Hidden gem! I came here for the first time last week and was excited to try this location as arepas…read moreare evidently their specialty. I ordered one of their signature arepas: The Joint and it was great. It was juicy, packed with a good amount of food and was a nice combination of flavors. As a plantain enthusiast this was the perfect arepa for me. 1 arepa would be filling for the average person. My boyfriend ordered the El Poco Loco for us to split which I wasn't too crazy about - it reminded me of a crispy chicken sandwich and I didn't care for the sauce on this. I didn't bother to eat this after the first bite. Additionally I got to try the tres leches and this was better than I expected. I'm always hesitant to try tres leches because there are so many ways to prepare it. This way was more classic and simple with just the cake and the 3 milks at the bottom. It came served in a square dessert cup. It felt a little small for the price but the taste was worth it. My only constructive feedback for the cake is that the cake would be even better if it was a little less dry as far as texture but that can be hard to balance as you don't want the cake to become too wet over time due to it soaking in the milk. I can't wait to revisit: I'll be getting the tres leches again and would love to try the El Guey.

I've never had fresh authentic arepas before so this was on my radar. the portions are generous for…read morethe price imo. the green sauce is amazing. the red sauce was a bit too spicy for me but the pink sauce was good. it helped to have the sauces to dip the arepa and yucca bites in but the flavors of the food were good.

I've been wanting to try this place for a while and finally decided to make the drive and it did…read morenot disappoint. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by a staff member who was very welcoming. We ordered an arepa with shredded beef, yoyos with grilled chicken, and a chicha. Everything was delicious! Just be prepared to get a little messy. It's not exactly a first date spot lol. The chicha was especially good. It's a bit thick, which makes it feel more like a dessert drink. It tasted just like rice pudding, which I loved. I'll definitely be coming back to try more items on the menu.

I had been wanting to try this place for the longest time! And I was not disappointed. They have a…read morevegan option which includes black beans, lettuce, tomatoes, plantains, and avocado. It was absolutely delicious! The avocado wasn't ripe and was a bit hard to chew which might be how Venezuelan food is but I like a softer avocado. But everyone seemed to enjoy it overall.

tldr; amazing food and value, clean and friendly service, try the sauces!! Pretty much everything…read moreis a hit but definitely try the empanadas! We ordered the mini empanadas (corn) and pastels (flour) with assorted chicken, cheese, and beef filling and all were delicious, my favorite being the beef empanada. They were perfectly fried and crispy and the beef was juicy and seasoned. I had the pabellon arepa which was a great portion, with juicy pulled pork, tasty black beans, plantains, and cheese. We also enjoyed the carne molida (ground beef) bowl, a chicken/sausage/steak platter, and the mixed protein sandwich which was enormous. The ground beef was a touch dry and the juice from the pulled pork made the bottom half of the arepa a bit soggy, but I didn't mind that. Overall everything was delicious and generously portioned! There is limited seating indoors but we were able to get a table at 5pm on a Saturday with no wait. The food took a little while (~20min) but it was well worth the wait! We will definitely return if we're in the area!!

Stumbled by this Venezuelan little spot by accident wanting a quick bite to share with my husband…read moreand it was not bad at all. I recommend it, staff was very friendly and we were walked through the different food items. We will go back

Easily one of the best spots for authentic Venezuelan food. We started with the sample appetizer…read moreplatter, which was a great way to try a variety of items. The fresh juices were delicious, and the Chicha Blanca was a unique treat (like a drinkable version of rice pudding). The arepas were fantastic with flavorful fillings. However, the highlight of the meal was definitely the Venezuelan-style hamburgers and hot dogs. They were absolutely massive, piled high with meat and toppings, and packed with flavor. The staff was incredibly kind, and there is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating for the summer months.

Very fast service, although a little bit of pressure to order. I asked the waitress what her…read morefavorite was and she recommended the steak and cheese arepa fried. I also did the shredded beef and plantain and beans grilled. Steak and cheese arepa was the star, so crispy, juicy steak, cheese seared. I could eat it dinner every time. The other arepa was decent, it just had the mistake of going second, shredded beef felt slightly dry. It was al little pricier than expected, the steak was 14 and the shredded beef was 11. Will be back to try other dishes!

Absolutely fantastic. The plantains, the empanada, the chicharrones... all just perfect. Loved the…read moregreen sauce with the empanada, wish they had a spicy sauce too. 100% awesome. Will be ordering from here again.

Great place close to home. I would highly recommend. I was welcomed by Owner who was very pleasant…read moreand excited to share her menu. I love the decor it was modern and tranquil. It was exactly what I craved. I ordered and couldn't wait to get home and share with my family. Took attached pictures at restaurant as fearing not having the mind set to remember to do it at home. Jeje I ordered a little of three categories. I bought empanadas, patecone and a sampler of patecone. They were all so delicious. We vow to sit and eat there soon. Highly recommend to stop by for made to order food with the freshest ingredients.

I would definitely recommend coming here the ambience is very nice the customer service is…read moreoutstanding and the food is delicious they make you feel so welcomed and everyone treated me so nice and greeted me with a smile the tuna was so yummy and the sandwich came with a macaroni salad and a pickle They have coffee smoothies and also Spanish food The ambience is also very clean and organized

The bagels are at this world. They have every kind of bagel you could think of anything you want on…read moreit and the smoothies are awesome. The service is friendly polite. And reasonable price

I've been to Arepa Mania a handful of times since it opened and it never disappoints. I was there…read morethis past weekend again and was waited on by the owner. It's a small place and I believe it's family run. Every one is friendly and service is great This time I had an Arepa stuffed with pernil,which is slow roasted pork. It also had black beans and cheese in it. It was outstanding. The pork was tender and perfectly seasoned. I also had an empanada stuffed with beef,delicious. I strongly recommend this restaurant the food is great and the prices are reasonable. Also many items are gluten free including the Arepas and empanadas.

The restaurant knows that good taste trumps trends. Food came out looking and tasting perfect…read more Staff members at Arepa Mania welcomed even our fussy eater. In addition to good dishes, the mood is excellently set. This place maintains consistent standards.

A fantastic Cuban themed restaurant. We've been to their NYC location dozens of times. Here not as…read moremuch, but that will change. The food is really good. Ropa Vieja and the pernil are my go to's and they are on point. Service is also above board. The thing with this place is the experience, between the decor, food and ambience, it always feels so elegant and special. Add a bonus star if you catch the live Cuban music.

Happen to see advertisement outside stating free dinner for Kids with the purchase of an adult…read moreentrée. The good : Overall food was good, we ordered empanadas (shrimp and beef ) they tasted really good with the accompanied chimichurri sauce . We got our boys skirt steaks with fries and my wife and I had to half chickens and pernil respectively . Their mojitos are really good but unfortunately, they didn't have lemonade (soda ) so we ended up paying. $6 each for kid sized house made lemonade which was kinda a waste as my older didn't like it and I didn't want to bother sending it back . The bad: I am taking off a star because we had to wait a long time to get our check. I had asked for the check and a doggy bag, but had to flag my waiter down again to remind him to bring my check. Apparently the kids eat free special has to be approved by a manager . It felt like we waited 15-20 minutes till we got our check , by that time my kids were extremely irritated and my wife was pissed off. I know it's not the waiters fault but the restaurant wasn't that busy and I can't see why they couldn't have gotten this taken care of earlier . Sadly because of this incident, my wife does not want to come back here anymore knowing it takes forever to check out .

This is a small local spot where you will find good tasty food. It's not a lot of ambience to…read morespeak, but the customer service is really good and you will enjoy your meal.

Reposting this because apparently me calling MYSELF the Spanish/Portuguese term for foreigner got…read moreme reported or flagged and the original was deleted. This was DoorDash, so keep this in mind. Delivery took FOREVER, so that could have affected the food. Also, I was working, so I was intermittently trying to stuff my mouth while completing documentation, meetings, and other tasks. I got several types of empanadas. Shredded chicken, cheese, shredded beef, pollo. My pollo mechado (chicken and cheese) and carne mechada/queso (shredded beef and cheese) were cancelled, as they were out of stock. I also got the club house pollo, which was disappointing, but that might have been affected by the fact it was delivered rather than consumed in-house. Made with grilled chicken, egg, bacon, cheese, ham, and accompanied by French fries, the sandwich fell flat for me. Pretty sure it would have been better hot and fresh, so I wouldn't deter anyone from trying it. But it could have used some seasoning. People rave about this Venezuelan place, so by all means try it . . . they have breakfast platters and sandwiches (mostly various combos of bacon, egg, cheese, ham), arepas, Venezuelan hotdogs. Other hot sandwiches like the Cubano and Philly cheese steak (but let's be honest--your corner bodega is better). Multiple types of burritos and other Venezuelan fast foods. Again . . . please try this place, especially in person. My food was delivered and took a long time, which again, isn't optimal. I'm not a fan of corn casings, which is a preference thing and a *redacted word that rhymes with bingo* thing, I am so embarrassed I can't make myself love corn tortillas and empanadas. And the mood was off, I was working. The empanadas, regardless taking so long, were delivered HOT! From what I read, the brick and mortar restaurant is clean, calm, and enjoyable, and they have a huge variety of Venezuelan dishes. Don't listen to me, and give it a try yourself, especially in person, not by delivery!

Got takeout, service was good, the place itself was a typical Hispanic spot in Jackson heights,…read morenothing out of the ordinary - arepa la rumbera was the best thing ever, it was so fatty, so cheesy, so flavorful, and I was impressed with how well the takeout arepa held up - arepa Reina pepiada was also really good, just eclipsed by how good the rumbera was - chicha was solid, chicha is life

With the World Cup underway and the United States taking on Turkey, I wanted to salvage what was…read moresupposed to be a great night for Venezuelan food after attending a lackluster Yelp event in Jackson Heights. Thankfully, my visit to El Budare Café was a delight. The wait was a bit long, but given the occasion--and the Venezuelan parade taking place outside--I'll give them a pass. The $11 beef arepa tasted like it was made from scratch, and every bite showed it. Toasty, savory, juicy, crunchy, and generously sized, it definitely hit the spot. The place certainly is built to enjoy with a huge group. It is not loud and packed with dancers, but I am sure there are dancing on other occasions.