What tortillas are to Mexican food, arepas are to Venezuelan. Arepas are fried, but not greasy, corn pancakes. They’re crisp on the outside, airy on the inside and when sliced open, they can be stuffed with meats, cheeses and vegetables. Caracas Arepas Bar, on 7th St. near 1st Avenue, offers 14 varieties of arepa in addition to appetizers, empanadas, soup, salad, dessert, fruit juices, and other Venezuelan specialties. Since the Arepas Bar opens at 5:30PM on weekdays, Caracas To Go, a 15-seat take out spot next door, will satisfy your arepa fix with lunchtime specials served Monday to Friday until 4:30PM.

Los Muchacos Grilled Chorizo, Fried White Cheese w/ jalapenos ($6.75)

De Pabellon Shredded Beef, Black Beans, White Salty Cheese & Sweet Plantains ($7.00)

Cocada Coconut Milkshake w/ Shredded Coconut & A Touch of Cinnamon on Top ($4.75)

Fried Cheese? Chorizo? Jalapeno? How can you go wrong?

The Los Muchachos arepa ($6.75) was the better of the two. Sauteed peppers are standard but I asked for none. The result was a spicy but balanced flavor trip. The salty and perfectly fried cheese was the perfect middleman for the smokey chorizo and fiery jalapenos hidden beneath. The subtle sweetness of the crisp and chewy arepa brough all the spice to a manageable level. I would definitely get this arepa again.

Read The Rest Of The Arepa Menu Here

Who Knew Plantains Could Be a Dominant Flavor?

The De Pabellon arepa ($7.00), features savory, sweet and tender shredded beef, perfectly cooked black beans, crumbled salty white cheese and mushy sweet plantains, the last of which became the dominant flavor. As a result, there was no real differentiation between the ingredients, resulting in a pocket of plantain flavored mush. Not that this is a bad thing, per se. If you like sweet plantains, you’ll enjoy this arepa.

Spicy & Sweet House Sauce

If a bottle of House Sauce (below) is not on your table, look around and grab one because it’s delicious. A sweet and almost fruity initial flavor disappears surprisingly fast, revealing a fleetingly spicy pepper undertone. The ironic thing is that when Caracas first tried to create their house sauce, they came to the present one by accident and it stuck. Amen for that.

Coconut Lovers, Welcome to Heaven

While waiting for my arepas I noticed the helpful counter man Emmanuel pouring what looked like a vanilla milkshake. In actuality, it was a Cocada ($4.75), shredded coconut and milk blended with ice and topped with a touch of cinnamon. This is one of the best drinks I’ve ever had. It tastes like coconut ice cream mixed with chopped ice and shredded coconut. The cinnamon adds a nice touch.

For those of you who don’t like coconut, and there’s really no inbetween, you can also order one of their ever-changing natural juices ($3.75), a Papelon Con Limon ($3.50) made of water, raw sugar cane pulp and lime, a Chicha ($4.75) made of rice, milk, sugar, ice, and cinnamon, a Camburada ($4.75), a banana milk shake with a touch of cinnamon, or lastly a Toddy ($4.75 cold, $3.50 hot), a Venezuelan chocolate milk shake.

Caracas Arepa Bar

Caracas To Go

Looking for a great deal on brunch in the East Village? Head to Yuca Bar, on Avenue A & 7th Street, where $13.95 will get you tender, flame-grilled skirt steak, eggs, home fries or rice and black beans and your choice of coffee, orange juice, lemonade, a mimosa or a screwdriver. Read on to find out why Loco Tuesday’s at Yuca Bar are the best day of the week.

Skirt Steak

• This was my first time having steak and eggs and it’s probably all downhill from here mainly because Yuca Bar’s was so delicious. It came medium rare as requested, and the flavor struck a nice balance between fire, garlic and beef.
• It’s topped with chimichurri, an onion/garlic sauce that’s spicy and so flavorful I would recommend ordering a tiny side to eat with your eggs.
• My only complaint was that I wish the serving was bigger, but for $13.95 I can’t complain.

Home Fries/Black Beans & Rice

• Great balance of flavor due to the usage of sweet potato and Idaho potato.
• Like all home fries these fell short because they weren’t crispy enough for me. I asked for them well done but they weren’t cooked evenly.
• I tasted my friend’s black beans and rice and they were standard. Nothing amazing. It really comes down to what you’re more in the mood for, but you can’t go wrong with either one. If you’re with a friend, one of you should get home fries and the other rice and beans and then split.

Eggs

Cooked any way you want, mine were scrambled and delicious. They were fluffy and a little wet so if you like your eggs dry make sure to request it.

Click Here for the rest of the Prix Fix Brunch Menu

Sweet Plantains $4.00

Our table neighbors had an extra order of this tropical treat and were kind enough to share. Amen to that, they were delicious. I like my plantains cooked until they’re caramelized and a little crispy and Yuca Bar’s were just that. Sweet, ripe and delicious. I recommend an order for an appetizer.

Loco Tuesdays aka Happy Hour & Half Priced Tapas

Loco Tuesdays at Yuca Bar means Happy Hour from 1pm until 8pm Monday to Friday.

$6 sangria, mojitos, caipirinhas, margaritas and $4 draft beers.

It also means half priced tapas. Check out the menu below.

Conclusion

Great brunch spot with outdoor patio and a solid Happy Hour; It seems like you can’t really go wrong at Yuca Bar. I’ll be back to check out the rest of the menu so keep an eye out.

Yuca Bar

From my Recent Eateries: Very solid Thai fare in the East Village at satisfyingly economical prices.  If you’re up for an adventurous evening with gourmet Thai, don’t go to Kai Kai.  But, if you need a low maintenance meal that won’t hurt your wallet or palette and will fill you up, Kai Kai is a great option.  It’s quiet and quaint (in the good way), the staff is friendly, and perhaps best of all, it’s BYOB.