Best empanadas in Montgomery County! I like the black bean and cheese. So puffy and good. Not…read moregreasy. Also love the Arepas. Real ones :) Family owned and operated. Real food. Nice people. The location and vibe is a container food court with backyard for kids to play and dog friendly. Clean restrooms. Eating at Fran's for the second day in a row. Love & Arepas :)

Delicious Venezuelan empanadas!! And 10/10 service :) happy to have this place so close by! Will be…read morecoming back!

Good friendly workers…read more Look like a family's team everybody doing Dooers! Good tasting Fast Flavors and sizes. Maybe one recomendation (refill.the nestea) Definitely ill come back Btw (by the way) Ask for tequeños (cheess fingers)

Tienen la mejor comida Venezolana y la VERDADERA CHICHA!!…read more Yo soy mexicana, y cuando mis amigas Venezolanas me dijeron de este lugar.... Voy o pido comida UNA VEZ A LA SEMANA! Love you guys!

This place is such a hidden gem. Every time I go, I am blown away not just by how delicious the…read morefood is but by how kind and attentive the people are. The customer service is honestly some of the best I have experienced anywhere. They treat you like family from the moment you pull up. They are so sweet, smiling, and genuinely happy to serve you. Even though it is an outside spot, they make it feel so comfortable and easy. They give you a little alarm so you can relax in your car while you wait, and it goes off when your food is ready at the window. It is such a thoughtful touch that makes the whole experience stress free. And then there is the food. Everything tastes so fresh, warm, and made with love. The tequeños are perfection, crispy on the outside and filled with gooey cheese that melts in your mouth. The empanadas are packed with flavor and always come out hot and fresh. You can tell nothing has been sitting around. It is made for you and handed to you at the perfect temperature. The freshness and care in every bite makes it stand out from anywhere else. I really wish more people knew about this place. Every time I drive by, I do not see as many people there as I think should be. This food and this service deserve a line wrapped around the corner. It is one of those spots you fall in love with instantly and then want to tell everyone you know about. If you want incredible food, warm customer service, and an experience that feels personal every single time, this is the place. I cannot recommend it enough.

La peor comida Venezolana que he probado en Houston. Los pasteles llenos de aceite por dentro, y…read morerotos, la presentación es muy deficiente. NUNCA vengan a comer aquí. Es botar el dinero

Amazing!!! The green sauce is sooo good. Your taste buds will be delighted with all solid hearty…read moreflavors. Tequenoes and the King Patacon is what I ordered. The Tequenoes breading is better to me than normal cheese sticks. The Patacon is a sandwich made with plantains as the bun. So delicious!! I have so much leftover and can't wait for round 2!! Put the green sauce on your sandwich and it's heaven and not dry at all.

Food 3/5, service 5/5, overall 4/5 Before I talk about their…read morefood, I have to mention the owner of this food truck is super super friendly and helpful. He tried his best to answer all my questions and provide recommendations. I'm not quite familiar with those food names so I asked a ton! He's super nice and super patient, definitely worth a mention! I ordered beef patacon. Maybe because I'm not a pro when judging Latino food, the food is not as good as I expected. It's basically shredded beef sandwich with fried plantains "bun". The fried plantain is very dry and taste like two giant pieces of chips. (I mean I would prefer to keep a bit moisture inside but that might not be authentic Venezuela way). Shredded beef taste alright and nothing special. BTW, their empanadas look a bit different from those I had before. Maybe if I got chance to come again I'll try fried pork or beef empanadas.

Perhaps at some point this was a food truck, and maybe still goes out to events with their food…read moretruck, but I am in a full restaurant, with both indoor and outdoor seating, and nice cool AC. There is a small menu with tiny print, but luckily the young man behind the counter was very helpful. I asked him for suggestions from a few things I had narrowed it down to. I am getting a Patagonia mixture, with pork, and the pork Ralf recommended. It's very colorful for sure, and I'm not quite sure how to eat it because it's a sandwich looking type item with the filling falling out the sides. The first thing I noticed is the mustard. Oye, thats a lot of mustard, and I'm thinking, maybe ketchup? I haven't ever put ketchup on a sandwich, well burgers aside. It's definitely too hot to pick up at the moment, so I'll continue. I also ordered a drink, Papelon con Limon. It's sweet, for me, too sweet, but I also have water, so I am good. I had to cut the beast in half to get a better handle on it. There is lettuce, tomato, ham, cheese and like a pulled pork. I have yet to figure out what it is that holds all this together, some kind of fried ... idk, something, perhaps a fried plantain. It's really good, really messy and a little heavy on the mustard. I do wish the print on the menu was bigger, even with my glasses, I couldn't make any of it out. I also had to, or felt the need to, soak up excess grease from the ... , bun? It's not a bun, I just don't know what else to call it. I am thrilled with the taste, it's really good, again, a little mustard heavy, but that's ok I am going to bring the other half home to my son, along with the sweet drink, I feel he will like this even more than I do. I am also going to have to look at the menu online and see if there is a better, easier to read description. another table ordered burgers, and they look pretty dang good, huge too. So yeah, I would definitely give this place a try again and recommend.

Large variety of different foods ! Russian food is there check it out ! Super clean new store and…read moregood service. Check it out don't miss out.

It took me over a year to realize Gusto Gourmet was more than just a cute cafe but a legit option…read morefor Venezuelan cuisine. Their unique position as one of the only Venezuelan spots in the loop becomes even more niche when one realizes that part of the menu is also Mediterranean / Middle Eastern (#1). If that's not Houston in a nutshell, I don't know what is. The place sports a casual vibe with a clean and bright interior. It's been practically empty with every visit, but I suspect the takeout game is strong here. There is limited parking in the back of the restaurant and the narrow alleyway entrance is somewhat easy to miss. Food wise, I am not disappointed. Their cheese cachapa is the stuff of dreams and includes a number of stuffings from ham to shredded chicken / beef. My vote is for their pabellón, which is a nice combination of shredded beef, black beans, and sweet plantains. For cheese lovers, the double cheese is perfectly indulgent with the sweetness of the cornmeal. The main draw for me was the arepas, which is something I missed having had so much of it back in NYC. La Pelua (shredded beef, mixed shredded cheese) is one of my go-tos, but my all-time favorite is the reina pepiada, a shredded chicken mixed with avocado topped with sprinkled salty white cheese. It's a staple in the Venezuelan arepa game and while their version is very solid, I'm just extremely thankful that it's available. Their breakfast platters are a big draw, which mainly consist of scrambled egg combos paired with arepas and various proteins. I think their yuca buñelos, tequeños, patacones, and especially their mandocas are incredibly underrated. The latter is practically dessert since it's mashed plantains with the cachapa stuffed with sugar and cheese. While they're not known for their empanadas, I do think their cazon (#2) is unique and their potato and cheese is always hearty. The shredded beef is a nice alternative to their arepas or arepitas (side) and make for an excellent snack on the go. Fans of Venezuelan cuisine who find themselves in the inner loop owe them a visit and I highly recommend calling ahead of time to ensure they have items available and to get a jump on the wait time for takeout. They are a slept on gem in the neighborhood and one that I hope sticks around for a very long time. _____________ (#1) The owners are Venezuelan and Syrian. The sweetest couple. (#2) Dogfish? It's really a mini shark.

Great Venezuelan food! I have celiac (gluten-free) and I'm vegetarian and they have multiple…read moreoptions available. They even have a gluten free fryer separate from a regular fryer, which is great! The restaurant itself is very casual, few tables and friendly staff at the counter for helping decide. I tried the caxapa with cheese, 3 empanadas with various fillings, and the plain mini areas. All the items were good especially the caxapa and the empandas, though I think the combination of items I picked was definitely fryer-heavy. The sauces they were served with with are also a nice accompaniment. We got to go and excited to try out more of their menu!

I do not remember the names of all the food we ordered, however the service was spectacular. The…read morerestaurant is clean. The food was fabulous! The meat was seasoned or marinated differently in every dish! Each dish was a true flavor explosion! I know were I am going every time I want something unique and different than I have had before!

Please google 15 more stars…read more Tequeños power Cheese smash Potatoes Pastelitos Tony burger (complete) The kids and were leaning playing pool All the people outstanding A lo cabimero QUE MOLLEJJA E BUENO ESTA ESTO And by the way they gave a beautiful gift a high school friend Almost 30 years now we are going to keep in touch

I was so happy to find the Venezuelan place inside the market. The ladies were so sweet and…read morewelcoming. We ordered 12 tequeños and 3 arepas: chicken, carne mechada, and carne molida. All 3 were fried perfectly and were delicious. The green sauce was also a perfect compliment. My favorite was the carne mechada one. The tequeños were also cooked perfectly and they were cheesy and delicious. My kids were really pleased with them. I would definitely come back here for my empanada fix and to try other items on their menu. I also ordered a cafe con leche and was so happy to see Cuban coladas on the menu. There is a lot of room to sit down and eat, but we chose to take ours to go due to COVID. I love to support Latino-owned businesses, and I would definitely recommend this place. We'll definitely be back.

The food court at Harvest Natural Market is under renovation, but Arepas de Pilon is a separate…read morebusiness and is still serving. I stopped in the other day for lunch while shopping and had an empanada, an arepa, and a passionfruit drink. The empanada was a Mechada, filled with shredded beef. It was deep fat fried and pretty greasy, with a hard shell. Now, I don't mind grease at all--that puddle at the bottom of the container is a sign of good things to come. I very much enjoyed my empanada, the beef was tender and flavorful and I love a crunchy shell. But some may be put off. For the arepa I chose the Venezuelan Queen. An arepa on its own is a corn pancake. These arepas are split and filled, making a sandwich, and it's kind of like eating a sandwich on an english muffin. The Venezuelan Queen is a chicken avocado salad arepa. It was generously filled with a smooth and tasty filling. Not super flavorful but just fine. Either of those items would make a good meal. I washed them down with the passionfruit drink, which was sweet and refreshing. I tried the sugar cane lemonade and don't recommend it unless you specifically know and like sugar cane drinks. Yelp needs a new category for restaurants. This is South American food, and I couldn't find a good category for it. We will see more of it as refugees from South American start businesses here.

We have never had Venezuelan food before so decided to try something new. This place did not…read moredisappoint at all. From the moment we walked in, Jennifer, our server, smiled and gave a really warm welcome told us to go ahead and choose any seat we wanted. She came over she talked to us and because we haven't had any of this food before she explained whatever questions we had. She brought us a plate of fresh Chicharron's. That was still so hot it was popping. Then I had asked what Cavasso fries were and she and she explained in detail. We went ahead and decided to try them Lord have mercy paired with their homemade garlic sauce ... yummm. They were Exceptional. My husband got the biggest burger ever that had pork chop, ham and a fried egg and all the veggies. I had an arepa with shredded meat, black beans, fried plantains and queso fresco... Honestly, probably one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted. The first bite it was like just an explosion of so many different flavors and the meat was so tender absolutely delicious. We ordered empanadas but needed to take them home we were stuffed!! They have a blackberry juice that was so good and just the whole vibe of the place was friendly and inviting. Very clean little hole in the wall that needs a lot more recognition because this place is definitely worthy of all things good! Can't wait to go again!

Very impressed with this new place that's just opened by my house. It's definitely a different take…read moreon food. However I will say those street tacos are amazing. I will keep coming back over and over for those. Also the service is spot on too! Little disappointed with not having fountain drinks or ice tea both times I've been in. Hopefully they will get that resolved. But, I will definitely be back. Also the inside of the place is set up really nicely.

We had such a delicious visit this time! From the moment we walked in for our late lunch around 3…read morep.m. until the time we left, everything was really, really good. The hostess stand was warm and welcoming, and we were seated immediately. It was just me and my daughter enjoying a little day together after her appointment nearby, and I'm so glad we decided to stop by. I've always loved this location -- the aesthetics are beautiful, and the greenery throughout the restaurant creates such a refreshing and inviting atmosphere. We started with the cheese pupusas, and they were amazing! My daughter (who's in culinary at school) had actually made pupusas in her kitchen lab that same day, so she convinced me we had to try them -- and she was right. They were absolutely delicious and the perfect appetizer to share. For our entrées, she ordered the chicken enchiladas with rice and beans and said they were really good. I had the garden green salad topped with grilled shrimp and grilled chicken -- so flavorful! The sauce on the salad was amazing, and I also ordered chimichurri on the side, which made it even better. The service truly stood out. Our waiter was welcoming and attentive, and we even had two managers stop by to check on us, which made us feel valued. It was such an enjoyable experience from start to finish. This visit was definitely better than our last one several months ago -- it felt superb this time. We will absolutely be back!

Brought my family here for my birthday celebration and left quite disappointed. I was excited for…read morethem to try this because I've had excellent food and service before, but service was lacking and food was mediocre. There were seven of us that showed up at 4 PM on Saturday. They weren't busy but took a while to get the table. My two children were with me and after asking a fourth time, I finally got a highchair, but they still didn't bring the booster seat for my son. I ordered the enchiladas and a mango margarita. The enchiladas à la Gloria were barely warm and the tortilla was tough and dry. My mango margarita was not good. I took four sips and that was it. My mother-in-law ordered the seafood soup, and it was scalding hot. She couldn't even eat it until the rest of us were already done. We ordered two orders of fried plantains (the chips) and just did not feel it was good value for the cost.