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| Entrance of Arepera. Rue de Buillon corner with Duluth |
If you have ever wondered what's like to eat traditional Venezuelan food, this it the place for you. And yes, there is food for all different eating habits. Whether you are a carnivore, a vegetarian or a vegan you will find something to stimulate your taste buds. Also the arepas are 100% gluten free.
An arepa is a traditional Spanish dish, very common in Colombia and Venezuela, made of ground corn dough. All arepas are made in-house and they are served as a side dish or as the main dish. When the arepa is served as the main dish they are cut through the middle (like a bagel) and filled with different combinations of meat, plantain, bean or cheese.
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| The decor is full of tropical colors. |
As soon as you walk in, you are exposed to a smorgasbord of tropical colors, smells and traditional Venezuelan music. You get a true sense that you are in a small restaurant in Latin America. The servers are friendly and efficient; they greet you as soon as you come in, give you the menu, water and as soon as you are ready, they take your order with their pocket i-pods. If the owner has two minutes, he might come and warmly shake your hand, occasionally give you a hug and, when experimenting with a new recipe, he'll bring a sample to your table for free. "Here, try this" he'll say.
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| Assortment of plantains, avocado, lime, yucca, etc. |
The restaurant specializes in arepas, but they have a great variety of natural juices (made in-house), side dishes and desserts. Most of the natural juices are a new experience to the typical North American crowd. They have flavors such as guava, tamarind, lulo, mango, guanabana and passion fruit. Some of the most typical entrees are "platanos" (fried plantains) which are served with cheese and "yuca" which is a root similar to potato. Also, there are delicious soups and incredible desserts to go along with your arepa. For additional flavor, a squeeze-bottle of guasacaca ( a sauce made of avocado, garlic and lime juice) and a bottle of hot sauce are placed on each table as well as a small portion of watercress salad.
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| If you seem friendly, the owner might come to give a hug. |
I go to Arepera du Plateau about once per week and as long as the arepas continues being so delicious and the staff so friendly, I'll continue being a loyal client.
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| Natural juice of Guava and Tamarind. Also Gusacaca and hot sauces. |
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| Arepa platano y queso and Arepa pernil with watercress salad |
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| Bollo, a new recipe |
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| Bean soup and Chicken soup |
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| Arepas being made. This is where the magic happens. |
