Ready for some tasty Latino flavor? Couple opens Venezuelan restaurant in Warner Robins

A young couple venturing into the restaurant business opened a Venezuelan restaurant Monday in Warner Robins.

Sabor Latino Venezuelan Restaurant is at 1996 Watson Blvd. is in a former American Wings & Deli location. Sabor Latino translates to “Latin flavor.”

Eduardo and Nairobys Barcenas are the young couple behind the small restaurant, their first. He’s an electrician by trade and she’s a stay-at-home mom.

The couple have been wanting to open a restaurant for a couple of years, having seen a need for Venezuelan cuisine based on more people from South America moving to Middle Georgia, he said.

They also wanted to introduce something new to the community, she said.

Eduardo, a native of Mexico, first tried Venezuelan cuisine when he and Nairobys started dating while both were in high school. Nairobys is a native of Venezuela. He was at Perry High School, and she was at Northside High School. They first met when both were enrolled at Warner Robins Middle School.

Eduardo fell in love not only with the food but also with Nairobys. His love for her came first. The couple wed Dec. 18, 2019. They make their home in Byron with their two young children.

“It’s a little scary but I think we can manage,” said Eduardo of the new venture. “It’s definitely something new to us having to manage people, especially at a young age.”

He and his wife are both 25, he noted.

Eduardo manages the restaurant full-time. Nairobys handles advertising through social media.

Three experienced cooks — one from Venezuela, one from Honduras and one from Mexico —prepare the dishes along with other staff.

The cuisine

“It’s more of a home-style food — not like fast food,” Eduardo said.

Most of the dishes are grilled. He said Venezuelan cheese and sauces make the dishes pop. While some of the dishes come with sauce already on them, most do not. He encouraged diners to try the sauces, which are house-made.

The Salsa de Ajo is a garlic sauce with lime, parsley, chives and olive oil. The “pink sauce” is a mayonnaise-ketchup mix with little bit of paprika and tiny bit of vinegar.

The menu, which is first in Spanish and then English, includes a variety of appetizers such as empanadas.

Here a few main plates:

• Brandeja paisa — Grilled steak, chicharron, chorizo, rice, black beans, fried egg, sweet plantains, avocado and arepita.
• Pabellon criollo — Shredded beef, rice, black beans, shredded cheese, fired egg and avocado.
• Churrasco — Skirt steak, rice, beans and sweet plantains.
• Pollo empanizado — Fried chicken breast, rice, beans and a salad.

Most of the dishes are Venezuelan, Eduardo said, except the Brandeja paisa, which is a Colombian dish.

More choices

They also offer cachapas, which are blended corn pancakes with cheese and various meats, and arepas, which are corn cakes stuffed with meat and cheese and sauces, Eduardo said.

The menu also features patacones, which are sandwiches also made with a choice of shredded beef, shredded chicken, grilled chicken or sirloin cap

Pepitos are Venezuelan hot dogs with a beef frank, sirloin cap, grilled children or grilled pork. The hot dogs are piled with potato sticks, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and sauces.

They also have burgers. A regular burger includes a ground beef patty, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, fried egg, potato sticks, cheese and sauces.

The picanha is a burger that includes a ground beef patty, grilled pineapple, ham, lettuce, tomato, onion, fried egg, potato sticks and sauces.

Sides include sweet plantains, fried plantains, rice, french fries, beans, avocado, fried egg and a salad.

The fried plantains are cooked when the plantains are green, while the sweet plantains are cooked with the plantains turn yellow and are sweeter, Eduardo said.

Drinks include fresh juices made on site from fruit pulps, Coke products, coffee with creamer, an espresso shot, frappuccino and Colombiana, a Colombian cream soda.

Dishes like the empanadas and cachapas are often eaten for breakfast in addition to lunch or dinner meal, Eduardo said.

Eduardo’s three favorite dishes on the menu include:

• Tequenos - Venezuelan cheese sticks, which are appetizers.
• Parrilla individual - A main plate of Sirloin cap steak, chicken, chorizo, fried arepas, avocado, cheese and boiled yucca.
• The XXL burger - True to its name, this burger includes a ground beef patty, chicken breast, a pork chop, lettuce, tomato, onion, fried egg, potato sticks, cheese and sauces.

The small restaurant can seat about 25 people, has a drive-thru and offers takeout by ordering inside, by phone at 478- 236-2155 or online.

Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday.

“Come give it a try,” Eduardo said. “You will not be disappointed.”

This story was originally published June 17, 2024 at 10:15 AM.