I absolutely loved Rica Arepa! My family and I happened to come across it while in the area and decided to try it out because our previous lunch plans had fallen through. The restaurant is so colorful and the staff was so welcoming to us. The menu had so many vegetarian options available at very competitive prices. We ended up ordering way too much food because the arepas were a lot larger than we expected them to be. I would highly recommend stopping by if you're in the mood for arepas! I will definitely be back!
Chris Cooper
Visited Rica for dinner with the family. At first I thought the prices were a little high, until I saw how much they stuffed into the arepa and patacon.The margarita special ($6) was an okay value, although we were convinced that it's just Costco premixed margarita (they are clear that the HH marg is NOT their normal marg).Would definitely go again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Pabellon Arepa
Caro Eche
They have an enclosed back patio that’s nicely lit and warm! Food was great!! My arepa was about $10 and my husband’s sandwich was $20! But it was very big and he ate half and ate the other half for dinner
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tequenos
A Sintjago (Sintjago)
It was what I was looking for and more. I took a friend that had not enjoyed Venezuelan food before and she had a great time. The Arepas were filled to the top.. good ambience and service. Place is somewhat small but it wasn't packed when we went. They had very good chicha drinks and a great carne mechada.
I’ve been wanting to stop here for ages and today was finally the day. The weather is gorgeous, the front window is open, everyone is happy and the experience overall was fantastic. I had the Pabellon Criollo (beef, rice, cheese, plantains, beans and a fried egg) and it was so good. Perfect amount of food and delicious. I also tried the Papelon con Limon (Venezuelan lemonade). It was good- very sweet. I’ll definitely be back for arepas and a Venezuelan beer!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pabellon Criollo
Cruz Singer
Nothing like Venezuelan food..God bless that place..
Edinson Leon
Excellent service and
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Arepa Catira Blonde Arepa
Jeanne F.
Wow, what a great find! We were in the mood for Arepas and decided to check this out. If you love Arepas this is a must try. We stopped by for lunch and had the Arepa Sampler appetizer which I highly recommend if you can't decide which arepa to try. You get 5 mini arepas and a choice of 3 fillings. We chose beef and 2 different chicken fillings, all were equally yummy. Don't forget to use the insanely delicious garlic sauce condiment provided on the table. The empanadas are huge, a little greasy but totally worth the indulgence. We washed this all down with the passion fruit juice the server highly recommended and were pleasantly surprised it was more like a smoothie than juice. If you have never had passion fruit, do not miss this treat....delish! The server was very nice, friendly and helpful. Bonus-they have an outdoor patio in the back. Will def check this out when the weather warms up.
Joe N
Excellent!!! Keep up the good work.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tequenos, Vegan 2 Arepa
emmie marsili
Great space and great food. The patio space is really fun. Love their dipping sauce and the beef empanadas.
My favorite takeout spot in Lakeview! I always order the Rica Reina arepa and it never misses. I also recommend the sampler plate if you’ve never had Venezuelan food, it’s a fun intro!
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mies Gonz
This food was fantastic and a great value.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mona Tong
Overall Thoughts: I was excited to try this spot as it had a lot of good reviews. Unfortunately, the pabellon arepa I ordered was a miss. I’m still keeping it at 4 stars because the vibes were good and I’d be open to coming back to try the diverse selection of other items on the menu. The restaurant interior is cute and had a good amount of seating inside. The service was also quick and friendly. The prices seemed a little high for the portion size, but reasonable overall.Food I tried:- Pabellon Arepa (3.6/5): This is their most popular arepa, but it fell short for me. It was difficult to eat it as a handheld because the arepa was too brittle and crispy, so everything kept falling out. The meat was a little tough and I wish the cheese was more melted. Otherwise, the plantains were good and everything was flavorful.- Cachapa (4.2/5): I also tried some bites of my the cachaca, which was pretty good. It was sweet, dense, and piled high with cheese.—Price (relative to peers): 4.2/5Food: 3.7/5Service: 4.8/5Overall Value: 4.2/5
Mona T.
Overall Thoughts: I was excited to try this spot as it had a lot of good reviews. Unfortunately, the pabellon arepa I ordered was a miss. I'm still keeping it at 4 stars because the vibes were good and I'd be open to coming back to try the diverse selection of other items on the menu. The restaurant interior is cute and had a good amount of seating inside. The service was also quick and friendly. The prices seemed a little high for the portion size, but reasonable overall. Food I tried: - Pabellon Arepa (3.6/5): This is their most popular arepa, but it fell short for me. It was difficult to eat it as a handheld because the arepa was too brittle and crispy, so everything kept falling out. The meat was a little tough and I wish the cheese was more melted. Otherwise, the plantains were good and everything was flavorful. - Cachapa (4.2/5): I also tried some bites of my the cachapa, which was pretty good. It was sweet, dense, and piled high with cheese. -- Price (relative to peers): 4.2/5 Food: 3.7/5 Ambience: 5/5 Service: 4.8/5 Overall Value: 4.2/5
Danielle Roy
A few coworkers and I went here for lunch this week. We all enjoyed our meals. I already want to go back. I had the Pabellón Arepa with a side of beans and rice which I could’ve made into a meal alone. The beans were cooked with spices and not plain like some other places. The arepa was packed with beef, beans, plantains, etc.
I absolutely loved Rica Arepa! My family and I happened to come across it while in the area and decided to try it out because our previous lunch plans had fallen through. The restaurant is so colorful and the staff was so welcoming to us. The menu had so many vegetarian options available at very competitive prices. We ended up ordering way too much food because the arepas were a lot larger than we expected them to be. I would highly recommend stopping by if you're in the mood for arepas! I will definitely be back!
Visited Rica for dinner with the family. At first I thought the prices were a little high, until I saw how much they stuffed into the arepa and patacon.The margarita special ($6) was an okay value, although we were convinced that it's just Costco premixed margarita (they are clear that the HH marg is NOT their normal marg).Would definitely go again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Pabellon Arepa
They have an enclosed back patio that’s nicely lit and warm! Food was great!! My arepa was about $10 and my husband’s sandwich was $20! But it was very big and he ate half and ate the other half for dinner
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tequenos
It was what I was looking for and more. I took a friend that had not enjoyed Venezuelan food before and she had a great time. The Arepas were filled to the top.. good ambience and service. Place is somewhat small but it wasn't packed when we went. They had very good chicha drinks and a great carne mechada.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pabellon Arepa, Chicha Venezolana
I’ve been wanting to stop here for ages and today was finally the day. The weather is gorgeous, the front window is open, everyone is happy and the experience overall was fantastic. I had the Pabellon Criollo (beef, rice, cheese, plantains, beans and a fried egg) and it was so good. Perfect amount of food and delicious. I also tried the Papelon con Limon (Venezuelan lemonade). It was good- very sweet. I’ll definitely be back for arepas and a Venezuelan beer!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pabellon Criollo
Nothing like Venezuelan food..God bless that place..
Excellent service and
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Arepa Catira Blonde Arepa
Wow, what a great find! We were in the mood for Arepas and decided to check this out. If you love Arepas this is a must try. We stopped by for lunch and had the Arepa Sampler appetizer which I highly recommend if you can't decide which arepa to try. You get 5 mini arepas and a choice of 3 fillings. We chose beef and 2 different chicken fillings, all were equally yummy. Don't forget to use the insanely delicious garlic sauce condiment provided on the table. The empanadas are huge, a little greasy but totally worth the indulgence. We washed this all down with the passion fruit juice the server highly recommended and were pleasantly surprised it was more like a smoothie than juice. If you have never had passion fruit, do not miss this treat....delish! The server was very nice, friendly and helpful. Bonus-they have an outdoor patio in the back. Will def check this out when the weather warms up.
Excellent!!! Keep up the good work.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tequenos, Vegan 2 Arepa
Great space and great food. The patio space is really fun. Love their dipping sauce and the beef empanadas.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
My favorite takeout spot in Lakeview! I always order the Rica Reina arepa and it never misses. I also recommend the sampler plate if you’ve never had Venezuelan food, it’s a fun intro!
Food: 5
Service: 5
This food was fantastic and a great value.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Overall Thoughts: I was excited to try this spot as it had a lot of good reviews. Unfortunately, the pabellon arepa I ordered was a miss. I’m still keeping it at 4 stars because the vibes were good and I’d be open to coming back to try the diverse selection of other items on the menu. The restaurant interior is cute and had a good amount of seating inside. The service was also quick and friendly. The prices seemed a little high for the portion size, but reasonable overall.Food I tried:- Pabellon Arepa (3.6/5): This is their most popular arepa, but it fell short for me. It was difficult to eat it as a handheld because the arepa was too brittle and crispy, so everything kept falling out. The meat was a little tough and I wish the cheese was more melted. Otherwise, the plantains were good and everything was flavorful.- Cachapa (4.2/5): I also tried some bites of my the cachaca, which was pretty good. It was sweet, dense, and piled high with cheese.—Price (relative to peers): 4.2/5Food: 3.7/5Service: 4.8/5Overall Value: 4.2/5
Overall Thoughts: I was excited to try this spot as it had a lot of good reviews. Unfortunately, the pabellon arepa I ordered was a miss. I'm still keeping it at 4 stars because the vibes were good and I'd be open to coming back to try the diverse selection of other items on the menu. The restaurant interior is cute and had a good amount of seating inside. The service was also quick and friendly. The prices seemed a little high for the portion size, but reasonable overall. Food I tried: - Pabellon Arepa (3.6/5): This is their most popular arepa, but it fell short for me. It was difficult to eat it as a handheld because the arepa was too brittle and crispy, so everything kept falling out. The meat was a little tough and I wish the cheese was more melted. Otherwise, the plantains were good and everything was flavorful. - Cachapa (4.2/5): I also tried some bites of my the cachapa, which was pretty good. It was sweet, dense, and piled high with cheese. -- Price (relative to peers): 4.2/5 Food: 3.7/5 Ambience: 5/5 Service: 4.8/5 Overall Value: 4.2/5
A few coworkers and I went here for lunch this week. We all enjoyed our meals. I already want to go back. I had the Pabellón Arepa with a side of beans and rice which I could’ve made into a meal alone. The beans were cooked with spices and not plain like some other places. The arepa was packed with beef, beans, plantains, etc.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4