Pastel Gourmet

[caption id="attachment_126776" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Marlon Urbina opened Pastel Gourmet in January 2015 after migrating from Venezuela.[/caption]

The widespread diversity of residents in the Greater Houston area has helped Venezuelan restaurant Pastel Gourmet succeed in its first year of operation, owner Marlon Urbina said.

Urbina said Pastel Gourmet will celebrate its one-year anniversary in early January, in part because the local residents are receptive to food from different cultures.

“Houston is open to trying new foods anytime,” Urbina said.

The breakfast and brunch eatery’s  menu includes chicken and beef lasagna, empanadas and cheese fingers. However, the restaurant’s namesake, pasteles, are often the main attraction, Urbina said. The pasteles, which are similar to calzones, can be filled with an assortment of options, such as eggs and bacon and ricotta and spinach. 

“Our menu basically includes items for breakfast; however, you can have [pasteles] anytime during the day,” Urbina said.

Urbina’s wife, Adriana Marquez, her brother, Mario, and mother, Maria, began Pastel Gourmet in Venezuela in 2002. The family-owned eatery added a Florida location five years ago before opening the Spring location last year.

Next up for Urbina is expanding Pastel Gourmet’s offerings. He hopes to add a freezer by late 2016 so customers can bring home products to their families, he said.