Pomarosa Coffee Shop & Kitchen – 1504 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON M4J 1N4
Country: Venezuela  
Must-try dish:  Pabellón Regular
Dinner guests: Pornstar Sam
Seating: Indoor and outdoor seating on the street. 
The high: If you’re looking for traditional Venezuelan food, then this is an excellent place to go. 
The low: It’s daytime hours of opening, so plan to go for coffee or lunch. 

There’s a charming cafe just west of Little Ethiopia on the Danforth that serves classic Venezuelan treats and drinks. In the warmer months, there are tables outside on the street for Cafe TO, but otherwise there’s a pretty seating area inside at the back of the restaurant. With only daytime hours, this is the perfect place to go for a morning coffee, do computer work, or meet a friend for lunch. 

Although the majority of the menu is traditional Venezuelan items, there are a couple of things with more of a western twist like the items of the list of Wellness Lattes or the local craft beer selection. However, the rest of the beverages and the food are loyal to Venezuelan and Latin American culture. A retail shop stands at the front of the cafe selling hot sauces, coffee, takeaway cocktails, and more. 

While perusing the menu, we started off with a round of Horchatas. These comforting drinks are served cold, and made with sesame, cinnamon and soy milk then served over ice. There’s an option to get one with coffee too. It’s creamy and heavy because of the milk, but the cinnamon is warming on the stomach. 

Needless to say, it was time to eat, and that we did in a large way. To start, a five piece order of Tequeños was delivered to us. These bite-size cheese snacks salty queso blanco cheeses that are wrapped in dough and then deep-fried. A spicy cilantro dipping sauce (guasacaca) accompanies these little guys. 

Empanadas are a staple in South American cuisine, and each country has their own special filling that’s traditional to them. Venezuelan empanadas dough is formed using corn flour, similarly to those found in Colombia, unlike their counterpart in Argentina and Chile that are made with wheat flour. The Cazón Empanada is popular at Venezuelan beaches as it’s stuffed with baby shark and sweet plantain that adds sweetness to the fish which is cooked in a traditional Venezuelan sofrito. There’s a bit of a fishy flavour that comes with it, but not in a distasteful way, it actually enhances it. 

The Beef Empanada is a recipe that’s been passed down for generations made up of beef and vegetables in a  spicy sauce, while the Cheese Guava Empanada is a lighter one that marries sweet and savoury flavours without any meat. It’s the most popular empanada on the menu, and you’d regret not having a bite. 

The arepas are the main event at Pomarosa, and there’s one to suit every palate with various proteins, vegetable, and legume  combinations. An arepa is ground up corn dough that’s cooked to create a pocket that’s stuffed. They’re difficult to share, so we opted to have our own depending on our cravings. The La Culpa es de la Vaca is a pulled beef variety that’s topped with crispy chicharron, diced tomatoes, and arugula. There’s a creamy chipotle and lime sauce mixed in with the ingredients. 

If you’re looking to take the more conventional arepa route, then the Pabellón Regular is your best bet, and therefore it’s our must-try dish at Pomarosa. It’s the ultimate combination of flavours that represent Venezuela: pulled beef, slow-cooked black beans, fried plantain, cheese, and a tangy avocado cilantro sauce called guasacaca. Alternatively, there’s a vegetarian option of this arepa called the Pabellón Vegetarian that is constructed exactly the same without the beef. A word for the wise – these arepas are stuffed to the brim with delicious topping so make sure you have an appetite before ordering one. 

Like many cafes in the city, there are sweet treats and pastries to complete the meal, if you still have space in your belly. The Tres Leches Cake is an absolute must if you haven’t already tried it, and if you have, then you know what we’re talking about. On this particular occasion, we didn’t have any space for dessert after the meal, but we’re looking forward to another meal there where we’ll save room for the sweeter things. 

Eat with you soon,

Mandrea Bike
( Mat & Andrea)