Porlamar🇻🇪

Eat & Drink

Where to Eat in Porlamar

We do not list individual restaurants we have not visited or verified. This page tells you what kind of food to look for and where, so you can pick a place that is open and good today.

Fresh fish and seafood

Porlamar is a fishing city. The waterfront and the stretch around Playa Moreno and Mercado Conejeros are where you find fish landed the same morning, cooked simply: fried or grilled whole pargo (red snapper), mero (grouper), carite, and shrimp, served with tostones and salad. Empanadas de cazón (shark) are a Margarita speciality sold from market stalls and beach kiosks.

Areperas and panaderías

Areperas (arepa shops) and panaderías (bakeries) are everywhere in the centre and along Avenida 4 de Mayo. Breakfast is an arepa or a cachito with café con leche; lunch counters offer the daily menú ejecutivo. These are the cheapest and most reliably local meals in the city.

Shopping-centre food courts and international food

The large shopping centres in the Costa Azul area have food courts and sit-down restaurants, including Italian, Chinese and fast food, and are the easiest option in the midday heat. Costa Azul also has most of the city's international restaurants.

Duty-free island

Margarita is a free port (Puerto Libre), which is why imported drinks and ingredients are easier to find here than on the mainland. Prices are usually quoted in US dollars.

How to choose a place

  • Check current reviews on Google Maps or TripAdvisor before you go; restaurants in Porlamar open, move and close often.
  • Ask your hotel or host what is good this week. Locals know which fish arrived today.
  • Carry small US-dollar bills. Many places quote in dollars and card terminals are not universal.
  • Busy at lunch is a good sign; empty at 8 pm often just means dinner starts late.

Know a Porlamar restaurant we should verify and list? Tell us about it.

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