La Caraquena Latin American CuisineWorth putting up in the traffic jamMy husband found this restaurant when searching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives to add to our vacation plans. The GPS stated a 15 minute drive, but due to the traffic it took over double the time. We got to the restaurant wondering if this was worth the hassle. We shortly found out it was worth the wait! In fact, we ordered several dishes to share as a family, but we ended up buying another bowl of soup and sandwich. We loved the uniqueness of the food. The only flaw was the sound of the traffic as this restaurant is on a busy street. Overall, this restaurant is a MUST TRY. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.6/14/2013 12:00:00 AMgreat food not so great serviceThe food is really delicious, flavorful, and fresh tasting. The waiters (unless the lady is waiting on you) will take your order and its hard pressed to see them again. There was one bus boy who tried to be helpful but seemed new. The food does arrive quickly and add I said before its tasty. If they improved the waiters attentiveness then this could be a higher rates review.6/14/2013 12:00:00 AMexcellent!!!!!!!!Fantastic Latin American cuisine! The menu is limited but what they have on it is delicious! Especially loved the Arrepas stuffed with avocado and chicken!!! The pulled beef with white cheese was out of this world tender and succulent to no end :-)6/13/2013 12:00:00 AMAs usual, the food was deliciousAs usual, the food was delicious and service was wonderful. Only downside was that they were out of saltenas.6/8/2013 12:00:00 AMDelishFood was excellent, service friendly and knowledgable.5/26/2013 12:00:00 AMAs seen on DDDThe food is spiced to perfection. The black bean soup is delish and the drinks are out of this world. Not recommended for large groups. Perfect spot for a fun date night dinner.5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMLa CaraquenaFood is outstanding--fresh, high-quality ingredients, well prepared dishes. A delight every time. The place is tiny (reservations recommended!), and the unassuming decor, friendly service and Latin music combine to leave you feeling a world away.5/17/2013 12:00:00 AMSpotted on Food NetworkAfter living in the area and driving past this restaurant for 4 years, I saw it pop up on Food Network, and knew it was time to go see. The mangorita was serious business, the mechada (pulled beef) arepa was awesome, as was the peanut soup. also, the cuatro leches cake? AMAZING. SERIOUSLY. If you get anything, at least try it. Yucca was quite tasty too! Great place, reasonable prices. Get a reservation, it's a tiny joint and fills up quick.5/17/2013 12:00:00 AMTaste of Venezuela in Falls ChurchWanted to try this for quite a while and finally got a group of friends together on a Thursday evening. Definitely made a reservation based on Yelp reviews and knowing the size of the place - probably seats 12 inside and maybe 20 outside. It was a great spring evening so we grabbed a table outside. While the beer selection is limited, it is good and beers not usually found in a typical bar or brewery setting. They also have good Latin drinks like mojitos, etc. We all just stuck with dinner, but read through all the arrepes choices and will definitely be back for those. Some salads looked good too, but we all went for the Venezuelan national dish with varying changes (with fried egg, with beans, etc). Will be back to try more on the menu.5/16/2013 12:00:00 AMSchool Group VisitI took a small group of Spanish I students there for lunch. Excellent experience for them. Great food! They loved it. Difficult to get pricing ahead of time. Can be pricey depending upon what is ordered. We would all go back again. Watch out for 9% tax.5/13/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Latin foodDon't be put off by the exterior. This is a darling little eatery. I enjoyed the attentive service and wonderful food. The corn salad and steak was so wonderfully fresh and good!5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMThis place is tiny! Only 9This place is tiny! Only 9 tables inside. The food is amazing though. Definitely worth a visit.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMNeighborhood DestinationGreat food, comfortable environment, friendly service, great prices. Overall a very good experience, perfect for dining before attending a show at the state theater perhaps.5/9/2013 12:00:00 AMWe saw this restaurant onWe saw this restaurant on Triple D. We would have definitely overlooked it otherwise. We had a sampling of the Arepas and they were delicious. We will definitely be back to try out other areas of the menu.5/2/2013 12:00:00 AMI would highly recommend theI would highly recommend the Pabellon (any variety). The bean flavoring (as a side or in a soup) is remarkable. Arepas are top quality as always.4/28/2013 12:00:00 AMI love this place. The restaurantI love this place. The restaurant is very small, only about 12 tables or so. They make great Mojitos & Margaritas. The food is always delicious, no matter what you order. Black bean soup is so flavorful. JPs favorite arepa is the best. :) everything I've ever had here was delicious. Well worth a visit. Please don't judge this place by the location. It's shares a parking lot with a less than stellar motel. La Caraquena is by far one of my favorite places to eat.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMAmazing MargaritasI love this restaurant in Falls Church City. The margaritas are amazing!4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMYummy! Fresh fruit juicesYummy! Fresh fruit juices areDelicious.All food is fresh and well-prepared.4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMDelightful experienceVery small restaurant. Staff very pleasant and anticipated our needs. Menu was new and exciting and food well-prepared. If I could add any areas of improvement, I might consider expanding the menu. Too much "pulled beef".4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMThis unassuming restaurantThis unassuming restaurant is tucked away within a seedy-looking motel. But, WOW - great food, great drinks, and wonderful service. We will be back! It's a tiny place, so definitely make a reservation.4/4/2013 12:00:00 AMAbsolutely deliciousI've never had a bad meal at this restaurant. It's truly one-of-a-kind! I usually get the grilled sifrini arepa, but decided to try the grilled peluda arepa this time, and it was outstanding. My lunchmate got the grilled sifrini arepa, which he'd never had, and loved it too. We then each had a cuatro leches for dessert - I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!3/29/2013 12:00:00 AMThe arepas are fabulous! Can'tThe arepas are fabulous! Can't go wrong with any of the drinks or appetizers. Our favorite dessert is Cuatro Leches.
Service is slow, especially for such a small place.3/29/2013 12:00:00 AMThe friendly, attentive, ifThe friendly, attentive, if not speedy service, was a plus. The food is spicy so the fried plantains provide a nice balance. This was our first time and we are definitely going back.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious!The food was delicious! The next day I was craving the papaya, avocado, shrimp salad. We told my parents how amazing the food was. We will definitely be a repeat customer!3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMIt's a small restaurant, soIt's a small restaurant, so it was almost impossible to hear my dinner date. Please consider turning the music down a smidge.3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMPerfectWe went for a late lunch ...loved the food. It was very fresh and perfectly prepared - service was great. There was a warm friendly atmosphere with Latin music playing in the background. The jalapeño salsa was hot but the perfect kind of hot with lots of flavor. We loved the peanut soup. The condiments served with the yuca and plantains were fantastic. I had the chicken & avocado arepas and loved it. I had mine fried which was great but I would love to try the grilled version also. It was a perfect lunch. I will definitely go back and try dinner. Really fell in love with the charm and quality of La Caraquena. I'm still thinking - dreaming about that food - a great experience3/20/2013 12:00:00 AMA keeper.Enjoyable dinner. Atmosphere is ppleasant, and like the Latin music. The food, tho simple, was very good and nice presentation. Good margaritas. One of the best restaurants in Falls Church at reasonable prices.3/20/2013 12:00:00 AMHad a GREAT time. Took someHad a GREAT time. Took some Venezuelan friends and they loved the food. Very authentic dishes, tasty and well prepared. Could use a few large tables for groups.3/20/2013 12:00:00 AMVery good food, nice ambiance,Very good food, nice ambiance, and very nice people. It is very practical to do an online reservation. I think the restaurant can improve a little at communicating people that it's full and table reservations are needed, especially on Saturdays.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food (very authentic)Great food (very authentic) and great atmosphere, we met some friends for dinner and had a fantastic time.3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMOverall we enjoyed dinningOverall we enjoyed dinning with you.we are definately looking forward to coming back...3/1/2013 12:00:00 AMYou definitely want to reserveYou definitely want to reserve a table at this tiny gem. Their South American home cooking reminds me of the dishes my abuela used to make. Great food, and impeccably friendly staff.1/1/0001 4:00:00 PM