Zema offers exquisite homemade cooking in a truck. The corn pies- "arepas " are very filling and huge! One arepa is enough to satisfy me at lunch. The fillers for the arepas of shredded beef, porky pig, and the queen take many hours to get cooked, the corn cakes are freshly cooked and are cooked in the spot.Hence, it takes about 5-10 minutes of waiting. The cheese arepa is also very tasty, it is supposed to be fresh cheese and not totally melt. This is not supposed to be a grilled cheese sandwich- for the people who have other expectations of the cheese arepa. Lastly, the tequeños and cachapas...Oh my! The cachapas are also homemade and require work. The cachapas are also made with sweet, fresh corn and they are accompanied with delicious, traditional Venezuelan white cheese. People back in Venezuela's capital, Caracas drive over an hour to a town - El Junquito, to eat these delicatessen. We are so fortunate being able to enjoy such delicious food at Zema. Thank you! read more

Venezuelan style food, nice staff and fast service, about $10~$15 for a meal, the wrap corn pocket got soggy and broken easily. The Queen - *** stuffed with shredded chicken salad and mayo mix dressing Hairy - *** seasoned shredded beef with sauteed veggies to[[ed with signature grated yellow cheese The Blondie - *** signature shredded chicken sauteed with Caribbean fresh veggies and grated yellow cheese Pabellon - **** shredded beef sauteed with veggies, black beans, grated white cheese and slices of sweet plantain, bold taste, rich in flavors, recommend read more

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Only great things to say about this truck! Ended up getting the hairy, blondie with avocado, and 6pc cheese fingers. They're generous with the meat portion per arepa. Hairy is tasty, cheese is a plus! Blondie was my favorite, great chicken flavor, avocado rolled it off beautifully. Cheese fingers, sooo good! Great dip sauce that comes with it too. Service was quick and helpful. I would def order from this truck again!! read more

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I had the queen, which is the shredded chicken with avocado and mayonnaise. It was hefty, dense and filling. The shell (arepas?) seemed freshly made as it was warm. This was a little odd with the cold interior, but the result was pretty tasty and very filling. With tax, I paid $10.90 for it. I'm up for trying them again next time they come around. read more

Crazy!! So the truck is outside but the owner (?) hadn't shown up yet with a bunch if the food. Fine, life happens. The other guy says he should be back in 15 min. I wait half an hour, come back and order. First off, I find it scretchy when the menu has all the prices taped over. Your prices changed? Cool, but why no new pricing? (Bye, this sandwich was $8 on the menu on the photo, I was charged $11!!) I order the Porky Pig (basically a pork sandwich), and a "homemade lemonade made with cane sugar" The sandwich was a giant mess because that added so much "gravy". Flavor was ok but $11 sandwich was small. The lemons I'd (?) tasted like sour fruit and was BROWN! What kind of lemons make brown juice?? ($3 btw ) This was a really disappointing meal. Even more so for $15!! (Tax was NOT included like on most food trucks) NEVER AGAIN! read more

Zema - Food Trucks Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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South American Venezuelan Cuisine Food Truck I was lucky enough to run into the Zema Truck at the Enriched Farms Lunch at the Arts at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts center while driving back from the beach. There were some other food truck choices, but the Zema truck had a cuisine that I have never had before, Venezuelan cuisine. The mainstay of their menu is Arepas, which are Venezuelan corn cakes and they are a little dense compared to other corn cakes, like the ones from mexico. I ordered the Pabellon plate and substituted the rice with a corn pancake. You can also order the Sandwich option with the ingredients "stuffed" into the corn pancake. The ingredients are shredded beef and black beans, and I recommend putting some hot sauce on it which is outside of the truck with the napkins and plastic wear. The overall taste was pretty good and the corn pancake tasted more like mochi rice than corn, I split the corn cake myself and filled it up. I think it is the same price but the Pabellon plate is a better value than the Sandwich. There were some fried plantains on the plate too. I haven't decided to follow them on Instagram since Arepas don't make for good food pron like Burgers. read more

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2 stars for the corn pocket 1 star for the chicken This was my first time eating arepas and I was kind of disappointed. The only part that I liked was the corn pocket, which was super crispy and fresh. I was indecisive between The Blondie and Machu Picchu. Since they advertised The Blondie as their signature dish, I went with that one. The shredded chicken sautéed with "Caribbean" veggies tasted like something I could just whip up at home -- some chicken, onion, and peppers mixed with some tomato sauce. Besides the chicken mixture and a few slices of avocado I added, 2/3 of the sandwich was stuffed with the grated yellow cheese. The cheese did not go well with the rest of the sandwich AT ALL in my opinion. Although I cannot say that I've had better arepas than this, since I have nothing to compare with, I am pretty sure that I won't spend another $10 on this again. read more

Zema - The blondie + avocado - Food Trucks Near Me - Los Angeles, California

In a time when everybody and anybody that can make a half-decent Wonder bread grilled cheese sandwich is jumping onto the food truck bandwagon and when there are more second-rate food truck knock-offs trying to steal Kogi's thunder than true originators, it is refreshing to see a mobile chef who is doing something different and who actually gives a damn about his craft. Julio sources some of his ingredients from Miami because, apparently, that beats any LA-based alternatives. I was skeptical about this until I had my first tequeno (super flaky deep-fried cheese filled mini pastry roll)...and then then that Machu Picchu arepa sealed the deal. Crispy cornmeal outer, heaps of flavor inside. I don't know how the arepa was the same size as a quarter-pounder, but somehow managed to weigh like 4 pounds. That thing was dense. And bursting at the seams with grilled shrimp--literally bursting: one of those guys got loose and ruined some of my work clothes in an embarrassing way with that green sauce. Time for a nap. read more

Zema - Machu Picchu Arepa - Hearty - Food Trucks Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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I ordered the pabellon at the recommendation of the man taking my order - it could come in a sandwich (arepa) or with rice. Since I like corn and had eaten a rice dish for lunch the day before, I went with the arepa. Pretty tasty but quite heavy, it was stuffed with shredded beef, cheese, and plantains. I did like the texture of the arepa - crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. I would definitely be willing to get this again but probably wouldn't crave it. Also, the wait was quite long. read more

Zema - Food Trucks Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Honestly.... just don't bother, it's not worth it. I waited 30 minutes for my food... I ordered a plain arepa with cheese. The cheese was cold and far from melted, which I found odd... It was so disgusting that I threw it away after one bite. The cheese fingers were just ok and that's only because the dipping sauce was pretty tasty. Without the sauce, the cheese fingers would have been in the trash with my arepa. read more

I hate to give a not so good review, especially to a small business and Latino owned. I'm giving them two stars as my intention is not to drop their rating. However, I cannot get over paying $11+ for a low quality food item. This was my first time having an Arepa (I've never had the urge to, since I consider it to be a lazy version of a Pupusa). I ordered a Pabellón, which had shredded beef, black beans, cheese, and a fried sweet plantain. The size of the Arepa was about 7in round and crispy on the outside. However, as anyone who has ever made thick hand made tortillas, rule number one is to make sure the masa gets fully cooked. Unfortunately, around most of the perimeter and center of the Arepa was raw gooey dough which rendered it pretty inedible. The filling consisted about 1-2oz of beef, which was good, think Cuban Ropa Vieja, but I could not justify the price for this small portion. I liked the plantain, the beans were ok, and as other reviewers mentioned the cheese was not thoroughly melted. I just had some tacos out in Sylmar out of a truck that is making fresh corn tortillas on the spot with nice meats and only charging about $1.50-$2.00 per taco. Perhaps this truck should raise their prices considering what Zema is charging. Or perhaps Zema should improve their product to get repeat business; as at this time I won't be going back. read more

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I'd give 4 stars if their prices were listed on the menu. Surprise $21.80 for two Arepas: Fancy Queen [chicken Arepa with avocado and cheese] and Hairy [beef Arepa with cheese]. My co-worker had the cheese fingers and a Malta [a nonalcoholic malt beverage. The portions are large, so guess what I'm having for dinner. If you've never had an Arepa, they are similar to pupusas or gorditas. This is my first time trying them and thought they were ok with my addition of Tapatio for some flavor. I might have enjoyed them more if I hadn't waited too long to eat it. They did offer Sirracha and a spicy mayo at the truck. Would I try it again, sure. read more

I really don't like writing bad reviews, I want the small guys and small businesses to succeed, but since we wound up needing to take our food to go, I have to let the owner know about the experience. I liked my food just fine, had the chicken and avocado salad inside a crispy arepa. The salad did have a lot of mayo, but i like it, that's just to let others know who may not like the mayo taste so much. My husband had the same thing, but had to eat his a bit later since we had to rush off. After leaving, he dug into his and found an avocado sticker inside of his filling. Not ok. Finding things inside your food that shouldn't be there is never ok. Zema, get it together! The food has great potential and menu sounds amazing, but this might sway us if we see the truck around town again. read more

I've seen one or two complaints about how long the service took. Arepas take about 10 min to cook alone without the stuffing + They don't taste good pre cooked so Being from Colombia which is next to Venezuela and in in South America I understand the time it takes for these great AREPAS. Trust me I tried them all and are all great, don't pay attention to these other losers who just complain about time, Quality food takes a little more time than McDonald's or any other fast food places. read more

Zema - Food Trucks Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Was at Brewery West, and this truck was there... ate their "Blondie" sandwich and it was amazingly good. Can't recommend this enough. read more

Great arepas and plantains, but a tad pricey for lunch. If you've never had arepas, stop reading this review and go get some right now. I'll wait. Killer, corn-based-somewhere-between-a-tortilla-and-cornbread pockets stuffed with beans, cheese, meat, and/or veggies. What's not to like?! Zema provides really tasty, hand made arepas out of their truck with a variety of flavors, proteins, and fillings. You might be expecting to be able to east these easily on the go, based on the shape and size, but they are chock full of goodness, so I'd recommend using a fork and knife, and tearing the arepa from time to time. Sorta like an overstuffed greek pita. I strongly recommend getting plantains inside, outside, or both. Deep fried plantains are a wonderful side item to these arepas! The only downside is the price. Yes, the portions are quite filling, but after I drop a tip, I'm spending nearly $16 for a food truck lunch. The food is GREAT, but that's a lot to drop on lunch. Definitely worth trying! read more

The cheese fingers are amazing and my only gripe is I can never get them! Open for business more and tell us where you are!

Ordered two arepas the fancy and the blondie = $23. Totally not worth it. Charged extra for avocado on the blondie and was literally given 2 slivers of avocado. What a joke. They claim to make fresh shells but these were definitely old, hard to bite through. At $10 + tax save your money. Not worth it at all. If you want to charge gourmet prices, use gourmet ingredients. read more

I love food trucks, so stopping here was a no brainer. I ordered the Queen, and was debating the cheese fingers, when the guy says, "You want bacon?" Bacon and cheese? Duhhh please. I finish ordering and find a place to sit while I wait for my food. Neither of the two guys in the truck were very attentive (or visible, for that matter) unless you stood by the window for a min or two. A guy was standing a couple feet away, trying to get their attention, loudly asking if they were open. A second guy came up as well asking if they were open. Hell, even I wondered at first, but I'm nosy and I put my face right up to the window. The first guy eventually left without getting their attention. My food comes out, and second guy is spotted near the window and his order is taken. I eat the cheese fingers first while I start to walk down the street. When I'd ordered these, we agreed on 2 cheese and guava, and 2 more with bacon for a total of 4. No. Bacon. Where is the bacon?! I wasn't going to make the whole walk back to dispute some bacon, so screw it. Maybe they don't actually put bacon, maybe they do but forgot in mine. Regardless, it's delicious as it is with the cheese, but definitely got my hopes up. The Queen is delicious too. It's pretty much a chicken salad sandwich, but in an arepa. Food was a definite 5 star, but the service (not paying attention to people, promising bacon but no bacon ), wasn't that good. Food is still the most important imo, so 4 stars it is. read more

I was in search of a food truck today for lunch and I stated by walking up grand. Unfortunately there weren't any there so I decided to hit up pershing square and see what's there. I came across this food truck and decided to give it a try. I had no idea what they served but according to the truck it specializes in arepas, traditional Venezuelan corn flatbread. They have many different types but I tried the porky pig sandwich with Tender slow Roasted pork topped on its own gravy. The sando also came with a kind of pesto sauce to pour on it. I loved the sando, the pork was very tender and the corn was delicious too. The was a tasty sauce on the inside of the sando too. Overall the sando was awesome. read more

Zema - Porky pig arepa with slow Roasted pork. - Food Trucks Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Parked right outside of Alibi on Monday night since Alibi's kitchen was closed. The Blondie w/avocado was delish! Amazing textures and flavors w/a crisp outside and a warm spicy chicken filling. Really comforting on a cold night in Culver City. Take it into Alibi, sit next to the fire place and grab your favorite alcoholic beverage w/a friend or date. I ate half and saved the other half for lunch the next day. Just reheat it in the oven and you're good to go. read more

This truck showed up at our office in Torrance today as part of our buildings food truck Friday. Co-workers and myself were excited because the menu looked great along with the reviews. First problem was they had a limited number of items available. No cheese fingers, no lemonade, and I was told when I ordered the "Porky Pig" we only have one left and it has grated cheddar on it. Another co-worker ordered this as well and was told the same thing. Apparently we all ended up getting the last Porky pig that coincidentally already came with cheese. Forced to get one with cheese and pay an extra $2.00 for it, very suspicious. So the food is pre-made, not fresh as I was expecting. Behind the window, we all kind of joked afterwards about cans of beans, bags with meat, and what appeared to be Costco grated cheese. Hmmmmm....not good. So my food was handed out the same window I ordered from. Like everyone else, I was pointed at and got to hear "hey you" your foods ready. No real customer service here and I, like everyone else, had to barge in front of the people who wanted to order. This setup wasn't planned out right at all. So now for the food review. Item is described as a really slow roasted pork topped on its own gravy. Keep in mind, mine was also covered with Costco style grated cheddar for an extra $2.00 that I really didn't want, but settled for. The pork was definitely slow....really slow roasted for a really long time. The pork was dry as can be with no sign of the gravy that is mentioned in the description. Myself along with my coworkers ended up drenching it in hot sauce just to add some flavor and sauce to it. The corn pocket did not taste fresh or even close. It tasted awful and was dry as can be. This was really a huge disappointment and I am hoping the building management will take all of our feedback and not have this truck back. read more

Had The Blondie & Plantains and both were amazing, flavorful, and filling. I'll be back.

For me, this truck offers the closest Arepas you can find in Areperas in Venezuela. Also, tequeños (cheese finger) are very tasty. I ordered The Fancy and Pabellón and were delicious read more

Tried this truck for the first time at Abbot Kinney's First Fridays last week and days later my friends and I are still raving about how good it was. Not only some of the best arepas I have ever had, but simply some of the best food truck food I've ever tried. We split several entrees, but the Pabellon was my favorite. Messy to eat but 100% satisfying. read more

As a daughter of Venezuelan immigrants, and traveling to Venezuela constantly I know Venezuelan food. Their arepas are typcial venezuelan arepera style, big and filled to the brim, so if you are worried about the price, you'll get your money's worth. I can't speak for the meat filled arepa's since I'm a vegetarian, but my vegetarian option was delicious, the beans were cooked perfectly as well as the platanos. The tequeños (cheese fingers) were cooked so well and typical sauce that comes with it brought me back memories from home. I even bought extra to take home. The serivce was great and quick. If you ever see them near you, try them out! My hope is that one day they'll open up a restaurant as well that way I can visit and eat tequeños and arepa all the time. Truly authentic Venezuelan food. read more

Tried two different arepas at first Friday's on Abbot Kinney. They were only alright. The pabellon was the better of the two - the shredded meat and beans were good but I wasn't a fan of the way the plantains were incorporated. There were just like large random chunks in there - I've had different arepas where it's much better with thin, long slices. The second one was the blondie with added avocado. This one definitely didn't have nearly as much meat or filling as the other one, could barely see or taste the avocado, and was overall lacking flavor. However, service was fast and friendly and everything seemed fresh. read more

Food was not hot and overpriced. Unfortunately I did not care for this food at all. I ordered the Hairy, which is shredded beef, vegetables, and cheese. I had them add avocado. The shell was cold and flavorless and because it was fried it was a bit tough. Additionally the meat inside was luke-warm and not hot as you would expect freshly made food to be. Because the meat was not hot it had an unusual flavor. The overall experience was very disappointing, especially since I paid $10.35. I took 4-5 bites and ended throwing it in the trash. Maybe it would have tasted better if it was hot?? read more

Zema - Food Trucks Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Tried this food truck at a block party Sunday night and it was fantastic!!! I had the Pabellon with seasoned shredded beef (so tender), grilled vegetables, black beans, rice, plantains and avocado in a crispy corn pocket. Wish I had been able to try a few more items from their menu but it was very filling. read more

They came to Street Food Cinema - it took 30 minutes to get an arepa! Unless I was getting some crazy complicated restaurant dish, in a restaurant would this be ok. The point of food trucks is to get quick food - 30 minutes is NOT ok. By the time I got it, I had no more appetite, it wasn't that good - chicken was dry. I would avoid this truck and go to one that is reliable. read more

I don't know what the food tastes like yet, but I've been waiting over 20 minutes for my order, which is one item.

its real venezuelan food, i just think that the prices arent fair ( i mean its a food truck not a restaurant), delicious anyway.

Food wasn't bad, but they ended up charging me an extra $2 on my card than for the amount I signed. I tried to give them a call to let them know, but the number on the receipt turned out to be Georgia resident's number. read more

The arepa was good however the black beans were salty and the 'artisan cheese' was Daiya.

Fantastic food! The arepa is made from cornmeal flour so it is glueten-free! i love the chicken salad one with avacado!!!