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| - I haven't reviewed Viva Las Arepas yet?! Best fix that.
Viva Las Arepas is worth a trip whether you're familiar with the Venezuelan wonder food or have never tried these meat-filled Joy Pockets. It's representative of the best the genre has to offer; the arepa itself is fluffy and moist, and the meat inside is fresh, flavorful, and sooooo juicy. The meat is all cooked over a wood fire, and the flavor they get out of the meat is just incredible. The woodfired beef, and the reina pepiada (chicken with peas and avocado and...um...stuff?) have become my go-to favorites, and I've developed cravings for the reina. So good.
I'm pretty sure this place was the former occupant of the current Goodwich Cube outside of Dinos, but it has moved waaaaay up in the world, and now has a clean, classy restaurant with a great patio and a ton of seating just across the street, in a lot with a kitsch shop, a lingerie store, and a Bail Bondsman. Ahhhhhh Vegas.
Pros:
- Holy cow the food is delicious. Get two; an old favorite and then try something new. I've never had anything bad there.
- The arepas themselves are perfect. I've had arepas at other places that get this weird "cheap poorly made cornbread" texture to them that is not at all pleasant. That is not the case here. Something like a cross between a crumpet and a tortilla, I imagine the manna God sent from heaven was actually arepas.
- Sauces. They come in two generous tubes; one's spicy, one's garlicky. Yellow bottle. Do yourself a favor and just slather that on.
- This is fast lunch food that's not at all fast food. Takes about 5-10 minutes from order to eating, depending on how busy they are. Unless you order the All The Meats plate, which takes a while, and feeds 3.
- VERY affordable. You can eat a lunch that will make you full for dinner for about $12.
- Seating for 2-14 comfortably.
Cons:
- The other businesses in the strip mall give me the giggles.
- You will want to eat ALL THE AREPAS, all the time, which will make you very fat.
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