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| - I'm a bit torn in writing this review.
I've had Viva Las Arepas (VLA) bookmarked for the better part of two years now, hell maybe more and it wasn't until recently had I been able to finally stop in.
I love that there are still highly rated, non-boojie, cheap, no frills food near the strip. I love even more that it's Venezuelan food. Unfortunately, I may have been driven by the hype so much that I was left slightly disappointed.
After a very long, grueling work schedule, my beau (bless his tired heart) was sweet enough to bring me here because I listed it on my top 3 places to eat while in Vegas. We drove up to VLA, which isn't a stand anymore, they've transitioned to a brick & mortar. The parking lot is shared with other establishments and can get crowded during peak hours.
The menu is large enough to spell some confusion for those salivating tastebuds. I know these arepas can be filling so I definitely had to strategize my meal. The man just got himself a carne arepa (non shredded) and 3 shredded beef empanadas. I got the pork buttt and carne arepas in addition to a chicken empanada.
Our plates came out hot and fresh within a few minutes and those empanadas were super hot--so hot that a piece of it was left thrown and regurgitated back onto our tray lol (wasn't by me though). We enjoyed both empanadas though I will say the shredded beef was better than the chicken. We also both agreed they needed more meat in them.
I love the arepa itself, and they generously filled 'em with our protein of choice. Unfortunately, neither of us were impressed with their beef. It was tough and lacked flavor. Even with all that drippy sauce, there was just something amiss with the beef.
The pork butt I did enjoy. It was moist and tasty, and once I was carb loaded, I picked out all the pork and gobbled it all up.
As cheap a meal as I thought it would be, we still paid $30++.
Overall, I'm saddened this long sought bookmark didn't wow me, but I wouldn't mind giving it another try.
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