Venezuelan Fusion Restaurant Opens in National City | Eater San Diego

"On Highland Avenue in National City, a new eatery highlights the flavors of Venezuela and greater Latin America. At Mi Pana Latin American Cuisine I found a menu built around classic Venezuelan staples—corn flour arepas, yucca roots, and fried plantain sandwiches—alongside dishes from other countries such as Colombian beef steak with pork belly and fried egg and Mexican sopes and enchiladas. Some signature items blend cuisines, including arepas stuffed with Mexican al pastor pork or with fried egg and bacon, and yucca fries topped with carne asada as a nod to Southern California’s carne asada fries. I learned from proprietor Augusto Lopez, a Venezuelan native, that he opened the restaurant because of the lack of Venezuelan food in San Diego while also offering broader Latin American dishes to appeal to diners more familiar with those cuisines. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mi Pana is also aiming to be a hub for the local Venezuelan community through community events and benefit drives; as Lopez notes, “There are a bit over 5,000 Venezuelans living in San Diego, and I always had the desire to open up a Venezuelan restaurant so that we can feel represented here.”" - Mario A. Cortez