This one’s for the lovers of cheese-and-meat-stuffed dough and for vegan indulgences alike. Carúpano Kitchen, a mother-daughter-run Venezuelan restaurant, recently made its debut in St. Pete at Foodie Labs (515 22nd St S) and has quickly earned five-star reviews.
The restaurant is named for the small coastal town of Carúpano in Venezuela, where the family is from, and the regionally-inspired dishes have become fast favorites. The hand-made, gluten-free arepas are the star of the menu, though the Carúpano team offers plenty more than that. Andrea Osorio (Carupano’s founder) and her mother, Dian Cedeño, also make fantastic empanadas, soups from family recipes, tequenos, and other rotating specials.
Carúpano Kitchen is a star in the making
The easiest way to try out Carúpano is to visit them at Foodie Labs, where they are open Wednesday-Sunday from 11 am – 7 pm. The I Love the Burg team got our first taste last week, and we can’t wait to go back again. Those arepas border on the life-changing. Carúpano also has consistent pop-ups around town, including regular appearances at local favorite Golden Isles Brewing Co., where they will be this Friday night (January 23) from 5-9 pm.
We tried around a half dozen items, and while all were stellar, we have to give a shoutout to one dish in particular: The “La de Chicharrón” arepa. A regional staple around the town of Carúpano, the arepa itself is made with a fried pork belly-stuffed dough and then filled with ‘queso de mano,’ a Venezuelan cheese similar to mozzarella. We ordered ours with a side of grilled and sliced Venezuelan chorizo and a housemade hot sauce. It was one of the best meals this writer has had in some time…