Orinoco

Such a cute place! I lived in Brookline for 11 years and only managed to visit Orinoco just last week. We really enjoyed the caipirinhas, the dates stuffed with marzipan and wrapped in a nice crispy layer of bacon, the arepas and the plantains stuffed with cheese. We were not that hungry so just ordered drinks and some apps and arepas. There’s lots of interesting stuff to observe on the wall including some festival masks. Even the bathrooms are nicely decorated with postcards from Venezuela and folk art style pieces. It was not particularly crowded, but that may be because we came a bit on the early side, right after work. Will definitely be back. We also scored a prime meter spot, right outside the restaurant, so parking was not an issue. You could also park on the side streets.

For those of you that like Latin American food this place is a must. Venezuelan cuisine with a gourmet treatment works every time. Everything in the menu is tasty.
The flatbreads are amazing. The churrasco tender and juicy. Great empanadas and the salad is awesome.
Do not worry about how fast or slow the place is. One goes out to eat and have a good time. In any event service is also great.

One of my favorite places in Brookline now. They have a nice, vegetarian friendly menu. When we went, there was a 30 minute wait, but we hung around and went back. Good drinks, good menu– you can even see the menu and make it paleo if you want it (you have to ask and do this). Overall, satisfied and will go back.

The food and quality is excellent, the taste combos are a delight to the palate, I love this place! I have celiac disease and I have never had a problem.

My friend and I were visiting Boston and came to this location for Sunday brunch (they only do brunch Sunday, and they don’t take ressies). But it was empty and the space is big so seating should not an issue. Service is good and polite and food comes out relatively fast.
We started off with two starter– the heart of palm salad which was plentiful and delicious (good helping of heart of palm, yay) with lettuce, tomato, dressing (a bit too dressed for me but I hate dressing so that’s me), and side of tajadas which is what Venezuelas call tostones perhaps. because that’s what it was. With a tomato sauce. These were standard but also good.
I had the Pa Los Gringos breakfast which was scrambled eggs (perico– yummy), chorizo (ok to good), and tostones again. Unfortunately, they were supposed to serve it with yucca hash but somehow I didn’t get that and didn’t notice until after I started eating it. Oh well. My friend had the Resuelto which was some kind of carne/​beef/​ropia vieja dish, black beans and perico. It was very heavy. Both of our dishes were, and they give you an incredible amount of food. Well worth it given the prices are basically $ 10 or below. Both dishes (all mains) come with signature arepa which was this corn hot pocket thing. Usually these are hollowed and stuffed but ours came with the corn contents inside which is means it was A LOT of food!
Highly recommend if you’re looking for a hearty, cheap meal and something different — Venezuela breaky. Very authentic.

It was a busy Friday night when we went and ended up waiting well over the estimated 20 min time frame but IT. WAS. SO. WORTH. IT. They were also apologetic about the wait and checked in with us every now and then assure they didn’t forget about us in the midst of the busy dinner rush.
Honestly, I didn’t even mind the wait that much because I just kept looking around to see what dishes were being brought out. Everything looked SO good! Finally a spot opened up! Not even a regular table, just the seated counter top against the wall. We didn’t mind at all, we were ready to eat after feasting with our eyes for while.
We started off with trio empanadas (cheese, black bean, shredded beef)… omg the best I’ve ever had aside from the homemade ones I used to eat as a kid from my neighbor’s mom! The empanadas came out piping hot with a side of tangy mojo sauce. It was perfectly crisp and just the right amount of dough to filling ratio. Unexpectedly, the black bean empanada turned out to be my favorite out of the bunch! Beware to the vegetarians, the black bean filling is cooked in pork.
I ordered the Costillitas as my main entrée (apple cider juice slow-​steamed baby-​back ribs with guava BBQ sauce & yuca fries) and ohhhh yes oh yes. perfectly cooked, sauced up, fall off the bone type of ribs! It’s sweet though so if you’re not a big fan of that on your on meats, I’d advise against it. It’s not too overwhelming but it does stand out. I also got a side of chorizo just because I freakin love chorizo.
I also tried the Atún (adobo-​rubbed high grade yellow-​fin tuna seared and served with arugula sun-​dried tomato vinaigrette salad and toasted pepitas). It was anything super amazing but it was light and tasty, perfect as the summer approaches.
We ended our dinner with traditional flan desert. It was alright — it’s exactly what you’d expect from flan. I wish I got the molten chocolate cake instead. Oh well, next time! because there will DEFINITELY be a next time at Orinoco!

The environment is dark, stuffs are very friendly, I love their homemade spicy sauce

I love Orinoco such good food I’ve always had good service too. The dates and bacon are good and a hearts of palm salad

If you’re looking to have an amazing Venezuelan dinner this is your place. This place is small and intimate. I love the ambience and the musica Latina always playing. The service is great and the staff is friendly, patient, and attentive. I love the arepas (pernil, mechada) which are accompanied by a succulent sauce. The appetizer ribs are delicious!

Don’t bother. The worst Empanada I’ve ever had, by far. The Palmito salad with bacon wrapped dates and almonds was an abomination. How do theme restaurants get away with this type of culinary murder? In Argentina they would burn the place to the ground

Say yes to grilled meats and empanadas~ Come here for full dinner or I would actually recommend just ordering a ton of apps to share, tapas style. It’s incredibly loud in there at first due to the close seatings but once you’re settled in, it becomes a nice, comfortable background noise.
My friend and I went for dinner on a packed Monday night and tried the Datiles, Mini Costillitas, and Trio de Empanadas for apps. God, these were all delicious. The Mini Costillitas is just a smaller quantity of there entrée sized one and it was flavorful AF. Think finger-​licking kind of good — you’re in a restaurant setting though, so try to hold back. I luckily had a corner seat so I had zero reservations. The Trio de Empanadas choices are pulled meat, cheese and black bean. The meat one was incredibly tender and the cheese one tasted like a glorified mozzarella stick. Maybe I would actually watch football if my friends served queso blanco empanadas from Orinoco instead.
For an entrée, we shared the Parrilla Caraqueña (grill plate). The steak + chorizo were great but the chicken left a lot to be desired. The flavor was lacking and just didn’t match the other meats in taste.
Despite it being a busy night, service was great. Would definitely recommend Orinoco for a date night/​delicious Venezuelan food.

Stopped by for lunch and was pleasantly surprised by the food and the prices. We ordered two types of arepas. One was a steak and avocado, the other had simmered pork, cheese, and fresh tomato. The meat was savory and tender and the arepas were VERY filling. Each arepa cost ~$ 7. We also ordered a side salad and an order of rice and beans to share. The two sides cost about $ 5.50-$ 6 each, but they were nicely prepared. The food was tasty, and well priced.
Seemed to only be one waiter attending to several tables, but he did a good job trying to keep up with everything. Overall a very nice, above average experience! Would recommend to friends for lunch.

Walk into Orinoco, and you’ll notice three things right off the bat:
1) It smells fantastic, like you walked into your mama’s kitchen on a Sunday afternoon before dinner, but better.
2) The atmosphere is gorgeous; dark and rustic. Candlelight, with an eclectic mix of traditional and modern décor set against brightly painted beadboard and brick. Seating is intimate and communal. This would be a fantastic place to take a date!
3) The staff is very friendly and helpful, and 3a) The bartenders favor a loooooooong pour.) Wahoo!
I visited with friends. 3 apps and 2 entrees, plus a tiny quesillo (very similar to a flan, with an eggier consistency) and a few mojitos more than satisfied this trio!
Menu highlights included the traditional entrée of asada negro, as well as the fried plantain and cheese bites. The mojitos were gorgeous, strong, and perfectly balanced. The quesillo was unremarkable, and although we were looking forward to the cachapas (a sweet corn pancake arepa with cheese), the appetizer fell flat. It was greasy, burned, and salty. One small misstep in an otherwise solid meal.
Go to Orinoco! Bring a date or your best little crew. Order a round of cocktails, get adventurous with the menu, and soak up the atmosphere — you won’t regret it!

Loved this location and the service. Came here on a Friday night and had no issue getting a seat even though they do not take reservations. The food was GREAT– loved the friend bananas/​platains, the tuna ahi ahi was great, and the Paloma were good, too. I love how they also have hard liquor unlike the other 2 locations! The area itself has super easy parking we got a parking spot right out front.

Orinoco is the perfect neighborhood restaurant to bring friends who are visiting from out of town. The restaurant is located in a really neat space with unique decorations and the lights are kept quite low in the evenings, making for an intimate feel. It can get quite crowded on weekends but they do use communal seating at some tables, making the wait a bit shorter than it would be otherwise.
Datiles (bacon-​wrapped dates) are always a crowd pleaser for a starter, as are the trio de empanadas. For many of the main courses I recommend getting a side of yucca, as some of the mains are not very filling by themselves (but are delicious nonetheless). An exception to this is the pabellon criollo which is very filling and extremely satisfying.
I’ve only had the brunch once, and it was definitely not as good as dinner, although the menu seems to have been reworked since my brunch visit and may be worth another shot!
The service is always friendly and fast. Overall, a great spot for a low-​key dinner in Brookline Village.

Delicious food with awesome atmosphere!
Great little restaurant in quaint area.
All the food is amazing. Spanish style drinks taste great, sangria is particularly good.
Empanadas are great. Steak with chimichuri is delicious.
Portions are not huge so order a few small plates for appetizers if you go hungry.
Not a big place so if you’re going in a big group expect a wait (more than 4 people). Small bar that looks cool but fills up quick so hard to grab a drink while you wait for your table. Also, not a lot of space to wait for your table inside, so if you’re going in the winter, call beforehand to see if there is a wait.
Staff are pleasant.
Fairly pricey. $ 110 for 2 people with sangria, 1 app, 2 entrees, and 1 dessert.
Overall, will be going back.

Walking into Orinoco is like walking into a tropical oasis. From the aged wooden tables and booths to the brightly painted chairs to the generations of family photos on the wall, the décor cannot be beat. The sign on the door reads «A Latin Kitchen,» but it really should say «Your Latin Grandmother’s Kitchen» — it feels more like a home than a restaurant in the best way possible.
But of course you don’t just come to restaurant for the décor, how about the food! It truly does not disappoint. Ever. I almost always start with an order (or two, or three) of the datiles — almond-​stuffed, bacon-​wrapped dates. Delightfully sweet & salty ooey gooey bites of heaven on a toothpick. Disclaimer: I’m usually here for lunch, not dinner, so I stick to the lighter fare over the larger portioned rice & beans dishes. The arepas are all really delicious, albeit small. The Empanada Mechada is where it’s at, though. Moist, juicy shredded beef full of flavor is packed into two fried little pockets, each halved and beautifully plated around a lightly dressed, tangy mixed greens salad topped with cheese. Lunchtime perfection!
The dinner menu is rather enticing with a long list of main dishes that seem impossible to choose from. I’ve only been for dinner once or twice and I can’t recall what I ordered, but I do know that it was very, very good and I was very, very full. And the cocktails! Fresh and fruity and packing a punch! It’s hard to pass up a caipirinha, but when I do the spicy margarita is a great alternative.
As others have mentioned, the service at times can be slow. I have found that it’s improved as of late, but if you’re there on one of those slow days just sit back, relax and pretend you’re off on some deserted island without a care in the world! Not hard to do given your surroundings.

I had to look at a couple other reviews of this place because I am still not sure how I feel about it.
Sure, it’s small, dark and intimate. The staff was nice. But I guess it just wasn’t that memorable.
I ordered the Tequeños and that was definitely the best thing I had. Deep fried cheese shouldn’t be the best thing I have at a restaurant though.
I ordered the Empanada Verde and the inside was really mushy and sort of bland. The BF had the Parrilla Caraqueña (meat plate) and he enjoyed it. I also got the Tostones and they were really, really hard and I only ate one.
Now that I am writing it all out I think I have definitely had better and not sure if I am dying to go back.

Orinoco is a small local chain preparing Latin American cuisine at affordable prices. One weekday evening we went to the one located in Brookline, on Harvard Street, but a short walk away from the Brookline Village T station.
Directly upon entering, I found my friend seated at the corner of the bar directly to my left by the door. We were then quickly seated at one of their 7 – 8 two top tables along the left wall. Three booths lined the wall to the right, and a long table for larger parties occupied the floor between.
After mulling over the menu, the two of us decided to make a meal of a number of their smaller dishes.
First up was the Datiles ~ bacon wrapped, almond-​filled dates $ 7. As scallop wrapped in bacon oft sounds much tastier than the reality with soft strips of bacon ringing the creamy whit flesh, so I had expected this dish. However, I was happily proven wrong with the savory, salty bacon being of the crisp sort snugly hugging the sweet meaty date. At a count of four, we each savored our two pieces.
The Maracuchitos ~ queso paisa wrapped in sweet plantains $ 5 was just as satisfying with sweet plantains sandwiching thick meaty cheese slices. These first two were my favorites of the evening.
The Empanada Mechada ~ Venezuelan style stewed shredded beef with a fresh greens salad tossed with queso blanco, sherry vinaigrette and Mojo Criollo $ 8.95 arrived as a pair of empanadas sliced in half and presented around a mound of fresh salad. The empanadas were pretty tasty, but I was disappointed that they could not handle our special request for a mixed set of one each of their two types of empanadas.
The least enjoyable of our selections ended up being the Mini Costillitas ~ apple cider, slow-​steamed, baby-​back ribs with guava BBQ, tapas-​style $ 8. While the meat was literally falling off the bones, the sauce was overly abundant.
As a light sweet ending, we opted for the Quesillo ~ homemade traditional Venezuelan custard with caramel $ 5.25 from the super short dessert menu which was recited to us by memory. It was a bit airier and less smooth and less rich than the more familiar flan, but still it was a nice treat.
For bathrooms they have two single person spacious rooms for our comfort. And at least the one further back has a baby changing table.

Oh, Orinoco. Why must you be so delicious, my Venezuelan friend? With your sexy Latin flavors, drinks, and decorations, the temptation is simply too hard to resist.
Sundays are for Venezuelan brunch! Order yourself some of their exquisite red sangria. The drink’s taste is so unique — almost reminiscent of autumnal mulling spices — and our waiter clued us in to what makes it so. Cloves, passion fruit juice, and juniper berries were a few of the ingredients we squeezed from him. The rest is a secret! Unfortunately a carafe doesn’t come with a ton of liquid, since both the glasses and carafe were filled with ice. It’s too bad since we finished it off pretty fast and were left wanting more of the sweet stuff!
As for food, you really can’t go wrong! Empanadas, arepas, and more substantial breakfast plates are offered during their Sunday brunch. Do your table a favor and order the datiles as an appetizer. The Reina Papiada arepa is shredded chicken sandwiched with a tomato and avocado in an arepa and served with a very garlicky aioli on the side. This plate may look small, but that guy was stuffed and can still be a good amount for a meal. And the flavor packed in that small package is pretty unreal!
Inside the Empanada Mechada, the warm, shredded beef with sweet onions reminded us of the Cuban dish ropa vieja. There are 2 empanadas cut in half and served with a large salad in the center of the plate. The salad wasn’t too noteworthy but added a nice freshness. Also a good amount of food for a lighter meal. And the flavors of that sweet, juicy beef can’t be beat!
You can’t have a proper brunch here without a Venezuelan breakfast plate! The Pa’ Los Gringos (aka «For the Non-​Latin Folk») is a hefty serving of everything you would want to see in the morning. Savory chorizo, a mix of scrambled eggs with onions and tomatoes, a disc of yucca hash, and a plain arepa. The arepa was pretty flavorless but provided a nice vehicle to transport the eggs and chorizo from plate to mouth. The yucca was served hot and crispy on the outside. I’d never even yucca in the form before and wish more restaurants would get a clue. It would be the perfect accompaniment to pretty much any dish.
Since anything goes during brunch, we ended our mid-​Sunday meal with dessert. The quesillo is a Venezuelan cheese flan. The texture was creamy and the caramel flavor delicious. It’s served cold and just the right amount of light sweetness to end the brunch on a satisfying note without that feeling of bloated guilt. The only guilt I feel is how long it takes me to return to Orinoco between visits. Apologies, amigo. Nos vemos pronto!