03 Oct Venezuelan Cuisine at La Caraquena, Falls Church, VA

Falls Church is a small city in northern Virginia, just a few miles outside of Washington DC. As the years have passed, my friends who used to live in the heart of DC have moved out to the suburbs to raise their families. A few of my friends have ended up in Falls Church and that is where I stay when I go to visit. It is a small city with approximately 13,000 residents and a lot of fast-casual restaurants and chains. But, one place stood out during a recent visit. We walked from my friend’s house and as we approached the motor lodge, I was wondering what type of place she was taking me to. But just next door is a cozy little restaurant called La Caraqueña. The restaurant has a low ceiling and tables are closely placed together. It is a cozy place that can only fit 32 people at once. There is some outside dining but due to weather, it is not available year round. La Caraqueña is a Venezuelan restaurant (think: arepas) with Bolivian influences (think: fried yuca). Tequenones (Deep fried Latin white cheese sticks wrapped in wheat flour dough with salsa reajo, salsa amarilla, salsa rosada) Yuca Frita (fresh fried yuca served with homemade salsa amarilla and picadillo) Platanos Fritos (fried sweet plantains with Latin white cheese and picadillo) Arepa with white cheese Palellon Criollo (seasoned pulled beef, white rice, black beans, fried sweet plantains) Pollo La Caraquena (baked chicken thigh, black beans, white rice) Ensalada Caribena (grilled tiger shrimps, papaya, avocado, onions, tomatoes, cilantro on a bed of lettuce with olive oil, lime juice and topped with golden roasted coconut flakes) Flan and Tres Leches La Caraqueña 300 W Broad St Falls Church, VA 22046