El Arepón Venezuelan Food — Restaurant in Bellevue

It pains me to post something negative, but I felt I needed to share this to save others from paying for food they didn’t order. We had a disappointing first visit to El Arepon Venezuela Food this evening. We were excited to try the food, so we ordered the arepitas de chicharrron appetizer, a ground beef empanada, the paella and the pabellon criollo dinner. The first dishes our server brought were an arepa with shredded beef and a paella. I caught the server’s attention and let her know she brought the wrong dish. She apologized and said it was her first night and took them away. No problem, we weren’t in a hurry to eat. Several minutes later, she brought out a plate of things that looked like eggrolls. I opened one up thinking maybe their arepitas were rolled. We discovered it was again the wrong dish, it was their cheese sticks. I got the server’s attention again and she asked if we wanted to eat them and we said no and she took the dish away. She then returned and said that since we had taken a bite, management said we had to pay for it. I objected since it wasn’t what we ordered and we only took a bite because we thought it was the dish we ordered. She went and checked and confirmed we had to pay. At that point, I told her we didn’t need the appetizer and please just bring the mains. My husband enjoyed the paella. The pabellon was objectively good, but it was cold when it arrived at our table. The empanada was brought out later. It was hot and delicious. When the bill arrived, we were charged $8 for the appetizer we took one bite out of. In summary, if you go to eat at El Arepon, make sure you know it is your order before you...

Tried this place on a busy Saturday night and I was very impressed. Small place near the old entrance to Offutt and the old SAC Museum that you may miss if you aren't looking hard but it is well worth it. The minute we walked in we were welcomed by a few staff and the owner in a very friendly manner. The staff was on top of everything and let us choose our table and suggested where to sit. Once seated they were helpful with the menu and what to order as my girlfriend has never had Venezuelan food. We ordered the 3 meat Parrillas that comes with tostones, yucca, fries and a small salad. Choice of meats include steak, chicken, shrimp, chorizo or chicharrones. We went with steak, chicken and shrimp. Of the 3 we loved the chicken the most but all of them had a wonderful grilled flavor. We also shared the Paella and this dish was good but not to our tastes. Both dishes were wonderful but our favorite was the Parrillas. We were constantly checked up on and we will be back to try many of the other dishes. Glad to see something with a bit of variety in the area and hope...

Undoubtedly... one of best hidden gems in the entire metro!!! Way to go Bellevue!

This place definitely brings that type of authentic flavor that you find in South America. So much flavor, soul, and love in the food here!

Richard is a fantastic host... and he creates an authentic laid back atmosphere that is incredibly inviting and friendly... almost like your friend is showing you his culture on a plate. You can taste the passion and pride in the food!!!

If you're interested in trying world foods... this place is a must. But don't rush... talk to Richard... have a conversation... and let him bring you a little bit of various things. Make it an experience!!! Have a cerveza and kick back.

I've trekked the world... and I love eating at places like this because you can taste the love they have for their food. I don't care where you are in Omaha... if you haven't tried this place... you're missing out.

Between the laid back atmosphere, service with gusto, and southern hemisphere flavor... this place WILL BE a...