Venezuelan restaurant Los Chamos opens in south Charlotte

“Chamos” is slang for “friends” in Spanish. And that’s what co-owners Carlos and Christina Calzadilla want the restaurant to be — a place to go and hang out with your friends.

Why it matters: As Charlotte becomes bigger and more diverse so, too, does its food scene. Hispanic food has more to offer than tacos and guac. It’s also made up of arepas, cachapa, pabellón, pepitos, and picaña — all Venezuelan dishes you can find at Los Chamos.

Flashback: Carlos immigrated to the United States from Caracas, Venezuela, 15 years ago when he was in his late teens. He grew up in the service industry, working for his father who owned a Cuban restaurant in Pompano Beach, Florida. After three years in South Florida, he moved to Charlotte in his early twenties with his brother. “We got in the car and just drove north and landed in Charlotte,” he told me.

Once in Charlotte, Carlos stuck to the service industry, working everywhere from the pretzel place at the mall to Cantina 1511, where he met his wife Christina, another service industry vet.

What’s happening: After taking a break from the service industry to start their own construction business, SunSouth Carolinas, the Calzadillas are going back to their roots — figuratively, and for Carlos, a little more literally.

“Anything you do in life, as long as you put the love in it, you’re going to kill it,” he said.

The menu: Los Chamos will serve a mix of traditional Venezuelan dishes, popular Venezuelan street foods and some fusion dishes.

They’ve brought on Esteban Moncayo, an Ecuadorian chef with experience in international cuisine, as their executive chef. “We want to do traditional Venezuelan dishes with international inspiration,” general manager Michel Mesa told me.

• Yes, but: “The true traditional Venezuelan foods, we’re not messing with those. Those are going to taste like how your grandma makes it,” Christina said.
• For drinks, they’ll serve papelón con limón (kind of like a sweet tea), chicha (a rice-based drink kind of like horchata), tizana (like a chunky fruit punch), and other juices like mango and guanabana. Los Chamos also has a full bar, with local beers on draft, and Polar, which is a domestic Venezuelan beer.

• They’ll also sell Venezuelan products and foods — like cheeses, creams, tequeños and salsas — out of large freezers they have in the back. “If you like something you can buy it packaged up,” Carlos said.

The vibe: “We want it to be a place where you can come in and have a drink and hang out with los chamos,” Carlos said.

Details: Los Chamos is located at 7001 South Blvd., formerly a Mexican restaurant called La Taqueria.

• It’ll be open Monday through Sunday from 8am-9pm and 8am to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. “But if you’re still enjoying your meal, we’re not going to kick you out,” Mesa said.

What’s next: “I’d love to get some guys here playing salsa, merengue,” Carlos said. They also hope to stay open later on the weekdays in the future.