Carúpano Kitchen, the mother-daughter-run Venezuelan sensation, is getting ready to open its first brick-and-mortar this fall. The Foodie Labs star has secured a location for a restaurant at 1040 4th Street North, and the team is anticipating a mid-November debut.
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 handmade, gluten-free arepas are the star of the menu, though the Carúpano team offers plenty more than that. Andrea Osorio (Carúpano’s founder) and her mother, Dian Cedeño, also make fantastic empanadas, soups from family recipes, tequenos, and other rotating specials.
The November opening will mark exactly one year since Carúpano debuted at Foodie Labs (515 22nd St S), where they quickly became something of a cult sensation. It’s also proof of concept for the business incubator that is designed to help budding chefs build a following and grow enough to open a full brick-and-mortar.
Indeed, Carúpano and Osorio have used the last year to experiment, gauge the tastes of guests, and fine-tune their offerings. By moving into a larger space, the restaurant will expand on its goal of serving all diets, creating what Osorio calls a place “where EVERYONE eats!” It’s a destination for the gluten-free, vegan, meat lovers, soup fiends, and those, like me, who just love any form of fried dough bursting with fillings and flavors.
Even today, that accessibility is a key part of the menu. Not only is everything at Carúpano fresh and handmade, but the corn-based arepa and empanada doughs are gluten-free, while all of the housemade sauces are dairy-free and vegan. There are plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, and the menu is largely allergen-friendly.
Between all of our team at I Love the Burg, we’ve had pretty much the entire menu, though I’ll give a big 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 order ours with a side of grilled and sliced Venezuelan chorizo and a housemade hot sauce. 10 out of 10, would (and have) eat again.
The most popular arepa on the menu is the shredded beef and gouda, while the steak arepa and “The Queen” (stuffed with avocado chicken salad) are top sellers, as well. With so many fantastic Venezuelan and arepa spots in the area, it’s a fun culinary journey to work your way through the different regions and specialties of the country at each local spot.
And of course, you can still catch all that great food between now and November at Foodie Labs, where they are open Wednesday-Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm, as well as occasional pop-ups around town.
Carúpano Kitchen brought something new to the area when Osorio, her partner, and her mother took a chance just under one year ago at Foodie Labs. Osorio says that opening was equal parts exciting and terrifying. The response in the 10 months since has proved they made the right choice.
“It felt like putting our favorite family recipes on display for people to critique, and to our surprise, people have loved it,” Osorio said. “Some have never tried Venezuelan food before and simply love that we have gluten-free and vegan options. On the other side, we also get all of the Venezuelans away from home that say our soups remind them of their grandma’s soup (the biggest compliment you can give us). Or that they come to Carúpano Kitchen when they are feeling homesick, sad, or actually sick. Our food is Venezuelan soul food at its core.”
Be sure to follow Carúpano Kitchen on Instagram and stay tuned to I Love the Burg for updates on the big opening of the new spot.
