A friend picked this eatery as a starting point for brunch on a weekend food tour of the Entertainment District.
The inside is pretty spacious and it seems to be an exclusively popular spot with the locals in the area because every table was occupied about half hour after our group of five got there. Service is also friendly without being over-the-top.
The name of the eatery is representative of its main feature, the Arepa, hamburger pattie shaped dough made out of ground maize (corn) and browned on each side. They are prominent in the cuisine of Venezuela and Colombia.
I also got a cortado coffee while waiting for the rest of our group to arrive. I really have to get used to savoring it properly because I still prefer a regular coffee beverage :-)
At Arepa cafe, the dough patties are plated like a different take on a sandwich. The amount filling placed between an arepa makes the entire ensemble look slightly larger than a baseball.
For my meal, I wanted something that wasn't heavy and of all days I decided to go for one of the vegetarian choices, the Perico consisting of scarmbled eggs, tomatoes and onions. I also added an avocado to it because it looks so good in the picks. The green color of the avocado gave it a strickingly healthier touch to the rest of the filling. Each of our orders came it small side of coleslaw.
The arepa sandwiches for me feel rather light, maybe it was because I got there very hungry. My sandwich wasn't heavy even though filling but it doesn't keep your stomach filled for more than a couple of hours. Maybe the ones that have meat in them would be more hearty.
I would say that it's good if you want a nice brunch if you're routine for the day keeps you on the go. I'll say it's a good place to come to for a late afternoon coffee break or a meal before a movie or a theatrical show.