Currently located on the edge of downtown Lafayette in a former plumbing supply store, Patacon Latin Cuisine is a popular pan-Latin restaurant preparing to move into a more modern space at 208 Center Sarcelle Blvd. in Lafayette. Although the family that owns Patacon is Venezuelan, the restaurant serves popular dishes from other parts of Latin America, including pastelitos, and uses local Louisiana ingredients like crawfish and cracklins. The new location is slated to open around the New Year.
The namesake dish of the restaurant is a Venezuelan sandwich called a patacon. Instead of bread, the sandwich is made with green plantains that are smashed into discs and fried to a crisp. The restaurant fills these sandwiches with proteins like beef, pork, chicken, and shrimp. A house-made hot sauce is used to add a bit of balance to these rich sandwiches by infusing them with heat and spice.
