Rika Arepa Express

Yelp Review 2024 #53:I started following Rika Arepa when they only had a food truck about 10 years ago. A few years ago, they found a small home on Flamingo Road with a few tables and a counter that has Venezuelan/ Latin treats like Pirucream (my favorite and I would always buy at least 3 cans of them even though they're like $7 each), Nucita (basically Nutella in a toothpaste tube), Latin Nestea (less sweet than what you'll get from the local grocery store), PAN (maize flour to make arepas, etc), and chocolates.Arepas are commonly eaten in Colombia, Venezuela, Panama and a few other neighboring countries. They're like corn pancakes married tortillas - slightly sweet soft dough but can hold meat or plantains in the middle. My hotel in Colombia would have them nice and warm for the breakfast buffet and you can slice it and put cheese in the middle to go with your coffee - simple but satisfying.Reina Arepa:Cold shredded chicken breast, mayo, green peas, avocado, and celery. Think chicken salad but in a corn-based bread. Now, I don't like chicken salad because I don't like mayo but I love this. 5/5Pabellon Arepa:Beans, fried plantains, cheese and shredded beef. Think Carne Guisada arepa with fried plantains so you get sweet, caramelly, and savory. 5/5Empanadas:Nice crispy golden brown exterior and the inside is stuffed and loaded with juicy meat. Just by looking at the nice color of their empanadas you'll know it's going to be good. 4/5My Venezuelan friend made me try other things on their menu I would have never tried. And I'm glad I got to try tequeños and cachapa.Tequeños:Bread dough stuffed with cheese then fried. Almost like cheese sticks. They pair well with their red sauce and the green sauce. 4/5Cachapa with Pork:Think corn pancake with ooey gooey melted cheese and folded in half with a side of chicharron. It comes with a small container of cream (some places put margarine). This is like bacon and pancakes but Venezuelan. 4/5Passion Fruit Juice:Passion fruit, maracuya in most Spanish-speaking countries, pachita in Venezuelan Spanish. Tart, mildly sweetened, and refreshing drink. 4/5Green Sauce:Their green sauce deserves recognition. If I could drink this sauce, I would! It pairs well with anything and everything on their menu may it be arepas or tequeños - this garlicky cilantro sauce takes them to the next level of flavor! 5/5The service has always been good. I guess it depends on what vibe you give - it will also be the vibe you get back. You don't need to be Spanish-speaking but if you know some Spanish then, even better. If you're planning on taking a group of 10 people with you, I suggest that you don't and just get food to-go since their space is small.

Great tasting food and the service is excellent. First time trying this place out since I'm came for the SEMA SHOW.

I REALLY try to not have to write a bad review for a mom and pop place, but sadly I have to do it for this Ricka Arepa. The place is small and we were a group of 10. No biggie that we weren't able to sit together. We just broke into 3 groups and took whatever seats were available. You order at the counter, provide your name and they bring the food to you. Every time they brought food out from the kitchen, it seemed like they end up delivering it to the wrong table. They don't call out the name to see where people are sitting. They seem to prefer to guess who has the order. The first item for our order took 45 minutes and we inquired about our drinks...coffee and chicha. The second item came after another 5 minutes and once again, we inquired about our drinks. The last item finally came with the chicha but still no coffee. One of the persons from our group sitting at another table came over and told us to forget about the coffee because it tasted like brown water so we didn't make anymore effort to get the coffee that was already paid for.The people were nice but just SOOOO disorganized. The food was good but, for us, it was definitely not worth the wait and frustration in getting our food and drinks.

It's my second time coming here and the food is so delicious. The areas are so tasty. My favorite is the Pabellon area. I have tried their empanadas also. So yummy. I highly recommend this place.

We love Rika! Come here about every 6 weeks for the delicious food and always feel welcomed by the sweet family who owns it. We've tried several of the menu items and have been pleased with them all. I absolutely recommend starting with tequenos and mandocas. Then try a couple different arepas! The Patacon and cachapas are also favorites. We always get a ton of food and end up taking some home for leftovers. My Venezuelan man approves of Rika, so I feel confident in recommending it to my friends!

We love this local neighborhood gem. Their food is always fresh and we order from here frequently. I recently ordered the Cachapas, their delicious. Nice and fluffy like a pancake, other places fry theirs and make them greasy. Thanks,

The food is incredible, the service is amazing! Such a lovely spot to grab lunch :) I tried it a few months ago and now I cannot stay away!

This is a small place with tables and chairs for indoor dining. The chicken arepa was ok but it mostly tasted like cheese. The chicken wasn't particularly flavorful. I wish there was a spicy option. The arepa itself was kinda tough. Both the chipotle sauce and the green sauce seemed to be mayo based and not spicy at all. I'm not not a fan of mayo on everything. Service was great!

One of the best venezuela food in the city... there a Argentino cashier named Juan Pablo that very professional...

Great arepa options. Love the Reina arepa... with their cilantro lime dressing. Bit pricey but still delicious.