Recommendations and convenience led me to two places I enjoyed most often. Los Criollos Panaderia is located half-way down Libertador where a triangular gap opens in the Avenue. Tucked away under a yellow awning, this also serves as the meeting/departure place for Amigos del Mar's excursiones. You'll find a solid wall of cases loaded with pastries, sandwiches and other baked goods, but what I repeatedly devoured was simply called Jamon y Queso; ham and cheese wrapped in sweet bread dough, baked until flakey and then buttered costing only Bs1,000 - about 50-cents each.

Adding to the flavor were few scattered raisins and always a single green olive, but I caution on the latter: they only use the kind with pits still in them so be careful when biting down. These sandwiches were great for purchasing a bag full to stash in the mochila/backpack for when hunger called throughout the day.

Actual "dining" came highly recommended just across the street at Restaurant El Funchal located on a covered second-floor balcony above the butcher shop. On my first night, I tried shrimp and calamari sauteed in a soup-like garlic concoction for Bs13,000. With seafoods, everything had to be ordered a la carte; a salad or side dishes of rice, potato, tostones each Bs1,500. HINT: the extra garlic sauce was great poured over the white rice and to sop up with bread. With a couple of Bs3,500 rum/cokes thrown in, everything totaled US$12.

On my second night, I had the quarter fried-chicken with a light, well-seasoned crust for Bs4,000. This plate included choice of two side accompaniments actually proving more filling than from the night before. The menu contained several upscale selections of steaks and seafoods; the bar rather limited on what they could serve. Perhaps even better than the food or service was sitting along the wall with a great overview for all the action and entertainment unfolding on the Avenue below.

Closer towards the highway was the Max Panaderia offering basically what you'd find in the dozen or so others. Here I tried a small pizza with thick crust and loaded with cheeses and pepperoni and had trouble finishing the entire thing while still saving room for a slab of the local version of German Chocolate Cake. These, with a large bottle of chilled water, came to less than US$5.

Just around the corner from my posada was yet another panaderia. It has less selections, but was convenient for those first cups of coffee of a morning (Bs600) and has a tiered set of steps great for sitting and people watching in the busy streets.

None of these places are 24-hours, but panaderias open by 6am and didn't begin locking up until 10pm or later; especially on weekends.