Quiero Arepas

"Quiero Arepas already has a home inside Avanti Food & Beverage along with a food truck. Now the Venezuelan sandwich shop opens a new location at 1859 S. Pearl St. from 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 20. It takes over the former Makan space. The menu includes a roster of arepas with bread made from ground maize dough, sides, salads, and desserts along with a full liquor license. The reina arepa features zesty chicken salad with avocado mayonnaise, named in honor of Susana Duijm, Miss World in 1955 and a popular Venezuelan celebrity. The arepa pabellón features shredded beef, sweet plantains, black beans, and crumbled cheese, the same ingredients as the national dish of Venezuela, the pabellón criollo. El caribe features salmon, while queso and plantains each find a home nestled in separate cornmeal sandwiches. Quiero Arepas features all gluten-free dishes. The grand opening happens to coincide with the restaurant’s ninth year in business; already the truck plans to hit the streets this summer and the couple signed on for a third year at Avanti." - Susan Stapleton

"The latest of the bunch is Quiero Arepas, an 8-year-old food truck and Avanti counter that’s finally moving into its own space in the current home of Makan Malaysian Cafe on Old South Pearl Street. With Makan closing on December 22, Quiero Arepas will take over the lease January 1 and open sometime in early 2019, Westword reports. For now, Arepas owners Igor and Beckie Panasewicz are also planning on keeping their Avanti stall open. But the new restaurant will allow them some more kitchen space and an expanded, all gluten-free menu. From the current stall and food truck, the couple serves corn-flour sandwich pockets stuffed to the brim with hit combinations like El Caribe — avocado, smoked salmon, fried plantains, guasacaca (avocado salsa), capers, and shredded cheese." - Josie Sexton