Great service, wonderful food!! Would highly recommend for a group of ppl. They also do catering, which only involves you and your catering needs! Salud!!! read more

Really enjoyed my meal so much at La Arepa yesterday that I came back today for round 2. Outside of Asian food there isn't much I'm interested in, in this area of SE PDX so I'm grateful to have found La Arepa and this awesome food hall that it is in, The Zed. There are several La Arepa locations in town that serve good Venezuelan food like their namesake dish, the Arepa, which is a cornmeal cake split and stuffed meats or veggies. Really great space overall with a decent sized parking lot and lots of seating with several big screen TVs and a pinball arcade to keep you occupied. read more

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This place was fantastic! I wasn't sure what to get and decided on the empanadas, Sadly it looks like I didn't finish the review and it's been a while since I ate there, and can't remember the food. But, considering i gave it five stars, and started the review with "this place was fantastic" tells me that it was good. Wish I could be more help. read more

I absolutely love this place. Very vegan friendly and the food is amazing. I ordered the black bean tapas and the black bean empanadas, and the impossible empanadas. All absolutely delicious and not as greasy as you would except it to be. Since it's at the Zed my son was allowed to run around and play with toys. It is a great place to take families. Very open space and lots of food to choose from. read more

Really quick and friendly service. My date and I shared two empanadas, one beef and one chicken, an order of plantano frito, and Cachapa with chicken. The food was so good. I really enjoyed it and will be back for those empanadas. We got them with the garlic sauce. So good. read more

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Have eaten at the Zed location. Have a lot of gluten free options. Order on and iPad and get food quickly. The Zed location is fun and family friendly. Always busy on trivia night. Loved the cheese empanadas. Not often I get to have a gluten free empanada. Great sauces as well. Great flavor. read more

La Arepa - Cheese empanada and chicken arepas - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Hits the spot every.single.time. Love this place!! The food is outstanding and the service is always top!!! It's within the Zed so you have a bar as well! It's spacious and there are bathrooms. Parking lot can fill quick, but during the weekday it's not bad at all. read more

The food, the service, the arepas and appetizers. So good and so fresh. Sauces were amazing as well. Will definitely recommend and go back read more

You can't go wrong with an arepa for lunch. Delicious. Friendly staff. Parking lot come. Eat. Enjoy. read more

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The Latin sandwich I have never really been a fan of. I don't like tortas nor do I really care for proper Cuban sandwiches. There's an Arepa place in Olympia my in laws like but I'm not a huge fan. They are an awful mess to eat and I'm left saying "that would have been much better as just a sandwich." No offense but this was my last choice but both of the other places in the pod were closed. I got the shredded beef and cheese. The beef had good seasoning and was portioned so there is one bite you take and are like "wow that's a lot of meat!" I like that the meat is moist enough to be yummy but dry enough to not make a mess. Speaking of mess, I really liked the presentation. I think this is the proper way to arepa. It wasn't an awful mess. The outside was crispy tasty and interesting. I actually thought about it the next day. I don't recommend the passion fruit juice. While tasty it's not really worth the price. read more

La Arepa - Shredded beef and cheese arepa. And passion fruit juice. - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

It was a great place to get a snack before heading out to the Pickles game down the street. The people working here are super friendly and kind. I ordered a couple of items to snack on and were impressed with how good it was. The Teque Tots and Tostones were great to share. read more

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Not as good as I remember unfortunately. I used to get the #4 (chicken and avocado) but the Pabellón arepa just looked so good I had to try it. The flavors were good, but not distributed well; the plantains, avocado, and beans were all in the front of the arepa and all the chicken was stuffed behind. The arepa itself wasn't crispy- it was hot and fresh, but soggy. It was also much more expensive than I remember it being. You get more for your buck with the plate. The passion fruit juice was great. read more

La Arepa - Pabellón Arepa - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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This food truck is awesome! Being from Doral, FL originally, I've had the pleasure of sampling some awesome Venezuelan cuisine, and this place hit most of those flavor notes for me, so tasty. Would definitely go back! Highly recommend the loaded tostones, and the fried plantains and cheese. Mmmm. read more

La Arepa - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Excellent tasty food! The boy wanted to try something new, and chose this cart from among the options at this location. He absolutely loved it. I tried a bit myself and it was pretty tasty. Also, it's always nice when the cook is friendly and good with kids. Check it out! read more

La Arepa - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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I ordered the Reina Pepiada Arepa and the Tostones Solo. The Reina Pepiada is basically a chicken salad with some avocado stuffed inside an arepa. The arepa is made out of cornmeal which is gluten-free! The tostones were good too, I really wish I got it with something to dip it in. It was fried thin and crispy! read more

La Arepa - Reina Pepiada Arepa, Tostones Solo - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Delicious well made authentic and beautiful presentation. We had the beef , beans and plantain arepa as well as the chicken creamy one and they tasted delicious would get both again . read more

Although I think its cool that The Zed opened up the space to accommodate different food vendors I was not impressed with this place. You place the order yourself on a tablet and you will be picking it up for yourself as well. I don't have a problem with this, but as my friend pointed out, it takes a lot of gall to then ask for a tip. We were enjoying a beer and decided to get something real quick and easy - an empanada. First thing I don't agree with is mandating customers order a sauce, but then charging for it. How about giving a sauce for free like everywhere else. So now it took like 20 minutes to get a single empanada which is ridiculous. It's not handmade and you just toss it in a deep fryer so it should take about 5 minutes. Now on to the disappointment that was the food itself. The pastry itself wasn't quite golden brown and needed a little more time. There was absolutely zero flavor to the chicken. It was just very bland. Good thing you had to order a sauce, right? Nope. It was a thin liquid much like milk (less than 2%) and also had no flavor. If you can't get an empanada right I hate to think of what the rest of the menu is like. Plenty of other places inside to try so I'd avoid this one. read more

La Arepa - a green plate with a banana and a cup of yogurt - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

última vez que como en este lugar! Primero mi arepa tenía un pelo súper largo en la masa, nisiquiera estaba adentro estaba en la masa! Lo intentamos sacar y no salía Tambien estábamos con mi familia y nosotros somos colombianos, hicimos un chiste que todo el mundo hace "la arepa es colombiana" la señora súper grosera se ofendió y nos contestó súper súper grosera. No es la primera vez que en este lugar nos tratan así. Servicio 0/10, limpieza 0/10 que asco ese pelo que nos salió read more

It just gets better! First time I had the chicken Pabellón arepa. Solidly delicious. But the shredded beef Pabellón arepa I got the second time was outstanding! The beef alone is a juicy, savory flavor bomb, but add the sweet plantain with the salty cotija cheese and the creamy black beans and avocado--it's excellent and well balanced. read more

Been dying to come here. Drove in from 2 hours away with my partner. Didn't have to come to Portland, in fact, it was out of the way, but I wanted cachapas con queso de mano and patacón. It has been maybe a decade since I've had some. I made sure I came during their business hours... and they were closed at 2:50 on a Friday afternoon until 4:30 pm. Called the Halsey location and no one picked up. Y'all should make sure your hours are accurate on google and yelp. I don't know that I would try to come again. read more

We've been on a three-year quest to find empanadas as good as this place in Madison, WI, we used to go to. Everywhere we've tried in the Portland area has simply been underwhelming. Almost gross even. Until La Arepa. We should have known. The place in Madison was Venezuelan too. La Arepa makes amazing empanadas. I forget the name, but we got the #14 (the big one!). Seriously, it's huge. It can be a meal in itself, but it won't completely fill you up. We also got a black bean and cheese one. Both were excellent. We also got a chicken arepa. So delicious! My husband got a chicken, mustard and avocado arepa. That was amazing! It was so flavorful. I highly recommend both the arepas and empanadas. You won't be disappointed. If we lived closer, we'd go here often. I want to try everything on the menu! read more

I order the pabellon arepa and instantly fall in love with this food. The domino empanada is yummy. Tostones also delicious. This place is my new go to at Portland Mercado. read more

Ahhhhhh it's so good! Must get the garlic sauce to add on its BOMB! I love that they have many dietary options so me and my friends can all eat at one place (although this location has many restaurant options La Arepa is a must try) read more

To quote Natalie Imbruglia, "I'm torn." I want La Arepa to do so well because their food is incredible and they are my favorite food cart at the Portland Mercado. But I'm also really bummed at the thought of them doing so well and building a brick and mortar and no longer being within walking distance of my house. But La Arepa-- I wish you all the success for the many delicious things you've shared with this oft-overlooked corner of Portland. We don't deserve you. I'm literally drooling right now just thinking about their food. read more

I wouldn't consider these to be authentic Arepas. We ordered some Arepas La Rubia and we're incredibly disappointed. The cheese was something anyone can get out of a grocery store. Not even melted. The dough was undercooked. The one redeeming quality of the establishment is that the owner was accommodating to their patrons. read more

You're stuck in the playground And I'm your hush-puppy now Considering you ate me You're expected to rate me So why act like you've had your fill I thought by now you'd know the deal Don't forget hot-pockets fried Empanadas on the side 'Cause it's Arepa I do, do Venezuelan cart Jessie J entree read more

La Arepa - Party - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Fresh and delicious! Gluten free! The variety of salsas adds to the distinctive flavors of the arepas.

Absolutely love this place ! The food is amazing and the staff are always friendly. I recommend trying this place I can almost guarantee you will eat here more then once. From The arepas to the Pabellón criollo I've tried I was very happy of the great flavors. I also recommend a large a Teque tot ! Enjoy I know I do!! read more

Ridiculously good food. We ordered off the regular and vegan menus and both were incredible

This place is the only good thing about Portland, Oregon! We ate here so many times during our stay and I honestly think about it regularly. I'd go back to Portland just to eat here again! MUST GO IF YOURE IN PORTLAND! read more

This Venezuelan cart has excellent gluten free options. I love the #14 pabellon with fried banana! The #1 is really good too and the meat is tender and marinated. It's definitely comfort food and 1 item is usually plenty for me. read more

My family tried La Arepa for the first time this week. Wow, everything was delicious and the salsa was perfect! I can't wait to go back and try more items on their menu! They are taking orders online and the pick up was super easy. read more

I haven't been to a place where the flavors are above expectations, but I found it! A very satisfying meal plus a plantain on the side... perfect for a cloudy muggy day. The sauces on the side completely bring it all together. Try the aioli! 100% recommended. read more

La Arepa - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Highly impressed by La Arepa. We ordered one each of beef, chicken and domino empanadas, beef and chicken arepas and a beef patacon. First, the cornmeal and the cook on everything was perfect, i.e., crispy on the outside, lighter on the inside. Nothing was greasy or overly oily. The beef was a tad salty, but it had really good flavor. The chicken was more subtle, which was nice. But to our surprise the domino empanada was easily the best part of the meal. The black beans are delicious, and with that parmesan-y hint of cotija cheese in there, if we'll be back for anything, it will definitely be that. As for the beef patacon, it was also quite tasty. If you're ever just wanting something that's more like a traditional sandwich, this is it. The plantains are awesome. Said it already, but we'll definitely be back. read more

I'm new in the area and decided to check this place out on a cold and rainy Portland afternoon and I was not disappointed. The food was amazing and there's nothing to complain about. I'll be completely honest I was not expecting the person to be preparing my food to be white but I was open minded and he knew exactly what he was doing. If you're looking for a nice requeño or patacones locally, don't go anywhere else this little food truck is give you just what you want and do it all in an extremely friendly and expedient manner. read more

This is one of my top 5 favorite places to eat in Portland. I have a ton of food allergies so it's very hard for me to eat out. On top of the allergies im on a "seizure diet" high fat high protein super low carb. Needless to say my options are severely limited if I don't want to cook. La Arepa is the place is most often go. It is so so so so good. The arepa here is 10 times better than the one at Mercado.I love the shredded beef and cheese arepa with avocado added. All the sauces are bomb. The people working are so nice. I've never had something that wasn't good here. One of Portland's very best :) read more

I love getting the shredded chicken arepa with cheddar cheese. It's delicious by itself, but sauce 1 & 2 compliments it very well.

Addicted to this place! I think I've gone back like every 3-4 days since I've been there. The patacón and the empanadas are amazing! With this location being closed today, I'm about to head up to the other location. I've taken 3 different friends here and so far everyone has loved it. Easily one of my new favorites! read more

La Arepa - The menu - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I was really excited to see a new cart in this pod, hoping to add some variety to my lunch time foraging. While I realize the carts only been here a few weeks, it's been shockingly inconsistent, especially considering they've got two other carts around town. The first time I ordered, it took probably 25 minutes to get my order. I ordered both an arepa and an empanada. No frills here - just an arepa in a container, and an empanada in a paper bag. They were both competent - not bad, not great, just fine, but definitely not worth a 25 minute wait. There was a single guy working the cart this time. I tried them again, maybe a week and a half later when I saw there was a woman in the cart in addition to the same guy (I think?), and was thinking/hoping that they'd got the wait times downs. Seemed much better this time, with it being maybe a 5 or 10 minute wait for my arepa. Things seemed to be going well, but a few days later, one my co-workers ordered some food here (with just one guy working), and it took 30 minutes for him to get his food. Looked like one person working was serializing everything, focusing on a single order at a time, and not looking ahead/doing anything in parallel/etc. Also it seemed he gave away my co-worker's order to someone else, as there was confusion when my co-worker went to pick up his food and it was completely wrong. The guy working was clearly confused, and it looked like he just started over on my coworker's food . . . The other miss would have been earlier this week when a coworker's partner ordered some empanadas, but when she opened the box back at the office it was a plate with black beans, rice, plantains, etc, but definitely no empanadas. I'll likely give this cart another try in another month or so when I'm bored with the other options, but clearly lots of training/work to be done. read more

Love love love! Some of the best gluten free options in town! The chicken arepa is my favorite!!! The sauces are delicious, a bit of a wait but always worth it. The black and cheese empanada is amazing as well! Highly recommend!! read more