Caraotas — Restaurant in New York

Been to this place 3 times now and even told friends and fam because I feel the food is pretty good. But after today I’m a little uncertain about returning… My boyfriend paid with cash and the cashier who’s always there didn’t give him a receipt. My bf noticed he didn’t exactly get all his change back so he asked for a receipt. Not only did he get a hard time from them about getting it, the guy didn’t want to give him his change after asking 3 times! Then the woman working there says oh we don’t have change. SMFH get it together. Don’t count people’s pockets and it’s never the customers fault y’all don’t have change.

So if y’all go there, please check your receipt and the change you may or MAY not receive. Smh tasteless.

Update: I see the owner Andy has responded. Thanks for the response Andy however this was not my first time at your establishment and no it was NOT a misunderstanding. There was nothing to mis understand. Your employee simply didn’t give us the correct change and gave us a hard time when we asked about it. We also wouldn’t have minded if he was just honest. You don’t get to tell customers how much change you want to give them back. So due to your response now I definitely won’t return and I’ll make sure all my friends and fam that did visit no longer do either. Best of luck with...

Oh boy, where do I even begin with my experience at Caraotas, the so-called Venezuelan restaurant in New York? Let me tell you, it was an absolute disaster from start to finish.

Firstly, let’s talk about the food. I have no idea what they were trying to pass off as Venezuelan cuisine, but it was a complete mockery of the real deal. The flavors were completely off, lacking any authenticity or resemblance to the vibrant and delicious dishes you would find in Venezuela. It’s like they took a crash course in butchering Venezuelan cuisine and failed miserably.

But it’s not just the fake food that was a letdown, the service was a complete joke too. The staff at Caraotas seemed utterly clueless and unprofessional. It was clear that they had no understanding of basic customer service or how to make diners feel welcome. They were slow, inattentive, and downright rude. It’s as if they had never heard the word “hospitality” before.

To make matters worse, the entire restaurant had an atmosphere of chaos and disorganization. The tables were crammed together, making it impossible to have a comfortable dining experience. The noise level was through the roof, and it felt like being in a cafeteria rather than a restaurant. It was clear that no thought was given to creating a pleasant and...

I’ve never had Venezuelan food so I can’t compare this to homemade, real deal stuff but everyone in my group enjoyed the food. It’s fast food but definitely good quality and yummy. I stepped out for a minute after ordering to make a call and when I came back they started finish my order on the spot to make sure it wasn’t sitting too long before I received it. Great combination of flavors. I just tried the empanada and fries but it’s way better than getting food at other quick order spots like a random pizzeria or deli. The balance of sweet and salty was perfect. Great sauce selection and they weren’t stingy about giving extra sauce cups.

My friend got a regular ole burger, a little scared to try new stuff but he really enjoyed it, which says something cause burgers ARE easier to mess up or prepare mediocrely than you would think. The menu is vast so there should be something for everyone.

The space was a little small but they had a good amount of seating, including outdoors if you don’t really like a loud music kind of environment. Good portions and very affordable! Sad they don’t have locations closer to me...