EATING LATE
During holiday periods, you will find hamburger and food stands operating late into the night in the bus square. Most of the time, however, finding something to eat as the night crawls on can be a frustrating experience. The later your case of the munchies strikes, the more desperate the scenario. Keeping this in mind, you might want to stash some emergency snacks in your room. There are only a few options for getting anything to eat as the night progresses. These are ChiChi's Hamburguesa, El Guatacarazo, and occasionally, the Bakery.
CHI CHI'S HAMBURGUESA
I don't think Chi Chi's has set hours in particular, but it is definitely
the place to try when everything else is closed. Chi Chi's is probably also
open earlier for dinner and maybe even lunch, but it's best known as the place
to go for late-night chow.
EL GUATACARAZO
El Guatacarazo, which remains open well into the night, also serves dinner,
but the kitchen will close at some arbitrary time well before last call. The
menu never changes and there's only one item on it: a thick steak of pan fried
fish, an arepa, rice, and a little salad. It's not a meal you'll dream about
in retrospect, but it's tasty, filling, and costs the equivalent of something
under two bucks.
THE BAKERY
Wildly inconsistent, but at times someone is working late at the bakery. The
security grating will be down but you can conduct a transaction through the
grill. The baker is often working at the ovens out back, so just give a yell.
There may be some rogue rolls left; ask for ham (jamón) and/or cheese
(queso) if you want a simple sandwich. They've got juice and milk in
the cooler and candy and chocolate in the display case. Sometimes the bakery
is a real lifesaver when you've got after-dark hunger pangs, but you can't
count on it.
EL GALLEON
Outside of town and just off the map, El Galleon is located just beyond the
Ice Factory at the crossing of the highway to El Supí with the road to Pueblo
Nuevo. This traditional Venezuelan restaurant offers good quality, a somewhat
wider selection, and is often open later than other restaurants in town.