Mango Cafe

The food here was super good. There was a fairly large group of us and we shared so I tried a little of everything. Portions were large for a good price. The staff was extremely friendly. I’ve had some experience with Venezuelan food before, and this was delicious. I had the pabellion, which is one I’ve never had before. I really enjoyed it. All of the sauces that came with our food wee really good as well. There were of course plenty of arepas ordered at the table as well. I will be back!

I love that the polite man behind the counter remembers me and asks how I’m doing and how work is going. It’s rare and refreshing! I order meals to go regularly and they’re always fresh. My favorite is the fried green plantain with shredded chicken on top… Pollo Mechado Patacone! Their green sauce is to die for and I always order extra! Everything that I’ve tried has been excellent and fresh and I enjoy the variety on the menu. It’s a great little place and I love how they spruced it up!

Mango café is amazing, unique, and delicious! This gem is definitely worth the trip from campus. I have had several items from the menu, and I’ve been blown away every time! The arepa is delicious, and I love basically anything with fried plantain. Eat here!

1^st time coming to the Mango Café. What an absolute treat! Everyone at our table loved everything we had. Great food, great service! Will be back again and again for sure!

Solid food delivered by the owner himself. The place is always steady and busy on weekends. While on the small side, their to go service is very convenient.
Items ordered:
Tequeños: our favorite. Delicious melted cheese with crispy flour dough. Ask for the garlicky avocado/​cilantro sauce on the side.
Empanadas: Corn masa (not to be confused with other Hispanic masa) filled with your choice of cheese, shreded or ground beef or beans). Very good.
I will be back for more.

I stopped in here for the first time today and I was not disappointed. I’ve never had Venezuelan food before but I must say my first experience eating it was great.
I started off with the chicken empanada which was fried perfectly and the chicken inside was juicy and very flavorful. For my entrée I got the Pebellon which was not only delicious but came with a variety of foods on one plate with shredded beef, rice, plantains, avocado, and a fried egg.
The service was also excellent and the guy who waited on me was very courteous and friendly. I will definitely be coming back here to try all of the other menu options that I wanted to try but was simply too full to.

One of the best places I have been to in a while.
It’s refreshing to see some new foods in south bend. The flavors were amazing for everything.
Bandeja paisa and the empanadas are hands down the best.

I was born and raised in Venezuela, where I lived for 33 years. I moved to South Florida 16 years ago and have a daughter attending ND, where I am today for JPW. I had breakfast this morning with my family and I can assure you that this is truly authentic Venezuelan cuisine. We had the appetizer platter, Arepas (national favorite), Tequeños, Pabellon (national dish), and Empanadas. Everything was amazing, definitely will come back every time we’re in town. Gracias Mario, Go Irish!!!

Simply amazing. High quality food and service every single time. Very authentic, and the pabellon is almost always the best bet, but, honestly, the burgers they’ve added to the menu are also superb, assuming you’ve brought a heftier appetite. Small, but cozy atmosphere. Always seems relatively quiet during the dinner hour, but from other reviews it sounds like they fill up at lunch. There really should be lines out the door at all hours, but it seems to still be in its «hidden gem» phase. Easily one of the best restaurants in South Bend.

Delicious arepas and more! Very courteous service and the food was delicious and interesting.

A friend brought me here on lunch the other day, I had no idea what to expect since it was my introduction to Venezuelan food. Man was I impressed! The staff was so nice and welcoming and the food was DELICIOUS, I had an arepas with shredded beef and added the Venezuelan cheese. Yummmm and topped it off with the tequenos (I think). The garlic cilantro sauce is mind blowing and I cannot wait to go back!

The staff are very nice. I had the Bandeja Paisa. The flank steak was a little over done and flavorless. Everything else on the plate was amazing. The sauces they served went very well with the plate. I would have liked some options to spice it up a little. I can’t wait to get back to try more!

6 out of 5 stars!
I’m Puerto Rican, and this is the closest thing I have to home in South Bend.
The place is small and cozy, the people are EXTREMELY nice and the food is even better.
If you like meat, get the Bandeja Paisa.
Also, whatever you order, just make sure to at least try one arepa and/​or empanada (if you’re not sure which, just get the cheese one, you’ll thank me later).
Get the passion fruit juice too
Oh
And if you think mozzarella sticks are good, try their tequeños, you’ll thank me again.

If there was a 3.5 star option I’d pick that instead. We could see where the high rating comes from. Service, presentation, and food were all good. But as far as blowing our minds this place was just average.
My husband had a skirt steak dish with plantain and fried cassava (yucca root) and I had the chorizo Arepas. He enjoyed his dish, but a recent visit to another Venezuelan restaurant out of town tainted his opinion of this place. I had never had cheese on plantain before (always stealing my husband’s food). I didn’t mind it, but definitely prefer it plain. There wasn’t a lot of of fried cassava. Fried cassava is like french fries and the amount on the plate was like half a small fries at McDonald’s. My arepas was good. I’ve been wanting to try the corn meal bread for a while. I believe it’s gluten free so that is also a nice part. The filling was pretty spicy. I could handle it, but felt like an unknowing person would be thrown off.
The restaurant is pretty tiny, and fills up quick at lunch. We felt a bit cramped and then pressured to leave as soon as we were done paying the bill.
We may be back if someone suggests it for a group lunch meet, but we’re pretty happy with another nearby spot that has become our go to when all else fails.

I have no idea what authentic venezuelan cusine is, but Mango café has served me good food, with predictable quality several times now.
The empanadas amd arepas are really good. I had the grilled meat sampler with its variety of sauces and it was good as well.
Apparently venezuelans love a sharp white cheese because it is featured in nearly everything. I really enjoyed it, as did my 13 yr old daughter… my wife however was not a fan. It was just too strong for her.
We ordered the pumpkin pancake once as well… it was just so so.
Service is enthusiastic, efficient and very friendly.
If you are in the mood for something a little different in South Bend, Mango café fits the bill.
Some reviewers complained of price… Mango serves very fresh food, made to order, the oil they fry the arepas in in obviously changed daily. I did not feel like I was cheated at all.

This is certainly authentic food! The Pabellion is a MUST! The sauces made the plate and the meats were all delicious. My favorite was the steak.
We had another platter Ban dé…(unfortunately I cannot remember the full name as it was not my plate) was composed of rice and beans, a seasoned shredded chicken, and the best plantains I have had to date. The plantains are not saturated with oil or soggy!
Also try their natural juices you will not be disappointed. And don’t believe others comments about the pricing the flavor left in your mouth is worth every penny.

I saw this place and looked it up, a Venezuelan restaurant… Get out! I came back today to try it. Finally, more selection in Latino foods. I lived in the West Coast for awhile and miss the variety of food. I’m amazed that there is a Venezuelan place here. It’s my first time trying it. I’ve had El Salvador, Nicaraguan, Peruvian, and Guatemalan food. So, this is exciting.
First, reasons for only 4 stars. There wasn’t a clear menu, when you walk in it has the Spanish names but no explanation as to what it is. However, after I ordered It notice more detailed menus on the tables. I ordered to go. Also, there wasn’t many chicken options, which is just a personal preference. I ordered the Pabellon, and wished it was also in chicken, I’m not much of a beef eater.
It was very good. I like the food décor, and the plaintains were amazing. I also like the fried egg touch. I also got the guayabanna smoothies and it was delicious. Finally, a carry out place for plaintains!

Stopped by since this is a new restaurant. The food was very authentic, and the owner was very nice.
You can tell the restaurant is just very authentic and genuine. All the food were delicious and filling. Totally could not finish the whole thing.
Pretty sure gonna come back often.

This place is great. I went with a few friends; we sampled the appetizer platter, and the first two entrees listed on the menu (I can’t remember their names). One was the Venezuelan national dish and the other was essentially an assortment of meats.
Both were great and everyone agreed we’d be back for more. Tasty food at extremely reasonable prices.

I’ve never had Venezuelan food before, but this place had really delicious food!
My boyfriend and I split the guayabana drink, Venezuelan lemonade, appetizer platter, chachapas, the Venezuelan flan (a lot like leche flan from the Philippines), and the tres leches cake. They were all delicious and very filling!
I hope this place sticks around and continues to contribute to the culinary diversity in South Bend.