Caracas - Post Report Question and Answers
What typical restaurants, food delivery services, and/or takeout options are popular among expatriates?
There are some really nice restaurants in Caracas that are pretty affordable for expats. You will see decent Latin, Italian, and Mediterranean food here. - May 2015
Inexpensive (if you're paid in dollars)... Decent is about the best one could say. - Apr 2015
Venezuela needs to import about 80% of its food. Because of extreme currency controls, businesses access hard currency only with great difficulty. As a result, while fast food exists, it is disappointing and of very low quality. Going to a restaurant is the same-- you will have a menu, but it is not unusual that half the menu will not be available. Nicer restaurants exist but cuisine is uninspring and of a lower quality than the price point would suggest. Those able to take advantage of the black market exchange rate have a better deal but the quality is still low-- what is a US$40 coffee and toast at the official rate is a US$3 meal for those who exchanged hard currency on the black market (and lived to tell about it). - Nov 2014
All the U.S. fast food places are here, but there are also dozens of great restaurants throughout Caracas -- everything from Sushi bars to formal European places (you know the ones: big plates with a little bit of food in the middle with a strip of two of sauce). With the current parallel exchange rate, you can eat very economically anywhere in the country. - Sep 2013
I don't have much experience with fast food except I have stopped at McDonald's once. The quality was good, but I paid double or triple what I would have paid in the US. Malls seem to have American-style food courts, and you can get Domino's pizza in Valle Arriba. There are plenty of upscale restaurants with posh menus and settings. What is hard to find are mid-range places or any especially kid-friendly places. - Aug 2012
Fast Food: TGI Friday's, Tony Roma's, McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Domino's (one pizza costs about US$25), lots of great restaurants with decent food, but very expensive. A meal for two currently will easily about US$100. - Mar 2012
McDonald's. Dominoes has 2-for-1 pizza mon-thursday. - Mar 2011
McDonald's, KFC and Burger King are here-some decent restaurants, too, but everything is more expensive than in the States. - Jan 2011
McDonald's, Wendy's, KFC, Subway, Pizza Hut, Dominoes, etc. There are some very good restaurants if you are brave enough to venture downtown after dark. - Oct 2010
McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Dominos, Papa John's, Pizza Hut. All are about 1.5-2x what you would spend in the US. - Sep 2010
Plenty of the standard US fast food chains but very diminished menus and very inflated prices. Crappy Chinese food can cost up to $100 for 2. Dominoes has 2 for 1 on Mondays and Tuesday, but it's still like US$20 for a single pizza. - Mar 2010
There are many good Italian restaurants and Sushi places. The imported beef is also excellent too. - Mar 2010
A lot of fast food is available, but there are a lot of really good restaurants in Caracas. Venezuelans love sushi, so there are lots of sushi restaurants. When you get your money on the legal parallel rate, the cost is very cheap. - Feb 2009
Any and all U.S. fast food franchies available here, pluls a plethora of decent restaurants. Note, however, that a Happy Meal at McDonalds currently costs (late 2008) about US$10 and a plain cheese pizza from Dominos is US$37. - Nov 2008
