Arepas are a hidden gem in the states! If I spot a place with them I go. You have not lived until you have had Arepas, Yucca Fries, and fried plantains. I ate the vegan option PB+Avo which was pleasant because it was not overly seasoned and not oily at all. If would have been lit with some spicy sauce but I am breastfeeding so I had known and if you are breastfeeding you should also have none. My lover had the Sifrina w/ the Guasacaca sauce and was delighted. It is not recommended for drivers to eat while driving highway 17 but you do you. The three dudes working seemed nice enough and very efficient. There isn’t much of an atmosphere but outside in downtown Santa Cruz is lovely so we can all move past it.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Arepas
Melody Jones
My boyfriend and I came from Sacramento, to Santa Cruz, for show with the Rio. Doing a Google search, found Pana, a Venezuelan restaurant. It had great reviews, so we thought we'd give it a try.As we placed our order, we gave them a cell phone number to text when our order was ready. There was a table available in the establishment, keep in mind there were only two tables. Most of the seating was outside. We had to bus and clean the table ourselves. That was a little off-putting.My boyfriend received a text that his meal was ready, and a person brought it to our table with his drink. We both ordered the watermelon drink. Maybe a cultural thing, but there was no ice in the drink and it was warm. That was very odd for something as refreshing as watermelon. Warm watermelon juice was not appealing.He was expecting my food to come fairly quickly after his arrived, so he was waiting to eat. We were both really hungry, and we had to get to our event, so I encouraged him to start eating.By the time he was halfway through his meal, I finally decided to check on my food. It was sitting on the back counter!the entire time! When I asked why we didn't receive a second text, or why the same person didn't bring my food to the table, the guy shrugged his shoulders. Zero customer service.The food was cold, and as before, my watermelon drink was warm.$35 for less than average food and really bad customer service. If everything else was on point, I wouldn't have minded that we had to clean our own table, but in totality, it was just a really bad experience.In total, a dirty cafeteria ambience with expensive cold food and warm drinks.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Ashoka McCormick
Delicious and amazing !!!
Gavin Davis
Increíble! The Pabellón was delicious, must try. Herman was very kind and helpful ??
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cho Kun
pabellon is my favorite!! (beef and plantains) best arepas ever highly recommend also served in the cutest capybara. outdoor seating is also very
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pabellón Arepa, Arepas
Saran W.
YUM. In a Yelp search for the best eats in Santa Cruz, I found the Pana food truck and was excited to then learn that there was a brick and mortar location in downtown. My husband and I decided to try the Sifrina with all of the sauces based on recommendations from other reviews and a side of plantains. Everything was so delicious, although the arepa was very messy and lots of napkins were used lol. The plantains were hearty and well seasoned, and we were very appreciative of the portion size! After sampling all of the sauces with our food, we went back to order a bottle of the garlic sauce - it is seriously so tasty and we have since used it on everything from pizza and fries to chicken and sandwiches. The employees were really kind and the interior space is small, but still comfortable if you want to sit indoors. There are lots of tables with seating available in the shared space outside as well.
Ashley H.
I've been wanting to try this place for awhile but I don't live in the area so when we were in Santa Cruz we had to try it! The staff was so friendly and kindly explained the menu. We ended up with one vegetarian pana and a watermelon juice. This will absolutely be a regular spot for us to stop when we are in the area !
soccer girl
So good haha. Vegetarian options.Vegetarian options: Black beans. Plantains. Some sauces are not vegan.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Russell V.
Probably the best food value in The Tank. Lightly cooked corn meal surrounding your choice of ingredients... meat (beef, chicken), cheese, beans, plaintains and a few others with several sauces (avocado, garlic or spicy). Tender and juicy, they can be a little messy... but SO worth it! Foods are GLUTEN FREE, except for the plantains (only because they go in a shared frier at SAP Center ... but their truck boasts Gluten Free plantains, too!). The vendors / staff are really nice people, happy to help you figure out what you like... they have a roving food truck (or more?) and a Brick & Mortar store in the Santa Cruz area (which we've not yet visited).
Outstanding food and friendly service. Go check them out, it's worth it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pedro M
Go out of your way to get here. The food and service is awesome. Don’t waste your time anywhere else. Arepa, tostones, and a watermelon drink and you’re done. Much love.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Justin B.
Great food! The folks at Pana have always given excellent service and amazing food. Highly recommended!
Gabe J.
Best food I've had in a very long time. The owner is also incredible & made us feel at home. He gave us some back story & how they got started. Super cool story & even better food! We left satisfied & full. The homemade drink they have is exceptional & worth it! Stop depriving yourself & give this place your business
Jeff Rensel
I love Pana!! It’s a hidden gem of the Central Coast. Serving up amazing Venezuelan food, the arepas are so good! If you’ve never tried an arepa you are missing out…I recommend the Reina Pepiada (shredded chicken, avocados, and mayo) or El Tiburon (shrimp, mozzarella, avocado) and of course an order of delicious fried plantains!I discovered the Pana Food Truck at the CSUMB campus (they are most often in Santa Cruz) and I was pleased to find that they have a location at the SAP Center in San Jose. Highly Recommend!
Authentic, delicious arepasDietary restrictions: Everything was gluten free
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Reina Arepa, Arepa De Pabellón, Sauce, Arepas, PB Avo, Chicken Sandwich
Arepas are a hidden gem in the states! If I spot a place with them I go. You have not lived until you have had Arepas, Yucca Fries, and fried plantains. I ate the vegan option PB+Avo which was pleasant because it was not overly seasoned and not oily at all. If would have been lit with some spicy sauce but I am breastfeeding so I had known and if you are breastfeeding you should also have none. My lover had the Sifrina w/ the Guasacaca sauce and was delighted. It is not recommended for drivers to eat while driving highway 17 but you do you. The three dudes working seemed nice enough and very efficient. There isn’t much of an atmosphere but outside in downtown Santa Cruz is lovely so we can all move past it.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Arepas
My boyfriend and I came from Sacramento, to Santa Cruz, for show with the Rio. Doing a Google search, found Pana, a Venezuelan restaurant. It had great reviews, so we thought we'd give it a try.As we placed our order, we gave them a cell phone number to text when our order was ready. There was a table available in the establishment, keep in mind there were only two tables. Most of the seating was outside. We had to bus and clean the table ourselves. That was a little off-putting.My boyfriend received a text that his meal was ready, and a person brought it to our table with his drink. We both ordered the watermelon drink. Maybe a cultural thing, but there was no ice in the drink and it was warm. That was very odd for something as refreshing as watermelon. Warm watermelon juice was not appealing.He was expecting my food to come fairly quickly after his arrived, so he was waiting to eat. We were both really hungry, and we had to get to our event, so I encouraged him to start eating.By the time he was halfway through his meal, I finally decided to check on my food. It was sitting on the back counter!the entire time! When I asked why we didn't receive a second text, or why the same person didn't bring my food to the table, the guy shrugged his shoulders. Zero customer service.The food was cold, and as before, my watermelon drink was warm.$35 for less than average food and really bad customer service. If everything else was on point, I wouldn't have minded that we had to clean our own table, but in totality, it was just a really bad experience.In total, a dirty cafeteria ambience with expensive cold food and warm drinks.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Delicious and amazing !!!
Increíble! The Pabellón was delicious, must try. Herman was very kind and helpful ??
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
pabellon is my favorite!! (beef and plantains) best arepas ever highly recommend also served in the cutest capybara. outdoor seating is also very
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pabellón Arepa, Arepas
YUM. In a Yelp search for the best eats in Santa Cruz, I found the Pana food truck and was excited to then learn that there was a brick and mortar location in downtown. My husband and I decided to try the Sifrina with all of the sauces based on recommendations from other reviews and a side of plantains. Everything was so delicious, although the arepa was very messy and lots of napkins were used lol. The plantains were hearty and well seasoned, and we were very appreciative of the portion size! After sampling all of the sauces with our food, we went back to order a bottle of the garlic sauce - it is seriously so tasty and we have since used it on everything from pizza and fries to chicken and sandwiches. The employees were really kind and the interior space is small, but still comfortable if you want to sit indoors. There are lots of tables with seating available in the shared space outside as well.
I've been wanting to try this place for awhile but I don't live in the area so when we were in Santa Cruz we had to try it! The staff was so friendly and kindly explained the menu. We ended up with one vegetarian pana and a watermelon juice. This will absolutely be a regular spot for us to stop when we are in the area !
So good haha. Vegetarian options.Vegetarian options: Black beans. Plantains. Some sauces are not vegan.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Probably the best food value in The Tank. Lightly cooked corn meal surrounding your choice of ingredients... meat (beef, chicken), cheese, beans, plaintains and a few others with several sauces (avocado, garlic or spicy). Tender and juicy, they can be a little messy... but SO worth it! Foods are GLUTEN FREE, except for the plantains (only because they go in a shared frier at SAP Center ... but their truck boasts Gluten Free plantains, too!). The vendors / staff are really nice people, happy to help you figure out what you like... they have a roving food truck (or more?) and a Brick & Mortar store in the Santa Cruz area (which we've not yet visited).
Restaurantji Recommends
Outstanding food and friendly service. Go check them out, it's worth it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Go out of your way to get here. The food and service is awesome. Don’t waste your time anywhere else. Arepa, tostones, and a watermelon drink and you’re done. Much love.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food! The folks at Pana have always given excellent service and amazing food. Highly recommended!
Best food I've had in a very long time. The owner is also incredible & made us feel at home. He gave us some back story & how they got started. Super cool story & even better food! We left satisfied & full. The homemade drink they have is exceptional & worth it! Stop depriving yourself & give this place your business
I love Pana!! It’s a hidden gem of the Central Coast. Serving up amazing Venezuelan food, the arepas are so good! If you’ve never tried an arepa you are missing out…I recommend the Reina Pepiada (shredded chicken, avocados, and mayo) or El Tiburon (shrimp, mozzarella, avocado) and of course an order of delicious fried plantains!I discovered the Pana Food Truck at the CSUMB campus (they are most often in Santa Cruz) and I was pleased to find that they have a location at the SAP Center in San Jose. Highly Recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Arepas