Viva Las Arepas

This was first Venezuelan food and this place is great! The food was awesome and my food was ready in 10 minutes! I got that pabellon and wood fire pork ribs for my husband and chicharron &yucca for my son — great!!! Great!!! Love it that even my husband was speechless!! we will come back! :)

My husband and I love this place! This was our very first stop on our Vegas trip and regretted not stopping by before we left! We had the Roasted pork butt and Reina Pepiada with an order of their cheese empanadas. The meat was tender and juicy while the chicken/​mayo/​cliantro combination was bursting with flavor and their cheese empanadas as a hit as well!

Tried this place once a little while ago and really enjoyed it. The staff was super friendly, explained the menu to us since it as our first time there and first time trying Venezuelan food, so we had no idea what to get. Got two different types of arepas, the Reina Pepiada which was so good and very healthy since its chicken breast with avocado, and the Roasted Pork Butt which was also really good. We also shared an order of Fried Yucca Root which was really good to try, can’t just find fried yucca root anywhere. Overall a great experience.
But it is located on the north end of the Strip, kind of a sketchy looking area. Parking is really small, pretty much just a few spaces right in front of the place then its the road.

This is out go to place when we can’t decide on anything to eat! The added bonus is the gelato place next door. You can fill up on the best arepas I’ve ever had and head over for delicious gelato after. Incredible! The prices are relatively cheap and soooo delicious. I loooove the dessert empanadas also… I can’t get enough of this place.

Can you put a location in Arizona, please?! Eating here made me feel like I was back in Venezuela.

I had my first arepa at Viva Las Arepas and was mighty impressed. I arrived around 10PM on a Saturday night with my brother-​in-​law and set my eyes on the vegetarian arepa ($ 5), although what I actually got was more of a Frankenstein creation. The man at the register (who I’m assuming to be the manager/​owner) was super helpful in assisting me with my order.
CUSTOM AREPA ($ 6ish): My arepa had black beans, cheese, a fried egg, lettuce, tomato, and plantains in it! I topped off each bite with a dash of the cilantro sauce or the spicy red sauce. The fried egg and plantains were the best part. The employee talked me getting into plantains, and I’m glad I decided to try it out in my arepa. It was delicious! I was skeptical that one arepa would fill me up, but by meal’s end I was good to go. :) ⁵⁄₅
For my second visit I got a black bean and cheese arepa, which definitely lacked the creative spark of my Frankenstein creation, but was still yummy nonetheless. My husband got the wood fire beef plate ($ 10.99) and was happy. The white rice on the side was AMAZING. Soft, buttery, and full of flavor. I’m getting this as my own side on the next visit.
I wish Viva Las Arepas was closer to the locals, but I hear they’re opening a second location so there’s hope!
Unilocal 100 CHALLENGE 2016: #43

Omg this place is amazing. My husband usually has a BIG appetite, but we were both full after one. This stuff is seriously delicious and I was thankful that half of the menu was in English! Juicy meat, flavorful condiments, and it tasted like nothing else I’ve had before. So glad that I found this in Vegas!
Gotta try the pork belly arepa and the tostones!

Been here a few times and I have only eaten the supposedly vegan arepa.
It’s bread, black beans and avocado.
Each time my husband and I have been here we have gotten a stomach ache. I’m pretty sure there is egg and/​or dairy in that bread. (their was an arepa truck in town, they had a labeled vegan and when I asked they told me the ingredients!)
Anyway, I’m not really a fan of this oily greasy weird bread nor really any bread in general. I guess this just is not the place for me!
I have problems with businesses that seem whishy-​washy when the actual owner can’t spout off the ingredients off the top of his head and just says «get the vegetarian, get the vegetarian.»
The two times we have been here the place is empty but the service is slow yet very frantic.
Can’t say we didn’t try.

Wow, I have passed by this place of a restaurant they call Viva Las Arepas, an authentic Venezuelan eatery or so they say… literally it’s on the signage. Could this be a gimmick of those never ending self proclaiming best in Las Vegas slogans? The curiosity got to me by family members and friends visiting this restaurant only to give good reviews… and so it tickled my mind to ponder and search on Unilocal what the hype was about this snazzy independent spot.
Upon checking it out on this review place called Unilocal… the high ratings were affirmation … So the reviews speak for it self and with that my taste buds were now wondering how good it really is.
Wifey and I decided to check it out. The location it self is off Oakey on Las Vegas Blvd… just a few blocks away from the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino. The area is known for its tourists but at the gate way to downtown the homeless lurk with mostly innocent intentions, maybe a few bad apples once in awhile.
If you are not familiar with the area, I recommend checking them out day time and or with a group of people.
Upon entering the vicinity, the bright walls and shiny tiles capture an artists eye like a palette of colors inviting and pleasing… accompanied by a delicious aroma welcoming you to an open space floor plan. The prices are average at around $ 5 – 6 dollars for a nice size portion. Just know that it is fulfilling that with the variety of choices you will have to come back… and that is what I plan to do. The wifey and I decided to go with #1 Carne Asada, #4 Roasted Pork & #7 Reina grilled chicken breast with avocado… all equally delicious. Would have love to try more… but definitely next time I will be back.

Great food! Located between downtown and the stratosphere. It was our first time going and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The prices are decent but can easily go up with the upgrades (adding avocado, cheese or egg) especially if you get all three. We had the mango water and it did not disappoint, each sip tasted like you were biting into a mango. Also, don’t forget to try the fried plantains, a great choice to accompany your arepa or dessert. The only thing I didn’t care for was the touch screen payment which gives you in big options to add a tip, especially since we were dining out. The girl was informative and nice so we gave her a tip but it’s kinda like tipping at a fast food place. If they came and took your order at your table I would feel more comfortable tipping.
Overall, great choice!

If you have no idea what an Arepa is, don’t worry, like no one does! But they’re delicious!
I went with a couple coworkers this morning and was really glad I did. The guy running the register was super nice and was happy to see us even though it was our first time there. He made some recommendations and threw in some samples of other things he recommended for next time we visited.
I went with the shredded chicken arepa and the shredded beef. They were both delicious.
The only reason I didn’t give them a 5 is because I asked for both of them with no cheese and I had to eat just the meat on one of them because the arepa had cheese on it.
Recommend you go check it out!

Sitting there after the food had arrived and having taken a couple of bites, we start to discuss how many stars we would give Viva Las Arepas. Factoring in the convenient location off the main strip, clean and bright interior, super friendly staff, and yummy, fresh comfort food. We both agreed that if this restaurant was in San Diego, we could see ourselves frequenting weekly. Hands down we agreed 5 stars! We ordered the Carne asada arepas, chicken empanada, and fried plantains. Prior to this I had never had an arepa or Venezuelan food so I didn’t know what to expect. It had a familiarness that reminded me of Colombian food. And all I know is that it was delicious and an overall great experience that left me already wanting to come back.

It’s always a pleasure to find little treats like these off the main strip.
Although it’s located in an area where you can tell the taxpayers money doesn’t get used the business is very clean and the interior was designed on a fairly decent budget.
I phone ordered hoping to save time, which saved me some. No phone pick up system is in place so I still had to wait in a line that forced my food to lose some warmth.
Service
Friendly-​ish, the man working the register had the swagger of an owner. He has answers to all your rookie arepa questions and will help you decide on what you want.
Las Arepas
Reina Pepiada: chicken breast, avocado, mayo and cilantro. The flavors are layered. The power of the chicken is smothered in the avocado which is hit with a hint of mayo and the mayo is hit with a dab of cilantro. 4.75÷5
Pabellon: Beef, black beans, plantains and cheese. This was more of an obvious mixed taste rather than a subtle one. The beef and beans with the plantains with a cheesy start and finish. Good as well but not as chef d’oeuvre as the reina pepiada. ⁴⁄₅
The masa: The texture and visual has a strong gordita resemblance. The taste is similar as well but cleaner, not as greasy oriented as a gordita. 4.2÷5
Sides
Note: Getting fried foods to go will always take away from it’s original texture so these will be rated on a +.75 curve.
Yucca Fries: Decent and made a good dip with the arepa sauce they provide for you. 3.75÷5
Plantains: I’ve had better ones made inside my mom’s kitchen. 3.25÷5
Drinks
I had a Venezuelan soda «colita» that was far from special. Welches sodas are better than this. ²⁄₅
Viva Las Arepas?
Si, viva. I loved the arepas. Tasty and something new I had not tried before and I am sure many of you have not either. You’ve got to try this place out when you’re in Vegas. The prices are fair for those that aren’t hoping to get by on MGM all day buffet passes. Just make sure to avoid the Venezuelan soda and go with their «aguas frescas.»

Boyfriend had a gig so we ended up staying at the Stratosphere. After a long 6 hour drive we were starving so we found this place on Unilocal.We wanted to try something other than the usual Raising Canes or Aloha Kitchen and since we’ve never had Venezuelan food, we thought we’d give this place a shot. It was about a 5 minute walk from the hotel.
I ordered the Reina Pepiada which was a cold filling of chicken, mayo, avo, and cilantro. Boyfriend got a hot filling of roasted pork butt with tomato slices.
The arepas were pretty much small sandwiches with LOTS of filling. Don’t underestimate the size. I had trouble finishing my own! The tortilla (?) they used as the «buns» reminded me of what they use for tamale wraps. And omg the sauces they provide you with are EVERYTHING. I drenched each bite with both!!! I read on Unilocal that people were stealing the sauces so they don’t give you the bottles until after you receive your meal. LOL! I would’ve been one of those perpetrators…
Don’t forget to order either the mango or guava drink to wash the food down.
We’ll be back to get more of the Reina Pepiada. That was a winner in our books!

I come here at least once a month if I can. Food is great. Service is excellent. Best Papusas ever!
Whenever my family visits we go here.

Unless you live in a Venezuelan home, arepas are difficult to find.
A menos que usted vive en un hogar venezolana, arepas son difíciles de encontrar.
Viva Viva Lase Arepas! Muy, muy autentico!

Authentic Venezuelan food. My husband lived in Venezuela for a few years, and was so excited to find this spot in Vegas. We were actually searching for Cuban food and found reviews for this place. Thanks Unilocal for introducing us to this gem! Great service, decent prices and so many arepas options!!!
All was good but the fried plantain disappointed me. The oil was all black, so this means they were using old oil. Not good.

Stop what you are doing and go get an Arepa at Viva Las Arepas now, and thank me later.
I live 30 minutes away from this place, it’s on the strip, and I have driven there three times in the past three weeks to sample more of their delicious Venezuelan morsels.
The food is out of control. If you’ve never had an Arepa, it is a Venezuelan take on the taco. The key here is that the shell is a pillowy flatbread. That bread wraps around some of the most flavorful, tender and mind-​blowing meats I have ever sampled. My two favorites are the #1 (wood-​fired beef) and the #7 (Reina pepiada… A chicken salad). The beef is cooked perfectly and the spices are just right. And in case they are not flavorful enough, you can Doctor them up with their spicy green pepper sauce or a creamy avocado sauce. Honestly, the #1 is just right for me but occasionally I’ll take a bit of the sauces because they are really good.
I loved the ribs. They had a good crispy skin but they were falling off the bone. The empanadas are a great accompaniment to whatever arepa you choose. And don’t skip dessert. They have pastelitos in two flavors. One is guava and cheese and the other is coconut. I’m not a huge guava fan but the coconut one was ridiculous.
So far, I have been with my wife on a date, once with our three kids and once with a few friends. It was a great spot for all three outings. It’s casual, and you don’t have to worry if your group is a little rowdy. It is on the strip but it’s north of Sahara so it’s not crazy busy and there is parking all around the building.

The food was DELICIOUS! First time having an arepa and now its one of my favorites. The staff is super warm, friendly, and extremely helpful. Highly recommend the Pabellon! We’ll definitely be back… adding this spot to our Vegas go-​to list.

Wow, great food, fair price! A good balance of both LV area locals (like me) & visitors from out of town who’ve found out about the place & are wanting to get good food without the pretentiousness & prices of touristy places
this is my second time here in less than a week, and even though my belly is full (I’m writing this review while still seated inside the restaurant), I’d be happy to come back again tomorrow.
As a vegetarian, I get the vegetarian arepa (adding cheese) as well as an avocado, tomato, onions, peppers & cheese arepa (minus peppers & tomatoes), but they do have plenty of options with meat. Even the French fries are good here!
The neighborhood is… well, not the best, but the place is on the busy Las Vegas Blvd, a couple blocks N of the Stratosphere. Ideally, you’ll get here via vehicle.
Once inside, the place is very clean & friendly.

We’re not close to this locale, but if we’re in the neighborhood, it’s a refreshing change of pace for lunch! Not your typical sandwich. Arepas are all amazing. Try the #12 for sure — beef, beans, plantains & cheese. It’s the bomb. Or order without plantains! Next time we’re trying the ham & cheese & the shrimp. The bean & cheese empanada was great as well as the cheese rollup stick thing. Service was very friendly & food came out fast. Both the sauces they delivered to the table were keepers. Wanted to put one in my purse. Hah
All the meats are very well cooked. If you want tender shredded anything, this is your place. We’re fans & going back.

The best Arepas I’ve ever had! Shhh, don’t tell my mother in law (she’s Venezuelan)
FOOD:
Arepas cannot be accurately described by words. They must be experienced, and the best place to experience it is at Viva Las Arepas.
Reina Pepiada– Chicken Breast mixed with Avocado, Mayo & Cilantro. Such a great flavor profile.
Pabellón– Beef, Black Beans, Plantains & Cheese. This is my second favorite, the beef is cooked perfectly. The beans and plantains compliment the beef and we all know cheese makes everything better
The empenadas are also delicious, try them all. They’re like a dollar, stop being so cheap and try all of them. You’re welcome.
IN CONCLUSION:
This is usually the first place I go when I land in Vegas. There is a reason they have 8 million 5 star reviews. IT IS AMAZING. Stop reading this and book your ticket or get in you car and drive to vegas and feast at Viva Las Arepas!

Clean interior. Off the strip but well worth a Lyft ride. They have a menu in English and Spanish and many options to choose from.
All Arepas are gluten-​free, which is surprisingly non-​existent at the major hotels on the strip.
My wife and I tried several of the Arepas plus coffee and a traditional lime and sugarcane drink.
Our favorites were the Reina Pepiada, which is chicken mixed with avocado, mayo and cilantro as well as Cachapa, which is corn and cheese. I tried an empanda as well, which was good but not on the same plane as the arepas.
Each arepa is very big with generous amounts of filling.
They are made to order so you know it’s fresh.
The gentleman who took our order (I think he was the owner) was very friendly and even gave us a few things for free because we ordered so many arepas (we have a hard time choosing)
Wish they had a location in Denver so I could eat there more often.
Definitely go and try when in Sin City.

Found this place looking on Unilocal for places to eat while I was in Las Vegas and I’m glad I found this place, this was my first time trying Venezuelan food so I didn’t know what to order, so after looking at the menu for a while I decided on the Carne Asada Arepas and a side of black beans and rice, the Arepas are like little sandwiches, the buns are like cornbread and tortilla with good size chunks of wood cooked carne Asada 5 stars all the way. The black beans where real good too they had like a spicy taste to them. Will be back on my next trip to Las Vegas.

After reading the reviews, I decided to pick up a bunch of arepas for the road trip back to LA. My favorite was reina pepieda… it was moist, flavorful and really delicious. It is full of avocado, cilantro sauce and yummy chicken. I wish I had bought only this as the other arepas were lack luster.
The shredded beef one especially was dry and pretty chewy. Even after loading it up with the cilantro sauce, it was pretty blah. The chicken one was ok but the reina pepieda is the only one that warrants the 4 stars. Overall it’s a pretty cheap and tasty alternative if you are looking for food in a hurry and if you order the right one.

The food here is a great find for Las Vegas! It’s affordable, with great service, and has authentic food.
5 stars — Arepa with black beans and cheese. I loved this dish! The beans were so flavorful and they do not skimp on the cheese here. Even the arepa itself was not heavy and held the beans and cheese really well, so it didn’t get messy while eating it.
4 stars — Cachapa. It was like a folded over corn griddle cake with melted cheese inside. It had a sweet flavor from the corn and the savory of the cheese to balance out the flavor. I liked eating this with the squeeze of homemade green hot sauce they give you in a squeeze bottle. Spicy, but good!
3 stars — Fried plantains. I’m a big fan of fried plantains and usually order them whenever they’re on the menu. In this case, the fried plantains could have been more sweet by letting them ripen just another day or two before cooking them. The preparation was spot on, with a golden brown glow because it was fried. Just a bit sweeter and this would have been a five in my book.
Overall, they’ve got a great selection of items, a clean restaurant, and the staff is very friendly.

This place is one of the very few restaurants in Vegas that I’ll really miss.
First of all the service was so not Vegas style! I didn’t see any pretentiousness, or fake smiles, etc. They were extremely inviting, and friendly, and of course helpful…
I found the love of my life here, I would of married it in the 24 hour church of Elvis in Portland if I could!!! Oh shit! just from mentioning it now, I’m having withdrawal symptoms… so without further ado! I’m introducing you to the «Guava & Cheese Pastelito» don’t worry I’m not monogamous I can share…
BTW everything that I got here was just delicious, yep this was my first Venezuelan food experience and so far I can only say gimme more…
Few tips…
1) this place is less than 10 minutes drive from the strip.
2) if $ 6 gets u a mediocre slice of pizza on the strip; here that same $ 6 will get you a whole arepa sandwich.
3) there are pictures on the wall of what everything is.

This was my first time trying Venezuelan food and my was it delicious! The service was great as the friendly guy behind the counter patiently explained the menu and its items to us. He mentioned that all the meat is wood fired so the meat has a mesquite tast to it. Arepa is a ground maize flatbread sandwich. I saw it as a tamale sandwich. My bf and I had the Reina Peplada #7 which consists of chicken breast, avocado, and cilantro. I added some of the creamy cilantro sauce and it was definitely a party in my mouth. It’s a cold sandwich so it tasted great while we waited for my hot arepas to cool down. I ordered the Perico #11 which has scrambled eggs, tomato, onion, and ham. cuz breakfast is good any time of the day!
We also tried the shredded beef empanada and coconut and cheese pastelito. The pastelito was pretty sweet and it was a lot better than I expected. We were pretty full after sharing these four items. I also had a mango juice to help wash down all the delicious goodness. A good part of all this food is that it’s gluten free, fresh, and handmade to order.
The next time I decide to shop at the North Outlets I’m definitely going to come back here for more arepas!

After 3 visits, this is my favorite restaurant in Las Vegas. It’s not fancy, maybe it’s not the place to celebrate a special occasion but the food is incredible. I visited last year as a non-​meat eater and loved it. This trip, we are here for one night only and visited for both dinner and breakfast. There are no breakfast-​y items on the menu… it’s the same all day, but I knew I wouldn’t be having it for a long time and doubled up.
I couldn’t wait to visit as a carnivore. I asked the cashier what I might order and he gave me 2 amazing samples of beef. The wood fired beef is juicy and flavorful. We had it in an arepa and the flavors were muted. I’d suggest going for the plate of it where it can shine on its own.
Turns out my favorite 3 items are vegetarian. Surprise! The corn and cheese arepa is a guilty please extraordinaire. It worked for dinner as well as breakfast and is equally fantastic alone or with a dab of the special mayo.
The fried plantains are sweet and mushy, cooked perfectly. The caramelization gives a nice bit of chew to offset the wonderful mushy texture. Mushy may be bad with most veggies, but in this case it’s very appealing.
I don’t remember the name of the cheesy bread stick that’s off to the side of the menu. A little unassuming thing, it’s like a doughnut with cheese and is 100 times better than my explanation.
For breakfast today we ordered the three items above and subbed in the chicken salad arepa for the beef. This was way too much food for the two of us for breakfast. My luck friend swears by it and my husband remembered loving it last year so I figured I needed to try it. Was it really good? Indeed, it was. Just not AS good as my favorite 3 things. In all fairness, those would be pretty hard to beat.
Food is cooked to order and service has been good on every visit. There is plenty of seating and the restaurant has been very clean on each visit.
I love Viva las Arepas!!!

I was trying to think of a dumb arepa joke and didn’t have much success.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Arepa.
Arepa who?
Arepa any man who brings me delicious venezuelan sammiches.
Womp womp womp.
I told you it was going to be dumb.
Went on Saturday 11−7−15 around 8pm to grab a quick bite. $ 10.57 got me a chicken arepa with black beans and a beef empanada.
This is actually my second time here and I really like arepas. Being from the south and eating lots of hominy and grits, an arepa is kind of like if you made a hamburger bun out of really thick, fine-​ground grits and then stuffed it with lettuce, cheese, chicken, etc. They are really tasty. I think next time I’ll just get the beans and cheese kind because their chicken is sooooo salty.

It’s always nice exploring new spots off the strip when I’m visiting Vegas. So many times have I been stuck eating at a hotel out of convenience because no one else wanted to leave. I’ve wanted to come here for awhile despite my bad experiences with arepas at other spots. It’s located north of the strip in what looks like sketchier area with
Arepa is like a sandwich, but the meat is sandwiched between 2 flatbreads made of maize dough. The corn bun was crispy on the edges and much softer in the center.
Arepas:
1) Reina Pepiada consists of chicken breast, avocado, mayo, and cilantro. I was expecting the chicken breast to be dry, but it was actually the opposite.
2) Wood Fire Beef: This was fantastic! I added on avocado, cheese, and egg, which made it even better. The small pieces of juicy, tender beef were so yummy.
The empanadas were also pretty good, but the winner is definitely the arepas.
Drinks:
Mango — Thick, sweet drink that was really mangoey.
Service: They got my order wrong and gave me pulled pork instead. They apologized and gave me an extra empanada for the inconvenience. SCORE!

AREPAS OF ALL SORTS!
I don’t believe I have ever tried Venezuelan food… but I was definately wanting to try this place for a while. Small corner place in a tiny little plaza on Las Vegas Blvd in the down town area. Booths on the sides of the restaraunt & tables in the center.
You order your food & then you pick up your food when they call your name. There are two different digital menus. one in English & one in Spanish.
CARNE ASADA AREPAS $ 5.50 — comes w/​lettuce & tomato… we also added avocado for $ 0.99 more. The meat was very tender & the maize dough was soft yet grainy… it was definitely new for me but good. Reminds me of a tamale made differently. Ahhahaaa
CHICKEN EMPANADA $ 3 — hot & good like a chicken dumpling deed fried w/​dough shell rather than wonton shell
BEEF EMPANADA $ 3
GUAVA PASTELITOS $ 3 — this was like an empanada shaped differently & it was filled w/​guava chunks & cheese. Very interesting combination but it worked
COCONUT PASTELITOS $ 3 — wasn’t too fond of this since I’m not a big fan of shredded coconuts that is used for desserts because it gets wayyy to fake kinda sweet taste, but this also had cheese in it so it wasn’t toooo sweet.

Muy buen servicio, muy buen sabor, cantidad correcta según el precio, pedí una arepa de pollo y se equivocaron y me sirvieron una de frijoles, cuando le explico al muchacho muy amable me dijo que me quedara con la frijoles y me dio la de pollo sin costo alguno, altamente recomendable

Que arepas tan deliciosas! Pura calidad y sabor. Me encanto este lugar. Tostones y empanadas ni se diga, con una rica agua de guanabana.

Clásico de la comida Venezolana, me la ha recomendado un amigo, es amante de las arepas, y por cierto, este lugar es genial. Muy recomendable.

Todo delicioso, y el servicio: excelente.
Comimos arepas y pollo asado, lo cual da opcion para cualquier gusto.

Felicitaciones. Disfrute cada pedacito de mi Venezuela y una helada frescolita. Les recomiendo absolutamente todo