Latin style fast food that is quick and offers a beautiful little seating area outside! Good food selection and service was very kind i recommend if your in the area!
Brandon C.
We were in the area visiting so we decided to eat here with a group of friends. That was a mistake. Not the eating with our friends part, but the choosing this restaurant part. This place cannot accommodate large groups and is probably best for 1 couple dates. No double dating here! The place is absolutely tiny. The bathroom is nice. However, it is located in the kitchen so that is less than optimal. The service was severely lacking too. The server seemed way out of depth and did not handle the large group very well. I ordered the deep fried pelua which is the shredded beef arepa. The flavor was great. It was hard to eat though. I am glad I tried something I'd never heard of, but I won't come back here.
Cassidy D.
We came here with a large group and were seated outside. The restaurant itself is TINY. Like probably one of the smallest sit down restaurants I've ever seen. The outdoor ambiance was nice though, and with a party of 12 it was kind of nice to be outside since the weather was great and we could all hear each other then. The food was really good, but the service was lacking. Took forever to get our drinks and when they did come, they were wrong- so had to wait longer to get what we had actually ordered to begin with. At that, the drink pours were small as well. I understand it's harder to serve large parties so do cut some slack there, but it was exceptionally slow service. I got the Santa Barbara Arepa and it was TASTY. Perfect blend of flavors and the meat was cooked perfectly. I would definitely get it again.
Aja W.
I was very excited to try this restaurant. The service was great and the Vegan Arepa was good. However, the flan dessert was extremely disappointing. I am most familiar with flan served with caramel sauce. This flan was served with chocolate sauce. The egg in the flan mixed with chicken was Horrible! Not to mention the price. I wish the restaurant informed customers of the chocolate sauce. I hope I can get over this ....maybe I will give them a second chance...
Marlon G.
My wife and I were craving Latin American food. We found this location in Willow Glen and they had some great options. The food was great and service.
Purva J.
Loved the people as much as I loved the food. We preferred the grilled arepas, but they also also have deep fried arepas. The house sauce on the vegetarian arepas made it to the top of my list. Chicken Arepa was great too. The Chicha, essentially a thick creamy horchata, was great to share (too much for one person) and the coffee was alright. Wasn't the biggest fan of the tres leches, but the staff was so nice I forgot all about that.
Ed F.
LP from my visit on February 11th - farewell dinner with the girls. I ordered the following: * Sampler - Empanadas, Tequeños, and Arepas. Served with the House Sauce, Nata Butter, Cheese, and Ketchup. (Thumbs up) * Pabellón - Traditional Venezuelan Dish! It comes with White Rice, Black Beans, Fried Plantains, Shredded Beef and Cheese. (Thumbs up) The server was friendly and the food was great. This was my first time trying an arepa and it was yummy to my tummy. Minus one star as it was really windy out and they left the front door open. I think that another yelper mentioned it in their review as well. I'd definitely be back the next time I'm in the area.
Evangelina B.
I believe this is the first time I've had an Arepa and it was delish! I ordered one Cochinita Arepa, it has braised pork and I had mine fried instead of grilled. My friends and I came on a Monday night and it got pretty busy after 7. Our server was super nice and attentive. I wish I got her name. There were 6 of us who went and we all had Arepas, and to start we ordered Tostones (Green Plantain) and the fried cheese. The fried cheese was slightly salty for me but I believe it supposed to be this way. I still ate it! My friends had sangria and also ordered a pitcher of mimosa, they enjoyed it! My Arepa was super delicious and hot and fresh. I felt like we were family being served instead of customers. Anytime we added more food or drinks it was never a bother, sometimes servers give a vibe you know that they're too busy. But this place has excellent service. I highly recommend trying them out
Cristina D.
First time here. The restaurant is decorated really modern and nice. Customer service was great . Our waitress was really friendly and had helpful recommendations. We each ordered 1 empanada and 1 arepa. It was very filling. The arepas were stuffed generously. Definitely will be back.
Ale B.
Best Venezuelan food in the Bay Area! Also The staff is beyond nice between both makes me keep coming back!!
Ive had arepas before in Colombia. I remember my first trip them being pretty decent, but on my second trip I found them a bit dry. Nonetheless since I hadnt had em for a bit and seeing this spot, I really wanted to check it out. The arepas can range from 10-17$ with most of em coming in around 13-15$, which I feel is pretty pricy. I feel like it could come down about two dollars. Pabellon Arepa- This one comes with black beans, shredded beef, plantain, and house sauce. I enjoyed it, but it had a lot goin on. I ordered this one deep fried and it was a bit tough to bite into. Shrimp Arepa- Comes with shrimp, pico de gallo, and cheese. I ordered this one grilled and preferred it over the deep fried. Since ive never seen an arepa with shrimp I really wanted to check this combo out and it didnt disappoint. Overall, while the meal was pricy, I did enjoy my arepas and would come back to try their other combinations.
Spooky B.
this was my first time trying an arepa and i'm so happy i tried it here! as soon as our food came out my friend and i said it smelled delicious. and as soon as we tried it we fell in love! the food didn't take long to come out either. i definitely will be coming back more often! and shoutout to the server, she was so lovely! She made our experience better and was quick and sweet to all her customers. Nice location, amazing food, and great service.
Abhi P.
Chicken Empanadas was very good and tasty. I felt chicken is very fresh and the cheese was fresh too . It was a well cooked n Juicy chicken. The tortillas used were really nice. I enjoyed the marinara sauce . Overall I would recommend this with side of fries and chips . This is healthy and tasty option for chicken lovers . Really appreciate the service and hospitality of this restaurant . I have also tasted the flan for my dessert , its really awesome . I would recommend this place for family lunch n dinners . They even gave me togo boxes for my leftovers to take home . Friendly staff and good food !!
Dara S.
Admittedly, the Disney movie Encanto piqued my interest of Arepas so I was excited to see a local restaurant pop up in the cozy strip of Lincoln Ave in Willow Glen. It's a new, smaller eatery which feels very mom and pop, but with charming Venezuelan decor that hosts dining indoors and on the street. The service was very friendly, five stars for the server alone. While I'm unfamiliar with arepas prior to my visit, there's a lot to enjoy with the fresh, house made grilled stuffed cornmeal cakes (bread?). Textures all around were great. I especially indulged in the cheese empanadas, perfectly battered with a crispy shell, soft breading and salty, melty cheese. in terms of overall flavor, I think there's still room for salt, acid, and heat in both the dipping sauces and the seasoning for the dishes. Still, I'd return for the overall textural satisfaction.
jennifer a.
The first time I tried an arepa was in Peru and then Miami. Since then, haven't been able to find a good place in the Bay Area. Tried another place in San Jose and one in SF's mission district ... they were no good. Drove by this place a few weeks ago and finally came back to try and was soooo excited to finally find a authentic place with great hospitality and music. Can't wait to go back!
Latin style fast food that is quick and offers a beautiful little seating area outside! Good food selection and service was very kind i recommend if your in the area!
We were in the area visiting so we decided to eat here with a group of friends. That was a mistake. Not the eating with our friends part, but the choosing this restaurant part. This place cannot accommodate large groups and is probably best for 1 couple dates. No double dating here! The place is absolutely tiny. The bathroom is nice. However, it is located in the kitchen so that is less than optimal. The service was severely lacking too. The server seemed way out of depth and did not handle the large group very well. I ordered the deep fried pelua which is the shredded beef arepa. The flavor was great. It was hard to eat though. I am glad I tried something I'd never heard of, but I won't come back here.
We came here with a large group and were seated outside. The restaurant itself is TINY. Like probably one of the smallest sit down restaurants I've ever seen. The outdoor ambiance was nice though, and with a party of 12 it was kind of nice to be outside since the weather was great and we could all hear each other then. The food was really good, but the service was lacking. Took forever to get our drinks and when they did come, they were wrong- so had to wait longer to get what we had actually ordered to begin with. At that, the drink pours were small as well. I understand it's harder to serve large parties so do cut some slack there, but it was exceptionally slow service. I got the Santa Barbara Arepa and it was TASTY. Perfect blend of flavors and the meat was cooked perfectly. I would definitely get it again.
I was very excited to try this restaurant. The service was great and the Vegan Arepa was good. However, the flan dessert was extremely disappointing. I am most familiar with flan served with caramel sauce. This flan was served with chocolate sauce. The egg in the flan mixed with chicken was Horrible! Not to mention the price. I wish the restaurant informed customers of the chocolate sauce. I hope I can get over this ....maybe I will give them a second chance...
My wife and I were craving Latin American food. We found this location in Willow Glen and they had some great options. The food was great and service.
Loved the people as much as I loved the food. We preferred the grilled arepas, but they also also have deep fried arepas. The house sauce on the vegetarian arepas made it to the top of my list. Chicken Arepa was great too. The Chicha, essentially a thick creamy horchata, was great to share (too much for one person) and the coffee was alright. Wasn't the biggest fan of the tres leches, but the staff was so nice I forgot all about that.
LP from my visit on February 11th - farewell dinner with the girls. I ordered the following: * Sampler - Empanadas, Tequeños, and Arepas. Served with the House Sauce, Nata Butter, Cheese, and Ketchup. (Thumbs up) * Pabellón - Traditional Venezuelan Dish! It comes with White Rice, Black Beans, Fried Plantains, Shredded Beef and Cheese. (Thumbs up) The server was friendly and the food was great. This was my first time trying an arepa and it was yummy to my tummy. Minus one star as it was really windy out and they left the front door open. I think that another yelper mentioned it in their review as well. I'd definitely be back the next time I'm in the area.
I believe this is the first time I've had an Arepa and it was delish! I ordered one Cochinita Arepa, it has braised pork and I had mine fried instead of grilled. My friends and I came on a Monday night and it got pretty busy after 7. Our server was super nice and attentive. I wish I got her name. There were 6 of us who went and we all had Arepas, and to start we ordered Tostones (Green Plantain) and the fried cheese. The fried cheese was slightly salty for me but I believe it supposed to be this way. I still ate it! My friends had sangria and also ordered a pitcher of mimosa, they enjoyed it! My Arepa was super delicious and hot and fresh. I felt like we were family being served instead of customers. Anytime we added more food or drinks it was never a bother, sometimes servers give a vibe you know that they're too busy. But this place has excellent service. I highly recommend trying them out
First time here. The restaurant is decorated really modern and nice. Customer service was great . Our waitress was really friendly and had helpful recommendations. We each ordered 1 empanada and 1 arepa. It was very filling. The arepas were stuffed generously. Definitely will be back.
Best Venezuelan food in the Bay Area! Also The staff is beyond nice between both makes me keep coming back!!
Restaurantji Recommends
Ive had arepas before in Colombia. I remember my first trip them being pretty decent, but on my second trip I found them a bit dry. Nonetheless since I hadnt had em for a bit and seeing this spot, I really wanted to check it out. The arepas can range from 10-17$ with most of em coming in around 13-15$, which I feel is pretty pricy. I feel like it could come down about two dollars. Pabellon Arepa- This one comes with black beans, shredded beef, plantain, and house sauce. I enjoyed it, but it had a lot goin on. I ordered this one deep fried and it was a bit tough to bite into. Shrimp Arepa- Comes with shrimp, pico de gallo, and cheese. I ordered this one grilled and preferred it over the deep fried. Since ive never seen an arepa with shrimp I really wanted to check this combo out and it didnt disappoint. Overall, while the meal was pricy, I did enjoy my arepas and would come back to try their other combinations.
this was my first time trying an arepa and i'm so happy i tried it here! as soon as our food came out my friend and i said it smelled delicious. and as soon as we tried it we fell in love! the food didn't take long to come out either. i definitely will be coming back more often! and shoutout to the server, she was so lovely! She made our experience better and was quick and sweet to all her customers. Nice location, amazing food, and great service.
Chicken Empanadas was very good and tasty. I felt chicken is very fresh and the cheese was fresh too . It was a well cooked n Juicy chicken. The tortillas used were really nice. I enjoyed the marinara sauce . Overall I would recommend this with side of fries and chips . This is healthy and tasty option for chicken lovers . Really appreciate the service and hospitality of this restaurant . I have also tasted the flan for my dessert , its really awesome . I would recommend this place for family lunch n dinners . They even gave me togo boxes for my leftovers to take home . Friendly staff and good food !!
Admittedly, the Disney movie Encanto piqued my interest of Arepas so I was excited to see a local restaurant pop up in the cozy strip of Lincoln Ave in Willow Glen. It's a new, smaller eatery which feels very mom and pop, but with charming Venezuelan decor that hosts dining indoors and on the street. The service was very friendly, five stars for the server alone. While I'm unfamiliar with arepas prior to my visit, there's a lot to enjoy with the fresh, house made grilled stuffed cornmeal cakes (bread?). Textures all around were great. I especially indulged in the cheese empanadas, perfectly battered with a crispy shell, soft breading and salty, melty cheese. in terms of overall flavor, I think there's still room for salt, acid, and heat in both the dipping sauces and the seasoning for the dishes. Still, I'd return for the overall textural satisfaction.
The first time I tried an arepa was in Peru and then Miami. Since then, haven't been able to find a good place in the Bay Area. Tried another place in San Jose and one in SF's mission district ... they were no good. Drove by this place a few weeks ago and finally came back to try and was soooo excited to finally find a authentic place with great hospitality and music. Can't wait to go back!