9 places to try arepas, the Venezuelan-Colombian pocket taking over L.A. 40%
By Katerina Portela0%
2/16/2026, 11:00:00 AM
BS Summary: This article contains 33 faulty reasoning types, including Recency Bias, Overconfidence Bias, and Appeal to Authority, with Hasty Generalization as the most egregious example at 43.4% saturation with 313 hits. Analysis detected 2,035 faulty-reasoning hits from 721 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 44.8% and a BS Rank of 40% (12,905 of 21,180 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 60.90% of the article peer group.
In the streets of Cartagena, Colombia, cumbia musicians beat tambora drums and blow into flautas, women in red, yellow and color-coded ruffled dresses whisk by, and sweating food vendors push carts, their arepas sizzling.
Among the music and striking color of Cartagena, my dad handed me my first arepa.
Arepas are the most essential dish of Colombia and neighboring Venezuela, centered around South America’s most treasured crop: corn.
To prepare an arepa, corn kernels are ground into flour or pre-ground corn flour is used (often the iconic yellow bag of Venezuelan brand P.A.N.), and mixed with water and salt.
The soft dough is then fried, grilled or baked into a pancake-like shape.
The result is delightfully simple yet endlessly customizable.
“My memory of arepas is eating them morning, afternoon and night,” said Yesika Baker, owner of Chamo’s Venezuelan Cuisine in Pasadena.
“In Venezuela, the areperas are open 24/7.”
The arepa has deep roots.
Before Colombia and Venezuela came to be known as separate territories, they were unified by Indigenous groups with similar culinary traditions.
When the Spanish first arrived in South America, Indigenous women were cooking corn cakes similar to the modern arepa, meaning the tradition likely goes back thousands of years, according to University of Venezuela anthropology professor Ocarina Castillo.
Today, the arepa is popular in both countries.
In Colombia, an arepa tends to be simple: topped with cheese by street vendors, filled with egg for a tasty breakfast or, most often, served as a side to a hearty meal.
Some say the masa of a Colombian arepa tends on the thinner side as well.
“Growing up in Colombia, the arepa is like the Mexican’s tortilla.
Everything comes with an arepita,” said Santiago Restrepo, co-owner of Sus Arepas in East L.A.
“Venezuelans, on the other hand, use it like a pita — stuffed.
With Venezuelan-style arepas, you’ll really have fun with the fillings.”
The Venezuelan arepa “rellena” or stuffed style, is one that you’ll see dominate this list, with an experimental appeal that makes them a favorite for Angelenos.
One of Venezuela’s most popular arepas is the Reina Pepiada, which translates to “curvy queen” and is typically filled with shredded chicken, avocado, cilantro and mayonnaise.
According to Castillo, the name is in honor of a real beauty queen, Susana Duijm, the first Venezuelan to win Miss World in 1955.
In Colombia and Venezuela, it’s common to eat arepas at least once a day, especially at breakfast.
But for a dish so essential to millions of people, for a long time, arepas were underrepresented in L.A.’s food scene.
“When I first moved to L.A. [in the ‘80s], you couldn’t find arepas anywhere,” Restrepo said.
“Up until 2020, I wouldn’t have considered them a popular dish here.
But just in the past few years, they’ve exploded.”
Restrepo credits their meteoric rise to a photogenic appeal.
If you’re an avid consumer of food content online, then you’ve likely seen the arepa rellena — after a typical wait time of 20 minutes, they come layered and overflowing with ingredients like shredded beef, stewed beans, melted cheese or plantains.
“A good arepa rellena is all in the fillings,” said Mercedes Rojas, chef-owner of the Arepa Stand, which pops up at local farmers markets on the weekends.
The rise of arepas also reflects a recent wave of Venezuelan and Colombian immigrants to Los Angeles.
In 2021, the Biden administration offered temporary protected status to thousands of Venezuelans, clearing a path for refugees from the region to come to the U.S.
L.A.’s Colombian community has also grown — the city is now home to the sixth largest population of Colombians in America.
“When I left my home country, at the time the Venezuelan community here was very small,” said Maria Fernanda Ramos, co-owner of Pepiteria+58 in Gardena.
“I think the community is growing and more people are paying attention to our food than before.”
From creative picks stuffed with mango and cheese to a Koreatown-inspired arepa with bulgogi and plenty of traditional options, this guide features nine standouts in L.A.’s growing arepa scene.
Although, for your sake, don’t try to ask which country created the arepa, or who does it best.
“It’s a long fight, amiga,” Baker said.
“From Venezuela or Colombia, we defend our arepas.”
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