Vivi’s La Sucursal
Colombian restaurant · Panorama City ·
Colombian street food with stuffed arepas, loaded burgers
Colombian street food with stuffed arepas, loaded burgers
"This Colombian street food trailer by Viviana “Vivi” Henriquez is one of the few places in Los Angeles to get fresh arepas, loaded hamburgers, and sauced-up hot dogs. The maximalist street treat piles on onions, lettuce, tomato, crispy bacon, and broken ripio de papa (stick fries), and then receives a righteous smattering of five different sauces. It’s wonderfully messy, so grab napkins." - Eater Staff
"Along Sepulveda Boulevard in front of the Van Nuys Petco I found a cute red trailer serving Colombian street food that centers on the arepa rellena, a stuffed arepa made from cornmeal; Viviana “Vivi” Henriquez, originally from Cali, opened the operation five years ago at the Northridge Farmers Market and moved into a trailer in the months before the pandemic, initially giving away arepas until she earned a loyal following. I learned she cooks and grinds the corn herself and fills the arepas with traditional Cali recipes: the arepa de pollo is packed with shredded chicken seasoned with triquisar (tinted yellow with a little food coloring, as is common in Colombia) and finished with melted cheese and cilantro sauce; the chicharrón arepa has fried diced squares of crackling and cheese; and the beef (carne desmechada) is stewed with spices, tomato, onion, and garlic before being overstuffed into split arepas. The concise truck menu also includes Colombian hot dogs (made on a local bun and piled with onions, lettuce, tomato, crispy chopped bacon, and ripio de papa covered in the truck’s five sauces), hamburgers, empanadas, chorizo, and dedo de queso (tequeños), which my Venezuelan diners especially seek out; David Muñoz, Vivi’s husband and partner, pairs the cheese sticks with a sweet pineapple sauce. To drink, try ultra-sweet Colombian gaseosas like Postobon Manzana or Colombiana. The trailer visits Van Nuys, Reseda, Canoga Park, and Long Beach on different days, posts its weekly schedule on Facebook and Instagram, and—because few places are dedicated to the arepa and even fewer go to the lengths Henriquez does—it's well worth tracking down for satisfying arepas rellenas, hot dogs, and Colombian snacks." - Bill Esparza
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