Arepita Beach — Restaurant in Daytona Beach

As tourists, we always search the reviews for the area restaurants, or walk the area to see what is there that will catch our attention. The latter was our case with this restaurant. We walked Beach Street admiring the historic downtown and checking out the restaurants. Then we found this restaurant and walked in just to check the menu, however we were greeted so warmly as we were regular customers. I am familiar with arepas so I wanted to try the ones here. All the food items we ordered were tasty and well made. The most popular in Venezuela, they told us, was the Arepa Pabellón so we ordered that one. What a treat, especially with the sweet plantains inside. We also ordered the empanaditas, which come in an order of 5, and you can order different fillings for each one (choice of cheese and potato, chicken, or shredded beef). We ordered the cachapa, and even though it is not meant to be a dessert, it is sweet enough to make an interesting dessert. It is delicious: soft sweet corn “tortilla” stuffed with a Venezuelan cheese, Mano cheese, soft and fresh. The establishment is small, however there is an upstairs, with a nice patio with views of the river. The service is friendly and welcoming, and the prices are very affordable. The offer beer! It is a family owned restaurant, with all the various members of the family working the different positions. We enjoyed this restaurant so much, plus wanted to support a new and local family business, that we went there 4 days in a row, when different friends visited us during our...

I went in to get a coffee and saw something that grabbed my attention. I placed my order, the guy told me the price and I paid and that was it. He didn’t say anything about the wait and walked away so I had to ask how long. I went to wait in the car, then realized I could at least get my two lattes and drink them in the car. I went in and the same guy didn’t acknowledge me and once again asked him is there anyway I can get my lattes while I wait for my food? He said no they have to make it. I was thinking to myself okay that’s weird so I left. When my order was ready, the lattes were cold. I went in and told the guy who then tells me yes because it was ready before your food. I was quiet and when the girl gave me the new lattes, she said “I’m sorry it’s that you left after you ordered your food (as she walked away) and I said, “ I did come in to get my lattes while I waited”, but she didn’t even care to listen to me. I was a little disappointed because the arepas were not that great at all. It just killed a little of my hunger. Sorry for such a long review. I did not like the customer service and once again just a perspective on first impression...

So here goes. As usual, I'm always blunt and honest. The restaurant is on the first floor, and it's confusing as to what to do. There is limited signage. You order at the counter, and then you can sit. Food will be brought to you. There is limited seating on the first floor. There is a long staircase upstairs that leads to additional limited seating. After ordering we waiting almost an hour for food. We were told that there was a fire in the kitchen. However, there were tables around us being served fairly quickly. I ordered something that I was unclear about. However, it was good. The empanadas are excellent. Even though we waited longer than we should have, the food was great quality. Our table was dirty when we sat, and it took 30 mins or more before it was wiped. It was not fully cleaned but just wiped down. So, the food is delicious. The service and wait was very frustrating. The decor is very nice and fits the location well. While it was great food, I won't be back because of service and lack of...