Cafe Azul - Caracas de Ayer

Delicious food! It was our first time coming, and we ordered cheese tequeños, tostones, sirloin arepa (not on the official menu), the queso de mano cachapa, and the Chicha de Arroz drink. The sirloin arepa was my favorite. Absolute perfection. Tostones were great and well-seasoned. The cachapa was a lot bigger than expected, and also very, very sweet -- wish we'd saved it to eat after the arepas instead of eating it first. The tequeños were like nothing I've ever had before, and I can't wait to try the Nutella ones next time!

I'm editing the review because even though the food was good the last time I went there, I heard how the owner was yelling at the employees and people were claiming him for work payments. It was a complete circus. It seems like they don't pay the employees. That shows a lot about a business. This kind of behavior makes me think that no matter how good is a place, the employees are the most important thing. Very disappointed!!!!

Stopped here for dinner First time trying this type of food Overall a pretty good experience w/ the restaurant as a whole Manager was pretty laid back and provided good explanation of everything they had Would definitely be coming back to try different type of arepas The one I tried was pretty good but in my personal opinion wayyy to small but tasty

Had to downgrade the review to four stars. They gave five small slices of sweet plantains for $5. This is not only a strange and unfair price; it is also an error since people in the area know the price of plantains, cook plantains, and buy plantains regularly. See my photo of the plantain side. The Cuban sandwich also had less meat than it used to have.

Delicious place ! Every time I go, I must have at least 2 of everything I eat! Update: Came here again and it never disappoints. This has become a regular spot for me on a weekly basis. The customer service is superb! It is family owned and you see everyone in the family working in the kitchen. The flavor is always there and it’s amazing. Yum!

We had been anxiously awaiting the opening of the new Riverdale location after having visited their previous Hyattsville location. The food is excellent. Cafe Azul’s Cuban sandwich is about the best I’ve ever had. And where have Cachapas been all my life? The sweet corn cakes and delicious fillings are truly outstanding. We’ve tried 6 different items in the two times we’ve been there and all have been terrific. Having said that, don’t expect “fast” food. I guess perfection takes time, and hopefully they’ll work out the kinks and timing, so I’ll keep the 5 stars based on food quality. Being able to order online in advance would be helpful.

Excellent food! Cafe Azul is serving hot, fresh, made-to-order arepas, cachapas, and more. The staff were very friendly and accommodating of customizations. They have both vegetarian and gluten free options. We also tried a sample of the Chica de Arroz, which we would highly recommend trying. The arepas we ordered were hearty and delicious, and we will be returning to try more of their menu items.

Love their arepas and chicks de arroz. Great staff and food, a great lunch place in Maryland/DC. And live the Venezuelan baseball jerseys on the wall!

I hadn't heard of this place before, and it appears to be a new location! I don't eat Venezuelan food often, so I was very excited to see what they had! As I hoped, there were plenty of arepas to choose from. I was hoping to place my order before going to pick it up, but at that time their phone number wasn't working. I went in person, parked in the free garage right behind there and walked in. It smelled WONDERFUL the second I walked in. It was oddly quiet though... just sounds from the kitchen and the subtle movements that be heard with the few other customers at one of the few tables inside. It was a random weekday right in the middle of the day, so that could be it. Anyways, I went to order, and I got two arepas: one black bean & cheese and one reina pepiada (avocado, chicken, mayo)... these were very filling... I barely finished my second one... and by that, I mean it took me a very long time to eat it! But were both delicious?? ABSOLUTELY!! Flavors were abundant and on a normal day one is definitely enough. For $7~$9 that's not bad! There's always room for dessert right? I got their tres leches cake -- mind you, there's a cuatros leches cake on the menu too, but they didn't have it at the time... but that tres leches cake was absolutely delicious! It was sweet, the texture was just right and I could've eaten a lot more... but that would've been bad for me haha. All this to say, these were great first impressions of Cafe Azul. I highly recommend it, either for dine-in or takeout. They have empanadas, sandwiches, rice bowls and much more!

When you're looking for something different to eat besides the usual burger, chicken or pizza this is the place to go near the university of Maryland. There are empanadas tamales soups, Cuban sandwiches there is not one bad thing on the menu. And the owner of the restaurant who is local cannot be more helpful choosing items from the menu you have not tried before. If you're shopping at Whole Foods, which is next-door or anywhere in the area I highly recommend this great family establishment.

I'm so happy they have reopened in this new location (over 2 years since the old one in Hyattsville closed), bringing delicious Venezuelan food back to the area. I love the arepas, made of white corn, griddle cooked to a slightly crispy outside and soft inside, sliced, and filled with a generous amount of savory fillings combinations. I recommend eating it still wrapped in the foil so it doesn't fall apart. The shredded beef filled ones are very flavorful and filling, and for something less heavy I also like the shredded chicken and avocado. They have other tasty handheld foods like empanadas, tequenos, and cachapas. Eventually, there will be soups and rice bowls, which I'm looking forward to trying. The staff are really warm and friendly.

Cafe Azul is an awesome little spot in Riverdale Park. It has really cool Venezuelan decorations, and the food is great! We tried the chicken empanada, a pork arepa, chicha, and a pork rice bowl. We'll definitely return, and we'll ask for extra sauce next time!

Went to this new place with my daughter today! We loved it! Service was absolutely flawless.. they helped us understand what the food was and gave us great recommendations! Gave us a sample of the horchata type drink. Really sweet cashier! Restaurant was spotless and attractive. We tried a lot!! The arepa was really good.. there was a sweet corn pancake taco type thing that was okay. The empanadas were the bomb!! The tequenos (cheese and guava) were delicious but rich! The tres leche cake was not that good sadly.. but they can't be great at everything!! Lol I would absolutely return! Thank you for the great experience!

YAY, they're open! I'm glad they reopened from their old location. Great food! Arepas and empanadas are fresh!

The tostones (crispy fried green plantain) and the arepa de pabellon (corn meal "hamburger" filled with shredded beef, black beans, sweet plantain and cheese) were absolutely awesome. The tequeños with the green sauce were disappointing.

Hyattsville's loss is Riverdale Park's gain. Nice inside and great friendly service. They were passing out samples of chicha de arroz - a sweet milk drink with cinnamon - and I had to order it. It was rich and creamy and delicious. I also ordered a pork arepas with the softer cheese and tomato. The owner asked if I minded waiting while he made the arepas fresh. It was well worth the wait. Lightly crisp on the outside and soft and flavorful inside with juicy pork and tomato - yum. I highly recommend dropping in. Check out their website. It has pictures of the menu items, which was helpful because they weren't familiar to me. I suspect everything is delicious.

So glad Cafe Azul is open again! We had lunch yesterday and enjoyed empanadas, the asada beef bowl, and the pork arepa.

Delicious food, my favorite is the arepas of shredded beef. I order this all the time.

We stopped here on one way to the airport and loved it! The inside is decorated so pretty, the service was quick and friendly and the food was some of the best Mexican food I've ever had! We will be back next time we are going to or from the airport!

Great food, nice, clean ambiance and great service. The beef arepa was a highlight. The only thing I would ask is that they start offering tap water ($3 for a Kirkland bottle feels like robbery!)

Fantastic place and service. Food is fresh and tasty. I love the reina pepiada arepa, but everything on their menu is great. Highly recommended.

Home-made quality delicious. New business working to build customer base--highly recommend supporting so they can keep offering that yum yum yum!

After hearing a lot of great things about Cafe Azul and anticipating it reopening, I was excited to visit. However, I'm not sure what I'm missing, because the food was mediocre at best. I ordered a variety of things - the Cuban sandwich (extremely dry), the guava and cheese tequeno (bland), chicken empanada (dry) and tostones (very salty). Disappointing, but at least I got to give it a try.

Cafe Azul is a great neighborhood gem that I highly recommend checking out! The food is authentic, homemade and delicious. For my first time trying Venezuelan food, I was pleasantly surprised with the variety of options and fantastic customer service! This is a place I will be visiting again and again.