Location(s): 91 & 93 1/2 E 7th St b/w 1st Ave & Ave A and 291 Grand St b/w Roebling & Havemeyer
Phone #: (212) 529 2314
Method(s): Eat In and Delivery
Price Range: $$
Food: A
Value: A-
Service/Atmosphere: B+
Overall Rating: A-
On both sides of Luke's Lobster resides another East Village foodie behemoth: Caracas Arepa Bar (one location is for sit-down and one location is for delivery/to-go). It is always mobbed so if you want to eat there I would recommend going on an off hour or otherwise be prepared to wait in a pretty inhospitable, crowded environment. For this reason I have only eaten there twice, but I've gotten Caracas delivered countless times.
What I liked
Needless to say this place is all about the arepas. If you are not familiar, an arepa is similar to a pita sandwich, but imagine if the pita was made of corn bread instead of dough. They are truly delicious. Besides the variety mentioned below, my favorite arepas at Caracas are La Pelúa (shredded beef with cheddar cheese, $6.75), De Pabellón (shredded beef, black beans, white salty cheese & sweet plantains, $7.25) and La Sureña (grilled chicken and chorizo with avocado & spicy chimi-churri sauce, $7.50). All 3 of these have the perfect flavor of saltiness, sweetness and cheesiness, especially De Pabellón with the mixture of sweet plantains with white salty cheese.
The empanada version of De Pabellón ($5.50) is also worth mentioning, which is the same ingredients but instead of being stuffed into a corn bread pita, in this case the ingredients are stuffed into a pastry. Also very tasty; the empanadas are much crispier than the arepas.
In terms of their "sidekicks" (appetizers), I would definitely recommend the Guasacaca & Chips ($6.25), which is Venezuelan style guacamole with very crispy chips that are quite tasty, as well as the Tequeños ($8.75), Yoyos ($5.50) and Tajadas ($4.50) which are all various combinations of fried cheese and plantains.
What Could Use Work
The one time I was adventurous and did not base my meal around arepas, I went for the Cachapa ($11.75), which is a corn pancake with melted guayanés cheese & shredded beef. It wasn't bad but it is tough to stand up when you are being compared to the deliciousness that is the arepa.
Killed It!
My favorite arepa at Caracas is probably one of the simplest varieties: it is De Pollo ($6.25), with grilled chicken breast with caramelized onions and cheddar cheese. I can't get enough of this one, it's delectable and quite filling for the price.
Method(s): Eat In and Delivery
Price Range: $$
Food: A
Value: A-
Service/Atmosphere: B+
Overall Rating: A-
On both sides of Luke's Lobster resides another East Village foodie behemoth: Caracas Arepa Bar (one location is for sit-down and one location is for delivery/to-go). It is always mobbed so if you want to eat there I would recommend going on an off hour or otherwise be prepared to wait in a pretty inhospitable, crowded environment. For this reason I have only eaten there twice, but I've gotten Caracas delivered countless times.
What I liked
Needless to say this place is all about the arepas. If you are not familiar, an arepa is similar to a pita sandwich, but imagine if the pita was made of corn bread instead of dough. They are truly delicious. Besides the variety mentioned below, my favorite arepas at Caracas are La Pelúa (shredded beef with cheddar cheese, $6.75), De Pabellón (shredded beef, black beans, white salty cheese & sweet plantains, $7.25) and La Sureña (grilled chicken and chorizo with avocado & spicy chimi-churri sauce, $7.50). All 3 of these have the perfect flavor of saltiness, sweetness and cheesiness, especially De Pabellón with the mixture of sweet plantains with white salty cheese.
The empanada version of De Pabellón ($5.50) is also worth mentioning, which is the same ingredients but instead of being stuffed into a corn bread pita, in this case the ingredients are stuffed into a pastry. Also very tasty; the empanadas are much crispier than the arepas.
In terms of their "sidekicks" (appetizers), I would definitely recommend the Guasacaca & Chips ($6.25), which is Venezuelan style guacamole with very crispy chips that are quite tasty, as well as the Tequeños ($8.75), Yoyos ($5.50) and Tajadas ($4.50) which are all various combinations of fried cheese and plantains.
What Could Use Work
The one time I was adventurous and did not base my meal around arepas, I went for the Cachapa ($11.75), which is a corn pancake with melted guayanés cheese & shredded beef. It wasn't bad but it is tough to stand up when you are being compared to the deliciousness that is the arepa.
Killed It!
My favorite arepa at Caracas is probably one of the simplest varieties: it is De Pollo ($6.25), with grilled chicken breast with caramelized onions and cheddar cheese. I can't get enough of this one, it's delectable and quite filling for the price.
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