Arepa Venezuelan Kitchen — Restaurant in Seattle

Coming from Venezuela recently (Maracaibo) and being from the Seattle area originally, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised to find a Venezuelan food place in the Seattle area.

The kitchen has a very Venezuelan feel to it, family members working together to create a classic, typical food from the country. I grew to love Venezuela over the four years I lived there and it's really a shame what's happened to that economic and political landscape. Some of my family members are still down there, sadly (immigration processes in the U.S. are garbage). It would be great if this place could be used as a springboard to raise awareness locally or even on a national level.

The food, ah yes a taste of my wife's tierra natal. I ordered the staple arepa and a taste of the typical fried fare: tequenos.

The tequenos were good, but were overall too much dough and not enough cheese. The perfect tequeno is wrapped so that it just barely covers the explosion of semi-hard cheese that comes out when you first bite into it. I'm not sure if they were homemade or frozen. Probably the latter.

The arepa was perfectly done, not too thick, not too thin. A little bigger than you would probably get sitting down at breakfast at a Venezuelan home. I was a bit confused about the filling options for the arepa because there were a lot of things that I wouldn't call common options from the country. But I got the Sifrina which is a chicken and avocado salad. It was good but a bit unusual. I would say most arepas that you'd get down in Venezuela would be stuffed with ham, cheese, egg, chicken, or beef. Out in the country, some stranger options like blood sausage and parts of lamb. The owners are apparently from Merida which is in the Andes region, and they are famous for arepas made from wheat flour (harina de trigo) instead of corn flour, so I was surprised not to see those. It's possible that their fillings are just popular items here in the states so they stuck with them.

Given the current food shortages and problems that my inlaws face on a daily basis, it was sort of a moral struggle even going here. It was made even more painful by the price of the just one arepa and six tequenos ($16). That would probably cost the equivalent of $3-4 down there.

It was worth going to get a bite from the past, but as long as the situation down south continues, it would be really hard to frequent this place while families are starving. SPREAD THE WORD PEOPLE!

I want to clarify that I have absolutely nothing against this family, I love their entrepreneurial spirit and, in the end,...

Wow!! So glad we opted for this place than the typical restaurants at U District. There are barely any legitimate South American restaurants here in Seattle and this place is a gem!

One thing though, their online app to place your orders don’t reflect ALL the food options that’s available in the restaurant, so I would suggest ordering in person! They have way more options and special platters in person.

AREPAS: my first time eating it and it won’t be my last!! The sweet plantains were so good and one arepa was sooo filling! I was full for hours!!! The shell was very crunchy and they loaded it UP! Add an extra egg in it! So delicious. We got the #4 - pabellon!

COLOMBIAN EMPANADAS: WOW!!! Soo good!! Highly recommend! I don’t know what kind of shell it is in but even after a 2 hour walk back home from the restaurant, the shell was STILL crunchy??? The lid to the box was all closed too. I don’t understand this magic??? The beef one was delicious!

TAQUENOS: the guava and cheese one was soo good and such a surprise! The pictures of these online make these items seem more crunchy but the ones we got were more bready, but still good!

VENEZUELAN EMPANADAS: these were much bigger and not as crunchy as the Colombian ones and the filling was all cheese. I wasn’t a big fan of this one.

SAMPLER PLATE: $14 in all I think and came with plaintains, empanadas (3), tequenos, yuca fries, and one more thing!

Can’t wait to come back and try more items on the menu!!

The meals are pretty pricey though! 3 empanadas were about $11 and 1 arepa is about $13! The sample platter seems like a good deal ($14) for an assortment of treats, but they were sadly out of it that day.

Fyi it seems like the prices have jumped up from a year ago - if you look at pics of menu uploaded a year ago, the empanadas and arepas were in the $8 range (more reasonable), and barely a year later,...

Arepa Venezuelan Kitchen: The Arepa Wonderland You Never Knew You Needed!

Step into the realm of arepa bliss at Arepa Venezuelan Kitchen, where these little corn wonders will rock your world and make your taste buds sing in harmonious delight!

Picture this: biting into an arepa that's so pillowy soft, it's like a hug from a cloud. It's like sinking your teeth into a savory dream that leaves you wondering why you ever settled for plain old bread. These arepas are so addictive, they should come with a warning: "Caution: May cause an obsession that lasts a lifetime."

And the fillings? Oh, the fillings! Arepa Venezuelan Kitchen takes stuffing to a whole new level. They're like culinary magicians, conjuring up combinations that'll make your taste buds do the cha-cha. From tender shredded beef to melty cheese and beans… each bite is a symphony of flavors that'll have you applauding for an encore.

But wait, there's more! The arepa craftsmanship here is next-level. These corn creations are so beautifully crafted, they deserve their own art gallery. It's like they have a secret team of arepa sculptors working tirelessly in the kitchen, shaping these edible masterpieces with love and precision.

So, grab your fork, your appetite, and your sense of awe, and make a pilgrimage to Arepa Venezuelan Kitchen. They'll transport you to a world where arepas reign supreme, flavors dance on your tongue, and every bite is a passport to pure culinary bliss. It's a journey you won't want to end, my friend. Let the arepa adventure begin!

We ordered: Two special combos -The Seattle (pork & grated cheese) -The Pabellon (shredded beef, fried plantain, black beans, and grated white cheese) Venezuelan Empanadas Cheese Arepas Yuka Fries Lemonade

Ps. Sauce baaaaaar! And they...