Arepittas — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

This place is quite cheap and very high quality! From the outside, it does look like a small, hole in the wall place. The inside is pretty unassuming, too. However, this seems like a family run place which is always great. I ordered a shredded chicken empanada, 2 shredded beef empanadas, a cachapa, choriqueso empanada, and churros. I really quite liked everything!

First of all, I account capitalize the value you get for this place. These empanadas are hefty and can make a decent meal in and of themselves. I especially recommend this spot if you are a student. The shredded beef empanadas were definitely my favorites. It was flavorful, filling, and the corn was not too gritty. In fact, it was more silky.

The shredded chicken was also great. Neither of the meat based empanadas had chewy beef. The meat was tender and delicious. I took a risk with the choriqueso empanada, and had mixed feelings about it. If you like chorizo, definitely give it a try, since it is full of chorizo! However, I never tried chorizo, so it was an odd flavor. The cheese was great, though. The garlic sauce was tasty, and so was the pink sauce, and it is a bit sweet. The sauce portions are small but one sauce comes free with each item.

The cachapa was a bit sweeter than I expected (comparing it to Cilantro and Ajo), but was still very good. It's a little small but also very inexpensive. I ordered the plain version and thought the cheese was delicious, and it had a ton of cheese. The churros were quite good as well (first time having churros). They made them right in front of me as I was picking up the order. You get 6 and a choice of sauce. They were still warm, but a bit too hard. There wasn't a whole lot of sauce on them, too, but they were still soft and tasty in the inside.

Overall, this is a great value place and there is a decently large menu. Seems like an authentic Venezuelan place. I recommend trying the beef...

A truly hidden gem tucked away on Cherry Way in Downtown Pittsburgh—blink and you might miss it, but you definitely shouldn't. This family-owned Venezuelan-style eatery is serving up authentic, homemade street food that’s bursting with flavor. Open daily with online ordering (highly recommended during the busy lunch rush!), they offer both indoor and outdoor seating. The menu is full of Venezuelan staples like empanadas, arepas, tostones, tacos, and bowls—all made fresh in-house. I started with the tostón chips & avocado chunky—warm, crisp plantain chips paired with homemade guac. Absolute perfection. I also tried the shredded chicken empanada, a golden fried corn dough crescent served with their signature pink sauce—crispy, savory, and so satisfying. But the star of the show? The pabellón arepa—a corn flour flatbread stuffed with shredded beef, black beans, sweet plantains, and grated white cheese, served with a spicy cilantro sauce. It’s the most popular Venezuelan dish for a reason. The arepas come stamped with the restaurant name- how cool!!!! To drink, I had the papelón con limón—a traditional Venezuelan refresher made with raw brown sugar, fresh lemon juice, and water. Light, tangy, and super refreshing. Spice, freshness, and big flavor are not missing from any dish here. A must-try for anyone wanting to explore vibrant Latin American street food—right in the heart of the city. Truly where Pittsburgh...

Wow, this place absolutely blew me away. It is such an unassuming restaurant, talked between tall buildings in the downtown district that I almost had a hard time, finding it. The interiors are very modest. You look at the menu, Order at the counter, and then grab a table. Once your food is ready, they will bring it to the table. so it’s like semi fast food, but not quite. I went on a weekday around closing time, and yet the restaurant was pretty full. I am pretty new to Venezuelan cuisine and I haven’t had a lot of food, so I went with the safe and classic options. I had the arepa with Chicken, the empanada with beef, beans, plantains, and cheese. I also had a small yuca fries. Each and every single item was absolutely delicious. The fries were extremely crispy and much better than any potato fry that I ever had. The arepa was filled to the brim with fills, and the chicken was extremely flavourful. It came with a green sauce and a white sauce. I’m not sure what these sources were, but they were very, very tasty. The empanada was piping hot, and again the fillings were delicious. I had ordered too much food for one person, and I had the leftovers for another meal. The quantity that you get is phenomenal. I’m definitely coming back here, and I’m bringing...