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