Orinoco

The title says it all — or at least most of it. I added wine pairings and I was seated overlooking the water. All that plus the tasting menu plus impeccable service (friendly, helpful, prompt, and not stuffy) added up to a terrific night. I’ll be back for certain.

We’re moving soon, and as we entertain a new bed, she’s into the idea of an upholstered sleigh looking thing in neutral linen, with a footboard that’s functional and comfortable.
I want to take a Pepito de Costillita, the $ 8 passionfruit-​glazed, boneless baby back rib sandwich, under a handful of vinegar slaw and pickled red onion — fluff it up with bacon wrapped, almond stuffed datile pillows, and spend eight hours a day sleeping on it.
Because, really, this lunch is comfort defined. Tostonitos (plantain chips) come standard, and iffn you’d prefer a taste of Little Havana, there’s a Pepito Medianoche that can be my pull-​out couch any day.
That sounds… awful. Just eat the sandwiches (or the arepas, which also kill it).

You’re beckoned off of the frigid streets by the soft glow, the sounds of laughter (and not just the drunk-​verging-​on-​scary kind of laughter). Orinoco: a vibrant tribute to the Venezuelan roadside family eatery, tucked into the South End. Frequencies, hues, and aromas hit you like a warm punch to the face (what are you doing in Boston, anyway? Why don’t you live somewhere with friendly faces and lively décor, where digestif chasers are fun bites of food? Masochistic fool!)
Pause the pre-​meal crisis to order. I’d recommend the famous bacon-​wrapped dates (datiles) and the panela salmon, served over creamed quinoa with broken olive vinaigrette. For vegetarians, the roasted portobello arepa is a winner, and the sweet plantain-​cheese bites (maracuchitos) are a fair consolation prize for those that can’t/won’t eat datiles.
Not everything at Orinoco is distinctly Venezuelan, and if you can look past the amount of Spanish on the menu, there are a fair number of options for the unadventurous eater. Tequeños is code for mozzarella sticks, and Remolacha is a colloquialism for «white girl salad» (beets, goat cheese, vinaigrette, add chicken for $ 3.)
If you ordered the dates & salmon, by now you should be lost in the sweet and savory, crispy and soft, familiar and unfamiliar, all meshed by flawless technique and quality ingredients. Perhaps immersing yourself in this little South End-​merica isn’t so far from the real thing, after all.
While polishing off the meal with an appropriately tiny, rich torta fluida, you notice the already jam-​packed tables feeling unusually close together. Your face has slowly been inching into the frame of a six-​person selfie-​shoot occurring at the table beside you. Yeah… no. Time to move to Venezuela.
Shout out to Mike!

Fantastic Venezuelan food and South American cocktails.
We got the plantains with queso and the BBQ back ribs as starters and the churrasco steak and the lamp chops for a main. Also the Venezuelan flan for dessert and a Caipirinha and a Passion Fruit Margarita for drinks. Everything was exquisite. Nice, romantic atmosphere too. We will definitely come here again.
Only criticism would be that the space is extremely tightly packed — They had to move the table for us to get in!

Love the location, service and the food!
Working in South End means that
1. I need to spend most of my paycheck on food for lunch
2. Bring my own lunch and stare sadly at the food that the coworker’s are eating.
BUT Orinoco has great food for great price, which is why my coworkers and I go there at least once a month for lunch. They have amazing sandwiches. My favorite meal from their new updated menu is Pepito de Costillita. Which is a sandwich with pulled pork and vinegar coleslaw. It is absolutely delicious and the side of plantain chips is always nice.
Their Arepas are good too, but the value is not as great as the sandwiches from their pepito section of the menu. If pulled pork isn’t your thing, try their pepito mixto which has chicken and beef.
If you like spicy food, make sure to ask for their hot sauce, you could either add it to your sandwich or use it to dip your plantain chips.

There aren’t a lot of places to go for Venezuelan food in or around Boston, so Orinoco really stands out. I have no idea whether their food is really authentic or not, but I for sure enjoy it! I love their pupusas, especially the green tangy sauce that comes on the side. Also love several of their brunch items, especially the Cachapas, which are sweet and savory and delicious. Their empanadas on the other hand are not that great and a bit of a ripoff at $ 9 for just one empanada. Their drinks are also quite good, and reasonably priced; I love the passion fruit and guava flavored mimosas on the weekends. The only reason why it doesn’t get 5 stars is because the service can be REALLY spotty. At their south end location at least, there is usually only one waitress, so even though they’re quite friendly and efficient there, sometimes you can wait a really long time to receive service.

Love this place! Only drawback is the lack of a liquor license, but a great wine list makes up for it. Killer arepas and salads. Bacon wrapped dates are must! Great mellow atmosphere for dates or hanging, especially the outdoor seating. Just make sure you show up on time or you’ll get an earful :)

Came here late on a Wednesday for a bday date, and loved it! I’ve been to the Harvard location as well, but I have to say the South End is much cuter and cozier. I got there towards the end of the night so business had definitely slowed down, but it was very quaint and welcoming.
Also just want to note, that I actually wasn’t very hungry and didn’t order much food, but everything that we did get was DELICIOUS. The only thing I’m going to pick at here is the drinks. I forgot what I ordered exactly, but it was something with grapefruit and it tasted watery. My date had a caipirinha, all I can say is I’ve had better.
BUT THE FOOD…
1. datiles — normally wouldn’t be drawn to bacon wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese, but I had seen all the Unilocal reviews about it so decided to give it a try. It didn’t disappoint! So so good and such a lovely mix of sweet and savory. It’s a must try.
2. pernil — the only arepa I’ve tried here, and quite frankly the only one I ever want to have. The meat is so flavorful and so simple with the fresh cheese. It’s small but perfectly satisfying and pairs amazingly with their mojo sauce. I have no idea what the sauce is made of but it’s tangy and delightful. I would love to have a bottle of this sauce for everything I make. Orinoco is known for arepas, also another must try.
3. empanada — okay, so I don’t remember which empanada I ordered, but I doubt you could really go wrong with any of them. The salad that came with it was really really good, and I’m never one to really rave about a salad. I wish I asked what dressing they used, because I would love to make some myself.
Anyways, come here if you want stellar, flavorful food. I can’t wait to come back and explore the menu. They also have a location in Brookline, so check that one out as well!

Orinoco is my one true love (okay, I have many true loves but Orinoco is the newest and hottest addition). My boyfriend and I loved it so much we actually visited two weeks in a row!
Service was extremely quick the first time, as it wasn’t that busy. My boyfriend ordered the Empanada Mechada and the Pernil arepa and I ordered the Pabellón Criollo. Let me start by saying that I don’t love arepas – or at least, I thought I didn’t. All the arepas I’ve had in the past have just been too… mushy? Too bland? A combination of those awful traits, that make me despise them with all my heart. I even tried talking my boyfriend out of ordering an arepa because I wanted something that I could happily share!
To my surprise, the arepas at Orinoco are awesome! Super crispy and the meat is seasoned enough so that the breading is nice and flavorful. I was in love. The empanada honestly could have been a meal itself. The plate comes with two large halves and an amazing salad to boot. The empanada was thin and crunchy and Orinoco definitely did not skimp on the meat. Love, love, love it.
The Pabellón Criollo was exactly what I wanted. The plantains were sweet and delicious and the beef was so juicy and delicious. I devoured it and it was definitely worth every cent of the $ 15!
On our second trip to Orinoco, I tried the Pollo Adobo, which was also great. I expected smaller chunks of chicken though with rice (I guess I’m more used to something more Filipino), but was met with just a large piece of chicken. It was tender and well seasoned, but not exactly what I expected. My boyfriend ordered the Empanada Mechada again, and unfortunately they were out of arepas for the night, but we had the Mini Costillitas to share as well. The BBQ sauce for the ribs wasn’t too sweet and the meat fell off the bones.
Service was much slower the second time around as it was much busier. We sat outside the first time and unfortunately there were no open tables during our second visit, so we got a table inside. The indoor space is small and you do feel a little closer to the tables next to you, but it was cozy and wonderful.
Orinoco, you have my heart.

Love this place for lunch Venezuelan flava is the way to go especially when your sick or the norm for you South End workers. It’s a quaint place to get a great bite to eat and fast. Get an empanada to an arepa sandwich or entire meal. Man love bacon wrapped dates w almonds. Service is fast and they have great personality. I’ve been here twice and not a disappointment. Come after work and get a drink. Only thing is they have set time for lunch hours and open back up 6pn for dinner

Great service, great food, great mom and pop atmosphere. Their drinks are on the small side but still delicious.

The empanadas went well with my chili. Yes, I said it. I drowned those empanadas full of sauce. You know a place is good when they have their own homemade chili sauce. Loved it! You can even purchase the sauce but I only brought a carry on and the sauce would of gotten taken away by the TSA. Next time or if I’m that desperate I’ll ask my sister to fedex some to me.

Love Orinoco — the food is absolutely delicious. They really get it right here. We’ve been several times — dine in, order out — and it is always top notch.
Favorites:
— Empanada Mechada: My absolute favorite thing on the menu. It is lightly fried and the beef is delicious. Bonus points for having an excellent salad accompany it. The sherry vinaigrette is light yet flavorful. The whole dish is extremely fresh and bursting with flavor. Five stars!
— Fried sweet plantains are excellent as well. At most other restaurants, plantains tend to be heavily deep fried but not here. If there was a prize for «delicately deep frying» something, Orinoco would win it. Delicious.
— Arepas and datiles are great as well. Ask for hot sauce on the side for the arepas, if you like things spicy.
Service is wonderful too. We brought our new baby for an early dinner on the patio the other night. Per our request, they got us in and out in record time. Highly recommend!

Un restaurant vraiment très très sympa!
Le lieu est chouette, bien décoré, contrairement à beaucoup de restaurants américains il n’y a pas la clim à fond ni la musique à fond non plus!
Le service est parfait: de bons conseils et très sympathique sans être envahissant.
La nourriture est excellente, originale, savoureuse. Les empanadas en entrée nous ont particulièrement conquis (nous en avons pris une seule assiette que nous avons partagée!)
Enfin le prix est tout à fait correct pour la qualité de la cuisine.
Bref, un super restaurant!

Outstanding Latin American food in the South End. Loved everything on the menu.

Delicious Venezuelan food! Restaurant is small inside, but it does have outdoor seating if the weather cooperates. Loved their red sangria, the bacon wrapped dates, and the things that resembled mozzarella sticks (was some other cheese).

I wish I were kidding when I say: poems should be written about their mojo and hot sauce. To quote Don Juan De Marco (yes) these two sauces «inspire me to love.» I know it sounds absurd, but trust me.
When I come, I usually order an arepa and rice, beans and yuca for the table. The datiles are also really awesome if you eat bacon. Note that the beans are cooked with pork.
I recommend coming for lunch (and check their hours before you head here– I’ve come on a Monday before to find them closed). Dinner hours can be intensely busy, which can be fun, but I also enjoy how fast I can get my food and how much more mellow the atmosphere is during lunch. The wait staff has also generally been kind and helpful.
Also, expresso. Try it.

DUDE. EAT HERE. NOW.
After eating here I have decided that Venezuelan is one of my favorite cuisines. This place is phenomenal. I got the parrilla caraqueña — holy crap the flavors. Everything is seasoned perfectly and grilled to nirvana. Great amount of meat too — gotta get that protein in! And yuca is so freaking good! It’s crispy but still potato-​ey and goes really well with the meat! We topped it off with the torta fluida — at first glance it seems underwhelming, but take that first bite and BOOM. MOUTH ORGASM.
Coming here every chance I get!

At first, I was bummed that they could not seat me until my two friends also arrived. However, the waiter was so friendly and attentive, even while I waited for the other members of my party! I sat down on one of the bar stools by the front window, and he brought me a glass of water. I was quite cozy and situated, so the wait did not bother me at all.
The great service with a smile continued into dinner, which was delicious!!! We were a table of three, but we ate like a table of five. :P
We started with the Tequenos, which were like mozzarella sticks dipped in ketchup. Cheesy and delicious! My one critique is that the cheese could have been melted more. I love the satisfaction that comes from stretchy cheese in a mozzarella stick!
We also shared a Jardinera Arepa. The bread was delicious and slightly chewy (in a good way). I loved the cheese, which had the deep flavor of goat cheese and was even crumbled than feta.
For my main course, I ordered the Polvorosa de Pollo, which consisted of shredded chicken inside a flaky dough that was like a cross between puff pastry and a pie tart. To be honest, this dish underwhelmed me a bit. The chicken was a bit chewy (although it was shredded, so this didn’t affect the texture significantly). The pastry was also smaller than I expected. I actually wish I ordered Empanadas or my own Arepa, as these seem like their specialty dishes. My friend ordered vegetarian Empanadas, and they looked delicious!
To accompany our dinner, we got a pitcher of the red wine Sangria. Now, I am ordinarily not a red wine drinker (too dry and not sweet enough) and my knowledge of sangria is pretty much limited to the cheap Yellow Tail one. This Sangria was delicious!!! Sweet, but rounded out with that deep red wine flavor. We polished off the entire pitcher, which translated into about 2 glasses per person.
To finish, we ordered both of their desserts (they only offer two options). The Quesillo is a creamy caramel custard. The caramel is quite light, and the custard texture was quite firm. It reminded me more of a firm tofu. I was much more impressed with the Torta Fluida, a molten chocolate lava cake. I repeats: CHOCOLATE. LAVA. CAKE. Yummmmmm!!! If you can only try one of their desserts, and you like chocolate, get this! It was decadently chocolate and the center was like hot fudge. DELISH!
In addition to the great food, my friends and I loved the décor and ambience. This would be a great date location. One of my friends is vegetarian, so the clear labeling of vegetarian options on the menu was also very helpful for her.
Take note that they do not accept reservations, and all members of your party must be present in order for you to be seated. The restaurant did not fill up extremely quickly, though. My friends and I were seated right away, at around 7:00 PM on a Saturday night. However, by 7:30 or so, all tables were full.

Everything about this place was amazing! The atmosphere, décor, staff, and of course the most important, the food.
First, we began with the Mini Costillitas (apple cider, slow-​steamed, baby-​back ribs with guava BBQ, tapas-​style). There were four baby-​back ribs doused in a puddle of the amazing sauce. This was an excellent teaser for the main course. Bonus point for the staff: Our server came over with the wet wipes for our hands (of course I got a little mess) and he opened the it up for me because I looked like I was struggling. oops. But we just laughed it off. Anyways, back to the food.
I don’t remember what the name of my dish was (and it’s not on the menu on Unilocal or its website), so I’ll just describe it.
It was a slab of beef brisket with grilled asparagus on top of it. in the middle of the brisket and below the asparagus was the best part of the dish that complimented the beef perfectly. It some sort of mix like the inside of a fried crab cake and was beyond delicious. The meat itself was so tender and not tough at all. There was a green sauce on the side below the meat that added a little citrus kick but wasn’t too strong to overpower the main dish.
By the end of the meal, I was really craving a churro. Unfortunately, the kitchen had closed about half an hour before we finished. I checked the menu and realized they didn’t have churros. But that’s okay, would have still felt just as great about this place with or without the churros. Definitely will be back to try the arepas and empanadas!

Delicious food at affordable prices! The mechada arepa, a venezuelan-​style stewed shredded beef, and the pernil arepa, a slow cooked pork leg with mojo — garlic, were both very good. The arepa it self was nicely toasted and the side mojo sauce was to die for! Surprisingly, the mojo sauce is simply made with olive oil and garlic that’s been emulsified, so there is no dairy! You won’t feel as bad when you constantly go back for more…
The whole fried red snapper with mojo. yet again. was crispy and the meat (lots of it) was tender. Red snapper has a mild flavor, so it is a great fish to eat fried. Price was $ 22.
The adobo smoked tenderloin churrasco comes with pieces of cut beef with a side salad of arugula. The adobo glaze was slightly sweet, and the meat was cooked medium — charred on the outside but still juicy.