Zaguan

Look no further for a place that represents the powerful and influential authenticity of South America. Zaguán, world bakery and café located at 2604 Oak Lawn Avenue, serves delicious, authentic food from Venezuela, Spain, and Colombia. The café is named after the entry-passageway in the grand old colonial homes of South America, a welcoming sign for all who walk through the door. Zaguán’s bright yellow walls and cozy little tables, combined with splendid cheese bread samples displayed above the large glass counters inviting to all guests who enter.

Owner Carlos Branger came to America seeking an opportunity and “saw that there was a gap in Texas with these types of products and took advantage of it.” The food served at Zaguán is exceptionally healthy, the products all made with fresh ingredients and no additives. “I wanted to show people the types of food that are offered in South America, and at the same time, educate people on the culture of Latin America.”

His devotion to South American food started in Venezuela, where he worked for a dairy company. Branger originally came to the U.S. ten years ago to obtain his master’s degree, and began working for a technology company called Sabre. While at Sabre, Branger started the business on the side and it escalated thereafter. He proudly states, “I started doing certain things with certain products and using family recipes, letting people try them and they just loved what I was doing.”

To accelerate the process, Branger brought a lot of native Venezuelans that lived in the Dallas area to Zaguán to help teach the kitchen staff South American cooking methods. “I wanted to bring a little piece of my country here to the customers,” Branger added. Soon after, many people were talking about the café because of its unique and extremely desirable food.

Although some people are wary of trying unfamiliar foods, newcomers can be assured that after trying one of Zaguán’s popular dishes they will constantly return for more. Among the delicious main entrées are: the Cachapa, a sweet corn turnover cooked on the grill with a choice of beef, chicken or cheese served with plantain chips, contains the perfect combination of a sweet and salty flavor with the softness of the tortilla adding the perfect touch to the dish; the Pabellón, a signature dish from Caribbean or Cuba, made with shredded beef or chicken with rice, black beans, and sweet fried plantains; and the Arepa, a delicious favorite Venezuelan plate, is a salty corn turnover cooked on the grill and consists of beef and cheese, ham and cheese, or chicken and cheese, also served with plantain chips. Both the Cachapa and the Arepa can be prepared with a variety of options: plain, vegetarian, with egg, cheese, ham, turkey, ham and cheese, shredded beef, chicken, tuna, Reina Pepia (Chicken and Avocado Salad), Proscuitto, or a combination of any of these.

Zaguán is also known for its breads, a variety of breads, including but not limited to: Latin Cheese Bread, French Baguette, Sicilian Bread, Guava and Cheese Bread, Dulce de Leche Bread, and Coconut Bread that are stuffed with cheese, ham, cinnamon and raisins and other appetizing items. The cheese comes from Wisconsin, the only American branch of the Venezuelan dairy company where Branger used to work, cheeses that are not readily available here in the U.S.

Incomparable to any others, Zaguán’s mouthwatering desserts include: Flan, which is made without any lard, giving it a lighter quality; Alfajores, cookies with caramel milk in the middle and sugar on top; Quatro Leches, similar to the Tres Leches including a mix of milk, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and caramel milk mixed with cake and topped with caramel milk; and the Palmier, a special dough that is extended with sugar and folded in different ways expanding in the shape of a heart. The Mocha Dulce, Tres Leches, Chocolate Mousse, Éclair, and Napoleon are also among the many delicious treats. Branger “The pastries represent an important part of our business because they’re the most popular items on our menu.”z5

To bring out the flavor in the food, it is recommended that customers combine their entrée with some Colombian coffee, a Latin Cappuccino or a Latin American hot chocolate. The Latin American hot chocolate, for example, is not too sweet but rich in chocolate with a hint of cinnamon. Fresh fruit smoothies with natural juices also go well with Zaguán’s breads, pastries, and house specialties, and can be made with mangos, pineapples, watermelons, strawberries, bananas, papayas, cantaloupes, passion fruit, Guanabanas, Guavas, lulos, and oranges. Standing by the quality of his products, Branger states, “We don’t use any preservatives or powders, just fresh fruit carried and cut here and fresh juices.”

And of course a major aspect that definitely goes well with the South American culture of the food is the culture itself. Zaguán provides Latin American jazz or Bossanova (Brazilian) music on Thursdays, and Latin Fusion on Fridays for customers to enjoy, especially those who have not had the opportunity to experience those styles of music. Every other Monday the café features Tango, and the first Friday of every month they organize an event with art and music from Latin America, for local artists and musicians to exhibit their work. Branger expresses, “I just want Zaguán to be a place where everyone, from South America and around the world to be able to enjoy our food and to learn about our amazing culture.”

With an experience this remarkable there’s no turning away from these gastronomic foods and traditions of South America, a country that has been compressed into one extraordinary place called Zaguán.

by Melissa B.Cook