Instagram food has a certain aesthetic. It’s bold, over the top, and often covered in sauce. As the social media platform expanded, restaurants tailored their menus to put out more and more ridiculous offerings. Venezuelan street food is, quite possibly, the egg before the Instagram chicken. The hashtag underneath every D’Locos Burgers post is #wearecrazyandweknowit. After eating their food, you will see—that is no mistake.
The Community Spot
Over the last several years, the Venezuelan community in New Orleans has grown, especially down Williams Boulevard. D’Locos Burgers opened this December in a small storefront that used to house Canaima Grocers. The small Venezuelan grocery store has since moved on, but partners Louis Palmar and Andrew Figueroa have continued to make a space for the growing community.
The sign outside might say burgers, but the options only begin there. The Venezuelan street food stop is a great introduction to a bold cuisine. Outside of arepas, it was unknown to me until my buddy posted some tequeños on his birthday. I was instantly intrigued by the cheese filled puff pastries.
Tequeños are a staple of any Venezuelan celebration. Birthdays, gamedays, graduations—these cheesy bites are sure to make an appearance. Like most things on the menu, the tequeños are paired with the staple Venezuelan tartara sauce. Not to be confused with tartar sauce, this mayo-based sauce is thinner and brighter, with a sweetness similar to celery. The cheese inside was salty and reminded me of a meltier version of halloumi.
Crazy Burgers, Piled High
The burgers come in many forms— chicken, steak, pork, or mixta. Whether you get a single, or the mixta, it’ll run you $12 or $15. However, the burgers are a construction marvel well worth the price. Regardless of your choice of protein, each burger comes with ham, bacon, cheese, crispy potato sticks, crunchy cabbage, and their collection of sauces (tartara, ketchup, and mustard).
The chicken burger is a skinny filet, rather than a ground patty. Together with its compatriots, the burger is a seamless masterpiece. The potato sticks and cabbage are crunchy and offer texture alongside the tender meat stack. It is flawless, and will most definitely stick in your memory.
For adventurous parties, they have El Sombrero — a giant mixta burger that comes with an even bigger pile of fries, and a 2-liter of Coke. The marketing flows from the sign outside all the way onto the plate.
Alongside burgers, hot dogs, and arepas, D’Locos offers pepitas (similar to a torta), and patacones. You can find an arepa anywhere in Venezuela, but the Patacone is a regional dish from Zulia. With a “bun” of fried plantain similar to a tostone, the Patacone is another hearty and crazy indulgence. The mixta comes with pork, chicken, and steak chopped up along with cabbage and potato sticks. Like everything at D’Locos it is an experience fitting the name and well worth your time.
Know before you go: D’Locos Burgers
D’Locos Burgers is Located at 3901 Williams Blvd. in Suite 14. Google Maps will send you to the front parking lot of the business park. The storefront is in the middle parking lot, along with Sho Notchos. D’Locos Burgers is also available for delivery through Uber Eats, Waitr, and GrubHub. For a menu, and pictures of crazy burgers, follow them on Instagram @dlocosburger.
