La Arepa

This most recent visit was not quite as satisfying because of customer service. It seems that because the ordering is "self-serve" the female staff member couldn't be bothered with a question. When she finally did have time for providing "customer service", I was told I would have to select my dietary request for vegan, specifically no dairy option, for my entree and it should be on the screen. I went back through to try and edit my order, even asked my daughter to look at the screen to see if I had missed something somewhere and there was no option available to select vegan/no cheese or even to put it on the side. When I told the female staff member that, she rolled her eyes and half listened to the vegan request for the veggie paticons. We only received one of the two paticons prepared as vegan. The other entrees that were ordered were fine. So if you are vegan OR have a dairy allergy I'd recommend ordering from another restaurant OR using the food truck's website not placing your order on site. If not, you're s.o.l. As mentioned, the food truck website does give the different dietary options, however, if ordering there on-site be prepared for less than half-hearted customer service. If it were not for the customer service on this most recent visit, I would recommend this food truck more. But there are other options available in the food truck park with far better customer service which is a vital part of getting repeat business.

Venezuelan food truck with a big menu. We got the Arepa #9 Pabellon Arepa and Tostones with Chicken. The arepa is the standout in that it was the first arepa I've had that did not crack or fall apart while eating it. Everything in it including the shredded beef, cotija cheese and plantains made the entire arepa experience very 🤤 The arepa prices are probably more on the expensive side. The Tostones was okay except the chicken was dry but that was easily fixed with the salsa we got from the arepa. There are vegetarian and vegan options for some of the menu items.

It was really good food , had a few of the dishes, and tasted very good , The menu is very interactive and detailed with pictures that show details in the food that are accurate with the real plate , interactio when ordering is great you can add sauces and extras in the plate all in the screen and see prices , service was great ,location has parking and other options to eat and plenty to sit down .. a 5 straight.

Delicious Arepas! The guacsalsa is super yummy too.

Had my first ever Arepa at this gem of a spot in Portland and it was AMAZING. For first timers, I suggest trying their classic shredded beef arepa. We got the guasacaca sauce and cotija cheese. I must say, prepare to have cotija cheese beard crumbs on your face. haha Jose was super friendly and taught us some Venezuelan lingo- will definitely be back and will recommend to our friends!

I visited this pod with my wife, and we each shared items from different carts. Being the smart one in the family, my wife chose La Arepa, and went with their Shredded Chicken Arepa as her choice. The wait for her food turned out to be much shorter than the expected few minutes, as a fresh Arepa happened to be immediately available. This meant that I ended up trying to grab more than my share as the other order from a different cart took a bit longer to materialize. This allowed me to appreciate the flavor, and, for me, the wonderful combination of textures in La Arepa's cooking. Between the arepa itself, the chicken, and the cheese (Cotija?) that came on top, every bite told a lovely and varied story. I'm very much looking forward to exploring more of their menu.

Food was freaking fantastic - had the tostenes and they were a delight. I still can't decided which sauce i liked the best.

--- empanadas --- ❤️Shredded beef ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - a great basic ❤️Pabellon ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I like this slightly more than the shredded beef for some reason? - felt like the texture was better, but I would order both, honestly Chicken ⭐⭐⭐✨ - not as flavorful as the others, but lets the sauce shine through - order the Picante Blanco (Medium) Buttermilk, Habanero sauce with this, it isn't spicy at all, but it pairs well. Cheese ⭐⭐ - not super worth it - was a little soggy and not the gooey cheesy pull I was expecting - air fried it when I got home and it improved the taste --- sauces --- Guasacaca (Mild) Avocado, Green bell pepper, Cilantro, Onion, Garlic, Lime, veg. oil ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Garlic (Mild) Garlic, Mayo, Cilantro ⭐⭐⭐ Rosada (Mild) Ketchup, Mayo, salt & pepper ⭐⭐✨ Picante Blanco (Medium) Buttermilk, Habanero ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I had a pabellón arepa. It was so delicious and really filing. Definitely worth $10. And the person who took my order was super helpful. He said one arepa would be enough and recommended I try it with the garlic sauce! The garlic sauce was a perfect compliment to my meal. Love the barley pod food carts.

I visited this pod with my wife, and we each shared items from different carts. Being the smart one in the family, my wife chose La Arepa, and went with their Shredded Chicken Arepa as her choice. The wait for her food turned out to be much shorter than the expected few minutes, as a fresh Arepa happened to be immediately available. This meant that I ended up trying to grab more than my share as the other order from a different cart took a bit longer to materialize. This allowed me to appreciate the flavor, and, for me, the wonderful combination of textures in La Arepa's cooking. Between the arepa itself, the chicken, and the cheese (Cotija?) that came on top, every bite told a lovely and varied story. I'm very much looking forward to exploring more of their menu.

Wow. Blew me away. So delicious. Got #9, the avocado, plantains, beans and shredded beef one. Pretty to look at and just wholesome flavors. Tasty, crispy but soft, masa "buns." So yummy all together. Pricy for $9, but the flavors are real! The salad was also pretty good - Venezuelan cole slaw. $3

If you are looking for some authentic Venezuelan food this is the spot to go! Generous sized empanadas and arepas. So delicious and definitely worth a stop.

Wow, what a gem. I've never had anything so simple and flavorful before. The cold chicken salad is wonderful, hot and crispy corn shell and perfectly seasoned chicken, not to mention travels well. 20 minutes later, still warm shell and not soggy. They've got frying down to a science! Food feels light and not greasy. Highly recommend to anyone who likes good food at a crazy reasonable price. Like seriously, you got 7 bucks? You got lunch! Have to give them respect for keeping their prices fair. A lot of carts now are getting really expensive, and while I totally get rising prices and overhead, part of the experience of street food is that it's less expensive because your not paying for atmosphere, and you can try more and different items, in my opinion. Fast and friendly. Some of the menu items may not be familiar to most people, but they make trying new things less intimidating and have a really nice menu with full pictures, really helpful when choosing items. Will be back soon. Dreaming of that chicken salad.

SLAPS. The reina pepiada is so good. I want to move to Portland just to eat these forever, everyday, 24/7. I've never had an arepa like it.

Obsessed with this food cart! I love the beef and cheddar arepa and the appetizer that basically just plantain with cotija blew my mind. You also can't go wrong with a plate of tostones and a quesillo for dessert. I dream of this food.

We were here for the ramen cart next door, but unfortunately it was closed (for unknown reason). Frustrated and hungry, we turned to La Arepa for some deliciousness! Since I'd never tried Venezuelan food, I decided to turn to the picture menu for extra information. I ended up getting Pabellón Criollo and my bf got a Arepa to go. My Pabellón Criollo was good, I like the plantains with the rice, bean and pulled beef. I also like my rice topped with the egg. While I do like my dish, I was really impressed by the Arepa! The grilled cornmeal bread has this airy, chewy and crunchy texture that totally surprised me. I was hooked but I didn't want to eat my bf's entire sandwich... Next time I'm going to order 3 Arepa. Yes, that's my plan!

Ultra-flavorful Venezuelan favorites like arepas are served up in the unassuming food cart in a pod in North East. This truck, manned by one guy, who is so friendly and has incredible sweat equity, is dishing out really great options like the #9: an arepa with black beans, plantains, shredded beef, avocado and more. Plus, he can recommend salsa for the different dishes on the menu out of the 4 he makes. Both of the salsas I ate with my arepa, which was huge and initially too hot to pick up, went really beautifully with the components. It was savory, salty, sweet, crunch, chewy, all of the things. I really want to try more menu items like some of the plated meals that I recognized. The wait time is really long during meal times, but just grab a beer at Baerlic and chill out until it's ready.

The food here was AMAZING! So flavorful, and juicy. I've never been to Venezuela pero I'm sure this is as authentic as it gets. We got some pabellón and beef arepas and all of the ingredients went so well together. The cornmeal that the arepas are made with have a slight sweetness that would make them delicious all on their own! We also tried the pabellón criollo and everything was made to perfection. I'd would highly recommend visiting this spot and staying awhile to enjoy the flavors. Definitely coming back, and on top of it all the people were so kind! Thank you

REALLY good food! I mean, these arepas are seriously the best I've ever had. The only thing that really teeters me on a 4 star review is the inconsistency with hours of operation. I've visited 3 times the last month during their posted open hours, at both locations, to find them randomly closed. I seriously love their food though, so I keep coming back!

Amazing authentic Venezuelan food! Great service from Jose, make sure to check this spot out. Cute comfortable outdoor tables in a food truck court.

Hot,fresh food and nice people. I come here on weekdays, weekends, early or late, always great quality.

I frequent this cart pod often but had yet to try La Arepa. I had been curious for a while so I decided to try it yesterday. Let me just say this food is amazing. Not only is it healthy but the flavors were off the hook! The service was on point. My new favorite place if I'm looking for a casual breakfast or lunch. I'm gonna get it again today because I simply can't stay away.

Hot, delicious, great portions and amazing service! I got the loaded beef empanada and it was amazing!!

Probably closer to a 3.5, but workers were nice, so I'll bump it up. Honestly though, my biggest issue is the portion of food you get for what you pay for. I compared it to other food I got, and this was meager and skimpy. As for the actual food itself. The Beef arepa was pretty good. The meat could have used a little more flavor, but the corn meal bread is pretty dope tasting.. I also like that when you check in, you get a lil something to show appreciation. You get choice of beans or "salad." I got the salad, which turned out to be cole slaw. I'm not a big cole slaw fan, so it was whatever for me. However it was nice to get it free. Overall, I was curious to try Venezuelan food since I've never had it. I do like the arepa, but think $5 for what I got would be a better price for it. If you've ever wanted to try Venezuelan food, check this spot

Excellent hot arepas and friendly staff--I was impressed by the attentiveness of the young man taking our order and by the pairings of arepas and sauces that he suggested (in our case, la rubia and el perico). We'll be back--this place is a neighborhood treasure!

The food was absolutely delicious and full of flavor and it was super fun just to chat with chef who was full of enthusiasm and hospitality, taking the time to share recommendations and all about Venezuelan food! We'll definitely be back!

Naguaraaa Pana . This spot is it for Venezuelan comfort food. The atmosphere is chill and open, and the food is delicious! The pabellon y Reina pepiadaa are BANGIN.

Owner and staff are amazingly friendly. Food is always delicious and well-priced. A super dining experience at The Zed location.

We were feeling like some Latin/South American flavors for dinner and ordered delivery from here. I was DELICIOUS! I took leftovers to work for lunch (I teach high school and have SEVERAL students from Venezuela) and some of my students confirmed it's legitimacy as authentic Venezuelan cuisine. We will be ordering from here again!

Lack of Quality of food, inconsistency, overpriced makes this place garbage. Owners don't seem to care about theses issues. I took my mom here and I was embarrassed for taking her here. Empanadas we're soggy and under cooked. The cook didn't care and didn't offer to remake the food. Just like everything in this city, just a trash product and overhyped.

I've always wanted to try Arepas but have never had the opportunity until today. I ordered the Pabellón Arepa, Plátano Frito, and the Quesillo. Everything was super delicious. The arepa it's self reminded me of these fried quesadillas my mom makes. The fillings were great and the shredded beef was seasoned well. The Quesillo really reminded of flan. This place has set the bar for arepas and I'm looking forward to my next trip to PDX to eat these again.

This cart has lasted, yet I rarely see any customers. The Arepas take ten minutes to make and you can taste the freshness. I've been satisfied with the few varieties I tried, today it was a tilapia mixture that popped with flavor. It's cliche to complain about prices (there are so few places that scream value), here the price to portion ratio is poor. Most would probably need two Arepas to satisfy as a lunch so including a drink you're at $20. I'll go for something indoor for that amount of coin. They offer your choice of creative hot sauces which is a nice touch. Unfortunately, I wasn't partial to the buttermilk one. The lady was very friendly. Right across the path I often order one of the best breakfast burritos around for $6.50. It's filling enough that I often split it into two meals, so the price ratio is super.

Loved both the shredded beef and chicken arepas. Hubby and I both commented that the beef was juicier than the chicken but both had excellent flavors. Got a side of black beans with cheese which was a perfect light meal for the two of us.

Here's the thing, the food here is good. When you can get it. The last three times I have ordered food I've gotten a version of, just sold the last one, oh we're out of that, or nooooo we cant make that right now with no excuse or reason at all. I end up getting a plain bean and cheese version (delicious) almost every time because we're out of fish, or out of plantains. I would like to try something else (without meat, that's my thing). I probably won't try again. Last time I was trying to impress a date and then got this, "we only have enough for one of those." Come on.

Point of sale system made my order get lost for quite awhile, but when brought to the cook's attention, he genuinely cared and did his best and got my order out as soon as possible, and took extra care to get my order right. I'd been craving arepas for so long, and the chicken arepa and beef empanada were delicious and such good gluten free options

Veronica, This happened 2 months ago, when I left the review. In the afternoon if I remember correctly but about 60% of the time my order is messed up somehow and staff are always dismissive.

This was the first time I tried Venezuelan food and it was amazing. I ordered both the beef arepa and empanada so I could compare them. It was so hard to decide which one was better. I guess, if you like more "bread" to filling, and want a crunchy corn-based crust then go with the empanada. The arepa was also amazing, but my son ate most of it, so I'll probably have to get it again (poor me) The food was fresh and flavorful, and the beef was so tender and juicy. I'm definitely going back.

Amazing authentic arepa's! Great customer service and nice ppl. The spiciest salsa is perfect and I wish it was bottled for me to put on everything.

Food is wonderful, but it will be so greasy that it will leak through the bag they give you, I didn't realize how bad it was leaking all on our car seat. When the older woman is working we don't like to eat here because she takes very long and is very rude about it. The younger man working is amazing, extremely kind and thoughtful, and always has it done in under ten minutes. We eat here a lot so this is just my experience! But I do not appreciate how rude the woman is every time. --- response to your response - there is definitely an older woman working at the halsey location. i go all of the time. i know it's la arepa. even the young boy has been working the same time as her. if you are the manager how do you not know who is working for you?

Venezuelan food how I have missed you. Arepas, tequenos, beans with cotija cheese. So good and it's been many, many years since I've had anything like this. A La Carts are an interesting little pod. Native American food, Himalayan food, a tattoo cart and a beauty salon plus some usual standards like Thai, Mexican, Korean, burgers, bbq, Vietnamese, and two chicken places. Get your hair done while you enjoy a bahn mi or bbq chicken. Get a tat while enjoying a mushroom burger or tacos. It could work. I went with La Arepa mainly because I hadn't eaten that cuisine in a long, and I mean long time. At least 15 years, I think. Texas didn't have that type of fare, or at least I never found it and I know I had some while working in NYC. Good food but a little small for what you pay. I got a shredded beef arepa for $6 and the meat was tender and flavorful in it's little bread pocket but I wished there was more. The black beans with cotija cheese were $2 and it was a good amount for a side. They were actually a little on the sweet side. The tequeno was essentially a fried cheese stick $2, just one. But it wasn't mozzarella cheese and it was fried differently and the cheese also had a sweet quality to it. I got a side of salsa picante verde that wasn't that spicy but had a great taste to it and was even a little creamy. All in all, a great experience and I definitely will return there soon. Enjoy.

So freaking amazing!! My daughter & I both loved what we had (Arepa & Empanada). We don't eat beef or pork but their chicken is so tasty!!!

This was such a treat! I have never had Venezuelan food before and this really hit the spot! I ordered the main dish PABELLÓN CRIOLLO. This was a nice spread of a few different items. Seasoned shredded beef with some killer flavor, white rice topped with an egg, black beans, avocado slices, fried plantains, and cotija cheese. Plenty of food for $10. Can of coke for $1. I really enjoyed this meal and would come back again for sure. The owners are very friendly and it was wonderful comfort food. They have empanadas and arepas to try as well.

Really bomb food, really terrible service. Harry Potter in there is STRESSED. But usually worth the passive aggression for a bomb sandwich.

Venezuelan food?!?!! It's about time! :-) I had already ordered a lunch when I sauntered by to check out the new cart (opened 2 weeks ago) so instead of getting a full meal I decided to just try their Quesillo dessert. For only $2, it was delcious and the perfect compliment to my lunch entree! A smooth, creamy, custardy-quieche-ish slice of pie made with eggs, milk, vanilla, & caramel, topped with a pice of pineapple... SO GOOD! ^_^ I can't wait to try their arepas and see how they stack up against Fuego De Lotus (the current arepa king in my book :-)

We tried the Pabellon & Reina Pepiada arepas, both grilled and they were delicious! Definitely will come back next time I visit!

Holy yum! Fresh, Made to order arepas and the plate we got was such a great value at $12 total. My new favorite place to get quick arepas.

I absolutely love arepas and was really excited to find this place. We ordered a sampling of things - empanada, plantain, arepa, and black beans + rice. Everything was delicious! The plantain was more on the savory side than I had expected, with cotija cheese on top, but it was really tasty. The empanada was gigantic, which is not a complaint as it was delicious! I will definitely order from La Arepa again!

New cart, new location, same fantastic food, formerly at the Rose City Park Food Park on Sandy, now part of the The Barley Pod Food Park on Halsey and NE 60th. Glad they stayed in the neighborhood!

Great food here, and you can enjoy it with a Baerlic beer. Great taste, good value with a full meal. Have had arepas, empanadas, and pabellon criollo and enjoyed all with great flavor and good portion size. Great service with pagers to let you know your food is ready.

This place brought new worlds to my tastebuds. They gave us a few little bun-donut things, as a free starter, and from that moment I was hooked!! Their empanadas were a savory dessert treat, sweet, smooth, and just the right amount fried. The arepas were great. Try their specials, and add the salsa they give for amazing flavor. Our favorite was the beef panaton. I can't describe, just mouthfuls of wondrous beef flavor and delight. Simple looking, but gorgeous inside. Will visit Portland as soon as we can again just to visit again.

This little food truck is great. They have really good quality Venezuelan food and drinks. The are very friendly and welcoming and the food came out really really fast!! First time in Portland, Oregon and I'll recommend anyone to try it out!!

YUMMM!!! Their arepas are excellent!! I even took a few to go to satisfy the likely cravings that would coke later. The quality and seasoning of the meat is really good. Very good customer services. If you haven't tried Venezuelan arepas or haven't had one in a while, you must go here! A+++!

Just ate the #15 meal and it was so simple, delicious, with excellent fresh ingredients. Really friendly folks. The fried plantains are amazing. Highly recommended!

Thank you, La Arepa, for being the first place in all of Portland to truly capture the most authentic arepas/patacons I've had here. As a Miami native, I've tried all the arepa-serving places in town, and this is the only place that actually tasted familiar to me. I will continue to order from you whenever I'm feeling homesick. Super impressed with the patacon. Having a crispy, but not rock hard tostone is hard to come by. As someone who makes Venezuelan arepas at home, and has ordered them weekly for most of my life in Miami, this place gets my #1 recommendation when I want to show people in PDX what an authentic Venezuelan/Colombian arepa tastes like.

This place is delicious! Had the beef arepa with all the fixings on it as well as some tostones with chicken. Will definitely eat here again soon.

I have to second Bryan I's assessment of La Arepa. An amazing array of delicious arepas and side dishes! I was a little overwhelmed by the massive arepa selection, but finally decided on shredded beef arepa ($6). I also ordered a taqueño ($2). The beef arepa served piping hot was excellent. Nicely seasoned with paprika, onion and pepper, it had a juicy buttery flavor. For the price, it was a generous portion too. The taqueño has a fried dough exterior and a cheese interior. For 50¢, you can add ham. The tasty a-little-bit-crunchy exterior is a cross between a doughnut and a scone from the Puyallup Fair. Very very nice. The inside is a soft melted white cheese. I only had one, but could have eaten many more! The menu indicates that the taqueño is a popular dish at Venezuelan weddings and parties. I aver that the arepas here are as good as those from Fuego De Lotus, there's no doubt about that!

This by far my favorite foodcart in Portland tasty, fresh cook food. I highly recommend their natural drinks. GF empanadas, arepas, and cachapas if what I always have

Fast and kind service. Most importantly DELICIOUS food. I got the pabellon arepa. Crispy arepa, flavorful chicken, yummy black beans, and Cotija gave it a nice pop. It was on smaller side so I was still peckish, luckily my friend shared her veggie patacon (fried plantain sandwich) which had some seemingly odd ingredient choices but was delicious. It had veggie, avocado, and pickles?? We couldn't quite understand how it all worked together, but I polished my half right off. Will be back for more!