This is such a cozy family owned Venezuelan place I love to…read morecome here specifically for the cachapas adding the chicken adds an amazing combination of sweet and salty dish. They have indoor seating with a very nice ambiance and usually you won't need a reservation, the service is always great!

We stopped by on our way to Dulles for a trip. It's a decent sized casual establishment. Greeted by…read morea guy who also served us. The service was good, as was the food. Here's the take on the items we ordered. The Cachapa was middle of the road. The maize was a little thin, the cheese was generous, and the overall size was about right for the price. The empanadas we nice and crispy on the outside and the meat was seasoned well. The yuccas were much denser that we usually have. My wife didn't love them, but I did. We had a sip of the ponche crema they were selling by the bottle for the holiday. It was decent, but not exceptional. Overall a solid choice for those seeking Venezuelan cuisine in NoVa!

I love this place. It's definitely a whole in the wall, but once you find it, you'll always keep…read morewanting to come back. Most of the time I would order via DoorDash since I work in the area, but one day I decided to drive over. Inside they have a cute area that's like a supermarket. Lots of snacks and drinks to purchase. The arepas here are giant. Ordering just 1 is definitely filling. They put so much meat and cheese inside that when you take a bite, it does spill out. So definitely have a fork handy to eat the one that spilled.

Arepa Zone appears to be a mostly pick up/delivery restaurant; however, there is seating, though…read morelimited. There were 3 tables that could sit 4 at each. It appeared to be pretty busy, but we still got food relatively quickly! I ordered a Pork Pabellón Bowl, while my boyfriend ordered a Beef Pabellón Bowl. It was a very nice portion with a good amount of meat. Pork was okay. It was a bit dry, but with the sauce it was very tasty though a bit salt. The plantains really balanced out the meal with their sweetness. I wouldn't say there is anything too special about the beans but they were creamy with some chew. My boyfriend's beef bowl had sauce on it and peppers. He didn't have to add sauce like me. Employees were very nice and gave us a free slice of ham bread. Very good for the price!

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.

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.

Food was totally amazing, I would definitely order from here again…read more We've had their truck food and had some delivered and both were great. I've had the pork black beans plantain egg and cheese arepa a few times and it's awesome. I got it recently in bowl form with an arepa on the side and it was a ton of food for the value. My boyfriend had a sliced steak arepa maybe with avocado and it was also very good. The empanadas are also amazing!! Food is knockout and the arepas are stuffed full for what you pay. So good. Definitely would order again!

I was in the shopping center and decided to stop by Arepas on Wheels on a whim for a Venezuelan…read morelunch since I saw their open sign was on! I didn't know what to expect but we decided to try their Pabellon beef bowl and the beef and pork empanadas. Everything came out quick and the empanadas seemed to have been made to order and were hot when brought out to us. The empanadas were crispy, hot, and full of meat filling. The Pabellon bowl came with an arepa on the side. It was our first times having arepa and we enjoyed the saltiness flavor of it. The denseness of the arepa was a new experience for the both of us, it's something that you just have to try for yourself! The bowl goes well with the light, creamy sauce that is brought out with it. The staff are kind and helpful, glad to have been able to support a local business in Charlottesville!

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.

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 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.