Los Chamos ("the kids/the guys") is a Venezuelan restaurant on State Street. This stretch of Schenectady offers some diverse family-owned restaurants - Pakistani, El Salvadorian, Jamaican, etc., to name a few. In this case, the cuisine offered at Los Chamos is Venezuelan. Upon entering the establishment, I noticed a music/karaoke machine in the front corner. Tables were interspersed in the main area which surrounded a bar and ordering station. A preteen sat at one of the tables, playing on her phone. A young man worked the ordering station. Early on a Saturday afternoon, noticing a fridge with beers displayed, I ordered a Modelo and looked through the menu. I ordered a Chile Colorado and empanadas con pollo to go. Two things right off the bat - 1. First taste - It was good food. It was satisfying in a way that spoke of generational recipes rather than or despite culinary training. It is soul satisfying stuff. 2. If you can finish this meal in one sitting, good on you! Generous portions and the heartiness of the meal add to the "warmth" of the experience. A couple of details - the mayonnaise-based sauce for the empanadas was something I'd never tried before - lots of garlic, cilantro, a bit of water to loosen it, maybe some vinegar for acid...I liked it. The braised black beans had a little chili heat to liven it up. I'll definitely go back. I may not be fluent in Spanish or be knowledgeable about Venezuela but I find the food to be inviting and soulful. read more

Los Chamos - Chile Colorado with rice and beans - Empanadas Near Me - Schenectady, New York

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It is good to see, at long last, a Venezuelan restaurant in New York's Capital District. You may find yourself meandering by on the State Street sidewalk, with tumbleweed of cigarette butts and trash blowing across your unsheathed feet, and pass by Los Chamos. It is indeed worth going inside for a delicious meal. Los Chamos' menu has a good selection that includes many traditional Venezuelan dishes: pabellón, arepas, cachapas, tequeños, empanadas. There is also an extremely disconcerting section of the menu devoted to seemingly-Mexican dishes. Perhaps that is to attract customers in an area with a smaller Venezuelan population and a small population of people who are familiar with Venezuelan cuisine. I don't know. But I also don't care. I was, of course, able to sample the pabellón criollo and the tequeños. Astoundingly, tequeños can be a good indicator of quality in Venezuelan restaurants in the US, and these ones pass the test. They also have moñongos, an item from Zulia (and it shows) that is effectively a thick tequeño with ham and plantain and meat as well. Healthy? Tasty. The venue has a decent amount of seating and the staff are friendly. They also sell a small selection of Venezuelan products, such as ovomaltina and Savoy chocolates. If you live in the area and have never tried Venezuelan food, now is your opportunity to do so. It's not spicy either, for those of you with weak stomachs. Overall, I would highly recommend Los Chamos. Hopefully their business succeeds. read more

Los Chamos - Tequeños bien grandes - Empanadas Near Me - Schenectady, New York

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What the heck. I wish I had ordered from here sooner. We got delivery today and everything was AWESOME. Prices were fair, portions were generous, and food was delicious. We look forward from getting food from here again. Also, as a delivery customer, everything was packaged neatly, everything was correct, and food was hot and fresh. read more

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Perfect rainy day lunch spot- Empanadas were spot on -with homemade hot and garlic sauces. Great music playing, friendly Staff, quick spot for lunch!! read more

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They food is always great. But yesterday the rice had no flavor and the beans was nasty. The pork was not crispy it was so dry and the little bread was still raw and doughy. Going back o give it one more try read more

They served sour cream instead of traditional crema with the plantines. The arepa had cold cheese and was overall cold and the beans were bland. Do not expect authentic Guatemala food at the restaurant. read more

Los Chamos - Arepa - Empanadas Near Me - Schenectady, New York

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Food is excellent!! Me and my wife have been here several times and have never been disappointed. its good Venezuelan food

Wow! I wish I could give this place 10 stars! It is so refreshing to have other options in Schenectady, and Los Chamos is high quality and consistently delicious! This is my new favorite place! read more

New place - Seen it and had to try it out since I never tried Venezulan food before. I tried the Patacone de Carne and I can tell you it came out better looking than the picture on the menue and it was very good. My wife had the Pabellon Criolla Venezolano and she really enjoyed that as well. We will be back for sure. Note : No website as of yet but you can find their menu online and I seen that they also do door dash / grub hub . Have a nice day! read more