Guasaca South American Grill-Durham — Restaurant in Durham

You know that diagram that has good, cheap, and fast? The idea is you can only choose two of the three options because it’s so rare to find all three. Guasaca lives comfortably in the sweet spot of all three descriptors. I can confidently say that because it’s a big part of the reason I’ve visited Guasaca pretty much at least once a week for the past year and a half.

Good. I’m admittedly biased because I love Latin-American food. I grew up eating it a few times a week (my mom is Panamanian) and it’s always been my comfort food. However, I can be picky when it comes to the staples like rice, plantains, and chicken. Guasaca absolutely delivers on all of this and more. The bowl options are fantastic and the arepas are a nice departure from the typical burrito or something you might get at Chipotle.

Cheap. Cheap can have a bad connotation in a city where you have so many delicious options but trust me when I say cheap it does not reflect the quality of the food. You can get a filling arepa for under $10 and you can get a hearty bowl for around $12 (as of Nov 2022). These prices are a huge reason that I pick up Guasaca so often. It is consistently delicious and I know exactly what I’m going to get for my money which isn’t always the case at cheaper spots.

Fast. When I order online they consistently beat the estimated order complete time. They use toast tab for their ordering system so you don’t have to fiddle with any one-off logins or funky systems. A heads up for those of you that prefer ordering in person: I have had a few slower experiences when ordering at Guasca. Usually, it’s because there’s someone who isn’t quite sure what they want to order or how to best order. They also sometimes have big group orders that can add to the wait time. However, I’ve never had either of these issues when ordering online so I definitely recommend that route unless you’d like to dine-in.

Pro-tips: try the guasca with their chips, try the dessert cup, and definitely try all the sauces to see which is your favorite.

Order in the picture: grilled chicken bowl with white rice, baked plantains, cheese and...

I was first introduced to arepas at a food truck rodeo in Raleigh a couple of years back. They are a pretty awesome gluten free option, as the bread is made entirely of corn. Within the last couple of years I have started to see arepa brick-and-mortar restaurants pop up, so I guess the word is out that they are super tasty! This location is the second Guasaca that I am aware of. The other is in Raleigh. I have been to the Raleigh one several times in the past, but it is too far away to go to very often. I was happy to see one open up close to where I work, as it is an affordable and fairly healthy lunch option for me. I am a bit surprised that they opened up just down the road from another arepa shop called Epa Chamo, but in a much less visible location. I wouldn't have known it was there had a coworker not mentioned seeing it when he was in the shopping center. Frankly I think Epa Chamo has better arepa fillings, but Guasaca has more topping choices and are totally customizable. The arepas are also larger than the ones at Epa Chamo, but are thinner. So, while you still get the same amount of corn cake, at Guasaca they can fit more fillings in the arepa. Because of this, their arepas are more filling. I never get more than one. Guasaca also recently rolled out a yellow corn version of the arepa, which is sweeter than the original white corn arepa and reminds me of southern cornbread. Also Guasaca has salad and rice bowl options that seem to be popular. However, personally, I can't bring my self to pass up the tasty arepa to try one. The cost is roughly the same between the two restaurants. Arepas at Epa Chamo are $6-7 per and come with plantain chips. Guasaca's cost $4-5, but sides are extra. I like the chips and Guasaca sauce. The tortilla chips are gloriously gluten free, as Guasaca doesn't have any wheat-based foods there to contaminate their fryer. It is one of the few places in town I can get tortilla chips that I...

When my food was less than satisfactory (fell apart as soon as i opened the wrapper and dumped ingredients and liquid out in my car) I called and explained what was wrong and asked "can I drive back over there and get my money back?" The lady put me on hold and came back and started asking me questions about my card and my order as if she was going to process the refund over the phone. Then i got putnpn hold again and when she came backni was informed that i had 2 options, 1 i can get a refund for the 2 food items (she did not offer to refund the drink or the tip but i was ok with thatbif it meant i didnt have to drive back over there) or they can give me a store credit for the 2 items. I said i want my money back. After being out on hold twice more for a total call time of 15 minutes and 12 seconds i was told that they couldnt process my refund because my order was too recent and that i needed to give my name and number for them to do the refund. I then asked if this was because my card isnt present and she said yes. I informed her that i would be there shortly with the card for my refund. When i got there after the employees fumbled ariund for a minute and one chose to argue with me abiut what was said on the phone a man who seemed to be in charge came in and was able to handle my refund without ever asking for my card or needing my presence for anything. All told i wasted 45 minutes start to finish trying to get my refund. I will not...