I swung by Arepi for a bite to eat after their "Groove Garden" event next door. Food came out…read morequickly and was a good portion size for the price. I got the "Party Beast" arepa which came with a heaping pile of shredded pork over some delicious cheddar cheese. I also got a side of yucca fries which were good but I'd probably skip next time as the arepa was SOO filling on its own. Love having this gluten free friendly option nearby!

This was our first time trying Venezuelan street food. I fear that they have spoiled all other…read morerestaurants of this type for us, everything was beyond good. The best thing we ate was the Pop Queen Cachapa. (Creamy chicken avocado salad & Venezuelan cheese). It was so flavorful, I will probably order this every time. The seating is limited, we went at an off-peak time so it wasn't a big deal.

I had an Alma birthday gift card so it was time to use it on a Saturday night. We had a reservation…read moreat 6 but arrived earlier to enjoy the Bar and some apertivos. A good list/variety of Cocktails including Zero. Dan is the Man and not only made drink recommendations but navigated the menu for us. Lessons in Alliteration and the Mezcal y Manaca were my favorites, Guayabita and Vieja Escuela were also enjoyed. We started with the Patacon Salvaje -Calamari, avocado etc-just wanted to look at it as it was a work of art-tasty, Tequenos-their version of cheese sticks-the Guayaba sauce takes it over the top! First course-Alma Caesar salad-order it! Brussel sprouts, kimchi dressing-enough said, Caribe Atomico-have never had scallops (thinly sliced) this way before and loved it-the sauce wants to be spicy but stops at savory and the rice cracker complimented nicely-basically a Ceviche and another must try. Entrees-based on recommendation went with the Solomo Criollo (prime NY strip)-came out medium rare as ordered and Yuca with Chimichurri was a perfect side. The Duck Attolado stole the show! Exquisite spiced Duck breast over a bed of rice similar to Paella-delicious! Service was attentive and engaged-Kez took great care of us. Prices are at a premium and rightfully so as you won't find these creations on every corner. Perfect spot for date night!

First time in but it won't be our last!…read more Service was amazing. Our server, Spence, was great! Very knowledgeable about the menu and always there making sure we had what we needed. Do not sleep on the cocktails! The Lessons In Alliteration will bring me back here, it is so well balanced and goes down a little too easy. The food was incredible. We started with the Tequeños and Patacón Salvaje (the best bite of the night for me!). Then came the Caribe Atómico (a little too salty) and Caribbean Surf & Turf Salpicón. For our entrees we tried the Duck Atollado (the rice in this dish was amazing and so flavorful) and the Pelao Guayanés. Everything was well prepared and so tasty. Dessert was the Vanilla Quesillo and Cacao+, would skip, dessert was our least favorite course.

Delicious crispy pastelitos. I ordered three mix-n-match pastelitos with shredded chicken, ground…read morebeef & potatoes, and sweet plantains & cheese. Shredded chicken was all right (a bit dry, in my opinion), but ground beef and sweet plaintains were great. The beef one is my favorite by far -- very juicy and flavorful! The sweet plaintains one was pretty unique, both sweet and savory. The texture of the pastry was crispy, and the accompanying cilantro lime sauce complemented the pastelitos well. Only con is that they take a pretty long time to make (maybe 20 minutes?), but the vendor makes everything, including the pastry dough, from scratch, so I can't complain about the fresh quality. Next time, I'll try their empanadas, which look delicious. Great friendly service.

Great addition to the relocated Southwest DC Farmers Market (now at the southern end of the wharf)…read more Arepas were made to order and even after walking home they were hot, fresh, and DELICIOUS!! These are probably the best Arepas I've had in the DMV!

Went here to grab lunch with a larger group and was very thankful for the patience of the woman…read moretaking our order. Very friendly and was helpful with recommendations. It's a small seating area, but we managed to find a spot that worked. We ordered three arepas, a cachapa, tequeyoyo, and a pastelito. To drink we got a tamarind beverage. The arepas were all very tasty and just what we were looking for. They had a good texture, were a decent size, and were stuffed with filling. The cachapa was something new for us. It was full of cheese and generously topped with chicken. The picture on the menu is very accurate. The sweetness of the cachapa provided a nice contrast to the savoryness of the chicken and chimichurri. The tequeyoyo was a great option to have for the kids as was the pastelito. All of the sauces paired well and we ended up mixing and matching. The tamarind drink was a real star and was a great tart contrast to all the food. I'm realizing more and more that I just want tamarind drinks. Overall, great experience and will definitely come back when I'm in the area!

Came here on a visit to my sister in Maryland. Tried Arepa Queen which was a new spot in the area…read morewith some family. Had the cachapa which was super delicious with the chicharrónes. The perfect sweetness of the corn pancake of the cachapa to go along with the melted cheese and the chicharrónes brought great flavor. The chicharrónes were cooked just right and was tender and crunchy. Had the chicha to drink to go along with the food. Will come here again and highly recommend. Very clean place and great service.

I got to try Arepateca at National Night Out. I have seen them at the local farmer's markets and it…read morewas great to finally give them a try. They have two arepas marked as vegetarian. They let me know the Sweet Domino arepa can be made vegan with no cheese. I ordered this and really appreciated how kind and accommodating the woman at the register was. The arepa came out quickly and HOT. I had to wait a little for it to cool before taking a bite. The black beans were so flavorful!! I love how well seasoned they were. The sweetness of the plantains added a nice contrast to the savoriness of the black beans. Additionally this arepa was PACKED with filling. I was shocked how small yet satiating this meal was. Overall I would definitely order this arepa again and am very thankful they were able to make a vegan option for me.

I finally got to check out their brick and mortar location! It is a cute, dimly lit cafe that has…read moregames, beer, wine, coffee, tea, and very cozy seats. I didn't count the tables, but maybe you can seat about 20, and there's a table in the middle that I saw a bunch of folks standing around. Connect Four and some other games were on there. It has been a long time since I last had them, and I was excited for my friend to try them. We each got an arepa, and we split tequenos and chicken empanadas... Yes, we were hungry lol. The chicken salad arepa I was as good as I remembered, and I got a glass of white wine that complimented it perfectly. It was my first time having their tequenos, and they were nice and cheesy. I'd take those over mozzarella sticks for real. There was only one woman working, and she was efficient in handling orders. I would come back just to hang out... But if they got music, that would really set the vibe.

I stumbled upon Arepa Zone about 10 years ago on a random trip to DC. I remember it having good…read morereviews and I had never had an arepa before so I had to try it. I ordered so much food and loved all of it. I couldn't wait to get back to DC to get it again. Eventually, I ended up moving to DC and Arepa Zone is absolutely one of my favorite places to grab a quick meal. It has truly become one of my favorite comfort foods. I usually get the patacon which is huge and very filling and they have different variations of it at their other locations. You can eat it with whichever meat option you'd like and it's just so flavorful and always fresh. If you're here for the first time, I recommend the tequenos as well. They are just so simple but so delicious. Service is always quick and great!!

Before I headed back to home, I needed to grab a snack to tide me over for the night. After leaving…read morethe bar we saw this place was open and came in to grab a quick treat. Spied the menu, and found what I wanted. Tequeños de Queso. Small enough for me to take with me. I was set. Paid, given a pager, and waited for my food to be ready. The pager went off, I grabbed my food, and I was a bit greedy and had to have at least one before heading out. Amazing when warm. Very flavorable. I had the urge to eat them all right then, but I still had to get home. Carrying these on the Metro was not the best, as I kept getting a whiff of them the whole way. I wanted to eat them, but definitely not on the Metro. When I did finally get home, I downed them to end my night. A great way to end the night if I might say so.

Paso por aquí, para mencionarles que El Budare Grill y su dueño Jonathan Tarifa merecen un gran…read moreaplauso; no solo por el excelente servicio al cliente que él y su equipo de trabajo ofrecen a sus clientes, si no por la sazón que hizo recordara mi terruño y la comida de mi abuelita. Espectacular el Pabellón Criollo Venezolano; altamente recomendado, buenos precios. Gracias Budare Grill Team, disfruté mucho mi almuerzo; son lo máximo! - - - El Budare Grill and its owner Jonathan Tarifa deserve a great applause; Not only because of the excellent customer service that they offer to their clients, but also because of the seasoning that made my remember my country and my grandmother's food. Delicious the Pabellón Criollo Venezolano; highly recommended, good prices. Thanks Budare Grill Team, I really enjoyed my lunch; you guys are the best!

From the owner: We are a Venezuelan cuisine restaurant, focusing on Arepa's with a concept of fresh off the grill…read moreoptions.

Food was amazing and the service was super friendly. Wish they had more seating outside thoughread more

This is a no brainer!!! You gotta stop in if you're anywhere remotely close or in the area!…read more This is tucked away between a major highway and a Costco shopping area. Very simple to get to and quite a decent amount of parking. I went on a Saturday Afternoon and it wasn't too busy at all, but it should be with how amazing the food is! Vibes were pretty dope. Lots of outdoor seating and some music playing. Ordered the Pernil Arepa, Chicken Rice Bowl, and Pulled Pork Rice Bowl. If you're afraid of flavor, this is not for you, because the flavors were amazing! And you can customize your bowls with add one to your liking such as roasted corn, avocado, cheese, plantains and more! Loved it and will definitely make it part of my itinerary whenever I'm in the area.

Do you want a meal that is so filling and satisfying that you feel like you could hibernate right…read moreafter? Just curl up like an exhausted grizzly and forget the world until your belly is no longer full? Then go to Brazza and get ready to bring on blissful exhaustion. I've been here three or four times now and have tried several menu items. Everything comes to the table quickly and perfectly delicious. The meats are tender and flavorful, and the crispy skin on the pork belly chicharrón sings when you scrape it with a fork. The sides are hearty and massive, with the fried plantains being especially delicious bars of golden delight (I recommend the tomato and onion salad as the perfect side for the chicharrón). There are lots of drink options, too: the papelón is the best limeade for a hot day, and the chicha-criolla vaso is like a milkshake delivered directly from heaven. The absolute star of my heart, though, is the blood sausage. The skin has a delicate snap, the filling is silky in consistency, and the flavor is robust and rich. Add the smallest drop of the hot sauce (ask for it specifically) to change and amplify the flavor into something even more interesting. If you have never tried blood sausage before, Brazza offers an exceptionally palatable way to try it through the homogenous filling, rich spices, and minimal tangy flavor. If you already enjoy blood sausage (I grew up eating boudin), then you should try what I consider the smoothest and most complexly flavored version I've ever eaten. Long review short, go to Brazza if you want amazing meats, refreshing drinks, and delicious food in general, all at an excellent price. And you get Carlos' warm welcome and big smile for free!

Brazza on Steaks is such a solid place for good Latin American cuisine. The owner seems to be very…read moredevoted to the quality of the food and the steaks really could not be any tastier. I do think that a mix of the steak and other dishes is a good balance but it would've been great to have more greens as an option. But then again, this isn't something that is unique to this restaurant alone or the type of cuisine. I would love to watch a great soccer game or other sports event here to root on a local team. It is the perfect combination of solid food, genuine vibes, and great service.

Definitely recommend RicArepa for authentic Venezuelan food. Delicious, well seasoned, very juicy…read moremeat, very filling. Served hot with extra condiments to make the meal very tasty. All served with a warm smile! Great food for the whole family.

From the owner: Ricarepa Venezuelan Food Truck & Cateringread more