The diverse selection of food served in Hillsborough Street’s many restaurants is enough to satisfy any student’s cravings. One of the newest restaurants to open is Guasaca South American Grill. This restaurant has storefronts in North Raleigh, Durham, Cary and Morrisville and now on Hillsborough street. According to the store manager of the Hillsborough Street location, David Olah-Damlien, the owners realized how hard it was for students to eat at their other location on Lake Boone Trail and wished to make it easier for their customers, so they decided to open a storefront near NC State.
“It was a construction site, and we were excited to sell to the NC State community,” Olah-Damlien said. “Most of the students used to come from here to Lake Boone Trail, and during class they had to go back and forth. So when Heli [Mendez] and Orlando [Escobar], the main owners… actually found a location at NC State under Target, they were really excited, and it wasn’t an easy process. Orlando and Heli have been pushing so hard to make sure and to go up so fast.”
The restaurant serves many different arepas, bowls and salads, although their specialty lies with their arepas. Olah-Damlien said that the arepas are a Venezuelan dish made with cornstarch pockets that hold various fillings.
Many students have already lined up at their door, keeping the new workers and managers busy throughout the day with constant customers.
“Business is pretty good,” Olah-Damlien said. “At first it was amazing, and now due to the fact that we have a lot of new customers, more students and local people who don’t know what Guasaca is about come.”
This is the case for some students of NC State. Many have never had Venezuelan food or have even heard of an arepa. Emmalee Smart, a third-year studying political science, was one such student. Smart tried the shredded chicken arepa.
“I was really just trying it for the first time,” Smart said. “I had no idea what an arepa was, but it’s good. It tastes like Chipotle, but different.”
Guasaca provides for a new culinary experience for the students, faculty and locals who live and work around NC State. The newest dish from Guasaca South American Grill is their crispy chicken arepa.
“I love the new crispy chicken,” Olah-Damlien said. “It’s actually amazing; it’s lightly breaded and fried, it’s crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. And our chef came up with two amazing sides, which are the garlic sauce and the Isla sauce, which is like a barbeque mixed with honey sauce. It’s amazing.”
Guasaca is a new way to experience a piece of a different culture right off of school grounds with new flavors, which are made fresh every day.
“I want everyone to try [Guasaca],” Olah-Damlien said. “I know there are a lot of restaurants opening here… Though I feel that we are a unique restaurant that serves arepas. People came from Venezuela and the whole country, and they say that the arepas are amazing. Nothing tastes as good.”
The new Guasaca restaurant on Hillsborough Street is now open for business. The restaurant serves Venezuelan cuisine at affordable prices.
