I'll start with the positive, the food is great. I got the mechada arepa with spicy red sauce (good amount of heat) and chips with what I thought was Guasaca sauce but turned out to be guac (guac was also really good). The arepa looks small but is actually really filling and full of flavor. Good enough to come back for. The not so good: ordering is stress. Definitely know what you want ahead of time, best of luck if you come unprepared. And unfortunately the guac looks really similar to the Guasaca sauce so make sure you get the right thing. My girlfriend got the Guasaca sauce which I ended up not liking so I was fine they screwed the order up. The parking at this location is also chaotic so be prepared for that too. read more

This place is great to grab a quick bite if you're tight on time, on-the-go, or just want some good casual Venezuelan food. Ordering is Chipotle style in that you order/customize your meal at the counter, pay for the food, and seat yourself at one of their tables to eat. Very quick, clean, and efficient. I enjoyed the arepas on their own (they're small yet very flavorful and filling!) but the green cilantro sauce is what really took the dish another level. Add plantains in your arepa and you're set for an awesome meal! read more

Guasaca - signature tilapia and signature steak arepas! - Venezuelan Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I've seen this place before but didn't see anything on the menu worth trying, until last Monday, I was in Raleigh on business and this restaurant was the closest to where I was located. I came here with a co-worker and it seemed like a pretty popular place. It's tucked away in what looks like a recently built shopping complex, but it's more boutique styled stores/shops. The buildings are cute, with a nice, tan color, but the parking is horrid. The parking spaces are so tiny, but I managed to get into a nice spot, right in front of the back door. There was line leading up to the order area, but it wasn't too long, in fact we probably waited less than 5 minutes before we could order. Customer service was good, the ladies behind the serving area were nice and seemed very patient for lunch time. The options included a salad, a bowl or 'arepas', I opted for the bowl, I was feeling like I wanted a hearty brown rice bowl that day. I definitely received my brown rice bowl, with sweet plantain, black beans and cheese, but it definitely wasn't hearty. I think I paid between $8-$10 for a bowl that was almost child size in the portion amount of food I received. I was disappointed. The food was delicious, but nothing to make me write home about. I will probably not come back here, but only because I don't think the food is worth the price and the tiny parking hassle. read more

Guasaca - Vegetarian bowl - Venezuelan Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Really surprised at how quick yet delicious this place is! Organized in a chipotle-style way where you can pick what you want in your arepa. You can pick the meat, choice if 3 toppings/sides, and a sauce. Every topping/side tasted amazing and it was hard to narrow it down to 3 but I got the chicken arepa with pico de Gallo, plantains, and carmelized onions. The cilantro sauce I got with it was also really good! The entire arepa was less than $5 too - great value!! 5 stars because it met EVERYTHING I look for in a food spot: 1) Cheap 2) Tastes authentic 3) Quick 4) Good portions read more

Guasaca - Venezuelan Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

It's a Chipotle for Venezuelan Food. Thanks pretty much all you need to say a sterile place with no character , food in plastic containers and the people that work there were not very friendly neither did they seem to have a good time working there. The good part AREPAS!!! Needless to say I love arepas , they are filled with different proteins including vegan or vegetarian options , the rest is more or less like in all the other restaurants in this style , you walk down the line and add what you like to your food. The menu tells you there is beer but there is not, this is exactly what I ve been told when I wanted to order a beer, well then, no beer it is. The place is busy and parking is a challenge, after a visit in the museum it was an ok choice but I won't be back. read more

Great eatery for lunch during work! I have only gotten the arepa options. The avocado chicken is great... I don't even usually use the sauces with it because there's so much flavor in the avocado chicken already. read more

Coming from South Florida with authentic Venezuelan restaurants and arepa shops, my little boy and I had high hopes. The arepas themselves are hot and fresh and they are tasty. We ordered a chicken and avocado arepa with cheese and were extremely disappointed with the way they were stuffed, compared to the way a traditional arepa is supposed to be filled, the filling was laughable and sad, it was not filled at all, let alone over stuffed like it is supposed to be. One arepa is supposed to be more than enough but we were both still hungry afterwards which is disappointing. The flavors were good, but the roasted chicken texture was very strange and not very enjoyable. I also ordered a build your own arepa thinking there would be more filling, but there wasn't. I ordered a black bean, plantain and steak arepa with cheese. The flavors were great but the portions were laughable again. I chose the cilantro garlic sauce and could literally drink it with a straw. It's delicious. Overall, the flavors are very good but they are stingy with the portions and they shouldn't be for the price. read more

Guasaca - Venezuelan Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

These are the best arepas in Raleigh. I have ordered here regularly for years and the quality is consistently delicious. Speaking of consistent, I just moved and have been ordering from another location, and it's every bit as good. My go to is the steak arepa as it comes, and a make your own arepa with grilled chicken, white cheese, caramelized onions, and plantains - the plantains are the kicker. Both are equally delicious. The quasaca sauce is also consistent and delicious. I'm not a huge fan of guacamole, this is not your average guacamole. They blend all sorts of things like garlic, onions, tomatoes, and some other crazy magic - words can't express how delicious this stuff is. 5 stars - highly recommend. read more

This is a fast review seeing as how, well......the Arepas didn't last long enough for me to take pictures. SO GOOD!!!! First time for me. I had the Avocado Chicken, which is freaking phenomenal, and the Salmon. Oh my, heavenly dreams are made of this place. Now, im sure some have strange taste buds and do not like "Great Food" but, im sure the line that was behind me that went to the door, think otherwise!!!! They have online orders that await you in the "pick up" area by the drink machine. I was at the Lake Boone Trail location. Better review next time with many pics but for now......go go go goooooooo to Guasaca!!! read more

This place is amazing! It's basically a fast food place like Chipotle that actually has some delicious food. The main attraction of Guasaca is arepas, and they are absolutely delicious! The yellow corn one is slightly sweeter than the white one, but both of them are a great base to make your very own arepa! My favorites are the caramelized onions and the plantains. The plantains add a bit of sweetness to the arepa, but they also add a great texture that hold everything together. And the cilantro sauce - woaw! I hate cilantro and refuse to have it as a garnish, part of the dish, flavoring, or whatever it is that people like to put cilantro in. But this particular sauce? Absolutely delicious. I just heap on the cilantro sauce and nom nom nom my way through it. Pro tip: If you're taking the arepa to go, it's better to get the bowl and get an arepa on the side. Otherwise, the arepa gets soaked through with the juices from the meat and toppings, and soggy arepas are no fun! read more

Holy, Sugar Honey Ice Tea!! Guasaca is magnificent! Raleigh has grown significantly. I'm impressed with the growth of this city. Occasionally, I visit to see my parents and a few friends. With the help of my good friends, I'm able to locate the best restaurants in the city. I couldn't wait to visit Guasaca!! With eight-hundred and thirty-one reviews on Yelp, this place is on FIRE! My friend suggested I purchase and download the Groupon online ( $5 for $10 Worth of food). The Food: My first time trying Venezuelan cuisine! There's only one thing to order on the menu....drumroll! Arepa's!!!!! The best thing I've ever eaten, no joke! Priced between $4.10 and $4.70 you can't go wrong. I selected two signature items, one Chicken Avacado on a corn tortilla and the pork on a flour tortilla. The chicken avocado was my favorite! I choose the corn tortilla to try something a little different. This was made fresh! A little sweet with a crunchy texture! AMAZING!! Ingredients included oven roasted chicken and avocado all mixed together in a house sauce. The Pork arepa comes shredded with black eyes peas, pico de gallo, white cheese and cilantro sauce! I would suggest getting extra sauce because it's that good! My two favorites are the cilantro sauce and the mustard sauce---I would put this on everything! Guasaca should consider bottling this stuff! Overall this restaurant is clean and well staffed. They move quickly! I was here for two hours, the foot traffic was never still. Thank you Guasaca for such a great experience, I hope this business continues to thrive in the RDU area! read more

One of my favorite spots for a quick bite in Raleigh! I love the avocado chicken arepa and especially their delicious hot sauce and garlic sauce. Excellent value! read more

The food is always amazing , delicious, hot and fairly priced! The Guadalcanal cilantro sauce is out of this world !

I travel 40 min by car to get this food. Need I say more?! I would never think to put salmon cheese and plantains together in a arepa but it's so so so good read more

Food is always Fresh and Delicious. Love love love this place. Rice BowlSignature Arepa beTilapia Arepa. And the portions are great.

They have really good arepas, specially the avocado chicken! It can take a while if you go in at rush hour tho.

I was looking for a simple lunch as we were running errands. This place had high ratings. I would equate this place is the "Chipotle of Arepas". (you pick your entrée style: bowl, salad or Sammy) then pick your toppings from a pre-determined list. I ordered the arepa (in tilapia style but with chicken) also a side of chips and their special dip. - CHEAP CHEAP though (only $4 for an arepa) For me it was nothing special, my husband concurred. My friend (however who I got a salad "to go" for - said it was "amazing", so maybe skip the sammys and go for the salad. read more

Visiting Raleigh two weeks ago, I was excited to find Guasaca close to where I was staying. My favorite Venezuelan restaurant in Columbus lost two of its three locations in the pandemic, and I'd missed out on going back there by going to a closed location (oops!), so I was hankering for some good Venezuelan food, and arepas fit the bill. I tried to go there on Monday night, getting a to go order since I was running behind schedule, but despite their website saying they close at 9, they were closed at 8:35. Not discouraged, I went back for lunch the next day. It was hopping; my guess is most of their business is at lunch. I went with the chicken avocado and salmon. Tried the chicken avocado first. It's accurately named - it has chicken, and avocado, and a lot of both. But... that's it. It was like if I made a bolognese sauce with tomatoes and beef and nothing else. Good ingredients, ingredients I like, but it fell a bit flat. The salmon was a bit more interesting with the onions and plantains, but still didn't match the arepas I've had in Ohio. And that goes to the crux of it. I love my local Venezuelan place because everything is so flavorful. Here, all I learned was that salmon, onions, and plantains can go together and be all right. But I wasn't hankering to go back. I probably wouldn't have remembered to write a review if Yelp hadn't reminded me that I'd looked Guasaca up earlier. Maybe I just got unlucky with the line service, they were quite busy. But I was much more pleased with Chubby's across Lake Boone Trail, which I tried after Guasaca closed early. And typically I'd be much more excited for a Venezuelan place than Mexican. read more

Love this place! Every time we visit Durham we come to eat here. Freshly made arepas, meats, and condiments. Highly recommend if you're looking for a delicious meal! read more

Great flavors, and beautiful food. Lots of variety to choose from. Speedy service and accommodating!

I first went here on a first date and it was so yummy! I've been back quite a few times since and it's been great every time. Very authentic and it's great having signature arepas that have ingredients already combined together if you're new and not sure what to include in your arepa. And the Guasaca sauce....incredible! read more

I absolutely love this Latin-Asian fusion. Was pleasantly surprised by the bright flavors and the plantain chips with delicious dip for appetizer was very original. My only recommendation is to turn the music down a bit as it was hard to hear my friend across the table. read more

The arepas at Guasaca are where it's at. I haven't had one that I didn't like yet. I'm a fan of the signature steak arepa, but honestly they have all been tasty. The cilantro sauce is spot on, and I like the outer wrap of the arepa too much to go with the bowl (even though it looks like the bowl fits more toppings..). It's priced fairly reasonably, and there seems to always be a Groupon available at this location, which makes for a much better deal. The space is small, but clean and well-kept. When it gets busy, it may be hard to find a table - and parking spot - but the line usually moves pretty quickly, since it's a Chipotle-style choose-your-own-toppings assembly line adventure. Definitely a great fast-casual restaurant in the area - awesome food at a good price. read more

Nice workers cheaper than chipotle better points system more options and overall tastes better.

The service was fast and friendly. I tried the chicken arepa. It was good but it fell apart before I finished it. I sat outside and it was quiet and surprisingly there were no flies lingering around while I ate. I have been in the area where they had music entertainment which is great for an outing while you eat or drink. read more

Food was amazing! Customer service was absolute trash. Workers were rude and blunt. None of them seemed like they enjoyed what they were doing and had 0 energy towards providing a good customer service. Change the employees attitude and I would give this place a better review! A shame that this restaurant has these type of employees. read more

It's a chain, somehow I like it alot. Fresh and tasty, bummer no pork though. read more

Guasaca - Venezuelan Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Wanted to try something different and glad I did. Have been back several times.. yum!

We love Guasaca. I would eat an entire bowl of their cauliflower rice. It's lemony garlicky delicious. I usually get their bowl with everything in it. So many veggies, so many flavors. It's really really good. read more

Went there for lunch with my sister for the first time on Saturday so parking was a little challenging. The line was very long but it gave me time to look at the menu. I tried their signature mechada arepas with red sauce and my sister tried their signature chicken arepas with white cheese. We ordered 2 each so we could share. (1 arepa is plenty for most I think. I ended up taking the other one home) I also tried the sample guasaca but wasn't too thrilled by it. I enjoyed both arepas very much however the arepas itself was a little dry? I'm not sure how to put it. I really enjoyed the red sauce as I love spicy food. Staff was very friendly! Overall, my experience was great (: read more

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I enjoy the arepas quite a lot, especially with some chips.

OMG SO GOOD!! Every bite you're hit with a flavor explosion--the sauces are ridiculously amazing and the filling combinations are interesting and fantastic. One of my favorites is the tilapia with fried plantains (never would have thought of that!!). And the arepas themselves are so fluffy and delicious, almost like a cornbread tortilla. Yummmm. Great prices and very filling. I usually get two and I will be super full for just around 10-12 bucks. Fun, casual dining experience. Friendly staff. I'll be back many times!! :) read more

Don't let the fast food vibe scare ya, this place is 5 stars from start to finish! Price is unbeatable for the flavor and not to mention the vegan options $8 to feed 2 and we were out of there in 10 minutes! My only regret is not savoring the food longer read more

Guasaca - Vegan! - Venezuelan Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

The food was so amazing I didn't even have time to take a photo! The prices are amazing. Stop by if you are in the area. They have locations all over the triangle! read more

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Guasaca takes its name from the Venezuelan interpretation of guacamole, guasacaca. I would BS some differences between the two, but in truth, I haven't tried guasacaca yet. Instead, I'm here to write about arepas and chew gum. And I'm all out of gum. Arepas are... surprisingly tough to describe. I think the best way to describe them is Venezuelan cornbread, similar in shape and texture to the pupusa from El Salvador. If you're unfamiliar with arepas, look at the pictures for a far better description than words can provide. The arepas at Guasaca are packed with your choice of meat, veggies, and other fillings. If your overly taxed brain simply cannot be bothered, they also have predetermined combinations for you to try. Different from cornbread and pupusas, the arepas at Guasaca are a truly incredible combination of crispiness and flakiness. Every arepa that I have eaten at Guasaca has been full of deliciousness. The ingredients are fresh and high quality. At under $10 for 2 arepas, the price is more than fair. Sure, the meal will run over $10 if you have to buy chips and a drink with your meal, but you definitely don't. Two arepas and a cup of water are more than sufficient, even for a phat fat fatty like myself. Similar to Chipotle, you receive reasonably sized cardboard cups for your water, rather than the 5 ounce plastic shooters that many places give you. Make sure to have many napkins nearby. It's impossible to eat arepas without getting some of the goodness all over your face. Even a most impeccably neat and classy eater like myself cannot find a completely neat way to eat these arepas. I sometimes do have to wonder if former supreme leader Lauryn C's review utilized neural programming techniques that have made it this way for me. Guasaca truly deserves its legendary status in the Triangle food scene. Its flavor per dollar ratio is second only to Tangerine Café. This flavor is somehow achieved without an overabundance of fattiness or sugars. Raleigh residents should always consider Guasaca whenever they're in the mood for an incredibly tasty and reasonably healthy meal at a more-than-reasonable price. Now, just bring back the arepa challenge, so I can succeed where Romin failed and eat every single bite of every single one. read more

Guasaca - Steak arepas - Venezuelan Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

This was one of the most unique, authentic "fast-casual" restaurants I've stumbled on. I wish there were more of these across the State so I wouldn't have to wait until I come back to Raleigh for it. I went for shredded beef on a salad, with most of the toppings. I didn't know about the sauces so I asked to get one of each. While they were all delicious, the mustard and cilantro were more my palette. Mustard sauce was a huge surprise, very tasty (I don't like mustard in general). Mini cheese arepa was a great little extra that was fresh and so good. read more

Guasaca - Shredded beef salad with Guasaca and plantains, mini cheese arepa on side - Venezuelan Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

My biggest complaint is they only let you select 1 tiny sauce cup for a whole bowl of food. What's worse is they only fill the container half way. Won't bother ordering online anymore. It's good, but nothing amazing. read more

I ate here on a Wednesday evening for dinner. These are my thoughts and observations. - The parking lot is cramped. - The menu is simplistic and the lines move quickly. - My chicken avocado arepa and guasaca was excellent. - I was shocked by the tiny price tag. We're talking fast food prices here. Overall, I was pleased with my experience and wished there was a Guasaca in my area. read more

This was terrific. Like a Chipotle, which is very good, but this was another level. The arepas were spectacular. Definitely a keeper and I will be back soon! read more

Veggie arepa is very yummy! I enjoy having vegetarian friendly options when eating out