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.

I first heard of this place when Yelp sent an email with suggestions on where to eat in the area…read more Having never had Venezuelan food, I was curious about it. I looked at their menu, then set out to learn about their various entrees. My husband agreed to give it a try. Before going, we settled on trying "Pabellon Criollo" which is considered the Venezuelan national dish. We were here on a Saturday around 5 p.m. and were surprised to see a few large parties dining in. Also, people came in to get their takeout orders. Not sure as to how the ordering worked when dining in, we made our way to their counter. The owner, Carlos, spotted us and got 2 menus. We confirmed that we wanted to dine in. Carlos is very friendly and welcomes customers with a smile. He also was our server. To drink, I had a lemonade while my husband had a can of Coke. We let Carlos know that we were both having the Pabellon Criollo. This dish consists of black beans with a bit of shredded cheese on top, white rice, carne mechado (which was shredded), 2 arepitas (small arepas) and some platanos maduros. When the food came, it was obvious that the platanos were freshly made. Carlos also brought a bottle of brazza sauce (also called "salsa de amor). He told us we could put it on any item we wanted. It's a mild sauce which is mayonnaise based with cilantro. We enjoyed this dish. Everything was mildly seasoned yet still well flavored. Nothing went to waste! When it was time to pay the check, Carlos rang us up. We both say we would like to return and try their steaks. From start to finish, we had a great experience.

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

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!

The Tequenos are some of the best I've ever had! Arepa could've used some more salt on the beans…read moreand avocado. Ordered online and everything was done so quickly, would definitely come again!

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!

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!

Delish food. Strong, hot coffee. This place gets busy. Best to order ahead and pick up upon…read morearrival. Great gem in Fairfax.

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

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.

This is an amazing place to experience what real Venezuelan cuisine is. Granted, the place is not…read morevery accommodating; it is in a very hidden corner; however, the food is to die for. I enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere and the cashier's attitude. In my opinion, they need to expand soon. All in all, this is a great place to try food from Venezuela.

Cute place with delicious arepas and tried their papelón which was the same! Arepas were well…read morefilled and great texture on the outside. The place is small on the inside and better as a grab and go but they do have a food truck business with the name Arepas Zone.

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!