As much as I love the idea of winter — wearing cute fluffy clothes, drinking hot chocolate, and making pitiful snowmen with the half inch of snow we get in Texas — I unfortunately cannot stand the cold. Since we’ve been getting below freezing temperatures lately, I wanted to find some hot Venezuelan food to warm me up and remind me of home! Both of these spots are just a fifteen minute drive from campus, so you’ve got no excuse not to try some authentic Venezuelan cuisine.

Pastelitos Hugo

From the moment you walk in, this restaurant is vibrant and colorful, with big murals and Venezuelan flags plastered everywhere. It’s got such a welcoming and nostalgic feeling for me. The “Que molleja” designs on the wall (Venezuelan slang which means something like “Holy crap!”) really made me laugh too; the restaurant has so much personality. The waitstaff are so kind by the way, I would trust these servers with my life.

I’ve been to Pastelitos Hugo three times now, and so far I’ve tried their namesake pasteles — a puffed pastry with savory fillings, a bit like an empanada — as well as their tequeños, a type of cheese stick. Their food has super crispy dough, and is warm and homey. In tequeños you also get a crazy long cheese pull, which I live for. And be sure to try their tangy, creamy dipping sauce, because it takes the food from good to great.

The main reason I keep coming back is the price: at $2 each for small items like pasteles and tequeños, you can easily get an assortment of flavors to share with friends. From the pasteles I’ve tried chicken, beef, ham, and meatless options like cheese and potato. I had never tried potato pasteles before, but it tasted a bit like mashed potatoes, with small chunks to break up the texture. I’m excited to keep trying more new things on their menu, and forcing — I mean, encouraging — my friends to try them too!

Stats:

Food 9/10

Atmosphere 7/10

Price $

Big Yummy

This is a sit down restaurant where waiters come to you, but still a casual setting where you could come with friends. I will say that the interior decoration is… very bold, to put it kindly (the giant monkey design on the wall was a surprise) and the music is a bit loud for my taste.

I was so curious to see if Big Yummy would live up to its name, but I was not disappointed. I ordered a cachapa, a savory corn pancake filled with cheese, with a side of shredded beef. The meat is juicy and flavorful even on its own. (Season your meat, people.) The cachapa itself is slightly sweet from the corn, but so good. It’s fun to prep my fork for a bite, scooping up nata (a sour cream-like sauce) and beef before stacking it on the cachapa and unhinging my jaw to eat it all. The flavors all pair so well together, and I’m someone who normally dislikes salty and sweet together. And again, can you say cheese pull?

I was so excited to see they had chicha on the drink menu! God I love chicha, please try it. It’s similar to an horchata if you like those: a drink made with rice, condensed milk, and cinnamon. This chicha tastes more strongly of cinnamon than others I’ve had, especially in the aftertaste, but it’s not unwelcome.

Besides the restaurant itself, across the street they also have a Big Yummy Bakery and Market where you can do some shopping. They’ve got all the Venezuelan candies I remember from my childhood, plus frozen tequeños and cachapas you can make at home. You can get coffee and pastries there, so I tried a bomba with Nutella. (When they say Nutella, they mean NUTELLA. I was not prepared for how much Nutella was in there, seriously.)

Big Yummy was a lot of fun to visit, and I’ll be dreaming about the delicious food for weeks.

Stats:

Food 9/10

Atmosphere 5/10

Price $$