La Cocinita Restaurant Evanston

I’ve been here a few times and the food had always been fresh and tasty. Today was the first time I visited their new location. It’s nice to see the clean/open new space and an open kitchen, but they were clearly understaffed. It took me 50min to get my to go order and the restaurant was only half full. There’s one guy who had to run between the kitchen and the tables. Most of the time I couldn’t find anyone at the register or in the dining area so I couldn’t even ask someone. Hope they’ll do better in the future.

I ordered the El Pabellon arepas, "the Venezuelan national dish", and enjoyed it. They have red and green salsa in bottles on the table. The arepas are served on a metal tray covered in paper, and the cornmeal patties are a little hard to cut through, so you end up cutting the paper below; be careful not to eat it if you don't consider paper an ingredient that goes well with the brisket, black beans, sweet plantains, queso fresco and cremita. They have vegetarian options too, like the brisketless el pabellon for a dollar less, or the one with seared tofu and avocado.

Stopped in here the first night my colleague and I arrived in Evanston for work. Service was fantastic and the food was even better! Fresh and delicious ingredients. A few days later, we grabbed lunch here before catching our evening flight out of O’Hare, and managed to bring an additional colleague who also loved it. I’m sure everything on the menu is great, but we tried the El Pabellon, La Llanera, and La Safrina arepas — all fantastic! Also with some chips, salsa, and margaritas. I think about these arepas at least once a week. Can’t wait to return the next time I’m in Evanston. 🙌

Friendly staff, modern environment, affordable, plenty of vegetarian options, and a lovely drink menu! Our empanadas were hearty and filling, my husband's margarita was perfection, and I was in heaven with my Passion Fruit Agua Fresca!

Super friendly service and top notch food! The La Safrina and La Reina Pepiada Arepas were fantastic, as was the bread pudding dessert. Highly recommend!

Food, service and atmosphere were great. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Not to busy when we went (about 2pm). We stayed for a while after eating, had some cocktails and chatted. Wonderful place, highly recommend!

don't order the carne asada. half of the meat is actually just inedible gristle and the portion size does not justify it being $16

Arepitas were DELICIOUS!! We ordered 1 order and wish I had the appetite for more. Service was also excellent. Would definitely want to come back.

My experience with La Cocinita has been exclusively through delivery, and they've consistently impressed me every time. After a while since my last order, I decided to try their La Llanera arepa with a side of rice and beans. The arepa was simply delightful; the carne asada was perfectly cooked with just the right seasoning, and the addition of guasacaca and cheese tied everything together beautifully. The meal was incredibly filling, with two generously-sized arepas. Even the rice and beans were flavorful, far from bland. Overall, La Cocinita is an excellent choice for lunch, and I'm looking forward to dining in sometime soon. Note: Unfortunately I forgot to snap pictures of the meal but they did a good job with packaging

Great Arepas in a Cozy Spot If you're looking for tasty Venezuelan arepas, this place is worth checking out. The food was really good, with authentic flavors that hit the spot. The restaurant is on the smaller side, and it was a little warm inside when we went, so next time I might take the food to an outdoor area, which seems like it would be a nice option. Overall, it's a great casual spot to grab a bite, especially if you enjoy Venezuelan-style arepas.

Excellent food! Kind staff. Only heads up is for these warm summer months is that they do not have a/c in the restaurant however there is great outside seating down the street. Would return and recommend!

A small joint in Evanston that has some killer arepas. Ordered a La Llanera Arepas to go, but subbed the fried arepas with non-fried ones. These were pretty good. Places are usually stingier when it comes to carne asada, but La Cocinita's arepas came stuffed with lots of perfectly charred asada. Lots of Guac inside and diced tomatoes. Also look at that charred melted cheese crisp on top. For less than $15 post tax for this, this was totally worth it. Very filling and fantastic quality. While the place is tiny, they have a few tables there if you want to dine in. But most people take out. Overall, a super casual no-frills spot for arepas, bowls, and even tacos. Highly rec.

Holy arepas!! This food was so good! I got the Venezuelan sampler and I would definitely recommend if you want to try multiple things. The cheesy empanada will NOT let you down on the cheese. The cheese pull was crazy. I will totally come back here.

I'm so happy to have an arepa joint in the neighborhood! The last time I was here was 6 years ago and I'm overdue for a review. La Cocinita is a solid spot for Venezuelan if in Evanston. The crowd favorites are the El Pabellon Arepas packed with shredded marinated beef stuffed in a fried to a crisp maize dough. It is simply amazing and worth a try. My personal favorite is the Venezuelan sampler where you get a taste of cheese empanada, guasacaca (guacamole), an El Pabellon Arepa and Pork Patacones. Don't forget the dessert! It's been months since I last had churros and the churros paired with caramel sauce is a nice way to finish off a meal. Head chef and owner Benoit Angulo has an impressive background competing on several major cooking shows (I.e. Top Chef), at one point serving as the personal chef for actor Sylvester Stallone. Street parking is spotty on the weekends especially since you're competing for parking with highrise condo residents and NU students. It can be challenging but your best bet is to find parking in the Church street public garage about a block or two away from the restaurant. Pro Tip: Sundays are the best times to go because parking in the garage is free!

A very small place, with ~ 4 tables available to dine in. Everything is freshly made since it tasted like it, plus it took a long while to get our food. The service was very nice, the prices were solid for what we got. But the main ingredient - the food? Divine. Best arepas I've had in a long, long while and I've tried them on all the coasts and midwest scenes I've lived in and visited. The arepas were cooked to perfection - with a slight bite/crunch on the outside but softer on the inside, enveloping the ingredients. You get two arepas to an order - if you've got a big appetite you might want to order a yuca fries or something on the side, but two arepas for me worked out great. We got the el pabellon (brisket arepas), la sifrina (chicken) arepas, and the la llanera (carne asada) arepas. Every single one was amazingly good, had its own seasoning notes, and unique taste profile. But the sifrina was actually the best, with a bit of tartness to it with the cheese, it was the perfect balance against the richer meats. Would love to come back, just need to build in extra time or get it to go in advance!

My friend who is a major foodie (she is also Yelp Elite) recommended this place in Evanston when I wanted to try something fast but delicious. I've had Venezuelan food before and loved the spices and was craving arepas. I was so delighted to find this restaurant. It is easy to find and has a giant red sign with white letters. The inside is no-nonsense. I love that you can order really quickly and they will bring your food out right away. I ordered the Pabellon and my friend ordered the Venezuelan sampler and the food was delicious and generously portioned. The Pabellon sandwich was flavorful and it comes with two (one for next time). My friend also ordered the yummiest churros for dessert which honestly was some of the best I've ever had. The only gripe I had was that they did not have Horchata (which I was craving) even though it's on their menu. Street Parking can also be hard to find (but there is a huge structure within walking distance). Definitely recommend this place!

Came here for lunch. We ordered one El Pabellon and one El Pabellon Vegetariano. Both were absolutely delicious! We will come back with the kids to try some more items and some of the desserts.

I absolutely love this restaurant. The food here is probably my favorite in Evanston. I feel like it is always very reliable, with good portions for the price. Also, the restaurant always sends out some promo codes in their emails, so I'm always more inclined to order :) Honestly, everything on their menu is so good, but I love the steak tacos. The filling in the taco is just the best combination and they always accommodate customizations as well!

Food is 4 stars Business is 1 star If you eat at the restaurant, it's great - sparse decor but who cares: arepas are delicious. Our problem has been in trying to order for pickup multiple times over the last month. First we tried with the website and it was horrible so we gave up. Tried another time by just calling directly but after waiting on hold for 7 minutes we gave up.

I really enjoyed the Pabellon Arepas I ordered! They were flavorful, juicy, and well filled. The Pabellon had good savory flavor from the shredded beef, but also a hint of sweetness from the plantains. I asked for hot sauce, but I don't think it went too well with the Arepas. I would definitely get this again and something different from here!

Ironically the best tacos in Evanston are across the street from Whole Foods in this sleeper storefront!

The arepas! They are magical. The food is flavorful and delicious. I highly recommend the beef arepas.

The food was great. Very tasty and authentic. The food is not pre-prepared, so depending on the quantities of your order, it may take a bit to come out. Well worth the wait!

Great food! So tasty that it's kinda a bummer the service takes so long. If it wasn't for waiting 30 minutes for my food I would recommend this endlessly. The place is also small so maybe not the best place to sit in and dine. If you want good food, call ahead and take out.

We catered from la cocinita and everyone loved the food. The brisket arepas were loved by all, as was the cheese empanadas, and the patacones. A huge bonus was that we were ordering for 20 people but one cannot eat gluten, and everything was GF. We also got the Venezuelan version of flan along with rice and beans. A crowd pleaser for sure. I so appreciated their attentiveness and flexibility as I think we changed our order about 5 times before we finalized it.

Arepas are so flavorful (and filling)! The El Pabellon vegetariano is my favorite. The plantains are a perfect mix with the black bean. The empanadas are tasty as well.

Was blown away from the food here. Stopped in with my mom. Dining area was small so be aware if a large group! Everything was made fresh to order and was beyond great. Can't wait to eat here again!!!

We ordered for take out. I am partly of Colombian descent and saw arepas and got excited! We figured we'd give it a shot. Husband and I ordered: El pabellon arepas (shredded beef stuffed arepas), Carne asada patacones ( tostones sándwich pretty much with a yummy slaw, and good ole flan for dessert! Maybe I'm used to Colombian arepas.. alone I found them a tad flavorless HOWEVER, the mixture of flavors they were stuffed with(cheese, black beans, shredded beef, plátano (sweet plantain) made for a South American festival in my mouth! On to the patacones... pieces of steak (a bit chewy so for those that are picky about fatty pieces, you may not appreciate this dish) pickled slaw, cheese sandwiched between two tostones (crisp fried plantain) DELICIOUS! We are excited to come back and try more! The way these chefs combined flavors is perfection!!

Stopped in for first time this fall (9.12.22), while dropping off my daughter at Northwestern. We shared the Venezuelan Sampler, Maduros and Fried Yucca. It was all delicious, my favorites were the cheese empanada, the pork pataconcitos, and of course the sweet plantanos.

The VALUE here is awesome! I love their tacos! Ironic that my 2nd fav tacos ( Tomate Fresh are the BEST) come from a Venezuelan take out place! The tacos are always perfectly presented with just the right proportions of rice and black beans, generous stewed chicken, pork or veggeis, ( haven't had the beef) with crunchy cabbage and salsa on top! Avoid the guac ( sadly tastes pre-made). The tostones and yuca fries are always perfect too!

Best food ever! Got the Venezuelan sampler, brisket tacos and steak tacos. Everything is amazing!!

I instinctually said some choice words upon my first bite. Easy to say I will be coming back, hopefully soon!

Powerful stuff Flan is really quite something Beans and rice are extraordinary By Grabthar's hammer- what a savings.

Amazing Pabellon Incrsdible the creamy sauce w the rich deep brisket and bright plantain One of the best things I have eaten ever Delicious Empanadas are good come with a good sauce The pork empanada is great as well But pabellon is the best Fish tacos are good too Wonderful women owned Venezuelan restaurant Highly recommend

Food and service was awesome will be coming back again to try the rest of the menu I had the build your bowl with chicken and brisket

One of our go-to spots in Evanston! The arepas are fantastic and filling, especially for the price. In particular, I like the Llanera since it's a good blend of veggies and meat. Definitely worth coming for a quick bite.

Updating my review to add that their food has become very salty, especially their pulled chicken. It's difficult to eat. The rest of their food is very good but I wish they paid attention to how much salt they use in some dishes.

So good! Love the pork arepas. I've been ordering for delivery and they do get a bit soggy during the drive. But I still love them.

Overall the food was good. I tried an arepa, a taco, and an empanada. The arepa was good, I loved everything about it except for the bread. The braised brisket tacos were good but a little greasy for my liking. I wasn't a fan of the empanada. My favorite thing from here was definitely the churros, they were so good!

Best Venezuelan food next to northern suburbs. I tried Arepa shredded beef and cheese with black beans (EL PABELLON AREPAS) IT WAS DELICIOUS. I went there back again for the same and received the same quality. Small dining in but I got to go. I'll be back to try the rest of the menu

Okay so we were in the area with our girls on a Saturday night and decided to try this place out as we didn't want the usual American cuisine and wanted to venture out. You order here, get a number and wait till your food comes out! We got a bunch of different things to try and overall everything was yummy! For the main dish we tried the arepas because the sweet lady working up front suggested them and those were very tasty, whatever corn based dough they were using was super tasty! Then we got the steak tostones with the cole slaw and those were also very tasty! I got some chicken empanadas, rice and beans and yuca fries for my girls which were all good but I have so say they weren't my favorite. I felt like the empanadas could use more of a kick, the rice was a little heavy on the beans and the yuca fries could have been a little crispier! But no worries, all food was eaten by us so that wasn't a problem! Kind of brought me back to my dads in South America, definitely had some yummy stuff and I'm sure I'd stop by again if I was in the area!

We had La Cocinita cater the late night bite for our wedding and their arepas were a huge hit! They drove their food truck to our venue in St. Charles, Illinois, cooked the arepas on location, plated them in portable containers, and had a staff member serve them to our guests. The wedding was two weeks ago and we are still getting comments about how guests wished they would have eaten more arepas! The arepas were absolutely authentic and delicious and we can't wait to go back to eat them again. One of our favorite aspects of the whole catering process was how easy it was to work with the team. We set up a tasting with Rachel a few months before the wedding and she did a great job introducing us to their menu, answered all of our questions, and seamlessly integrated the arepas into our wedding plan. The team was incredibly responsive via email and always very professional. We highly recommend this place for its great food and amazing catering! Photo credit: Ben Ramos Photography

Delicious Venezuelan inspired street food! They have two food trucks, one from New Orleans and another in Chicago. They offer brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from opening until 3, so we decided to give it a try! We got the Venezuelan cachapas ($10) with pulled pork, which consists of sweet corn pancakes topped with cheese, choice of protein and a sunny side egg. Your choices of protein are chicken, pulled pork, chorizo, steak (+$1), black beans & queso fresco, or roasted sweet potatos and black beans. This was AMAZING. I can't even describe it, you just have to try it. We also got the breakfast arepas ($9) with steak, which is Venezuelan cornmeal patties stuffed with scrambled eggs, cheese, and once again, choice of protein. This comes with two, so it is easy to share! They are kind of like little breakfast burgers- a little messy to eat, but worth it. You order at the counter and they are very friendly and helpful! Lots of table seating as well as a small counter facing the street for people watching. They also offer wine, cocktails and beer, so this would be a great place to meet with friends. Edit: I almost want to dock a star for their empanadas- do NOT get them. They are $3 EACH and they are so tiny. Totally not worth it. They're not even that good- very little filling. Also, skip on the chipotle mac and cheese. Also tiny. I think I only like the brunch here, would not recommend any appetizers or sides!

This place is SO GOOD. I was in the mood for arepas as I hadn't had them since moving to Chicago so I did some googling and was lucky enough to see that this place is right down the street! I ordered for takeout and was sooooo pleased. The El Pabellon arepas were delicious and I got some churros as a treat (which were also SO yummy). Can't wait to eat here again!

I'll have to be honest, this place is small and easy to miss on the busy Chicago Ave in downtown Evanston. It's right across the street from Whole Foods and sandwiched right in the middle between other restaurants and shops. They have all sorts of choices on their Venezuelan-inspired menu. I went with a Caribbean bowl and also a cup of horchata. I was a bit surprised by the prices of the food since my Caribbean bowl was $10. Considering it's originally food truck food, I didn't expect the price to be this high. Despite the price, the Caribbean bowl and horchata were fantastic! Portion size was huge and the deep fried plantains were the highlight of the bowl. They have two different hot sauces available in the fridge. Warning: use the green sauce with caution. It's hot!!! My friend mentioned their other items like empanadas and sandwiches are good as well. I'd definitely make another stop to try something different. I'm sure I won't be disappointed!

Wow wow wow! I tried La Cocinita for the first time last night and it was AMAZING! The flavors oh my! I really don't have words to express how much I loved every bite of my chicken empanada and el pabellon arepas. I will be back for more. Also, customer service was amazing!

YUMMMMM I was craving Venezuelan food, scouring the city for cachapa con queso, and finally found this gem in Evanston! Walk up to the counter, order, and wait for them to bring you your food. I got the Venezuelan Cachapa with pulled pork and it came with fresh pico and crema on top as well. The cachapa was just what NEEDED and the pork was delicious and a decent portion as well! I just wish there would've been a little more cheese inside. But I'm a cheese fiend so maybe it would be enough for a normal person. Anyway DEF worth a try if you're craving good Venezuelan. I need to come back for the arepas! ANNND it's not a far walk from Andy's, which is really how you should be judging any restaurant in Evanston

Some NU classmates and I checked out La Cocinita a few weeks ago and we've already been back twice since because we loved it so much. The food is amazing and the staff is great as well (the first time we went we were surprised with free churros- can't beat that!)

Yummmm!! This place is my favorite for a go to Venezuelan snack like the plantains. The food here is delicious and you legit can't go wrong with any of the arepas. I've gotten all of them and the fish tacos and I legit can't choose which is better. They all have explosions of flavor and the perfect consistency. Love how fast they are if you order right at the counter

We ordered arepas from La Cocinita last night -- one of each variety. They were devoured too quickly to photograph, so please trust that they looked, smelled and tasted amazing! After my kids had tasted each -- pork, chicken, veggie and brisket -- I asked them which they wanted more of. They couldn't decide. They loved every kind, and so did I! La Cocinita went out of their way to accommodate a long list of food allergies. They even followed up by text later in the evening to make sure everything was fine. The amount of care and attention that went into making sure we had a wonderful meal was so telling. With so many places struggling right now and our dollars being pulled in every direction, La Cocinita is a restaurant that is more than worthy of your business!

I made a few missteps the first couple times by not ordering the arepas. If I had gone off my initial impressions, it would have been a 3 star restaurant. I should have heeded the sign on the wall that said, "Arepas - Venezuela's gift to humanity." I'd never had arepas before, and at first it seems a bit mealy. I think it's a corn-based bread? Forgive me, o' gods of cookery, if I have misspoken. Whatever it is, once I got used to it I really liked it. The filling was excellent as well, doused in a sauce that more than made up for the slight dryness of the arepa patty (ah hah! It is a "cornmeal patty"). Finger-lickingly good. As for the restaurant itself, it's a small corner store with tight seating and a TV playing scenes of Venezuela. You order at the counter and they bring the food to you. Worth stopping by if you're ever in Evanston!

This place is exactly what I want when I'm wanting comfort food. I lived in New Orleans where their second food truck is and was so excited to see that they have a location in Evanston as I just moved back! The arepas are the star of the show: perfectly cooked, a little doughy and honestly melt in your mouth. The shredded steak and shredded pork are well seasoned and all of the flavors compliment each other well. The yucca fries are also pure perfection with the crema and cotija, so tasty! Highly recommend, especially if you love arepas.

I am a fan of arepas and even enjoy making them at home. I was thought by a Venezuelan friend how to make them so I lnow how they are supposed to taste. The arepas in La Cocinita were GREAT! We tried the Pabellon, the Reina Pepiada, the Vegana, and the Breakfast Arepa. You simple cannot go wrong ! The dervice was a bit slow because they had run out of arepas but we didnt mind waiting 20 minutes for them to be ready.

Having only experienced Venezuelan food once before I was eager to try out a new place!  I have a number of Venezuelan friends and they always mention some of their most common foods (Arepas, Tequeños, Pabellón, etc), so understandably I wanted to test them out. I went directly to Yelp to find out which place had the best Venezuelan food for the best price! After reading the reviews and looking at some of the pictures I decided that La Cocinita would be my best bet! Now although I live nowhere near Evanston, I generally don't have any issues traveling to find good food! So i arrive on a Saturday night and find parking directly in front of the restaurant! It was almost close to the closing time, so there was only one other couple in the restaurant. I decide to make life easy for everyone and order my food to go! I asked if I could mix and match the arepa selections (you get two arepas for each order), so I ordered the Pabellón Arepa and a Chorizo. After skimming the menu a little more I also decided to get the arepa chips with pico de gallo. While waiting for the food I decided to make small talk to pass the time, and in doing so I found out but that the guy at the register had recently moved to Chicago from Caracas and that the folks cooking in the back were from Maracay (two Venezuelan cities haha)! We chat about Venezuela and life so far in Chicago (this was in Spanish, but their English is good too!), and not too long after the food was ready! The arepas came with generous portions and the masa (dough) seemed to be made perfectly. Although I hadn't put two and two together to realize that arepa chips would actually be pieces of arepas, they looked good as well! Haha. The pabellón arepa (shredded beef, black beans, sweet plantain & cheese) was really flavorful, and as mentioned before came with generous portion. The chorizo arepa was good as well although I wasn't personally a fan of the sweet potato haha. Initally I thought the sweet potatoes were pieces of Chorizo with a weird texture, but lager realized that they were sweet potatoes. The arepa chips with pico de gallo were really good and had a really nice balance of flavor. Overall it was definitely a positive experience and I wouldn't mind coming back to try other dishes. As mentioned before I don't live anywhere near Evanston, so I probably wouldn't make it a regular stop, but if I'm in the area again I'll definitely be back!

Excellent fast food option and had never had Venezuelan food before. Much better than Mexican food but still similar enough to satisfy any sweet/spicy cravings. Photos of food follow. Highly recommend the cheese epenadas and churros.

One Sun afternoon in July 2016... Ordered two of these as per a friend's recommendation: El Pabellon - The Venezuelan National Dish, Carne Mechada (Shredded Beef), Sweet Plantains, Queso Fresco, Black Beans, & Crema Also tried one each of the following: La Reina Pepiada- Venezuelan Avocado Chicken Salad with Pickled Tomato & Cotija Cheese El Puerco - Pork, Salsa Verde, Pickled Onions, & Cotija Cheese So we ordered a total of 4 arepas to share betw 2 people. Each arepa looked small, like food truck food small since the restaurant did start as a food truck, but loaded with stuffings. We enjoyed everything - the juicy meat, the freshness of the crispy veggies, and the mesh of spices. Our tummies and tastebuds left very satisfied. Be prepared to get your hands very messy as arepas are to be eaten with the hands. Water is self-served and flavored with a slight cucumber taste. Clean bathroom available too.

I had been wanting to try out this place ever since I heard about it from the food truck grapevine. Unfortunately, the truck is usually in the downtown area on weekdays and suburbs in the weekends, which is the complete opposite of my schedules as I work in the burbs and live in the city. But glad they have a restaurant in Evanston. I walked in around lunch hour and it wasn't very crowded. I ordered the arepas (2 per order) and was happy that they let you mix and match. I got the El vegano and and La Sifrina. I loved the Sifrina, the ingredients at first felt like a weird combination but I felt like trying the weird one and I am glad I did! Loved the taste of butternut squash and the cotija cheese was lovely! When I checked in to the yelp app, I saw there was a deal for a free appetizer but they apparently didn't know about the deal and although the guy at the counter said he would have to check with his boss, but he never got back to me. I would have liked to try their yuca fries.