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    Rica Arepa

    4.6 (72 reviews)
    ModerateVenezuelan
    Closed 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

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    RICA AREPA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Rica Arepa

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    Madeleine A.

    Instagrammable restaurant serving various fusion arepas! Walking in there was photo op walls & open seating from high tops to low tops. The menu was vast with various selection of protein from beef, pork, chicken, etc. No complaints on the service but we did go when no one was there. The arepas were hardy and did the job.

    Rica Reina

    Food and service was amazing! First time traveling Venezuelan food! Estephanie and Ivy were great servers!

    La Parrillera
    Vanity H.

    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)
    Scott K.

    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

    $16
    Araceli C.

    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

    Criollo Brunch
    Clay G.

    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.

    arepa with cheese, egg, and onion
    Joseph S.

    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!

    Jeanne F.

    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.

    La Parrillera
    Aleah H.

    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!!

    Jim D.

    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

    Rica Punta
    Rachel S.

    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 :)

    Pollo Arepa
    Cheyenne G.

    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!

    Side of rice and black beans

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    11 months ago

    Delicious arepas large and tasty. Soursop delicious too. Nice clean atmosphere and friendly staff.

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    2 years ago

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

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    2 years ago

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    11 months ago

    Great food, best cachapas in town, the staff always makes you feels like home, really good service and always good promotions

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    2 years ago

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

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    Bienmesabe

    Bienmesabe

    4.1
    (625 reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    Amazing authentic Venezuelan food. The food was high-quality and not salty and not oily either…read more Every dish was high-quality and tasted amazing. The drinks were good as well. Staff was very attentive and nice.

    Came here on Memorial Day in the afternoon. I told my husband that the food is great since the…read morecompany I work for caters and it's always been on point. I was exited for him to try their arepas and appetizers. We sat outside. There was about 4 tables with guests outside as well. I started off with the chicha and we asked the waitress if the lunch special was offered. She said because of it being Memorial Day, there was no lunch special. Ok so that was fine. She came back with the drink in about 5 min. At that time all the tables outside had cleared out. We asked if we can have a few more minutes so my husband can decide on what he wanted. She left and we figured she would be back in 5 min to get our order. 15 minutes passed by and she did not come back. There were no other tables being serviced. Why would she take that long? My husband was so disappointed that he suggested we just leave. We went inside to pay for the drink and saw that there was hardly any customers inside. Our waitress was chatting with the cooks. Such a disappointment. She didn't even look back to acknowledge us. I just found the next waitress to pay for my drink. My husband never wants to come back. Sorry Bienmesabe.

    Photos
    Bienmesabe
    Crab arepitas
    Crab arepitas
    Ceviche

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    Ceviche
    El Rincon De Fabio

    El Rincon De Fabio

    4.6
    (79 reviews)
    2.7 mi
    $$

    Pabellon Arepas: Shredded beef, black bean, sweet plantain, cilantro sauce, cheese. These are like…read morethe slider versions of regular-sized arepas; although small, they are deceptively filling. They have a fridge full of hot sauce bottles inside and I def rec grabbing a bottle and dousing that sauce on these. Tequeños: Fried cheese sticks with a green sauce (sauce was sweeter than the cilantro sauce that accompanied the Arepa. You can't convince me the outside isn't just mini pillsbury crescent rolls (I dig it) Also pictured: Passion fruit juice and Hibiscus Juice served in Chalices. It's a party on Fabio's corner every night. Between the flashing OPEN sign by the entrance and the colorful patio looking out towards Argyle street, it's a sensory overload in the best way. Immaculate presentation on the food and drink as well.

    Cero recomendable, un servicio patético. Pedí comida navideña para mi familia por teléfono y la…read morepersona que me atendió la orden no me cobró por teléfono. Al llegar al restaurante, la misma persona me informó que le dio mi comida a otra persona porque la comida no estaba paga. Mi pregunta fue por qué no me cobró la comida por teléfono, y lo que me respondió fue "¿pero cómo te voy a cobrar por teléfono?", una práctica que es totalmente normal, cobrarle al cliente por teléfono. Lo que es aún peor, manejé 30 minutos para recoger la comida y ni una disculpa me ofrecieron por su falta de profesionalismo. En otras instancias, el deber del personal de un restaurante es cobrar el pedido por teléfono o devolverme la llamada para confirmar que el pedido será recogido. Por todas estas fallas, además del bajo nivel de profesionalismo al no disculparse por el error cometido, no recomiendo el Ricón de Fabio y, por mi parte, no volveré a este restaurante. READ IN ENGLISH BELOW Not recommended at all, a pathetic service. I ordered Christmas food for my family by phone and the person who took my order did not charge me over the phone. When I arrived at the restaurant, the same person informed me that they gave my food to someone else because the food was not paid for. My question was why they did not charge me for the food over the phone, and what they responded was, "but how am I going to charge you over the phone?", a practice that is totally normal, charging the customer over the phone. What is even worse, I drove 30 minutes to pick up the food and they did not even offer me an apology for their lack of professionalism. In other instances, the duty of restaurant staff is to charge for the order over the phone or call me back to confirm that the order will be picked up. For all these failures, in addition to the low level of professionalism shown by not apologizing for the mistake made, I do not recommend El Rincón de Fabio and, on my part, I will not return to this restaurant.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    CHIPS AND GUASACACA
    CHIPS AND GUASACACA
    Outside

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    Outside
    Carnivale Chicago

    Carnivale Chicago

    3.9
    (2.7k reviews)
    3.4 mi
    $$$

    I went here with my best friend and my hubby to celebrate my birthday with a great birthday dinner…read more We were in the Chi already visiting Atlas Stationary as a self-proclaimed station and fountain pen freak so we figured why not?!? I had heard great things about Carnivale prior to so please note that prior reservations were already made but regardless, it was all our first times there and we were stoked to finally try this place out. When we first got there, the outside was very unassuming. Some awesome graffiti on the wall (yes, angel wings included) and lots of color which made me so happy! As we entered, we were greeted by lots of colored flora on the walls and the floor. It led to a beautiful lounge where we checked in. The hostess was quite kind and they escorted us to another room that had multiple floors, two I believe. We were sitting in the main dining area where dining tables were set up and the ceiling lights and decorations were super-duper colorful. It was brightly lit and festive. Seriously, the colors alone could make anyone happy and do a serious dopamine overload which was fine with me. We sat down, was introduced to our server, Oscar and then given menu's. I genuinely thought that this place was pretty small initially because it looked small from the outside but boy was I wrong! This place was MASSIVE. But! I digress, now that we had our menu's-- Let the party begin!! We started with the ceviche tasting which included four types of ceviche; shrimp, Yucatan style hamachi, salmon and tuna. All were really good with their own really distinct flavors but our top favorites were the salmon and the tuna. The salmon had a kick while the tuna had a great balance of heat and sweetness. Great way to start of this dinner! My bestie ordered coconut shrimp and smoked mushroom croquettes for her main meal. My hubs ordered the carne asado while I ordered the lechon asada. I also want to add that we ordered Mexican street corn on the side alongside mashed potatoes and Peruvian Jalea. Ah and before I forget, we also ordered our drinks which consisted of a: sangria, margarita, Cotton Candy Cosmo and Salva Honduran Pilsner. All were spectacular and made the night that more enjoyable as well! When we received our food. We were all really enjoyed it as we all shared our bites amongst one another. The coconut shrimp was well breaded and you tasted the coconut as well. The shrimps were large and juicy. The smoked mushroom croquettes were good with a smokey flavor and good breading, however, the breading may have a been a little thick because you couldn't really taste the mushroom,m unfortunately. The carne asado was the star of the show. Well seasoned steak, cooked medium rare which was juicy and succulent. The lechon asado was good. Although I'm not used to eating lechon asado that is covered in sauce, the sauce was super tasty so I didn't mind the tender, juicy pork that was covered in it. I really enjoyed it. I think the only thing that I wish was different with regards to my lechon asado is that I wish it were hotter because it was luke warm when I received it. Other than that, it was....*chef's kiss*. The Mexican street corn was alright, it honestly just tasted like regular corn with mayonaise in it with some cheese. Didn't add anything significant to the meal. The mashed potatoes were soft but not too soft and buttery. They were really good and then the Purvian Jalea was another favorite, super good! The calamari, fish and shrimp with the Purvian Jalea were absolutely delicious; fresh, tasty and well breaded. It was absolutely yummalicious. To top the night off, they gave me a little birthday treat of cotton candy and carmel popcorn. We also had some tres leches which was so yummy because the fruit was fresh and you could taste the milk in the tender cake and then we had the chocolate cigar. The chocolate cigar was also really good, everything except the label was edible, It was smokey, chocolately and delectable. It's presentation was also so creative. We all loved it. Overall, this restaurant is SUPER PRICY but SUPER WORTH IT. I am so glad that I was able to go there to celebrate a special occasion because it would not be a place that I could go to on a regular basis but as much as I wish I was, ya girl ain't rich like that. The service was superb, the employees were kind, the food was fire and drinks were scrumptious. If you're looking for a fun, Latin cuisine inspired, creative, yummy way to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or other special occasion with a fun Latin twist--look no further, that is it! Check it out and you won't be disappointed. Now, I'm sorry for my novel and you may now go back to your normal programming schedule. If you do end up coming here and loving it -- i told ya so ;)

    I'm not sure how long it was when I first visited Cranivale but it was definitely before yelp…read morereviews and it definitely wasn't this big so fast forward to maybe 20 years it's definitely more beautiful. Very nice and what a great entrance it has. The rooms and the different feeling each one gives is pretty awesome. The upstairs is where we were invited to attend the party bc of the invite and it was very lounging and nice. There's a Latin room where we wanted to go but next time we will. Then there a bigger room with lots of dinner tables and another upstairs.

    Photos
    Rumba Bar
    Rumba Bar
    Carnivale Chicago
    Ropa vieja - a must!

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    Ropa vieja - a must!
    Sabe a zulia

    Sabe a zulia

    3.4
    (21 reviews)
    5.1 mi

    This place was great, I don't know what some of the reviewers are complaining about! I always like…read moreto try Venezuelan food whenever I have the chance to. I tried numerous little items from this place, including the mandocas or corn fritters, pastelitos de queso or cheese pastelitos, and the shredded beef empanada. Everything was really quite good flavor wise, very cheap, and overall just gave a nice street food kind of vibe. The corn fritters were really good. Fried crispy on the outside and a bit oily, but not in a bad way. They were surprisingly quite sweet and fluffy in the inside. Cheap and delicious. The beef empanada came in a large portion, and I really enjoyed it. The beef was well seasoned, flavorful, and had a fantastic texture. It wasn't too bready. I loved the green and slightly creamy sauce they served with the empanada. Great. The cheese pastelitos were probably my least favorite of the few items I tried, I thought they weren't all that flavorful, but definitely weren't bad by any means. Filling was decent with a good amount of cheese, but just not a ton of flavor to them. All in all, a very nice place to get street food type of items and more substantial items too, like cachapas and arepas. I'd definitely recommend this spot.

    Venezuelan food is new to me but I've been having it a lot lately. I decided to go try it in a…read morerestaurant and I don't remember what this was called but it was essentially surf and turf and it was incredible. We tried a few different things and everything was good. I already have a list of what I will try next. Also I don't speak any Spanish and I didn't prevent me from getting what I wanted. It is a nice ambiance with a lot of people going in and out rotating tables. Very busy place but even still there was no wait. If you have not tried Venezuelan food you are missing out. Go try this place. Happy Fooding!!

    Photos
    Side sauce
    Side sauce
    Corn fritter
    Corn fritter
    Cheese pastelitos

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    Cheese pastelitos

    Rica Arepa - venezuelan - Updated June 2026

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