Inside Patacon Pisao, Aiming to Sling Venezuelan Gutbombs By Month’s End

When we hosted Patacon Pisao at the Bedford + Bowery Bazaar last summer, the Venezuelan spot planned to open on the Lower East Side on October 1. Nine months later, Jonathan Hernandez, the brand’s VP, tells us he hopes to finally start frying plantains for gigantic sandwiches in the next couple of weeks.

The epic delay, Hernandez told us yesterday, came because ConEd had to replace a pipe from the street to the building. Once the gas man gives the all-clear, the Essex Street storefront will finally be doling out the gut bombs that made Washington Heights clubbers flock to its late-night food truck. The LES location will also do seasonal salads as well as weekly sandwiches with ingredients like bacon, sunny-side-up eggs, and skirt steak.

The brick-and-mortar nook only seats about 10, but it’s done up with a mural by local artist Joseph Meloy and some neon that’s bound to lure downtown clubbers across the street from Beauty & Essex (it’ll be open from noon to 4 a.m. daily). “I want people to feel sexy when they come in here at night,” said Hernandez.

And really, what could be sexier than hoisting a massive gutbomb consisting of fried cheese, pulled pork shoulder, ham, pickles, and a mess of special sauce contained between two crispy plantain discs?

While we await a firm opening date, click here to see how a patacon is made (the video alone will clog your arteries) and click on the menu below to see what’s on offer.

Patacon Pisao, 139 Essex St., bet Stanton and Rivington Sts.