My girlfriend and I are no stranger to Venezuelan food. There are a couple of spots in the Los Angeles area that we liked go to from time to time. I would say that they are definitely the top rated spots in LA so we definitely know Venezuelan food. This is going to be a short review, but I will say this spot is great. All the food was very filling and very tasty. My favorite thing I tried was one of the empanadas. We tried numerous things though. Everything was really good. read more

This was a solid fast-cas spot! The meat fillings were hot and very tender. Prices were decent fir DC too. Our order took longer than expected despite there not being any line, but we didn't mind because Western Market is great to walk around and people watch. Very fun little lunchtime venture. read more

Arepa Zone - Venezuelan Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I want to like it, and appreciate the gluten-free stuff on the menu. It is just that the flavors are ... unremarkable. Friendly staff. Took a long time to get our order. read more

We also love the empanadas in arepa zone!! it was our favorite part of DC and the the museums read more

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Great casual place. Lots of seating. The restaurant is a little loud sometimes but that is because it is typically busy and full of people. The food does not come out super fast but it is very well made and they're obviously busy, so I do not mind. The staff is super nice. Everything I've tried on the menu is so good. The food is extremely rich, tasty, and filling. read more

Arepa zone is a western market staple! I used to go here all the time when I lived on foggy bottom, and it never disappointed. My go-to order is the pabellon bowl and tequenos. Both are extremely flavorful! This place always has one of the longest lines in western market, but it's worth it. It's located in a food hall, so there's plenty of seating. It does get pretty busy during office lunch hour, so I would try to avoid going from 12-1 if you're looking to avoid the lines. read more

Arepa Zone - Bowl Pabelln Beef - Venezuelan Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Delicious arepas! I had the Pollo Mechado and my sister had one with shredded beef and cheese (direct quote - "It was perfect!"). Both came with the green sauce as seen in the picture. The arepas and the chicken inside were sizzling when it came out and it tasted absolutely divine. SO MUCH flavor in the chicken. Our food also came out within 5 minutes, although it seemed to be a slower time in Western Market (late Saturday afternoon) so that may have influenced it. Would definitely return and would recommend to anyone look for Venezuelan food! read more

Arepa Zone - Pollo Mechado Arepa - Venezuelan Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I love anything plantain all I was excited to see this vegan option on the menu. It came with guac, black beans and plantain and a sauce on the side. Plantains were perfection but the order they could have stuffed it more proportionally so you get some of everything in each bite. I will say it looks better than it tastes and requires some maneuvering to experience all the flavors in a single bite. It's been a while since I had an arepa and when I did, they were a lot softer than this. I give it a 3.5/5. read more

Arepa Zone - Vegana Arepa - Venezuelan Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I think it's great that D.C.'s Arepa Zone is expanding since I do think they make great Venezuelan fast food. This location in the Western Market (between the Foggy Bottom and Farragut West metro stations) seems to be popular already, especially with the nearby GWU students when I came by to visit around 9 p.m. on a Saturday night. I saw a lot of people eating pabellón, teque-pops (bite-sized tequeños or cheesesticks), and arepas. While I don't usually order arepas from them (I make them at home), I do venture out to them to eat things that I don't usually make at home such as their $5 pabellón empanadas (queso fresco, shredded beef, plantains, black beans) which always hit the spot for me, especially with their cilantro-based sauce. And downing that with the $4.50 passion fruit juice takes me back to Venezuela. They also have cachapas, patacones, and an espresso machine for various traditional coffee drinks as well. The only downside to this place is that their menu, while larger than their Mosaico by Arepa Zone's menu, is still rather limited comparing with the flagship on 14th street. Their printed menu is larger than their overhead menu as well - so be sure to take a look at the printed menu! You will not find Colombian hotdogs, pepitos, or golfeados at this location - for those other delectable goodies, nearby locals will still need to trek over to the other locations. Hopefully soon they can expand a bit of these offerings since the first two would probably be popular with the college students and the latter would be a great addition as a breakfast pastry with coffee. Their hours at this location is also what helps make this place popular - they are open for longer than most of the other Western Market vendors, staying open for 12 hours from morning to late evening on most days. read more

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Really great arepas!!! I have been looking for great Venezuelan food in DC and I'm glad I finally found some! This reminds me of one of my favorite places to eat in Pittsburgh. I got the mini arepas which were a nice option to try several fillings. Service was fast and there was plenty of room in Western Market to sit and chat with friends. I would definitely come back here to try more of their options. read more

Arepa Zone - Mini Arepa Trio Mini Trio Meat-Lovers Flight - Venezuelan Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Made my stomach hurt very bad and almost threw up. The corn bread is overly sweet! The sour cream isn't really like sour cream it more like bad mayo and milk. Place is crowded and the table is small and the bathroom door has a code on it with no numbers just dots and it not brail read more

I love Venezuelan food. When I found out there was a nice, quick, cheap Venezuelan restaurant near my hotel during my stay in DC, I knew I had to visit it. Let me just say this food is excellent! Everything is very fresh, the employees are quite friendly, and the food is made quickly as well. I ordered the classic cachapa, Nutella tequeños, and the chocolate straws (packaged dessert). The prices are quite competitive for DC and the portions are okay (a bit on the smaller side). I'm a sucker for cachapas, and this one was pretty good. It was authentic from what I know. Good amount of cheese, nice and sweet. I'd recommend trying one with meat or plantains since this one was a bit plain. Still good though. The Nutella tequeños were incredible. It's hard to go wrong with Nutella filled Venezuelan sweets. These were packed full of Nutella, and you could see the man frying them in front of you. Very flavorful and delicious, not too thick of a breading. I only got 3 pieces though, would have loved more. This places a number of other great packaged sweets imported from other countries, so I decided to give the Latin American version of pirouline (called pirucream) a try. They were a nice little snack, and a decent price again at $2. Little sticks filled with chocolate and a tad bit of hazelnut. All in all, I definitely recommend this place. It's got a variety of items you won't find in most other locations. Great for students, not too expensive, relatively quick (5-8 min wait), and most importantly delicious food. read more

Arepa Zone - Pirucream dessert - Venezuelan Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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La Arepa Venezuela's cornmeal pockets of heaven! Soft, crispy, and flavorful, with generous fillings like tender chicken and creamy avocado. The sweet plantain and queso is a must-try! Authentic Venezuelan taste in every bite. 5/5 stars read more

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Felt inspired to have an arepa to go, which is easy to get gluten free and dairy free! I had the Pabellón without queso, stuffed with shredded beef, beans, and plantain. Plantains we're delicious (I ate them separately). Arepa was messy but delicious and filling. A great and quick meal to take away! read more

I used to go to the one at Union Market and that it was amazing. I was in the area hoping to replicate the experience, but my food was bland and lukewarm at best. Service wasn't super helpful but they weren't actively rude. Just not good at answering questions or guiding me to anything. The food hall has a lot of options, so I advise you to try something else. I wish I had. read more

muy bueno. Fui con mi familia y amistades Y les encant. Volveré muy pronto... excelente servicio al cliente, muy bonito el ambiente y la comida muy rica. read more

I'm a fan of Arepa Zone but I found the wait to be excessive (+20 minutes for an arepa), and not worth the wait. I came around 6:30pm on a weekday, so it was a prime dining hour and the place was crawling with college students. There was no line to order, but the gaggle of people standing around Arepa Zone should've been a good indicator for the backlog of people waiting for their orders. Other than heating up the arepa, I expected this to be a quick bite since it's primarily assembly and filling the arepa with whatever you ordered; that was not the case. Arepa Zone was slammed and orders took about 20 minutes to fulfill... I would not recommend this place if you're in a rush. I ordered the pabellon arepa ($10 turns into $11 after tax). I like the pabellon because it's filled with a whole meal in one- beef, sweet plantains, black beans, and queso fresco. All in all the arepa was good, but a little greasy. Maybe I'm being unreasonably impatient, but it would've been more satisfying if it was made in half the time. Also, not that I'm a student, but this location supposedly accepts the GW dining plan. Apparently their system was down to accept the plan, but customers weren't notified until after placing the order and were backed into paying out of pocket. It would've be nice if the restaurant had a sign or notified customers before ordering - because if I were a broke college student, that would've influenced my decision to dine there. This Arepa Zone needs to improve on its fast-casual game. read more

Very unique and great tasting food. Prices are good too. The bread that these tequinos are made in and everything else is delicious. Sauces are great too. Nice ambiance as plenty of seating inside Western market. read more

Arepa Zone - Mini papusas - Venezuelan Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Arepa Zone is fast and casual. It is conveniently located in the new Western Market near GW. There are so many different fillings available for the arepas. I ordered the mini trio this time, but previously, I have gone with the one large arepa. They are very filling. I really enjoyed the mini arepa trio because I got to try three different arepas. You have to get the Jugo de Mora (blackberry juice); it's so good! read more

Arepa Zone - Vegetarian arepa trio and Jugo de mora - Venezuelan Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

La primera vez que pruebo las arepas y no quede decepcionada, amé la de puerco y la de res, la de pollo no fue mucho de mi agrado, pero es por gusto personal read more

Firstly I would like to say, I have truly never tasted a sandwich better than this. The juicy beef, with the warm melted cheese was diabolical!! When I came to order, the woman at the register was so sweet and patient when I was talking and tweeting my order, she never stopped smiling which made me feel better and was over all an angel! The ambiance was so fun and fresh, I honestly needed it after a long day! Will definitely be back for seconds, highly recommend!! read more

Never had Venezuelan food before. The lady at the counter was super helpful in explaining things to my Husband and I. We ordered the Tequenos (5) and they were yummy. Try these without the sauce and then with. Husband ordered the Meat Lovers flight, but didn't care too much for the chicken and Avocado one (said it tasted like chicken salad lol). I ordered the Arepa Pabellón and it was fulfilling after a few bites. Their juices are super good. Husband got all of them mixed and I got the blackberry one. Overall a good experience in a good area. read more

Delicious Bolivian food in Western Market. We had a bowl and an arepa "sandwich", the latter definitely still requires a fork to eat and both were delicious and filling. The bowl's pork and arepa's shredded beef were both plentiful, savory and well-seasoned. I asked for additional sauces (hot and mild) and both were good. I would definitely return when we are in DC again (visiting) - definitely one of the best options at the market. read more

Arepa Zone - Pelua Arepa - Venezuelan Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Best Venezuelan food in town hands down! You will not be disappointed. I tried the arepas that are huge and delicious! Totally recommend this place! 5 stars! read more

I had a great experience. Price is average for DC. I just moved from Florida and this is one of the most authentic arepas I've ever had. The only negative thing (and shame on me for not asking) but their shredded beef had onions. Try their arepa pabellon! read more

I wasn't able to eat the beans from a dish that is call Pabellón, the beans were old and sour.... My wife mentioned to a counter person and she didn't say or do anything at all.... read more

Awful service. Super slow and ignore your order. Took over 10 minutes for them to scoop some rice and plaintains into a bowl even though there was only one other order. read more

This place blows me away. The arepas are huge and unlike any food I've had before. I usually get the Catira arepa. The meat is very flavorful and it is loaded with cheese. The sauce adds to the flavor profile. To complete the meal, their mango juice is refreshing and their sweet plantains are delicious. read more

Didn't even get to try it. I walked up to the counter to order. They asked me to step out of line and order from the QR code. The QR code didn't work so I went back to tell them and the directed me to Uber eats??? Why not just take my order and offer customer service? read more

Coming to this place, I was just hours from hopping off a plane from Ecuador, so the taste of South American food was heavy on my mind and my tastebuds. Arepa Zone's authentic cuisine made me feel like I was still in South America. I got their vegan arepa, just one, thinking I may need a second, but omg, the one arepa was so big and filled with such tastiness that I only needed one. The staff was so kind in ensuring that I got the best meal at the best price, and my mouth was filled with an explosion of flavors. Plantains, avocado, and beans all in one? HEAVEN! This place is a must-try. read more

OK, being 68, I can't seem to consume as much food as I used to. Though when I'm hungry, I think I can. Having heard about Arepa Zone for I while, I decided to try the one at the Western Market. I got the mini meat trio and while they were all good the Carne was the best. It was a struggle, but I finished them and that Mango Smoothie was to die for. read more

Very good arepas but also the antequeños are amazing!!! Always recommend it!!try the Polar beer it's veryyy very good!!

Absolutely fantastic, a friend showed me this place. It's a bit unassuming and tucked away but the food is perfect!