This was my first taste of Venezuelan street food. I'm happy I have it a try. This joint is located right next to Stratosphere so it's easy to find. And great that they opened an actual restaurant versus just operating out of a food truck. The gentleman behind the counter were all smiles and willing to recommend an arepa for first-timers.
I had the pork butt arepa with cheese, chicken empanadas and fried plantains and passion fruit juice. This came to approximately $15. Not bad for the meal.
I didn't expect the arepa to be so heavy. Imagine an English-muffin like sandwich stuffed to the brim with your meat of choice and cheese. The bread is made of corn flour. It wasn't bad, but adding their homemade sauces gives it full flavor. The empanada dough was thicker than I'd like but the meat again had a lot of flavor. The plantains were simple. Fried bananas. But it's blandness helped cut the richness of the arepa and empanada.
I admit I couldn't finish the whole thing and I felt as if a boulder was in my stomach when leaving. But Viva Las Arepas was an experience and I urge you to try it. Authenticity is served here.