Orinoco

I came here last night which was a Sunday at 6:30pm. We had made a reservation in advance but it wasn't too busy when we arrived and got to choose where we wanted to sit - which we got a whole booth to ourselves.

It was just my husband and I, we wanted to celebrate his birthday but they're closed on Mondays so we bumped up our dinner date a day early. It was a nice ambience, you can see the chefs grilling towards the back of the dining area. You can see what looks like family photos stretched across a wall. Art & Decor that (I'm assuming) representing Venezuelan culture.

Our servers were so friendly to talk to and they answered any questions with trying to figure out what to order.

Since I've been introduced to Pisco Sours, once I see it on a menu I have to get it, so I ordered the Brazilian Sour and my husband ordered the El Catire. They were both so good.

For food we ordered:
The Sopa de Calabaza - so so good! And I loved the plantain in it
Cocas - this was good but the cheese reminded me of blue cheese which I'm not a fan of.
Chuleta - this was good
Parrilla Caraquena - I sampled each item and everything was good!


Overall the food and service were really good!

There is a lot of good in this location of Orinoco, and a few things I'd revise a bit. I'm suitably impressed by the butternut squash soup with plantain. It's quite sweet and rich but I didn't mind.

Weaker were the fried tostones which were much too oily, and were underseasoned.

The arepas were generally good, though they were somewhat tough to handle and chew. The insides were more promising. The stewed meat version is first rate, very flavorful. The vegetarian one was also nicely balanced, especially the use of the avocado. The chicken one was flavored decently although it did come off as a bit tough.

The strong non soup dishes of the evening were the sauteed spinach, also very flavorful, and the empanadas. The empanadas came with a side of salad, with excellent crispy texture on the outside of the empanada and gooey texture on the inside.

Definitely worth a revisit!

I ordered To Go from this location on a Saturday night. Based on what I saw on the menu and reviews, we ordered the empanadas, arepas, and Chuleta.

The empanadas were delicious. My favorite one was the bean one. It had a smokey flavor which made it stand out. Out of the arepas I had, I loved the Jardinera. The Pelua was also very flavorful. The Pernil wasn't outstanding.

My friend got the Chuleta and wasn't too impressed by it.

I would get the ones I liked again and skip the ones that weren't too phenomenal. I do want to try other foods on the menu because the dishes I liked were amazing. Next time, I would like to eat in the restaurant, which looks like it has a nice vibe.

Hidden in the drab, yea olive drab code of uniform signs in Brookline Village, is Orinoco. Who's idea was it that all shops have the same font and green signage-- oh so classy.... A Dunkin' costumed such as well. Use your Gps to find it.

First, excellent waitstaff despite a busy night. A requested serving spoon was presented upon a napkin. A classy touch indicating a level if training and attention. No reservations, but 'A.' agreed to hold a table for a handicapped guest-- details.

And the food was super. Triple empanadas( z3 types) , shared as an entreé, restore one's faith in the archetype, as a desired item, rather than one just consumed in haste, at miami airports or latin grocers. A stuffed portabella main dish on a mushroom spinach base, was great.
The shredded beef, with black beans, rice and plaintains, a natural resonance to the ropa viejo at every lunch or formal Cuban dinner I've had. Certainly good, but perhaps not great, especially by Miami standards. I'd go a different way next time.

And so, a Brookline village success.
Do try.

Amazing food, I ordered the arepa pelua, which was so tasty. Great ambiance, and priced very well. I can't wait to go again!

Everything was absolutely delicious! Beautiful atmosphere and kind service! Authentic Venezuelan cuisine.

What a delight! We were greeted promptly and courteously. It was our first time here, and our server, Alonso, was super helpful and accommodating. Among four of us, we had the beet salad (remolache con cabra), roasted portobello arepa, baby back ribs with guava sauce (costillita), and parrilla caraqueña, which is a grill plate with steak, chicken, chorizo, guasacaca and yuca fries.

I've been on the hunt for a delicious arepa for years, and this one was amazing! All the ingredients complemented each other perfectly, and it was packed with flavor. Of all the delicious items we had, this was my personal favorite by far. Next in order of preference is baby back ribs. If you like your barbecue sauce on the sweet side (not overwhelmingly sweet), this is for you! The roasted beet salad was fantastic as well. Everyone enjoyed the plate of grilled meats as well,

If we make it back to Boston, we will definitely return to Orinoco.

Had an evening meeting around the corner in 45 minutes In Brookline Village. Decided to try Orinoco and have an arepa or two. Ordered the empanada-mechada and a fruit drink. The food arrived in short order it was delicious. Crispy Empanada wrapped around tasty beef surrounded by a tasty salad. The greens were fresh, crispy and an Avocado based dressing. About $15 without tip. I'll be back.

We walked in on a rainy Sunday night and we were seated promptly without reservations. We ordered the bacon wrapped dates, cheese empanada, tostones, tequenos, parilla caraquena, and the flan. Everything was so so delicious. In our last visit, there were some misses but we loved every thing we ordered this time around. I highly recommend the parilla caraquena, it comes with strip steak, chicken, chorizo, fried yuca, and guasaca. Everything on the plate paired well and this time the fried yuca was cooked through.

A very nice spot for Venezuelan-inspired plates!

Came here with some coworkers and we enjoyed some of their white sangria (very refreshing!), split some appetizers, and we each got an arepa!

The appetizers were exceptional, especially the bacon wrapped dates, tequenos (guayanes cheese sticks), cocas del dia with fig glaze, and the plantains. And oh the arepas! I got the Pelua, which is shredded beef and Edam cheese - such great flavor, perfection.

We left with happy bellies and a great memory.