Latin Dough, a new Venezuelan restaurant located in Etobicoke, specializes in tequeños, empanadas and other Venezuelan food classics, and is your next one-stop shop for good eats in Toronto.
Just over a year ago in March 2020, Ana Cristina and Fabrizio lost their jobs due to the pandemic, so the Venezuelan couple––who immigrated to Canada in 2016––made the decision to start their own business. They started to cook up traditional tequeños from their home that began to attract the attention of the Venezuelan community in Toronto. Tequeños––a kind of cheese stick made of fried wheat flour dough filled with fresh cheese––is a beloved snack amongst many Venezuelans.
Traditionally, a tequeño is filled with fresh cheese, but Fabrizio and Ana Cristina have put their own twist on the beloved treat and created unique fillings such as pizza, hamburger, sausage, caprese and truffle, among others. They also have vegan tequeños.
This summer, Fabrizio and Ana Cristina managed to open their first location in Etobicoke, a place to dine in and enjoy more than tequeños. In this new casual restaurant, they are offering empanadas, pabellón criollo and pepitos as well. They are already planning on adding other Venezuelan dishes to the menu, such as cachapas and cachitos.
"Our fillings have a lot of flavour, we use aji dulce (sweet chili) which is difficult to find in Toronto but it is super necessary to make a good filling. We use coriander, garlic, other spices and of course, a lot of love", says Ana Cristina.
For those with a sweet tooth, Latin Dough has tequeños filled with Nutella that are served with ice cream for a perfect dessert combo. They also have Marquesa, a traditional Venezuelan no-bake dessert that is made up of layers of Marie biscuit alternating between homemade chocolate pudding.
Latin Dough offers catering for all kinds of events and also sell wholesale. Their tequeños and marquesas can be found in stores around the GTA as well, like Perolas in Kensington Market and the Central Butcher.
Find Latin Dough at 533 Evans Avenue in Etobicoke. They are offering dine-in, curbside pickup and delivery.
