Pana Venezuelan Food Truck — Restaurant in Santa Cruz

Pana Venezuelan Food Truck seems to be very popular lunch place and is going strong in Santa Cruz. Since it is popular in Santa Cruz, as a vegetarian decided to give it a try hoping to find something to eat after a long coastal trail at Pana Venezuelan Food Truck located at Mission street.

Pretty happy to say, it offers some vegan/vegetarian options, additionally one can also customize. Highly recommend PB Arepa served with avocado slices, plantains, beans with avocado sauce and hot spicy sauce etc. It was filling and tasty. Also tried Papaya and Water melon drinks ... found them okay, suggest water over drinks.

Pana means - Pana: (panā) (noun) A colloquial Spanish term meaning friend or homie, frequently used in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Venezuela, and surrounding areas.

What is Arepa? An arepa a delicious cornmeal pocket cooked on a flat top. Once cooked, it is opened in half and filled with meats, cheeses, vegetables, and anything else your heart desires. Arepas come from a region many hundreds of years ago, which now makes up Columbia, Venezuela, and Panama. An arepa from each of these countries is different and delicious in its own unique way. Here at Pana Food Truck, we make traditional and authentic Venezuelan arepas. Source:...

Maybe I ordered at a bad time? My arepas were pretty dry, stale, and under seasoned. I ordered the pabellon which comes with beef, plantain, cheese, and black beans. The masa was dry and a little stale. The beef needed seasoning and wasnt the most tender. Even my dog wasn't stoked to try some. I love plantain, its my favorite food but some of it was way overcooked and hard. I couldn't taste the beans honestly so I took them out, it was unnecessary. I also ordered the catira which is shredded chicken and cheese. The chicken was super dry and under seasoned. Same issue with the masa. I got all the sauces - spicy, guasakaka (aka wasakaka), and garlic. The garlic sauce was very very good but not unique. I ate the most of this one. Guasakaka is an avocado base and tasted store bought (almost like herdez or something idk). Spicy sauce was my least favorite. It had a ok amount of spice (not lingering at all) but was too bitter. I did order a Papelon as well but they forgot it sadly. Also keep in mind the arepas are pretty expensive and not super filling. I'm glad I got 2. But realistically their arepas should all be $2 cheaper. Unless this really was just a bad day for them. Not really willing to give them...

Hubby and I are new to Santa Cruz. We were shopping at Trader Joe's this evening and decided to go across the street to the indoor food mall. We almost missed it. It's a hidden gem. If you love Puerto Rican food, you will love Pana. Funny thing is, I was looking for something gluten free. They are gluten free! The flavors! The service! If I had questions, they were answered. The yucca fries 🍟 were delicious and filling. The fried plantains were perfecto! The green garlic sauce was divine! I enjoyed the dish with the beef, plantains, I added basil, mozzarella and avocado 🥑, black beans wrapped in a gluten free corn DELICIOUS wrap!! Guys! Please go find this place! So much food, we have leftover plantains and yucca fries. Air fryer tomorrow morning 😄. They cut everything fresh! You can watch them prepare your food while you read all the printed reviews that the restaurant has posted. Abbott square is the mall. They are located in that area. God bless them! Keep up the great work !...