A chocolate milkshake, heaped with a mound of whipped cream, at the Corner Cafe in Otterbach, Germany, on June 12, 2024. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

The Corner Cafe in Otterbach is aptly named, for it is indeed on a corner at the intersection between two streets in this small village about 6 miles north of Kaiserslautern.

One would never guess, however, just from driving by that besides the typical cafe offerings, the tiny establishment serves up its own Venezuelan food.

Yna Dan Navarro opened the restaurant about 18 months ago. A chef and baker, Navarro uses her kitchen to create staples from her native Venezuela as well as homemade American- and Italian-style pastries and desserts.

Yna Dan Navarro, the owner and main chef at the Corner Cafe in Otterbach, Germany, packages her homemade cookies for a customer on June 12, 2024. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

“You can find German pastries everywhere,” she said, explaining what differentiates her cafe from others.

On a recent weekday, my kids and I stopped in for a mid-afternoon lunch — and ate so much that we skipped dinner.

During the week, the cafe typically offers empanadas with beef, chicken or a mix of black beans, plantain and cheese; and arepas stuffed with a variety of fillings, including ham and cheese, beans and cheese, and a vegan avocado, tomato, beans and plantain.

When we visited, only empanadas were available. Navarro said her kitchen assistant is back in Venezuela for a short time, so the lunch menu is scaled back for now.

Made from ground corn, the empanadas at the Corner Cafe in Otterbach, Germany, are stuffed with beef, chicken or black beans with plantains and cheese. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

That was fine with us. We got our first taste of traditional Venezuelan empanadas. Like the arepa, empanadas in Venezuela are often made with a corn-based, gluten-free dough.

We ordered chicken empanadas, which are a great deal at three for 10 euros. We had to wait a bit for our order, but they came out piping hot and were worth the wait.

Here’s a tip to distract your kids when waiting for food at the Corner Cafe: Get a milkshake. My son ordered a chocolate shake, which filled a tall sundae dessert glass. It was topped with a mound of whipped cream and had chocolate syrup running down the sides.

Though it was gone by the time the empanadas arrived, the hearty drink didn’t seem to dampen my 13-year-old’s appetite. We ordered another round, this time with shredded beef.

With the kitchen short-staffed for the time being, the best days to visit for more Venezuelan options is on the weekends, when breakfast starts at 10:30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, Navarro said.

Choices usually include a variety of arepas and a well-rounded meal of fried eggs with a side of avocado, meat, black beans, cheese and flat cornbread rounds.

Some weekends, Navarro also offers special menu items, which she usually posts on the cafe’s Facebook page to give customers a heads-up. Those include breakfast burritos and quesadillas.

The Corner Cafe in Otterbach, Germany, offers savory Venezuelan food and decadent desserts, including cake, cookies and ice cream. An eclectic mix of antique and country-style furniture and light fixtures gives it a cozy feel. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

On most Thursdays, Navarro bakes cinnamon rolls, but you can visit Corner Cafe any day to satisfy your sweet tooth. Her cookies are, in a word, divine.

The ones we got were more gooey than crispy, the perfect accompaniment to coffee or milk. We ordered four: red velvet, Lotus (made with small Biscoff cookies), chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin. We split the red velvet at the cafe and took the rest home.

Navarro also makes cakes, which can be bought whole or by the slice. She showed me a photo of one that looked like a work of art, a pistachio-green Swedish princess cake consisting of vanilla cake, raspberry jam and vanilla cream, covered with marzipan. Italian-style pastries at the cafe have included custard-filled croissants.

Despite being short on staff, Navarro still made time this week for one of her customers’ favorite treats. She announced on the cafe’s Facebook page that she would have her cinnamon rolls on Friday instead of Thursday.

My son and I took a break from loading up boxes for a move to get some. We tried the traditional cream cheese rolls and a special of the day, chocolate Oreo. We were lucky she had some left: Navarro said that before she opened at noon, a customer was already waiting at the door for them. After trying them ourselves, we might be the early birds next time.

Corner Cafe

Cost: Empanadas are 4 euros each or three for 10 euros; arepas are 7.50 to 8.50 euros. Cookies are 4.50 apiece and cinnamon rolls are 3.50 or 4 euros each depending on flavor.

Information: Phone: +49 176 36039948; Online: tinyurl.com/fwcmwjmp