Rica Arepa LAKEVIEW | Venezuelan Restaurant

Can't wait to go back! I was seeing a play at the Athenaeum Theater and needed a quick bite and popped in. I was greeted super warmly by the very friendly woman behind the bar. Since I was in a hurry I didn't fully scan the entire menu, but I have absolutely no regrets about my Patacon Mixto that I spontaneously ordered - it was SO good and very filling. I was there during happy hour and decided to get a $6 Margarita which was delicious as well. I'm salivating thinking about the meal now - can't recommend this cute spot enough.

The food here was well seasoned. I tried the fried chicken and fries. Delicious! And big portions too. I couldn't finish my meal. Its a big space with an indoor patio which is nice. Just wish the tables in the patio had a table cloth or something because they had the holes for outside furniture. I throughly enjoyed my food and would go again. Highly recommended.

Great atmosphere. Delicious food. Friendly and warm service. I have tried many times the cachapas, tequeños, cochino frito, arepas and empanadas, everything I have tried is delicious and authentic Venezuelan flavours. Generous portions. Lovely Venezuelan vibe and music. Patio and deco are beautiful 🫓

Great restaurant walking distance from the Athenaeum Center. We had dinner before our show. Loved the food & service!

So much good food to explore. BUT as always I get the beef empanada, the Chica (rice milk drink) and the appetizer with ceviche is so delicious. They have two secret sauces that are so good one spicy and one not

This unassuming restaurant on Lincoln is whipping up outstanding Venezuelan food. Thrilled to now be familiar with their Arepa game. Ordered takeout on a Wednesday and the pickup was a breeze. Tried the La Parrillellera Arepa which was an absolute home run. This thing was oozing with juices but the exterior held it together well. So much flavor from the chicken, chorizo, steak, avocado and cheese. Also tried a fish empanada and while the exterior was exceptional, the fish filling wasn’t my favorite. Will try a different empanada next time. Rica Arepa is convenient, delicious and reasonably priced. 100% worth your money.

Gooooood Lord! This a local restaurant with 3 locations. I've only been to this one but damn the arepas were phenomenal!!!! I would eat here daily if I could. Defs more than worth the visit. Great staff and environment. No issues, staff speaks Spanish and English. Plenty indoor seating and some outdoor seating. GOOOO check it out!

What an excellent restaurant! The food was absolutely incredible and so authentic. I loved it and even though I was full, I couldn't stop eating it. It was amazing. I will certainly come back.

Been here a few times and will continue to come back! Things I love: tequenos, cachapas, vegan 2 arepa, rica punta arepa, and passion fruit juice. Honestly, anything I've tried has been at hit (these are just the few I remember off the top of my head). Speaking of my head, the arepas are huge (bigger than my head lol). I love the white sauce condiment too. I need to keep visiting and trying more items off the menu! I'm a big fan!

Great local spot! This family friendly location has a fine selection of Venezuelan arepas and other local cuisines. We tried both the chicken and steak options and loved each of them. The service was friendly and prompt. We also enjoyed looking at the different packaged Venezuelan treats they had for sale as well. We will certainly try the next time we are there.

Came whit friends We order empanadas Cocktails Arepas And margaritas evrething was very good we be back for more 4 to 5 pm during the happy hour margaritas are $6

Ordered these to work and they held up pretty good! It was my coworkers first time trying them and they all enjoyed it. It is a messy thing to eat but the maiz held up and the meat so very tender. I would love to see how they come out fresh.

Papelon Con Limon (Venezuelan lemonade) is different from normal lemonade. It's sugarcane juice and lemon! I can taste the difference, and I like it

I loved their food! I need to return to try other dishes. Service was great! It was quiet when we went there but I imagine when it's busy it gets noisy. We sat in the rear covered patio. I'm already planning what I'll order the next time!!

Wandering the streets of Lincoln Park, we were drawn to Rica Arepa for brunch after hearing some bops on their speakers. I've always had a soft spot for arepas and I'm happy to save I've found a new go to spot. The Criollo Brunch was delicious and the perfect amount of food. My girlfriend also loved the Rica Arepa. Furthermore, the service was wonderful. Our waiter had great energy and was extremely eager to share the joys of arepas with us. I can't wait to come back.

I stopped by this place right when they opened and there were already three tables waiting to order. This got me excited to try this place and it was good. I got the tequeños and this arepa with egg, cheese, onion. This is a cute place to have a meal or maybe a nice brunch. I will definitely be coming back again!

Love this place! One of my go to spots for Venezuelan food. The staff are very friendly and the place is no nonsense casual. Everything is fresh to order so prepare for longer wait times. I loved the breakfast dish I got -- a whole arepa, shredded beef, black beans, and maduras would highly recommend.

Definitely coming back! The place is very jive and hip... great for those instagram photos! The service was very fast and drinks and food was timely correct from each other. Eve was our waitress, she was great, gave us suggestions specially because I wanted to order the whole menu. The plates are very large and the taste was rich and yummy! They have hot sauce and a white sauce that are both great to match with anything you order. The food when served had good temperature, fresh and juicy. Very clean all around. And everyone was very attentive. Def coming back! They also have private party section and it's Instagram ready! Thank you I had a great experience

Wow, what a great find! We were in the mood for Arepas and decided to check this out. If you love Arepas this is a must try. We stopped by for lunch and had the Arepa Sampler appetizer which I highly recommend if you can't decide which arepa to try. You get 5 mini arepas and a choice of 3 fillings. We chose beef and 2 different chicken fillings, all were equally yummy. Don't forget to use the insanely delicious garlic sauce condiment provided on the table. The empanadas are huge, a little greasy but totally worth the indulgence. We washed this all down with the passion fruit juice the server highly recommended and were pleasantly surprised it was more like a smoothie than juice. If you have never had passion fruit, do not miss this treat....delish! The server was very nice, friendly and helpful. Bonus-they have an outdoor patio in the back. Will def check this out when the weather warms up.

Good arepas and kids menu! Also, the plantains were a really generous portion and the garlic sauce is excellent.

Definitely a welcome surprise. I went in with low expectations but left extremely satisfied. Nothing was bad, food actually had delicious flavors & surprisingly good textures. The rice had a fried & simultaneous sushi aspect to it. Definitely indulge in the accompanying sauces provided at each table. Most surprising aspect is my family of 3 all ate here for about $40. That is fucking insane because this is Chicago as well as inflation being what it is. The lemonade isn't regular & I'd make a cocktail out of it if you could. My chicken arepa was delicious. Plantains had a subtle saltiness to them. I'd come back here in a heartbeat

I absolutely loved Rica Arepa! My family and I happened to come across it while in the area and decided to try it out because our previous lunch plans had fallen through. The restaurant is so colorful and the staff was so welcoming to us. The menu had so many vegetarian options available at very competitive prices. We ended up ordering way too much food because the arepas were a lot larger than we expected them to be. I would highly recommend stopping by if you're in the mood for arepas! I will definitely be back!

Loved my first Rica Arepa patio experience! I've enjoyed take out in the past, but the location is a hidden gem! Tropical - This is the third arepa I've tried and I think it's my favorite thus far! The garlic sauce at the table complimented it perfectly! Papelon con limon - Very sweet but very enjoyable on an 80 degree day! I wouldn't get it every time, but it was the perfect compliment to my meal on their beautiful patio! I did notice from my friends' orders that some arepas with beans, tomatoes, or other "watery" ingredients tended to fall apart a lot. Still super tasty, but just messier to eat. I loved how crispy my arepa was and how gorgeous their covered patio is! Service was also excellent - Our waiter was prompt and provided great recommendations! Will definitely return!!

Very delicious Venezuelan food!! Came on a Friday night and plenty of seating. We ended up sitting outside -- nice ambiance. Ordered the Rica Punta and Rica Reina -- super fresh ingredients! Recommend adding the garlic sauce :)

Delicious arepas! Got the peluda with avocado and it was amazing. The dulce de leche coffee was great too. Cozy seating

Rica Arepa lives up to its high Yelp! review average! I've had this place on my list for a while, and my husband and I happened to be driving by it today and spontaneously stopped in. Not realizing there was a back patio, we grabbed a sidewalk patio table out front. I ordered a pabellon arepa, and my less hungry husband got just a side of rice and beans. Everything was fantastic! The arepa was huge and generously filled with juicy, delicious pulled beef, black beans, cheese, and sweet plantains. Besides the flavor being great, the fillings were evenly distributed throughout the arepa, showing lots of care in preparation. The rice and beans were also perfectly done, and even presented nicely. The service here is also excellent! We will definitely go back to try more of the menu, though it will be hard not to order the excellent pabellon arepa again!

Whew-- attention all foodies, this is the mom & pop shop dreams are made off! They are serving up authentic Venezuelan arepas and it's certainly worth the stop in! I started with the ceviche in a tostones "cup"/"vehicle" situation and it was delicious! I've never had anything like it before. And the arepa, chef kisses! It was packed full of flavor and I added sweet plantains to top of off. The service was wonderful and I will surely be back!

3.5 - The food you could tell is quality. Taste wise - wasn't bad but probably would get this again. I did take out so can't speak too much on service but they were nice enough. Ambiance was nice - not too busy when I went but it was around early afternoon. The food was pretty pricey imo but nothing crazy. This arepa was over $15 with tax and everything.

We came here after an event in the neighborhood. It was after 9pm and they closed at 10, but the hostess told us to sit. We went to the patio in the back and were given menus and water. Then we waited..and waited..it wasn't very busy, a couple of parties in the back, one party in the front outside. I visited the ladies room, which was small but clean, and the Dyson dryer was broken! Finally our drink (no booze but BYOB; we didn't bring any booze so we don't know if there is a charge)and food orders were taken by a friendly waitress. A party of 8 or so showed up and we were worried that they would get all the attention. I realize places are short staffed. The Papelon with Limon was ok but it had an odd taste; it looks like iced tea with lemon but IT IS NOT THAT. I got the Frescolita, which is basically like bottled strawberry Fanta. It was good but very sweet! I got the Arepa Caribena, the arepa with plaintains and cheese. My other party got the arepa ensalada with mariscos (salad and seafood). I can't find it on the menu online and I didn't get a picture, sorry! The food was messy but good. The Arepa Caribena is more or less an appetizer but I was full after having it. Service was slow but friendly. We ordered tres leches cake to go, and it was EXCELLENT! Sweet, moist, traveled well. I'd go back when they are less busy and I can bring wine.

Absolutely delicious Havana arepa and chocolate smoothie. Came out pretty quickly. Cute little hole-in the wall vibe. Loved it!

Our first visit. Great food and variety of options. The garlic sauce and hot sauce are so good The hard part was that the food did need the enhancement of the sauce, it was great on its own. Friendly and helpful team taking care of our group.

2nd arepa experience. They are on the smaller side, so getting a side of some sort (yucca fries are the way to go) is a good idea. Be sure and have plenty of napkins, they can get kinda messy but so worth it. Wonderful outdoor seating on a nice day. Great experience over all, although I would say the arepas are a tad expensive for how small they are.

My first time trying Venezuelan food and I really enjoyed it! We star tree s with the sampler platter which was a great way to try a little bit of everything. I really liked the sweet corn flavor of some of the apps as well as the fact that they were not shy with the cheese! We each had an arepa - chicken for me and beef for my friend. The chicken was great but the star was definitely the beef with black beans and plantains. Very tender meat with a great flavor. Overall, it was a great meal with fantastic service- it's also byob!

Holy! This place is sooo good! The arepas are HUGE and full of flavor. We had the La Parrillera (steak, chicken, chorizo, avocado, homemade cheese) and Rica Reina (shredded beef, chicken salad, cheese) and both are absolutely delicious. If you don't want to mess up your make up I highly recommend eating these arepas with a fork and knife haha. My favorite between the 2 was the rica reina, however my boyfriend preferred the La Parrillera.... AKA just get both!! Seriously this place is a gem. Staff is friendly and attentive. We got there at 7 and it got pretty busy and packed by 730. If you have the option to get there when they first open, do it to avoid a wait time. They have an all season patio however I preferred sitting up front in the main restaurant area. They also have cocktails, plus a beer and wine menu. This is a place where I'll be coming back to try every item on their menu. Tummy is fully satisfied!

Great experience! Came in midday and the restaurant was pretty empty. Ended up getting the Punta Trasera & Queso De Mano and a Jamon Y Queso Empanada. Quality of the meat and cheese on the Punta Trasera was phenomenal, and went well with the garlic sauce at the table! The empanada was deep fried and very oily but still tasted amazing and was very fresh. Definitely coming back here soon to try more!

This is an absolute hidden gem. Literally everything we got was perfection. Some of the best Puerto Rican food I've ever had. Staff was super friendly and place felt very clean. They have a huge patio as well that I think is heated and covered so great for the winter. Highly recommend!!

First time here. Well the pabellan arepa was just basic for myself. I expected more flavor after seeing it. The bananas were mushy and soft. I did not have really any beans on this at all. The portion felt on the smaller side of things. The sauces were half full. The packaging was nice though and customer service ok.

OMG!!! This had to be one of the most delicious sandwiches I have ever eaten! I went there this Sunday for my first ever visit. Had the Pebellon Arepa - shredded beef, black beans, sweet plantains, and cheese. Have you ever had stewed beef in a crockpot that is cooked for hours? Pull apart tender, so well seasoned! The Arabia was so hot. You could barely pick it up however you didn't dare nor want to put it down. It came with optional Tabasco style hot sauce, or a garlic cream sauce (both were fantastic.) Simple ingredients but done with such perfection, absolutely outstanding. I'm getting so hungry describing it that I can't wait to get back. We sat up front so I peaked in the covered patio area, I understand it's heated in the winter, very cute. Check out the pictures or go to their website and see self descriptions. This is a must! It was rated one of Chicago's top 50. The staff found out it was our first visit and were very warm and welcoming. I think they know we will be back.

What beats 1 Rica Arepas TWO! I'm happy they now have 2 locations, this one off of Lincoln ave. Half a mile from Replay Lincoln Park, the best one imo. Great eats, and I'd like to say I was one of the first to know about arepas in Illinois, your welcome. Try reina pepia

On Monday I went to eat here for the first time and the attention was bad since we arrived but everything got complicated when we finished eating and he asked if we wanted something else to which I answered yes, a dessert and coffee for dessert and he with a loud voice said nooo, I don't have coffee, well I already washed everything and I'm not going to mess it up again because we closed in 20 minutes, I saw the time and it was 7 and they closed at 8. I found it very rude of you

This place aaaaaalmost had 5 stars from me and maybe I'll change my mind, we'll see. First off, dog friendly is always a game changer in terms of places I will frequent. I arrived at 730 and they were able to quickly take my order and had my food out before 8 (closing). The staff was friendly and helpful with suggestions and loved my Bambi. The back patio was nice and warm and the entire place was full of spacious socially distanced seating. My absolute only qualm is that the menu prices did not match the prices on my receipt. Tequeños were inexplicably marked up $.50 cents and my arepa was marked as $8 but I was charged $9.50 PLUS $2 for adding... cheese. So all together, I was charged $4 extra dollars that didn't really make sense. My meal went from being 16-19 like I anticipated to $26 all together. I will probably be back, but I'm pretty disappointed in these discrepancies, it makes me feel a bit like I was deceived or tricked. Please fix your menus! I shouldn't have paid nearly $30 just for a casual dinner by myself. Other than that, I loved it! :)

The staff is very friendly and helpful. The arepas are filling and the sauce at the table is a must! If I had to describe its flavor profile, I'd say it's like a cilantro garlic mayo sauce. The main con are the black beans. They are lacking in flavor. When you eat everything in the arepa together, it's not as noticeable. But when you eat the black beans by themselves, they're tasteless.

I ordered empanadas and arepas and everything was delicious. The empanadas are big and filled generously. The quality is great. The attention of the staff was outstanding specially of Manuel who made sure that we were comfortable while we waited for our order bringing water to my dog and making sure we got everything we had ordered. We will definitely coming back!!

My company catered Rica Arepa's arepa bar, tequenos, and empanadas, and we were blown away by the flavors and quality of the food! They really knocked it out of the park! Our employees were so pleased with the lunch, it had them going back for second and third helpings! Maria (one of the owners) was so helpful with putting together a personalized catering menu for us, the food was perfectly packaged, hot upon delivery, and the delivery was right on time!! We highly recommend Rica Arepa for any catering needs! We will definitely be ordering again!

The food and non alcoholic drinks are amazing especially the one that looks like rice water lol coming from a Mexican background this food is outstanding 10/10 we ate apps and dessert but super delicious try it!!!

Came to grab takeout on a Friday and it was not busy at all. Staff is friendly. I ordered a la barbie and it was packed with chicken and cheese. They didn't skimp on the avocado either. Arepa itself was good but I didn't eat mine immediately so it got cold which in turn made it a little soggy but that's my fault. I'm sure when eaten fresh tastes amazing. Would come back again to eat it fresh!

Love this neighborhood spot. We love trying all the different arepa options here. The hot sauce and garlic sauce they have on the tables are worth the trip alone. BYOB, go through the restaurant to the back patio for an awesome time with friends. I've taken a lot of people here to try and they all love it.

Great food, not so great service. The restaurant was not busy at all. We were seated & waited over 15 minutes to receive menus & water. The food never disappoints. Our server also lacked on filling our cups with water. Just a suggestion, water pitchers should be left at the table.

It was really good, I'd happily go there again. A child clamored for mozzarella sticks, we went with the appetizer sampler plate that had that and some other stuff and they really liked most of it. It was a hit all-around. Tried a few different kinds of arepas and shared it around. The kids are suckers for sweet plantains and tended to pick them out of one and just eat that, I have no idea why they weren't as keen on the cheese, but it was good and plentiful, and I happily ate it later. I had the lechon one with gouda cheese and it was excellent and kids also liked one we got with black beans (and we didn't quite expect that). Garlic sauce on the table was really good. Very convienent for going to the Athenium theater.

Delicious place for authentic Venezuelan food. I love arepas!!! I love garlic mayo sauce here. The yuca fries are great! I love their menu and drinks! I love getting the parchita (passionfruit) drink here! The mora (BlackBerry) juice is great too! Everything I eat here is bomb .com and hits heaven notes for me. Definitely come and eat here!

I came here with my friends one of whom is Venezuelan and was able to show me all the ins and outs of his favorite foods here. I loved the Patacón con pollo and the cachapitas. The service was great, definitely recommend this spot.

I had the arepa pabellon and it was awesome. Really flavorful meat with sweet plantains. I'll definitely be back for more! They also come with a mayo/spicy sauce that was really good to smother on top.

Messy but worth it! Vegetarian sandwiches usually aren't my thing, but the queso mano & tajadas was superb and packed a great flavor punch! Especially with the sauce sides, this was the perfect quick bite before a show at Schubas.

Rica Arepa is incredible! I can't wait to return. They have a spacious, mostly covered patio in the back, some seating indoors, and a sidewalk patio. We ordered a bean and cheese empanada, which was clearly made to order as it was very hot and crispy -- yum! Each empanadas is huge, so one would work well as a main dish, but they're also perfect to split in half like we did. To balance out the cheesiness of the empanada, I ordered and enjoyed the Vegan 2 arepa, which has black beans, sweet plantains, and avocado. PS - don't miss the white sauce on the table; it's fantastic!

Great place with yummy food. I only knocked off a star because the outdoor patio isn't opened in the winter. Covid is still around and I wish the heated patio was an option. Other than that, it's nice this location has a more expansive set of options (mainly drinks) that the other Armitage location doesn't have.

This place is absolutely amazing! I've had it 4 times in 3 weeks it's that good! Support local and branch out and try some delish food!

Best Venezuelan food in Chicago. This is my go to place for arepas. The menu has something for everyone and the vegetarian options are tasty and filling. All ingredients are fresh and the chicken and meat flavors savory. Great for lunch or dinner.