Chivo en Coco – Young goat stew in a coconut and red & green pepper sauce
$20

If you’re like me (which, don’t kid yourself, you are not but you desperately wished you were) than you’ve walked by this place a dozen times and thought “I should eat here sometime!”

(Just a reminder, you are NOT me).

So, today I thought “Ok, today’s the day I eat at El Cocotero!”

Except I probably totally mispronounced it.

We arrived at opening time on a Saturday (11 am) and enjoyed a very delicious Venezuelan brunch.

I can’t really think of any other Venezuelan place this side of 125th street, so it’s definitely a neighborhood gem.

Or Jam as my autocorrect keeps trying to make me say.

Probably because I misspelled ‘Gem’ as ‘Jem’ (I’m baffled why “…and the Holograms” was not then suggested by Autocorrect).

Moving on.

The menu is massive and you’ll probably get a little overwhelmed but just know that whatever you order is probably delicious so do not fret.

HOWEVER, you certainly must order the Arepitas sampler for the table (maybe even 2, since they come as just 4 per order).

If you live in NYC, you’ve seen Arepas hocked at any type of event or street fair. They’re these fried corn cakes stuffed with cheese but they can be stuffed with anything your heart desires!

And at El Cocotero, the sampler has them stuffed with beef, chicken and various cheeses. So good.

Something else you must order are the Cachapas.

They’re these amazing sweet corn pancakes stuffed with various savory items such as slow roasted pork, Venezuelan cheeses or the Venezuelan pot roast that I ordered.

Defintely one of the best dishes I’ve EVER had.

Seriously.

(One last reminder, you are NOT and could NEVER be me).

Thanks bye!

Cachapas w/ Venezuelan pot roast
$13

Sampler Arepitas
$10.95