I've noticed that burgers on modern menus tend to skew toward fanciness and fussiness. Black truffles, wagyu beef and even caviar are showing up on contemporary burgers to showcase the dish's versatility. While I have no problem with ripping through a "fancy" burger, I do feel like such culinary ornaments run contrary to the burger's spirit. The way I see it, burgers evolve by getting bigger, meatier and cheesier—which is how they do things at A Lo Maracucho.
The word maracucho is a colloquialism that refers to someone from Maracaibo, Venezuela, which is also where most of this restaurant's menu takes its inspiration. It's no secret that I've fallen in love with the Venezuelan restaurants around town, so when I got word that A Lo Maracucho opened two locations—one in West Jordan and one in Herriman—I was excited to check it out.
For starters, A Lo Maracucho has an excellent spread of Venezuelan classics. The Patacone a Lo Maracucho ($13.99) is an excellent example of the patacone, a classic Venezuelan sandwich that swaps bread for two fried, flattened plantains. Like most of the entrees here, you get the opportunity to mix and match your proteins; everything from grilled chicken and sliced ham to smoked sausage and pulled pork is up for grabs.
The arepa menu at A Lo Maracucho hits all the right beats. You've got your pabellon ($11.99) with fried plantain and black beans, and your creamy reina pepiada ($10.47) with shredded chicken and avocado. The king of this part of the menu would be the Super Arepa ($13.47), which offers your choice of protein along with a ton of pico de gallo and shredded cheese. The texture on all of their arepas is ideal—nice and crunchy on the outside while remaining chewy on the inside.
I was also a fan of the tapitas ($7.99 for one or $14.99 for two), which use smaller fried arepas stuffed with lettuce, tomato, crema and your choice of protein. Not only were these a bit more snack-sized than the traditional arepa, but they come with a cube of salty fried cheese on top. As much as I love arepas, they're often a bit of a commitment if you're having one for lunch. These little guys solve that problem, especially if you go with a lighter protein like grilled chicken.
While having the opportunity to get something on the smaller side is nice, it's the moments when A Lo Maracucho leans into its Venezuelan roots to create something meaty and insane like the Street Burger ($13.99). It can be ordered as a double ($15.99) or a triple ($17.99), which means you can potentially get up to three proteins on this monster. I went with a triple (because of course I did), and I ordered with grilled ham, pulled pork and smoked sausage.
The picture of this burger in the menu is imposing enough, but nothing can really prepare you for this monster when it arrives. I didn't have my measuring tape handy, but I would guess this thing stood about eight inches tall. It's positively dripping with fixins: shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, crispy fried potato sticks, melty mozzarella cheese, meltier American cheese plus the three proteins I ordered. The bottom bun is completely buried with all of this madness. I did my very best to slice it in half and try to pick the whole thing up, but it was an exercise in futility. This is a knife-and-forker, to be sure.
While the sheer existence of this burger makes the world a better place, its massive size does invite a few pokes and prods as far as balance goes. I really liked the smoked sausage; I would get this on any burger that I order here from now on. It's smoky, juicy and tastes hot off the grill. The grilled ham is the same, though I could see swapping this out with bacon during another order.
The burger patty itself is a little dry, but it's honestly just there so you can call this thing a burger. The weakest link for me was the pulled pork; it was also on the dry side, so scooping up a bite of this while chewing my way through the giant burger threw the vibes off a bit. It's not a perfect dish—though I staunchly believe that perfection can be achieved with the right combo of proteins.
If you're craving the lighter version of a Street Burger, I'd recommend the salchiqueso ($6.49). This is a street hot dog topped with ketchup, mayo and tomato that gets completely doused in crispy potato sticks and adorned with two thick slices of mozzarella cheese. It's excellent, and requires much less stamina to tackle.
Overall, the traditional menu of patacones, arepas and cachapas at A Lo Maracucho can hang with the best Venezuelan spots in town; expect a warm welcome if you're already a fan. What makes this spot stand on its own, however, is its commitment to making enormous burgers that defy the rules of physics.