Quiero Arepas

I’ve visited Denver 3 times this year and luckily I found this place the 1st time and have returned every time thereafter. I’ve only tried the Pabellon, and keep getting it each time. The combo of flavorful meat and sweet plantain is perfect. The bread has a crusty edge and their sauce is perfect. Best Arepa I’ve ever had.

I ordered the Reina Pepiada arepa and added the plantains. It came out super fresh and tasty. The extra hit sauce was not very spicy at all. Not a bad thing, but don’t expect heat. Would definitely come back to try the other options!

I needed to find a place to eat that serves gluten-free food, ans Quiero Arepas was just the place! I ordered the Pollo Guisado with a side of fried plantains. Both were delicious!

The arepas take a while to be prepared but they are delicious. The arepa itself is crispy but also a bit soft, and the sweet plantains are to die for. The passion fruit juice is also great.

I could wax poetic about these arepas but the important thing to know is that this is the most consistent meal I have ever had the pleasure of eating. Every time I choose this place for dinner it is the exact same experience, and that experience is phenomenal. I describe these arepas as "every bite is the best bite". Also the plantains are 👌

Tried over 20 times, both locations. Solid sandwich, we always get pabellon which is shredded beef with fried plantain, not gonna lie that this is the best arepa we have had. Lowkey i believe this branch is better than the boulder one

The arepas from here are not authentic at all. An Americanized version that is over packed with avocados and cheese that over power any meat you get. Bread was dry and salmon did not taste good. The service was ok. Wouldn’t eat here again, plenty of other choices in the food court

Great authentic arepas! We had the pabellón arepa and the plátanos to share. I also had the fresh passionate fruit juice while my husband had fresh coconut water. These are legit arepas, and that’s coming from my husband who’s a Venezuelan native!

I love their arepas! I have been to this location and their location on old south Pearl street many times and it is always delicious. I am vegetarian so have only even gotten la original with avocado, beans, and fried plantains all in their delicious arepa shell. It's such a great comfort food for me. I have visited with meat eaters before and they also loved their arepas with meat. The staff is lovely and I love that the restaurant is 100% gf, it eases my gluten contamination fear. The ambiance is kind of upscale food court so if you come with a big group there are lots of other restaurants around to cater to all taste interests.

One of the food stalls within Avanti Denver serving up a few variety of arepas. They are on the first floor at the back. Got the reina papiada arepa, and a side of fried plantain. Took a few minutes to get the food. The arepa has chicken breast and avocado filling. Tasted decent, although the chicken is cold like for a salad. Would have liked if the chicken was warm. It's a good sized arepa, but it is $13 so was expecting it to be substantial. The fried plantains were sweet and had a nice sauce on top, and you get plenty for the $7 serving. Overall decent Venezuelan food stall.

This is my favorite place that I tried at the food hall. I only got the Queso Arepa and passion fruit drink since I wanted to try more places. The arepa and drink were both fantastic. Some arepas can be dry, but this one was not. If you like passion fruit, the juice here is a must. I'll definitely be back to try more next time I'm at the food hall.

I recently visited Quiero Arepa in Denver, and I can confidently say this it is a must-eat in the city. It's no surprise that this place has been featured in numerous articles, as their arepas are simply outstanding! Located inside Avanti, this place stands out among the many food stalls there. We decided to get the reina pepiada arepa - chicken breast and avocado mixed with a citrus mayo dressing and the pabellon arepa- the pabellon is the national dish of Venezuela. Stewed beef, black beans, sweet plantains and cheese. My favorite would have to be pabellon arepa. The arepas had a perfectly crispy exterior and the fillings inside were incredibly flavorful and generously portioned making each arepa pretty hearty and satisfyingly. I was pleasantly surprised at how big they were compared to arepas I find in the bay area.

I was recommended this place by my friend who used to go to avanti/quiero arepas years ago and she said the quality in food/flavor has significantly declined. I was really looking forward to the unique flavors but unfortunately found little to zero flavor in food.

The food is great. The service is great. The environment is great. The vibe is great. SERIOUSLY. The food is soooo GOOD!! And the passionfruit juice, amazing!!

Quiero Arepas is located in the the bustling collective known as Avanti Food and Beverage. To be fairly honest, I would not recommend Avanti mostly because it's just ridiculously crowded. It's all good until you get that one weirdo siddeling up too close you. Anyway, the arepas here are really tasty. I know salmon in an arepa is probably blasphemy, but oh boy was it delicious! If you find yourself here amongst hoards of people, this is the one spot I recommend that you do NOT skip out on!

First time having arepas and definitely won't be my last!! Ordered the pollo guisado and the queso arepa (added beans) and was not disappointed. The stewed chicken in the arepa was moist and had a great savory feel. I especially enjoyed the queso arepa, the plantains were the perfect mix of sticky and sweet -- and were a great palette cleanser to my other arepa. Have to also acknowledge the guasacaca sauce, so refreshing!! Fair warning that at this location you will probably wait ~20ish mins for your order, but it's well worth it!

The passion fruit juice and the arepa de pabellón were on point. La reina peligrará también estaba sabrosa!

Located inside the food hall! My friends and I all ordered the pabellon (shredded beef) and reina pepada (chicken). Service was fast and plenty of tables to sit. The pabellon (beef) was super dry and the plantains were thick and deep fried and did not add to the flavor (2/5 stars). The only redeeming factor was the extra avocado I ordered for $3. They put a good layer of cheese on the arepa (similar to a cornmeal sandwich). The reina pepada (chicken) tasted fresh with a lot of coleslaw and was much more juicy than the pabellon arepa. (3/5 stars).

I had heard great things about this place , but I'm rarely ever in the area. My friend and I had the opportunity to go to Avanti, and so I immediately went over to Quiero Arepas. My friend asked if I wanted to look at other restaurants, but I was dead set on trying this place. I know they've been around for awhile with their food truck, but I was never able to visit them. My friend and I both got the Reina arepas and they're about $15 a piece. They came loaded with shredded chicken and mixed with with the avocado mayo. The people working here may not be the most attentive, but we got our food in a timely manner. Full disclosure, I have no idea what an authentic arepa is suppose to taste like, so I'm just basing this off of flavors and textures. LOVED that I could taste real avocado along with the chicken. Avocado can be drowned out by other seasonings and toppings,but I was SO happy to have the full flavor of it in our arepa. The chicken is cold and shredded, but it was quite tough. The exterior was crispy and warm though. It's great to try new food and I wasn't disappointed. I'll definitely try out other arepas when I come back.

This surprising little gem is located in the Avanti food hall. I got the Pollo Guisado which featured stewed and shredded chicken, Muenster cheese, black beans, and guasacaca. It came in an open ground maize dough toasted wrap. Don't be fooled by the petite size. It was very filling! I didn't know until after, but I could have requested more of the guasacaca (avocado salsa). They do a good job of putting it on the top, but I needed more for the bottom half of my area. Overall, happy to have chosen this place out of the other options as Avanti. Parking: Street parking, keep an eye out for street cleaning days to avoid tickets

We visit Denver once a year and we ALWAYS come here for Arepas. My favorite is the beef. Excellent food, simple menu. Great concept. They are always busy. Very clean restaurant as well.

Food: 50/50 Ambience: 25/25 Service: 25/25 Total: 100/100 DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!! Ordered the pabellon arepa and passion fruit juice. So so so so so good. The meat is so fresh, tender and juicyyyyy. I love that they stuff the arepa with everything. Easily my favorite handheld food in Denver. The line was bumping so you know they were constantly cooking up some more yumminess. I love the Avanti food hall in general, Quiero Arepa brings some culture to the scene y me encanta! Cant wait to come back and stuff my face again :)

Being Colombian, I hold arepas to a high standard. And must say that Quiero Arepas was pretty darn good. Aside from the high prices, it's worth it, they are pretty authentic and flavorful. (Even though I can make them myself) It was nice to be able to buy them and have them taste just as good. I ordered the Jamón Y Queso with plantains and extra sauce (YOU HAVE TO GET EXTRA SAUCE) and it tasted delicious. I paired it with some maracuya juice (aka passion fruit), which was very good! This is definitely one of my favorite arepas spot and I highly recommend you trying one if you are at Avantis. I will be back!

So Quiero Arepas came up on some of my [compulsive] 'where/what to eat in Denver' searches/research, so I figured why not? I opted to visit their Avanti Denver location, which was somewhat on my way to do some Red Rocks hiking. (Note: there are a ton of great spots at Avanti, including Lea Janes hot chicken, though I visited a different location). There are a number of tantalizing arepas to choose from, featuring chicken breast, stewed beef, ham, veggie options, and even smoked salmon! After some hemming and hawing, I settled on the Pollo Guisado - stewed shredded chicken breast, black beans and cheese, and splurged for the avocado extra add-on...because, you have to. And it was magnificent! I was a little bit nervous it wouldn't be large enough to be satisfying on it's own, but boy was I wrong! Loaded! This was a real delight - the chicken had some zesty seasoning, love my black beans, and the creaminess from the cheese and ample avocado - yum! Whenever I get back to Denver, I wouldn't think twice about coming back to try some of their other delightful arepas!

Wow! I love these arepas! So much variety and flavor. I love the thickness of the ground maize dough and the flavor was just so good. I got their vegan option, La Original, which had black beans, their special sauce, avocado, and fried plantains. SO yum. Doesn't take too long for them to prep the arepa for you too!

A fun spot serving up arepas and more at Avanti -- it's super easy to order at the counter and seat yourself. We stopped by for a Sunday lunch and it wasn't too busy. They call out names when the order is ready. I got the Queso Arepa and Fried Plantain and both were so good! The plantain is AMAZING -- it's not too sweet, and super filling. The sauces on top are great too, highly recommend getting for the group. The Queso Arepa is also really tasty -- beware that it's quite a bit of cheese and super filling! Overall, everything here is really good and the whole atmosphere is chill and laid back.

Food is amazing. my favorite is Reina Pepiada, avocado and chicken.. simply the best.

The BEST food places EVER - or at least one of the best!! I am gluten free due to an allergy, and this place is my safe haven! All their food is gluten free and completely delicious. Every bite was incredible, and I don't think you can go wrong with your choice here. The staff is friendly and nice as well! I like this location because I can eat gluten free here at Quiero Arepas while my friends can either eat here or go to other restaurants within AVANTI F&B. The green sauce is incredible and I love to dip everything in it! Also, don't hold back - you should 1000% get the plantains!! They are amazing!! It's not easy to find good plantains but this is the holy grail! 20/10 stars if I could - will forever be coming back here! :)

Quiero Arepas is located on the main level towards the back inside the Avanti Building. There are plenty of other eateries and a bar in the same building, so if you'd like to try some other type of food, there is plenty to eat alongside your arepas! We ordered the Pabellon (stewed beef, black beans, sweet plantains and cheese), and it was surprisingly filling and delicious. All the individual components of the arepa was tasty and moist. In all, it felt like it lacked flavor or "oomph" though. We asked for hot sauce because the menu stated that one was included, but the person who served our food scowled and gave us one, even though we ordered two arepas. Maybe we mistook the menu, but we were a little confused. We're glad we asked for the hot sauce though because it tasted better with it. It was lemony, spicy, and added a vibrancy that was needed. In all, the arepa was good, but it wasn't the best tasting arepa we've ever had. Service was a little subpar, but the servers at Avanti itself were amazing, and there is plenty of seating inside the building. Next time, we would probably try something else inside the Avanti building.

Overall / Recommendation: Came here hungry. Left with a happy belly. Order the Pabellon - very authentic and packed with flavor. Pabellon: Very flavorful. Was really stoked at how well proportioned everything was - from the semi-thickness of the bread to the fillings to the quantity of sauce. Was a really nice eating experience, from beginning to end. Bonus Item: Make sure you save those last couple of bites of the arepa to yourself. It's a flavor bomb as the juices from the meat, sauce, and fillings (bean, plantains, cheese), all congregate at the bottom to send you off both full and happy.

My sister and I love arepas so when we noticed this spot was in walking distance from our Airbnb we had to give it a try! I tried la original and added Munster, and I literally had to pace myself eating this, because it was that delicious! The arepa was crispy, and hot. The plantains were so perfectly sweet and balanced the cheese, beans, avocado, and sauce. I said to my sister, we might have to come here again before we leave! Such a delicious spot, come check it out! Great prices too for the amount of food you get!

This place is located inside of Avanti (a trendy food court) and they do Venezuelan-style arepas which have the base of a maize/corn dough, similar base to a tamale, only instead of steamed, I believe these ones have been grilled - this gave my meal a good crunch on the outside, but still a heafty middle portion of the maize. I really enjoyed my meal! The flavors were well balanced among the meat, toppings, and breadding and I loved the neat presentation. The meat was flavored so well - think of something barbacoa-esque. It was perfectly seasoned, juicy and tender. Each bite had something great to offer whether it be the sauce, the meat, or the plantains. I would absolutely come back to this location to have another! It may sound pricy, however the quality, amount of food, and location in the city (ambiance) off-sets the price for me. Go check this place out!

Gluten free options are hard to find. I love this location. Parking sucks but if you don't mind walking it's not bad. I don't mind walking. The neighborhood is nice. I've been here twice now and it never disappoints. I always just get whatever the person ringing me up recommends. It's always so yummy. The homemade drinks are amazing too.

First time visitor to Denver and Quiero Arepas. The arepas are very flavorful and surprisingly larger than the arepas I typically find the DC area. Will definitely visit again when in CO.

So delicious! I love the vegan arepa with cheese added and the chicken arepa with added plantains. It is all delicious!!

We checked out Avanti Food and Beverage food hall on our last day in Denver. It's a cute low key food fall with around 6 food choices. I chose to get the salmon + avocado arepas (El Caribe) since the combintation seemed intriguing. It was around $16 which is on the pricier side for what you get. I liked it but I wish it came with a side of the green sauce! Great place to stop by for a quick eat.

What a great find in Avanti Food Hall - these arepas are suprisingly filling and sooo good. I tried the pabellon arepa, which was stuffed to the brim with stewed beef, beans, plantains, and cheese. I absolutely loved the combination of flavors, along with the slightly charred crispiness of the arepa as a whole. And the added avocado and cilantro guasacaca sauce brings the entire dish together - I could probably douse the whole arepa in it!!

Quiero Arepas is one of the restaurants located in Avanti Food & Beverage. Located in LoHi neighborhood, this place is a must go in the Mile High city. Last time I was in Denver, I dined here. I had an Arepa and it changed my life. Ok, may be not literally. So you know I had to make a stop here every time I'm in the city. This time, I ordered the Pabellon Arepa. It is a staple Venezuelan dish consisting of Stewed beef, black beans, sweet plantains, cheese and avocado-cilantro sauce. Doesn't get better than that!

To die for! The El Caribe + plantains is creamy and crunchy and salty. All GF. Absolutely amazing!!

I ordered the POLLO GUISADO and my boyfriend ordered the PABELLON AREPA. I loved the pabellon because the stewed beef was delicious, so tender, and the plantains was such a complementary tasty ingredient in the sandwich. I wish I had added that to my chicken arepa! The arepas are packed with flavor and ingredients, so I found it super filling as a meal! Pretty quick service - you order and pay at the counter. They text you when your meal is ready to be picked up. They also offered really refreshing fruit drinks, which hit the spot!

These arepas are consistently delicious and fresh with a perfectly textured arepa. They're more than enough to satiate any hunger, whether physical or the craving for exquisitely balanced and flavorful bite. Can't recommend too highly. I had the stewed chicken one today and others before - all were great.

Maybe one of my favorite places in Colorado. It's nothing fancy but, when the food is THAT good-- lots of the other details don't seem to matter. I could possibly eat here everyday; (maybe if I lived closer & didn't have to deal with the mess of parking). This place is located in the Avanti eating hall on the west side of I-25. It's the perfect spot for groups (or people who are always so indecisive), as everyone can get what they want and all be on their own tabs. It's basically an upscale food court, same open seating concept (inside, upstairs-there might be an outside seating area upstairs but, I've never ventured upstairs.) Everything is fresh, full of Venezuela flavors and made to order--you can literally see them making the buns and pulling them hot off the press. It's an explosion of perfection in every bite... same goes for the dipping/smother sauces. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Again, the parking set up isn't the greatest. It's wherever you can find a place on residential streets, which are already packed with cars; (be prepared to make multiple laps and follow people walking). That can get frustrating, especially when you're hungry but, still, I think it's all worth it and absolutely recommend this spot as a MUST TRY.

Loved, loved, loved this place! The Queso Arepa was heaven: Fried Plantains, Mozzarella, Muenster Shredded Cheese, Avocado, and their special Guasacaca Sauce *chefs kiss* I will say if you never have been to an Avanti before...let me tell you it is a dining hall that is extremely loud and has a lot of seating, but can be limited during busy hours. However, recommend Quiero Arepas if you want some good homemade food : )

It was my first time at Avanti, a place with several eateries in one building. You order at the counter and find a seat in any of the communal areas. My friend recommended Quiero Arepas, and it couldn't have been a better start to my Avanti experience. When you enter Avanti, head straight to the back to find QA. So many great options on the menu. I got the salmon arepa, which took awhile to be prepared fresh because it was a busy Friday night. Definitely coming back to try the others. Even though $13 sounds kinda pricey, the arepa is filling, hot and packed with ingredients. Messy but tasty. My mouth waters just thinking about it. Staff there are friendly. Totally worth the wait. One difference between Quiero Arepas and some other eateries is that they don't text you when your order is ready. You have to be standing nearby to near your name. Especially when it's crowded, you can hold this while standing, making it a great option if you can't find seats.

This place is located inside Avanti (a nice food hall area with a bunch of food stations). Avanti is a popping place, so you will likely have to wait, especially on the weekends. We came on a Saturday night and waited about 20-30 minutes or so to get seated. Once you get a seat, someone will bring water to your table (sadly we only got one cup to share for 4 people. The waitress forgot to give us additional cups). Then you place an order on your phone for any of the locations inside Avanti, and you'll get a text when your food is ready. Once the food is ready, you go inside the food hall to pick up your food. I placed an order for the Papellon arepa (stewed beef, beans, plantains, and cheese), and it was ready in about 10-25 minutes. It was my first time having an arepa, and I thought it was fairly good. It was very large and filling, and was stuffed with beef. The arepa was pretty good, but wasn't mind blowing. I think the arepa itself was a little plain (maybe that's how arepas are supposed to be), but the meat and plantains were quite flavorful.

My wife went here with pregnancy cravings and we both left happy. The arepas are great and so is the service. It's become a regular stop.

The name says it all " Yo Quiero Arepas"... I want arepas! This place is awesome! Arepas are delicious and filling! I arrived Hungry and got the La Original and was stuffed after finishing it. I think two people could split one with meat.

We ordered a head of time so by the time we got there it was ready. The space is amazing with great seating and ambience. I ordered the queso arepa: this is great with the plantains and creamy avocado. I really liked it. I was so hungry that I was able to eat the whole thing. Size is perfect for hungry times! My friend ordered the reina pepiada: tons of chicken with avocado and that sauce!

Just got the reina pepiada and I think I just ate half a chicken.. not throwing shade on the chicken here just the ratio. Plantains we're a sweet bomb if you're into that kinda thing. Staff was nice and secret sauce was poppin. AVANTI is the place to be tho if you're looking for an indoor food court with a nice happy hour

From its humble farmers market beginnings 15 years ago, this mom and pop shop has sourced excellent ingredients and made amazing arepas. IMO arepas are like a cross between a taco and a toasted stuffed pita sandwich. Whatever they are they are delicious. I love that Quiero has chilled glasses for the beer because that's how the owner's dad likes it. A very sweet establishment that we will patronize again and again

The arepas were good, but overpriced. The attention was mediocre and almost unwilling to serve, but perhaps I was hopping to get a more typical warming/charismatic Venezuelan attitude, since it was under my impression that this was a Venezuelan restaurant. I would've liked to have more simple options, like; arepa with shredded beef and cheese (Pelua), or a simple shredded chicken arepa with cheese (Catira). Honestly, I would not recommend and I don't think we will be coming back. Gave it 2 stars because the flavor was good.

Located on the first floor of Avanti, Quiero Arepas is one of several restaurants you can find in this food court. First, let's discuss about the food court in general. I visited on a Saturday afternoon and the building was packed - first floor, patio, second floor. There was some open seats, but you would have to search for it. The tables in front of the restaurants on the first floor are long with benches. You most likely week be sharing the table with someone else. I found my table on the second floor at a high table with an open view that overlooked the Denver skyline. Most of the restaurants are on the first floor, and there are two more on the second floor including a bar. An arepa is a common dish in Colombia and Venezuela. They ground maize dough into a cornmeal called masarepa, shape it into a small discs, grill it, split it halfway, and stuff it with different ingredients. The grill gives the arepa a crunchy exterior and a soft interior. I ordered the Reina Pepiada ($12.95 after tax), which is shredded chicken with avocado, lime, mayo, and guasacaca. I think the avocado is blended into the sauce because I did not see any avocado slices in my sandwich. The highlight of the dish was the guasacaca, a liquidy avocado sauce. Most of the flavor came from this sweet, tangy sauce. Without it, the chicken would've been too dry. I wanted to try the other restaurants but I was completely full after the arepa. I'll have to come back another time to try the other places. But I know I can always go to Quiero Arepas as a fallback.

As this was my first time at Quiero Arepas, I was a bit overwhelmed about what to order. At the recommendation of the cashier, I decided to go with the Queso Arepa (mozzarella, avocado, fried plantains, Muenster, and guasacasa) and add black beans. The arepa was very substantial and filling. While it had a nice flavor and texture, I did find the arepa to be overly cheesy -- and that is not something I thought I would ever say! I ended up pulling some of the mozzarella cheese off so that I could taste and enjoy the other ingredients. So far, Quiero Arepas is my favorite dining option within Avanti. For around $13, I was satisfied for the rest of the afternoon.

The entire restaurant is Gluten Free! The atmosphere is young and hip...which I am neither...but it didn't seem to matter. Everyone was having a great time with the company at their table, the food and their choice of drink. I chose to eat the arepa with a fork because I was in a business meeting. The flavors balanced each other perfectly and the contrasting textures made it a delight to eat. I will definitely recommend Quiero Arepas at Avanti Food & Beverage to anyone traveling to Denver, Colorado.

It's the go-to food stall inside Denver's go-to food hall (Avanti). If you have friends visiting from out of town, this is a given that it should be on your list for a fast, casual meal if you're in the area. Quiero Arepas is the most vegetarian-friendly stall inside Avanti, and they also have arepas with chicken or beef. It's really hard to go wrong, but my favorites are the Pabellon and the Queso arepa. All of the arepas are filling. They're consistently good. And they are a very welcome break from every gastropub in Denver that is literally the same restaurant with a name that consists of two nouns or adjectives with a plus sign between them. I've probably had 20 arepas from QA at this point, and I've always been happy with them. They have cred, but there's a reason why they're consistently the busiest stall inside Avanti. This is a Denver staple at this point, and Avanti is always a great place to hang out and chat with friends.

Love the Denver-Avanti Quiero Arepas location! Before moving to Colorado I had never tried Venezuelan/Columbian food and thoroughly enjoyed it. Love the quality and taste of their food that I continue to take friends and family, who visit, to this location. Occasionally I crave it and make an annual visit to order my favorite: a Reina Pepiada (Chicken) with added Plantains.

New Experience This was my first time having an Arepa, i went with the slow cooked beef, it was really good. I also love this location, it's a food market/food court and the restaurants are in re-purposed shipping containers. Very cool atmosphere, ideal for casual dinning with friends, family, etc.

Really bad service: the arepa was raw, chicken was cold as I was watching the staff dancing and laughing. $17?!? It was bad. And I waited over 20 mins for one arepa. Took a few bites and I threw away.