One step inside Venga Pues on West Main Street in Norristown, and you might feel as if you’ve traveled all the way to Colombia.
“Venga Pues means for us like a come over here, this is your home,” said restaurant owner Angela Barahona.
The authentic South American eatery offers traditional favorites served fresh, along with packaged goods and beverages from Colombia, where Barahona grew up.
“We have a lot of flavors, we have a lot of food, we have a lot of colors and you can feel the happiness,” she said.
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Since opening three years ago, Barahona said she’s proud of every detail that highlights the country that shapes her identity and even more proud that others want to share in the experience.
“Seventy percent of our customers – they are American people, they want to try different things, different food, different flavors,” said Barahona.
Meanwhile, down Spring Mill Ave in Conshohocken, the taste of Mexico tempts you inside El Limon, where owner Karina Vargas has been serving up taqueria favorites since 2010.
“We do tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, burritos, empanadas,” Vargas said.
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For this restaurant owner, the experience is an extension of the menu.
“I want them to take away that they were comfortable, that they ate a good meal, they got filled with this meal, and they are happy to come back,” Vargas said.
Jacqueline Rocco, CEO and president of the Hispanic Heritage Association, said that both Venga Pues and El Limon represent the diversity that makes Montgomery County so unique.
“The heritage is the culture that we represent,” Rocco said. “It’s the stuff we’ve learned throughout generations from our grandpops, from the culture of the country itself, the history, the people that have come and gone and left their footprints for us to learn.”


