The food was ok (not great but not bad) but they left our order in the lobby without telling us so that it was cold when we finally got it. Most annoying for me though is that I asked for no beans as I have an allergy and they make me absolutely sick and they still gave me beans making part of my dinner inedible. I put NO BEANS in caps to make sure that they saw. No bueno. read more

So. Freaking. Good. I eat (and order takeout) from here more than I would like to admit. Few things hit the spot better when you're starving than an arepa from White Maize. The dough/outside is so good and perfect consistency - moist, but sturdy enough not to fall apart in the hand. I have not been disappointed with any of their flavors, but am partial to the pabellon (both the ones with meat as well as the vegetarian ones are excellent) - the sweetness of the plantains balancing the saltiness of the proteins is just perfect. Prices are super reasonable. One arepa can fill up most people with a normal appetite. A heads up - if you are ordering delivery or takeout, be ready for a decent wait as I've seen few places that have as busy of a delivery business as this place. Any time you walk in you'll see them scrambling to fulfill a ton of different orders. This place is in my regular rotation of restaurants in the neighborhood, and hope it never goes away! read more

Ordered the pulled beef bowl and veggie bowl and the rice was completely undercooked. Never ordering from them again.

Who can pass up arepas? There are so many things that are right with this restaurant that I had to only nitpick on the salt content of the black beans! (Lower please!). Spending a leisurely evening with friends and being late to the party, ordered some "allergy friendly" food. The bowls really distinguish this restaurant from all others! All the tastes and flavors are represented, avocado, rice, salad, black beans, sweet plantains and protein. All in an incredibly generous serving! Weary from the day, I enjoyed the highly rated salmon bowl without quinoa or cheese. Amazing!!! Very satisfying with the sangria mix with tequila, that erased any remaining stress from traveling!! Highly recommend! read more

White Maize - Sangria mix-!fast acting! - Venezuelan Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

I love this place. Delicious South American (Venezuelan) food. Just a few tables so grab one if you can. read more

White Maize - Grilled Steak Bowl and Primitivo wine - Venezuelan Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Yummmm. Tried the pulled beef arepa. It was delicious, but not a 5 star. I was still a little hungry after one arepa to myself, so maybe I just eat too much. We got it to go, but the staff were nice. Maybe I'll try this place again. read more

Delicious! Stuffed arepas with shrimp and a steak bowl. All amazing and outdoor seating was available. Everyone in our party including our children really enjoyed eating here and I would absolutely return. read more

I have walked here from BedStuy on more than one occasion to get an arepa. I think that sums up how I feel about this place: I will walk miles during a pandemic just to get one of their arepas. My favorite arepa has steak, fried cheese, tomato, and avocado. Everything about it is perfect. On my last trip I got a bite of "La Bestia" and like that name implies it is indeed a beast! Like I'd probably have to eat it for two days. But it was overflowing with ingredients and it was absolutely delicious. They also hold up well after reheating (random tip). I should mention that I found them because of a vegetarian friend, so they're great for herbivorous folks as well. read more

Nice small and casual Venezuelan restaurant specializing in Arepas. We ordered a variety of items: the assortment of empanadas (one beef, one beans, one plantains), one steak arepa, one chicken bowl, and one beef cachapa. The cachapa is a must try: a corn steppa with melted cheese and beef, delicious and very filling. The empanadas were also really good, even though on the smaller size. The steak arepa and the chicken bowl were nothing special. Unfortunately the chicken was way too salty, which might have been an unfortunate accident in the kitchen. Overall enjoyed our first time at White Maize and might be back if in the area. However, I did find it too expensive for what it has to offer and for its location. read more

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This used to be my go to spot, both at the restaurant and delivery. I feel like there's been a shift in the last year or two where the quality has decreased.The attention to detail and quality seems to have dropped. The first strike was coming in and oddly getting cold meat and the salmon that I used to love seemed under cooked. Order has been wrong more times lately, forgotten appetizers and not providing sauces. Also more often the arepa bottoms would come soggy from not draining the black beans. These were never issues for the years I had been and seemed to have dropped in the past year or so. It had been off my rotation and I tried it again recently and was confirmed to still have quality issues. I really want it back to the quality I had previously expected and this review is just to add constructive feedback in hopes of improvement. I feel like there was a shift in management, very confused about what happened! read more

I am no Venezuelan food expert by any stretch of the imagination, but as far as my taste buds could tell this place was sooo goooood. I first tried one of their Papellon arepas (#1) through delivery at a friend's house. I was so hungry that I didn't even heat it up and just ate it cold--it was AMAZING. So I decided to make another trip to get one warm. The initial thoughts were confirmed and I am officially an arepa convert. The plantains are the real hidden gem here. They add the perfect touch of sweet texture to the delicious corn tortilla and tasty beef. Plus some black beans and cheese, what more could you need?? Two minor complaints that have been mentioned by other Yelpers: the ingredients were layered so you got mostly beef, then mostly beans. Also I had big pieces of beef that I had to pull apart with my hands. Again, suuuper minor, understandable, and they in no way take away from the sheer deliciousness that is my new fave food: ~arepas~. The employees were super friendly and there's plenty of nice seating inside with a big open wall for people watching and a breeze. Will be returning and trying more! read more

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Ordered from here once and it was good. Ordered here again and it was awful. Food took forever, which probably explained why the arepa was a soggy, dripping mess I couldn't even eat. Several missing items from the order. The hot sauces had zero flavor. Also ordered the sweet pancake and it tasted like a sugary cake. All in all one of the least impressive meals we've ordered lately, and pretty disappointing. Won't order again. read more

Venezuelan food meets the demands of crazy busy New Yorkers-- let's turn this place into a grab and go or casual eatery and incorporate the concept of salad bar style bowls. You can essentially go one of two ways here, buy an arepa or ask for everything that comes in an arepa in a bowl. I went the bowl route with chorizo, salad, plantains, avocado and some other delicious "toppings." It was essentially a salad with hot sauce, which I can't complain about. Though this place is listed as an empanada place, I didn't see anyone eating them, but I did see lots of people enjoying the food while in here. Definitely a good way to try out some Venezuelan food, though I can't say for sure it was authentic.... read more

Woahhhh, I can't wait to go here when this quarantine is over ! My boyfriend decided to takeout for a quarantine "date night" from this place. Although we can't judge on ambiance at this time, the food was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. Everything we ordered was fresh and they were generous with the serving. Also, everyone wore a mask, so would recommend for takeout ! read more

White Maize - Seared Salmon Bowl, Flan, Papelon (drink) - Venezuelan Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Yes the steak bowl is amazing and really filling. We stopped here for a quick bite and was pleasantly surprised. The staff is really friendly, the food is really great and the outdoor seating has heaters. You need to pay this place a visit, totally worth it. read more

The food was so wonderful! We were just walking by and decided to do takeout, such a good decision. The food was super fresh and my bowl was very filling. It looked very cute inside, I'll definitely be returning again soon to try more of the menu! read more

White Maize is my go-to when I'm hungry, but don't want a heavy meal. I love arepas, and I love taking friends and family here since the wide diversity in menu options makes sure there's something for everyone. I've gotten the Pabellon Vegetariano (Avocado, Black Beans, Sweet Plantains, and Fresh Cheese) a few times and loved it every time. It's the perfect combo of sweet, savory, and fresh. I also love the cheese cachapa, or a sweet corn cake with cheese in the middle. So tasty! Family favorites include the chorizo with cheese, the vuelve de la vida (seafood), and the regular pabellon (avocado, black beans, sweet plantains, cheese, and pulled chicken or beef). When it had indoor dining, I would often eat here and play one of the games they had available. I need to go back this week and snag some photos - usually I'm too impatient to eat the delicious arepa before I remember to take a pic. read more

It might look big enough in the photo but seriously the portion is so small. I was really expecting it to be a bit bigger. I'm not even full off of it and now have to search for something more to eat. Overall taste was not bad except avocado was a bit brown. Not worth the $ read more

White Maize - Grilled Portabella Mushroom (VG) - Venezuelan Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

This place is a gem! The food is authentically delicious and the customer service is exceptional! I recommend getting the"tequeños" (cheese sticks) and "cachapas" (maize wraps). They also have board games, cards, and books + play good Latin music so going with friends is fun. The place is quaint with several small tables and two large communal dining tables. Definitely recommend :) read more

Amazing, fresh, arepas, always prepared quickly, even if there's a line. If you like creamy fillings, get the reina! Some caveats: don't get delivery and don't get take-out unless you're eating close by. These aren't very good once they cool down and microwaving won't fix that. Maybe don't get the empanada appetizer. The empanadas are fine, maybe even good, but the portions are tiny and it's pretty much the same price as an entree. read more

I loved this place!!! Food was always good and fresh. But I ordered this week only to chomp on this metal piece! I never thought I had to inspect my good before inserting but clearly you might want to if you eat here! read more

White Maize - I loved this place until I chewed on this in my takeout this week!!!! - Venezuelan Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Delicious arepas, great indoor and outdoor seating, and friendly service. The best place to get a loaded arepa with fresh ingredients. The complimentary sauces go so well with the meal. read more

Maybe 4.5 stars. Ordered a couple of arepas and empanadas to go. The food was fresh and prepared well. I particularly enjoyed the grilled steak arepa with the provided green sauce; the generous avocado and tomato made the sandwich even feel a bit healthy. The empanadas were pretty good, not the best I've ever had but I'm happy to have Venezuelan empanadas available in the neighborhood! Prices are a little high, but the food is certainly filling. Although we didn't sit to eat, the space was clean and inviting. Looking forward to returning to try other menu items. read more

Okay, so lets first establish some facts: 1. EVERY country's version of a street food sandwich is amazing, and arepas are pretty damned close to the top of the list 2. The arepas here are legit... not that street fair isht. 3. There a huge humanitarian crisis going on in Venezuela right now. Why aren't we shipping the grandmas here by the boatload to open more arepa joints?? Come on folks... we're missing a huge opportunity to solve a crisis, be entrepreneurial, AND eat delicious food all the same time. So when I heard White Maize had opened, I was excited. I had long ago left the EV, and my beloved Caracas Arepa Bar. And after having gone years in the wilderness of Gowanus without arepas, I thought my prayers had been answered. Perhaps it was this longing that had set my expectations way too high. Is it fair to hold a place to unrealistic standards? Is it wrong to assume that every arepa place is a failure if it's not as good as my beloved Caracas?? In my head I desperately wanted the "Mulata" from Caracas, but instead I had to settle for the Domino. It's legit, and pretty authentic... but just lacking that little extra oomph to put it over the top. It was, in a word, plain. And that's the problem here. The Reina... plain. The Domino... plain. I'm gonna give this a B+ for now and adopt the ole "wait and see". The arepas are proper, it's the filling options that are a little lackluster. I'll go back again and update should the options improve. read more

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a cozy place to catch up with a friend. order at the counter and your food comes to you when it's freshly made. they have quite a lot of take-out, which seems like the preferred mode of enjoyment in the neighborhood. the bowl was packed with flavor and an assortment of rice, quinoa, greens, avocado, tomatoes, cheese, black beans, salty pulled chicken - generously packed into the paper bowl. read more

White Maize - Pulled Beef Chachapa & Pulled Chicken Bowl - Venezuelan Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

I'm not an arepas connoisseur but I have had my handful of pocket goodness across my eating career. It was exciting to see a new variety of food coming to restaurant row on Smith street. We came here with 3 families which today consisted of 5 adults and 5 kids. They have you order at the counter and give you a number which they'll use to being the did to you. We each ordered different combinations and paid separately (they have a new Square machine that takes Apple Pay!!!) The space is well put together but sound attenuation could be better as it got very loud as it got crowded. I also wish they would slightly dim the lights as it is "fast food" bright in there. Food- I went for a variety of things so my oldest (picky eater) would be more likely to eat. I figured the tequenos, empanadas (mixed) & an arepa sampler (Reina, Catira & Pelua) could work fine. The juice of the day was pineapple so had to get that too. The other families got their food in a few minutes and w kept waiting. I peeked at the time stamp on my payment and saw it had been 26 minutes?! I went up to check and they apparently lost my ticket! They were very apologetic and quickly brought it out (still very fresh) after I inquired. The tequenos were made well but alone didn't have a ton of flavor. The kids like them (it is fried cheese after all). The empanadas had more flavor and the beef was my favorite. I was excited for the arepa sampler but should have just bought a single. They were small and didn't hold their filling very well because of their size. The Pelua was the best one and better with their spicy green sauce. The pineapple juice was excellent and sweet. I wondered if it was more than just fresh juice. Overall it's a welcome Update: they fixed the way too bright lighting! It really makes a difference. read more

I came here for dinner on a Wednesday night and was surprised by how authentic it was. We ordered the tequenos (fried cheese sticks), pabellon arepa (beef, plaintains, cheese) and the reina arepa (chicken avocado salad) arepas. The tequenos were okay but not really worth the price - almost $6 for 5 tiny sticks. I would not get that again. The arepa was made from scratch - crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. They stuff each arepa with a lot of ingredients. The pabellon arepa was delicious since the combination of beef, plaintains, and cheese is just too good. If you want to be healthy though, then you should get the reina. I would come back and try their other arepas. FYI - there's 10% off your order with Yelp check-in. read more

White Maize - Pabellon and reina arepas - Venezuelan Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Delicious authentic Venezuelan food! Simply the best tequenos in New York. Went on a Sunday and despiste being very busy got great service and a delicious lunch. read more

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I got the tostones and the reina. The tostones wasn't my favorite, there are just 3 pieces with cabbage and onions and a little bit of some cheese sauce. It was a little bland and could've used some sweetness in the sauce and I didn't think it was worth $6. The reina-chicken avocado arepa- was bomb! The portion was decent and the ratio of filling to arepa was spot on, I just wish they had sweet plantains in that - something about it calls for some sweetness. I ordered through yelp and the delivery was quick.they don't open on Mondays which sucks but other than that this is my go to arepa place in Brooklyn.they're also really great with delivery- always arrives earlier than scheduled and they go the extra mile to honor special requests. UPDATE:their portion size has definitely gotten smaller read more

Is White Maize my favorite NYC arepa? No. Is White Maize my boyfriend who is of Venezuelan descent's favorite arepa? Hell yes. He was in love with the mushy interior of the arepa. To the less initiated arepa eater, it didn't do it for me. But my dish, the pabellon, was good otherwise. Nothing exemplary. My boyfriend was very excited to see chorizo on the menu and got that arepa, which again, he loved. I got a passion fruit juice which is always great, but my boyfriend ordered a lemonade. It was so incredibly tart that it was hard to drink. It also was kind of brown. I think it was more of an Arnold Palmer. We told the guy at the front what the issue was with the lemonade and asked for an extra cup with ice to dilute it a bit. We were able to dilute it in four different increments. read more

Such a pleasant experience coming here! The counter staff is super friendly, and since everything is made to order, you do wait a little bit but it's definitely worth it to me. Always happy to stop by and support Venezuelan businesses when I'm in the area (-: read more

White Maize - Arepa de Pabellon Arepa - Venezuelan Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Cute quaint shop on Smith Street. The arepas are sooo good. I've been two times and I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. There's also a sampler option where you get to try 3 different ones which I opted for. My top two favorites: 1. Vuelva a la Vida 2. Parrilla And then it's a tie between the Chorizo and the Pabellon. There are about 7-8.75 a piece which I think is a bit on the pricey side hence why I only gave them 4 stars. I also ordered the raw sugar lemonade which is ($4). read more

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Okay so I have to start off that we may be biased, as we have never found a arepa that comes close to the perfection that is the De Pabellon at Caracas Arepa Bar. We are so addicted that we do the 13 mile round trip walk from Carroll Gardens to Williamsburg most weekend just for these pockets of perfection. We even thought of writing them to beg them to open a Carroll Gardens location. Then came the signs for White Maize coming to Smith Street. We were both nervous and excited as knew the odds were slim it would compare. Nonetheless, we waited and waited for it to open and finally got to try it on Election Day (hours before the end of the world came). First off the setting is nice, nothing fancy but just nice and casual with plenty of seating. It is a far better layout than the Ravioli Bar (rip) that used to be there. The staff is incredibly friendly and eager to help. There are a wide range of arepa options and a just a few side options. As we had to do the Caracas litmus test we started with the Pabellon. We were encouraged it took a little while to make as that means it is being made fresh and properly. When it arrived we were impressed by the large size (picture doesn't do it justice). The flavor was nice but definitely completely different from Caracas (did I mention I am biased?)...of course I have no idea if Caracas is some non standard variation of an arepa that we just happen to like. That being said White Maize's variation (which they claims to be the authentic way) is very good. Only issue we had was that the black beans seemed to overtake the meat and the plantain was hard to taste. Nonetheless we liked and would order again. While one is plenty of food we noticed they offer a sampler of any 3 arepas for $6 bucks. We tried the chicken, sausage, steak. They were all good but Pabellon is the way to go. Was it a mind blowing meal...no, but this place did just open so is surely working out the kinks. It is certainly a welcome addition that is desperately needed in our hood. Plus the friendliness of the staff makes you just want to come back. read more

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Ok so I went in today all excited to find out about their special which was a seared salmon bowl with black beans, white rice, quinoa, pico, some cheese, avocado and fried plantains. At first, the dish was delicious but afterwards, it made me want to vomit! I then opted for a desert hoping that something sweet would help. I received the cake and the presentation wasn't great but I dug in anyway. In the middle, the cake was chalky like undercooked flour. They gave me an UNDERCOOKED cake and told me they could refund me for the cake but if I wanted to finish the cake I could go ahead and do so as well. I am highly disappointed as I was very excited to be eating here & surely I will never return! read more

White Maize - *SPECIAL* Seared Salmon - Venezuelan Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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It was empty and we were the only people in there. It still took 30 minutes to 3 arepas out and I had to remind them about our orders. The food was ok. I understand they were fulfilling a large online order but I feel like they should've taken care of the in house people first and then the online orders. read more

Rarely do I find a restaurant that doesn't dilute Latin American flavors for Americans. (Sorry, but not sorry) You will come here and be served real Venezuelan food. The seasoning and the sauces, Venezuelan. The arepas are the best I've tried in the US and I don't just say this lightly as I'm Latin American. I'm glad this place exists to offer Brooklyn that global food experience. Will be coming here again and again. read more

Simple and clean burrito that packs huge flavors ! White Maize is serving some killer Venezuelan cuisine (this is the first Venezuelan restaurant I've been to so they've set the bar pretty high)! Super friendly staff that sat through all my questions about the menu and even recommended that I try the Venezuelan Burrito! The Venezuelan burrito is packed with super juicy tender shredded beef loaded, fluffy white rice, salty cheese, blackest beans , all wrapped in the whitest maize tortilla =D I love how clean this burrito tasted and how much flavor they were able to pack into it! I hate when you get a burrito and it's super greasy/ salty and by the time you finish you feel as stuffed as the burrito you just ate. But no! The burrito at white maize was lightly seasoned and far from greasy. It's was clean and delicious. Best part is after I ate it I felt satisfied as if the burrito had filled every nook and cranny of my stomach ( it's a great feeling)! Every bite of this burrito had a little something something. There was never a bite of just tortilla. Their green sauce is also fire (literally and figuratively). I looked forward to coming back here ! read more

Amazing find for a quick lunch after a long morning at the Brooklyn IKEA! The shrimp arepa was amazing, very generous serving of shrimp in a crispy arepa. The shrimp was buttery and well seasoned, great with their spicy sauce and avocado cilantro crema. We also tried the chorizo bowl which was excellent. It came with salad, quinoa, rice, beans, cheese and the best part - plantains. Would definitely come back! Server was also excellent, she made sure we had plenty of water as it was a 90 degree day and even brought out ice for us multiple times. read more

White Maize - Chorizo bowl and Shrimp Arepa - Venezuelan Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

I was in the area and was looking for something quick and not too filling to eat when I came across White Maize.. I ordered the "Vuelve a la Vida", which was a cold seafood cocktail salad in between a partially opened hot corn arepa. On first impression as I was unwrapping my lunch, I was pleasantly surprised as to the hearty filling, in which every bite consisted of arepa and seafood salad. Half way into devouring my order, I found a small hair mixed in with the corn in the middle of the arepa.. I understand.. We're all human, and hairs fall off our bodies... My appetite was no longer as animalistic at this point, but I pulled out the hair and decided to finish what's left of my arepa because I'm a savage.. lol.. and also because I'm pretty sure that hair didn't come from a place where the sun doesn't shine.. Coming down to the finish line of my lunch, with maybe 2 bites left, I found a small fine curled hair of fabric sitting at the bottom of my wrapper... Now, I'm just done.. Who knows what else I've ingested during this meal... I will be including photos for your own enjoyment of my painful meal. I took off 2 stars for the 2 things I found in my arepa. I didn't want to totally Bomb this review because the food did taste good, and this might just be an off day or my horrible luck... read more

White Maize - Small hair pulled out of my arepa - Venezuelan Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Just stopped in to get a bucket of beers to drink on the sidewalk since that was the deal they were running. Actually got several buckets. Not sure if that's still allowed with the Cuomo food regulations, but YOLO, I guess. read more