Elaine Y.
Yelp
Tried Sus Arepas at Smorgasburg and thought it was pretty good but not great.
What is an arepa? It can be simply described as a grilled corn pocket that's crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and stuffed with goods.
I opted for the original which featured a white corn arepa filled with black beans, plantains, green sauce, and shredded cheese. With tax before tip, each arepa will cost $7.66. You'll then have to stand off to the side to wait....but for a food truck, I thought the turnaround time was much too slow (-1 star).
But good things take time right?
Upon receiving my arepa, I was amazed at its size. There was no way to pick up this arepa and eat it like a sandwich...at least not the one I received. But unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to expectations...
The white corn doesn't impart as much corn flavor as yellow corn which is what I'm used to comparing it to my favorite arepa place in San Francisco that mixes white and yellow corn. That said, Sus Arepas did grill the arepa well capturing the crispy outside and fluffy inside. I actually thought the arepa itself was the best part of the meal.
As for the interior, it was sadly unevenly cooked (-1 star). I had some plantains that were soft and sweet while others were still pretty hard and rather starchy. The soft plantains, when mixed with black beans, green sauce, and cheese hit all the right notes - sweet, savory, smoky, and just a bit spicy. The hard plantains, however, were, at best, difficult to eat. The weak plastic fork totally didn't help, but these pieces required eating the arepa in an almost deconstructed style which was anticlimactic overall.
All in all, I'd be willing to give Sus Arepas another try. Hopefully it was just a bad day.