Arepa Grill

My mother grew up in Venezuela and is VERY particular about her arepas. In fact, she will almost never buy an arepa from a restaurant because "they just aren't as good as when we make them". Not only does my mother enjoy the arepas from Arepa Grill, she will go out of her way to come and get the food here. It seems like they are doing something right here! This small Venezuelan eatery specializes in arepas, but serves up a lot more than that! They do burgers, soups and mixed grills, so there is a ton of variety. Whenever I visit, I always get the arepas. They are essentially corn cakes that can be filled with whatever you can think of! For me, I really enjoy an arepa that's filled to the brim with meat and cheese, and Arepa Grill delivers on that. Their arepa tour gives you an opportunity to try many different fillings. I think their Arepa Pabellon (shredded beef) is their best arepa. The meat is succulent and tender and packed with flavor. The black beans and plantain and cheese are a wonderful combo. The arepa itself isn't too starchy and fried to perfection. It's a great one. My mom's favorite is the Perico (scrambled eggs). It's what she grew up with, and hits home for her. Outside of their arepas, Arepa Grill makes some delicious empandas, and their cachapas are worth trying as well! A cachapa is a sweet corn pancake that is filled with cheese. They make traditional Venezuelan drinks that are fresh and tasty. Don't forget to use their sauces, those add a wonderful kick to your meal. I'm not longer living in Atlanta, but when I return with my family I'm sure we will end up back at Arepa Grill. Their food is delicious and the atmosphere of the restaurant is lively and makes you want to come back. If you're close by, give it a try! My mother would certainly recommend that you do so!

Alright, alright, let's dissect this food adventure! The grub? Fantastic! Service? A total fiesta! But here's the thing that's got my brain doing salsa steps - the prices. Considering their location, rent shouldn't be breaking the bank like a piñata full of hundred-dollar bills. Here's the comparison: they're charging more than other Venezuelan spots nearby with similar menus, and those guys are like 20-30% cheaper! Seriously, a seven-dollar tres leche cake? That's more expensive than a maraca marathon! Don't get me wrong, food is tasty! but the pricing needs a little conga line over to "reasonable" land.

Unbeatable prices for yummy food!! This place was pretty busy when I came for Friday dinner and I can see why. This is a very unassuming place for what appears to be great Venezuelan food. I got the Arepa Pabellón and it was fantastic! I should've taken pictures of the menu, but majority of the arepas are under $10 and are big enough to fill me up.I love that they provide you with a bunch of different sauces to try. This place has more hole in the wall vibes with its limited service, but I'd gladly come back here any day and try more things. Compared to another popular arepa place in town, I'd MUCH rather come here because of the prices. Inside seating is limited! Most tables are 2-4 seaters so not a place for a big group.

I was not the target audience for this place. Wanted to try something culturally new but needed to accommodate my vegetarian / pescatarian lifestyle. I got a sandwich that had a huge lump of mozzarella cheese, avocado, and a few other ingredients. Apparently, it's supposed to be served like that because other people posted pictures of the same or similar sandwich prepared the same way. Overall, I didn't like it. The textures from the cheese and avocado was not vibing well together. But it was a huge size portion of this is your thing.

I loved the food and the service was really good as well. Even though there was a long line we did have to wait too long to order or to get our food. But seeing how delicious the food was, I can definitely understand why it's such a busy place. Arepas may seem a little small but they are filling for sure plus they also leave room for dessert. They have fantastic churros here as well! Definitely stop in for some of this yummy food. We had a wonderful experience and we'll be back soon!

This fast casual restaurant is right off the main road and easy to get to. The shop has some cool decorations inside so don't be fooled by the outside. The food took a little while to make but was worth the wait. The arepas come in a few different varieties including meat and veggie options. I ordered one plus 2 cheese empanadas and it was filling. If you haven't ever had an Arepa, this is the place to try it!

I enjoyed this place. I ordered 3 empanadas one of each, beef,chicken and cheese. I also got an arepa with the chicken and Gouda cheese. At first I thought it wasn't going to be good because the cheese wasn't melted but once you start eating the arepa the cheese begins to melt and it's so flavorful. It's a small restaurant and can get crowded but the food is delish! Theres also tons of parking and the service was quick even with them being busy.

Not too bad! Reina Pepiada: this is the taco looking things in the pic, it's chicken salad and avocados. It was okay yet had a linger of a fishy type taste. This is usually when oil has been repeatedly used to fry meat again and again - $7.99 - 2/5Small and Medium grilled chicken burgers: french fries, Mayo, ketchup, mustard on the sandwich HOWEVER! I greatly advise to ask all sauces on the side because it was overflowing and overpowered by loads of mustard and ketchup where it was dripping all over :( - $6.99-$9.99 - 3/5 The sauces at the table are delicious I enjoyed them! The place was cool to visit but I think it satisfied my curiosity for time being! :)

Came back today and it was even better! I got a Patacon w/ pabellon, a cachapa w/ ham and Venezuelan cheese, Tequeyoyo, and thin churros with Nutella, caramel, and condensed milk. I was full after eating half the patacon, and it was insanely delicious! The churros are addictive; I thought I'd have a bite since I was full and ended up eating 3 of them. I'm bring friends here. It's soooo good! The staff was friendly as always. It's counter service but they bring your food to you. I got takeout.

I enjoyed my visit to Arepa Grill's second location in the "Korean Town" strip mall on Buford Highway in Doraville. This location isn't to be confused with the original location, also on Buford Highway, inside Plaza Fiesta. As I wrote in my review for the original location ( https://www.yelp.com/biz/arepa-grill-atlanta?hrid=jWCHudkhcddbLNiEDsawzQ&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct) ), Arepa Grill serves some of the best, most filling, and delicious arepas I've had anywhere. They also serve lots of other good Venezuelan food, not just arepas.This place is popular. It was packed the night of our visit, on an ordinary Wednesday. It was already busy when we arrived around 6:45pm. Luckily, we were able to snag a table. By the time we left, closer to 8:00pm, every table was taken, inside and out. It got a little uncomfortable when a family started waiting on us to leave so they could take our table. So, if it's busy, this may not be an ideal place to come for a leisurely meal. Arepa Grill is located next door to Cuckoo's Cafe and two doors down from Be Banh Mi (next to the old Yen Jing Chinese Restaurant). The space is kind of small, but not tiny. I guesstimate the dining room has seating for about 25 people. They also have a couple tables outside, covered, on the two-story strip's sidewalk patio.The original location, which opened in fall 2019, is a tiny stall adjacent to the Plaza Fiesta food court. This location, which opened in August 2021, has the same fun and modern theme with bright colors and large, bold graphics. With the walk-up counter and overall vibe, this place feels like an extension of its Plaza Fiesta counterpart. It's very casual, not a sit-down restaurant.Here's what we got:Arepas* Arepa Catira ($6.99) - corn flour dough, grilled, with shredded chicken and Gouda cheese* Arepa Domino ($6.99) - corn flour dough, grilled, with black beans and white cheeseBurgers (not a burger, but in the "Burgers" section of menu)* Venezuelan Hot Dogs ($7.99) - two hot dogs topped with coleslaw corn salad, onions, potato sticks, white cheese, mayo, ketchup, mustard, and house sauces, served with French friesOn the Grill* Mini Parrilla ($18.99) - 6 oz picanha, 6 oz grilled chicken breast, coleslaw salad, French fries, arepitas, cream, and house saucesDrinks* Parchita ($3.50) - passionfruit traditional drink* Chicha ($4.63) - Venezuelan sweet drink made from rice, milk, and cinnamonFor each arepa, you have the option of grilled or fried. We went with grilled.Foodwise, I liked the food I had at the original location better than the food I had at this location. I ordered different items at the original location. However, I could also tell something was different overall between this location and the original. Of course, it could've been any number of things like a different chef/crew. What I'm getting at is, the consistency between the two locations was off based on my experiences (but not significantly).In general, Arepa Grill presents their food beautifully. It's something that helps to set them apart.I actually preferred the Venezuelan Hot Dogs to the Mini Parrilla, when I was expecting the opposite. I love hot dogs and these were well-made. The core hot dogs were standard. It was the toppings and how they were applied that made these dogs special. It was evident there was an extra level of care that was taken in how each dog was dressed. Good stuff.The Mini Parrilla wasn't bad, but I'm not sure I'd order it again. The presentation was nice. The food was served on a wooden cutting board. To me, the picanha steak (sirloin cap) was overcooked. I wasn't asked how I'd like it cooked. It came out well done. The chicken breast was fine. My favorite part of this dish was the arepitas (mini arepas). The slaw and pico de gallo were fresh and yummy.The Chicha drink was like an horchata, but much richer and thicker. I prefer horchata - it's easier to drink.From my visit to the original location, I recommend the Patacon fried plantain sandwich ($8.99) and the Cachapa corn pancake ($8.99-9.99). Tostones and empanadas are also on the menu.Note: There were a couple price differences between what was printed on the menus vs what I was actually charged. The menu showed the Venezuelan Hot Dogs at $6.99, but I was charged $7.99. The menu showed the Chicha at $4.99, but I was charged $4.63. Not a big deal, but discrepancies like this should be corrected.Like my experience at the original location, service could have been better. It might be staffing issues and the employees just being overwhelmed. Can't blame them for that. There was a language barrier between me and the cashier. She was nice, but had trouble understanding me. If the place wasn't so busy, I would've used Google to help me translate. Again, not a big deal. Mila E was the server name that was on my emailed receipt (Toast).TL;DR - Arepa Grill is popular for a reason. It's good.