Arepazo Express

I went yesterday with a friend. We needed to grab a quick bite and I’m GF so this was the place. It is a hole in the wall that you don’t want to miss. My friend ordered the Chicken Llanera and exclaimed the whole time she was eating it how good it was. I was driving and although I had good intentions, I didn’t actually get to eat mine until 4 hours later. And it was awesome. I ordered the steak llanera. I decided to write my very first review because it’s the next day and I’m seriously considering going back to buy one for the trip home. YUMMY!

Good food! Very tasty especially if you are a foody, one arepa would be enough because its very fulling!

Today was the second time I visited Arepazo. I returned because I really enjoyed their arepas. I don’t know if it was just a busy day for them being its a holiday but I was quite disappointed when I spent $ 24 on two flank steak arepas. The guy who served us asked if we wanted black beans added which was a nice free gesture. However I wasn’t expecting it to be jam packed with beans and hardly any steak. The shell was very thin and falling apart. Also, the steak was not flank. I cook flank steak all the time. I even make my own flank steak tacos so I know how it tastes when it’s shredded. I was not impressed and very disappointed. Sorry Arepazo but I was really hoping for that tasty steak I remember having last year. Today = Fail :(

I’ve been here so many times and have neglected to write a review. Mostly because I don’t know what it’s called!
I first started coming here when I was looking for gluten free foods — in my quest for a healthier digestive system. Although I’ve dropped that habit, after all I am not celiac, I still come here every time I do my grocery run in Kensington Market.
It’s hidden inside this particular food hall. The churro place faces the outside but when you go inside, this treat is waiting for you. The owner is a friendly Venezuelan who is pretty cool. Is all I can say.
I always order the plantain one. It is a large snack. It is overflowing with plantains and cheese (I love that combination of flavours). They always give you sauces on the side. One is spicier than the other of course. I don’t always take it because I love this simple meal. This simple and delectable Venezuelan street food.
And if you’re lucky, your arepa can come with a bit of avocado.

This was my second visit to El Arepazo. I told myself that I would try something other than the chorizo arepa but I just couldn’t do it – it’s seriously delicious! Chorizo and cheese topped with a hunk of fresh avocado. My husband tried the paballon, steak, black beans and fried plantains. He claimed the plantains were the show stopper and loved it. Service was good, it was slammed and we waited about ten minutes but seriously it’s worth it for fresh food. Four stars because it’s cash only and the eating area is tiny. It’s also worth noting that El Arepazo is only one vendor in a building that is considered a food court so likely the seating situation isn’t really on them. The arepas are priced about $ 9 – 12 but they are FILLING. One alone is a meal. Overall good experience second time in.

Delicious food woowwwww amazing super tasty, my favorite was the chorizo. Very good portion, unfortunately the seating area is not nice at all, dirty, and crowded with stuff and the washroom the same thing.

This place is terrible. Avoid at all costs the food was cold, bland! The service was bad and the owner told us to fuck off because we asked for warm food. Lots of better places in Kensington.

I’m going to make my review based on my first and only experience.
Food/​Taste: was OK. I got the pabellon, which was supposed to be flank steak, the meat was just chunk pieces, hard to bite and swallow.
The beans were SALTY.
The arepa was too thick, more dough than you really need.
The cheese was OK and the guasacaca as well.
Price: $ 10 -$ 15. Not overpriced.
Service: AWFUL. There was no one waiting in line or such. We asked for 3 arepas. Lady at the front said it will take me 15mins to prepare. We went for a walk came 15 mins later and guess what? no arepas ready and she didn’t even apologize. We got them 30 mins later. Plus you could tell she was not a very experienced cook.
SPACE: Not my type. It looks filthy, the only washroom is dirty, tables are a hazard, have sharp screws. Does not look very hygienic.
VERDICT: First and only bad experience there. Not coming back, especially cause it looks dirty to me and that is a RED FLAG when you are eating food on the street.

I stumbled across El Arepazo yesterday while walking around Kensington, I went in to see what it was all about. They were making fresh Arepas and I asked what they were all about, the staff where so friendly they excitedly told me and I was sold. I had the Chorizo with cheese, yummy but filling I could only eat a third of it. I will be back to try more food on the menu.

Dang it, the only time I don’t consult Unilocal for order recommendations and it turns out to be a dud experience!
I was in Kensington before a hair appointment and wanted to grab some dinner beforehand. I was craving Seven Lives but it was closed since it was Monday. Disappointed, I roamed the Market streets in search of something else.
I ordered one chicken taco ($ 6) and a lime Jaritos ($ 2.75) from El Arepazo and grabbed a seat in the back patio. It came out after a few minutes wait and was extremely underwhelming. In fact, because of the taco’s appearance, I contemplated eating it for fear of potential food poisioning. I took the plunge and ate it.
It was edible (and happy to report that no poisioning occurred afterwards). It had cooked chicken chunks, lightly seasoned. Giant piece of Romain lettuce and some chopped green onion on top.
I know there are definitely way better taco options in Kensington, maybe just not on a Monday night.

Pretty decent arepas – corn flatbreads stuffed with great contents. We tried the llanera and the chorizo. The former came with many different vegetables as well as beef, while the latter was mainly sausage and cheese. They were definitely filling; their pictures made them seem deceptively small, but these things were stuffed. Lots of flavor, although some of the contents were easy to fall out, and I found the corn wrap a bit dry. Also not sure why, but the chorizo didn’t come with any vegetables. Otherwise, it’s quite worth your money for a quick stop.

Had the Chorizo. It is quite good. The cook informed me that they are out of Cheddar cheese and ask whether I will be okay with Mozzarella. I don’t see anything wrong with that. Turns out it also works! My friend and I also wanted to try the Ceviche but they were out. Might need to come earlier next time to avoid the disappointment.
There are a few things I believe can make this experience better.
1. The salsa is a great way to cut through the flavour of the Chorizo, but I think they should provide a little more salsa.
2. The sausages should be taken out of their casing before cooking — I believe this will enhance the flavour!
3. I find that after eating the Chorizo, I was looking for something to drink desperately — perhaps it is a little too salty.
3 stars aside, I will definitely come back to try their other flavours.

On Saturday, closes at 4 am!!!
What in Mexico would be a «gordita» (but really full of stuff), and in El Salvador, a «pupusa». In Venezuela is know as «arepa».
The arepa is like a really chobby tortilla (made of corn), that you can fix the way you like. Is healthy when you don’t fry it, and when you balance the content with fresh veggies. Like the cleaver and cute venezuelan guy who attended us that night.
This is a great latin american street food joint, in which, you can trust for killing your hunger. It doesn’t matter what time of the day, or if you are vegetarian.
We ordered the chorizo; the beef, and the chicken one.
I ate almost all of the beef one, because the meat was tender, juicy, and had lots of veggies (loved the avocado). My husby ate all, but a bite of the chorizo one. Which I consider most of guys, or mexicans would like.
We couldn’t ate the chicken one, but my husby made a funny observation: «tastes like tuna salad… like a thing a girl on a diet would eat… :)
Nice experience.

Went here for a Sunday lunch. I got the beef and avocado one. It was really good. The beef was well seasoned and tender. The avocado was a nice complement to the dish. They have patio seating in the back which is good if you are here when the weather cooperates. My friend got the chorizo which was good as well. They have a hot sauce and avocado sauce. I used the hot sauce sparingly. Great for a lazy weekend day.

I returned to El Arepazo this weekend and my friends and I were greeted by different staff and they seemed to be new. A friend wanted to try an arepa and asked to use the check-​in offer. They looked at her with a blank stare. My friend kept showing them her phone and the information on the check-​in offer, and they had no clue what we were talking about. I began to explain to them what check-​in offers were, and they pointed towards a guy at the other end of room and suggested that we speak to him. We walked over to the guy and I explained to him what we wanted, and he nodded okay. As though he was doing us a favor. Excuse me? If you do not want to honor your check-​in offers, then take it down!
After my friend paid for the arepa we went to the back patio to sit down and waited for our arepa. We watched people that came after us get their arepas, and somehow they forgot about us. I went back inside and asked them how much longer it would be. They said that they were making it now. So I went back outside and we waited some more. Finally it arrived, and I almost laughed. Note that I have been here before, and know what their arepas normally look like. This one hardly had any toppings. In fact, I had to open it up so my friend could see the toppings inside. What the hell happened to this place?! And to top it all off, I had to run inside to get the sauces because they forgot that too!
What a shame. I had been raving about El Arepazo to my friends and on Unilocal,and it feels like overnight their service and quality went down the tubes.

This is my favourite place to eat in Kensington. They say that they’re «open late,» and I believe them. I’ve walked home many drunken nights past 3am, and they’re still open while most of the market closes by 7pm.
The corn pancake, while gluten free, is super indulgent paired with the fried block of fresca cheese. The fresh ingredients-​avocado, plantain, tomato, and black bean make you feel full for hours. All for 6 $?!
The service is wonderful– everyone is very cheerful and accommodating.
Pro tip: arepas are served with a fork for a reason. If you try to eat it like a sandwich before eating some of the filling inside, you’re going to spill it all over yourself. These are stuffed beyond the brim.
If you’re not gluten free, make sure to get a churro stuffed with Dolce de Leche on your way out!

The areas are delicious and worth the wait!
I got avocado and plantain, which made for a delicious vegan combo. It was so delicious and so wonderful, I am so happy I found this place.
There are other vendors inside, so make sure to grab a papusa, and empanada, and some of the other delicious foods.

‘Very friendly Venezuelan girls sharing the table here tell me the breakfast is rated as the worlds best! I have to agree.’
I wrote that while having a Chorizo Arepa at El Arepazo and enjoyed it immensely. Whenever shopping in the market, I try to take a peak into the hallowed halls of Pancho’s Bakery, next to Gordo’s Fine Foods with the alley leading back to their shared backyard, home of some sweaty summertime bbq and beer garden parties. The kiosks, up a couple stairs and into the rear area of the bakery, host a continuous and hopefully never-​ending stream of new Canadian cooks whipping up small batches of glorious food from their homelands, mainly from South America. El Arepazo is the latest contender vying for top snack food in Kensington, competing head on with Seven Lives and others in food that you can walk with and devour while taking in the sights and smells of the neighborhood.
I can see why the Venezuelans are proud of their country’s snack, it is a delight! Ther’s an appealing set of fresh avocado slices atop a warm flatbread made of ground maize dough. Underneath that the fun began with mine, juicy balls of chorizo, cooked just right and oozing with pork goodness. The balls of sausage tried to roll out of my hands, but I devoured the sandwich after laying on some of their wonderful tasting avocado salsa and rich and flavourful hot sauce served alongside in little cups.
The sign said open late — til 3 am, so no excuse not to go, anytime.
They also happily accepted my Unilocal check in offer of 50% off so as if you needed another reason…
And don’t feel rushed out onto the street to eat, the tables at the back is shared and the company was very good when I visited, on a Saturday afternoon AND they even brought me the food and nicely asked me to pay on the way out. RECOMMENDED!!!

I tried this place once and I cant stop coming here to have a delightful «arepa llanera» it is very healthy and guess what? Its gluten free!!! The service is extraordinary! But sometimes its too packed that you have to wait a little to sit! I strongly recommend this venezuelan place. I tried another arepa place but it was expensive and they were small! Definitely a place to visit.

I can stop eating at this place!!!
if you are looking for a new flavor, excellence in prices and service and simplicity this is your place…
Imagine a Burger, but made with a sort of special corn bread, the flavor? Awesome, the price? Amazing, Variety and options hell yeah…
You can find all this at this place, I highly recommend it, you wont regret it
Cheers