A long time ago, in a far away land I promised to write about a café called Arabica where the coffee was supposed to be really good. Then, I don’t know what happened. But, one time I did write about my interesting relationship with the Venezuelan empanada. That was when we were still getting to know each other and I felt that it could go either way. Then I met…

This is the empanada de pollo that they serve at Arabica. There is also a vegetable one which I find even more delicious. Something about the way the cornmeal is prepared and fried at the right temperature so it’s still light. This is good stuff.

This is how I prepare my first bite. That orange concoction next to it is a yummy picante sauce that will put hair on your chest. They also have a guasacaca sauce (spicy avocado blend) that complements this dish very well.

Unfortunately, I was too busy devouring my empanada to get a good picture of my coffee. This place is supposedly one of the last to still be selling locally produced coffee beans. I love my cup of coffee in the morning, but I’m no savant. I have learned that the trick to getting a strong cup of coffee in Caracas is to either ask for an expresso or a maron claro – the latter being mixed with cream. However, I find that a café con leche at Arabica has just enough kick for me. Another perk to this café is that it offers free WiFi…

So, good empanadas, good coffee and free internet – who can ask for anything more?!

As I’ve mentioned before, Caracas has an abundance of bakeries – some great and some just okay. I have a few that I go to for certain items (each has a specialty) and when I want a chocolate/croissant pastry, also known as the caracola de chocolate, I go to Pasteleria St. Honore’s. This is the same bakery where I bought my husband’s birthday tart back in February and because they seem to always serve fresh pastries, it’s the closest thing to an authentic French patisserie that I’ve found here.

The coffee there is not the best, but there’s another place right across the street called Cafe Arabica (which I will write about soon) that supposedly has the best in all of Venezuela. This was my breakfast this morning…

Another nice thing about St. Honore is the eating area. It is surrounded by commercial buildings and traffic, but the entire outdoor area is covered with trees and plants and somehow you feel like you get away. So much so, that I can actually get a good 30 minutes of reading my Kindle while there.

Obviously one of my favorite places in Caracas, St. Honore continues to get my stamp of approval