enjoyed visiting this family-run restaurant and was very impressed by the flavor of the food. We order a rice plate, an arepa and a few empanadas. Everything tasted delicious, crispy with a signature smokey hint. They seem to have a small kitchen crew, so we had to wait for quite a while for our food since a large group ordered before us. read more

Carato’s Venezuelan Restaurant - Venezuelan Near Me - Roselle, Illinois

This place was so worth breaking my fast for the 2nd time today! Thank goodness I caught their sign for Venezuelan food as I was driving home on Lake St. A woman walked in behind me with her daughter and quickly got in front of me to talk with the owner. At first I was put off, thinking she must be REALLY hungry. Not at all the case. By the time they made room for me at the register, she helped me order! Tequeguava is their version of mozzarella sticks with a sweet surprise of guava jelly around the cheese. Not much of a cheese pull due to the surrounding dough, but a tasty bite nonetheless. Wished there was a smidge more of the guava to exploit the sweet/salty factor they were going for. The Trio empanada was a great size for the price, and...SO delicious! I went with the beef, plaintains and cheese combo (hence, trio) and made sure to savor every bite, down to the corner piece of the delectable dough. Per the owner, the dough for their empanadas and arepas is derived from cornmeal. This lends a very airy fried dough that would shine with even the simplest ingredients it would should enrobe. It also happens to be gluten-free! The mechada arepa was recommended with cheese, which there was lots of. I would have preferred to have the shredded beef warmed on the grill with some of that cheese melted throughout before sandwiched into the arepa. Regardless, the taste was incredible once you bite through the airy dough! The carato (homemade Venezuelan mango juice) was the drink of choice, which surprisingly was not overly sweet for how thick it was. Both Kevin and Ruth were very welcoming and patient with all my questions. They will do very well since there aren't many authentic Venezuelan restaurants. The ingredients were fresh and everything is made daily! I would almost recommend they open at 10-1030 instead of 830 AM as currently stated and close an hour later (8 PM), especially when they get more popular! I can see myself lingering in their quaint space, sipping away at my carato. I cannot wait to go through their whole menu! With the quality of my first meal here, it will be tasty adventure! read more

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I met up with a friend here for dinner. The food was so delicious and flavorful!! I highly recommend going and trying it out for yourself it won't disappoint. read more

I placed an online order and paid $50. I received a call saying that they ran out of food and my order will be cancelled. They proceeded to charge my card regardless and not give me a refund read more

My housemate is Venezuelan and this is the best local restaurant we found that tastes like home to her and is as good as what we make at home! read more

Delicious! I've been driving by this place and finally decided to stop in for lunch today. The place is small but has several tables to sit down and eat. Service was very welcoming and attentive. We had two frescolitas with cheese tequeños to start. The lady also brought us the sauces to go with it which were very good! We had an arepa de pabellon and a ground beef empanada. Both were delicious! Brought me back to Venezuela! The pabellon is seasoned perfectly, the plantains were sweet and the beans were perfect. The arepa is huge- def enough to share! The empanada was crunchy and the ground beef was also seasoned very well. I left with a Malta Polar and will definitely be back. Prices were very fair for everything we got! If you are from Venezuela, do yourself a favor and go eat here for some delicious nostalgic home food! read more

This was one of the best lunches we have had. Please join this family and enjoy the great service and wonderful Venezuelan atmosphere. Thank you so much. read more

This place is a hidden gem! The food was amazing! I had a beef and Gouda arepa. It was stuffed with meat! I couldn't finish it all! The staff was very friendly. Everything was made to order and was very fresh and yummy! The Mexican Coke was perfect! I will return! read more

Carato's is sooo delicious! I highly recommend stopping in for some really good food. The owners are really nice and the food is made fresh to order every time. My favorite is the trio empanada with beef. I eat it with their green sauce. The plantain in the empanada blends so well with the beef, and the crispy empanada dough gives the perfect crunch. The green sauce is to die for - I'm seriously addicted. read more

We drove past on Lake Street and happened to notice their sign saying they were a Venezuelan restaurant. So of course we had to stop in and eat. We were told it was their opening day. We ordered sweet plantains, a Cubano sandwich, a chicken empanada, and a chicken cordon bleu empanada. The empanadas are huge! They are stuffed with the most wonderful tasting chicken there is. Sauces to accompany the food were divine. It's a fast-casual place, and the service was wonderful. The pride the owners showed in this new venture was demonstrated by the quality of the food they offered. There's just one problem. It's not close to home! Please stop in and treat yourself to some amazing food that is made with authenticity. read more

I just moved my office to a building right behind Careto's, so I stopped in for lunch. The two women there were very welcoming. I got a plate with beef, black beans, white rice, and plantains. Everything was fresh and good, but the plantains were OUT OF THIS WORLD. Thick, juicy, perfectly spiced. I plan to go back soon, and order whatever has as many of these amazingly delicious plantains in it as possible. read more

Flavorful & Authentic, well-priced - with kind and hospitable workers. I had an amazing experience here!

This place is a gem! Magnificent and authentic flavors, and the staff couldn't be friendlier. Our waitress went through the menu and we tried a couple of different apps and entrees to share. One better than the next. Extremely reasonable prices. Also, wait until you try their house sauce. Amazing! Welcome to the neighborhood, Careto's! read more