clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Where to Eat Excellent Arepas in Dallas

Find crispy, griddled corn cakes stuffed with everything from sweet fried plantains to bacon and fried chicken

View as Map

Filled with queso fresco and Venezuelan-style black beans, or perhaps avocado and fried sweet plantains, arepas are uniquely satisfying. A staple of Venezuelan and Colombian cuisines, arepas are frequently described in the States as “corn cakes” or “Venezuelan tacos,” but those attempts at defining the dish don’t fully express the comforting essence of a cheesy, crispy arepa.

Despite sharing a name, these two variations of arepas are decidedly different — Venezuelan arepas are sliced lengthwise and filled with ingredients ranging from butter to reina pepiada (a chicken salad made with avocado and mayonnaise). Colombian arepas, on the other hand, are thinner than Venezuelan arepas and topped with ingredients—usually just cheese and beef.

Looking for Dallas’s best arepas? These 9 DFW restaurants serve a bounty of different types of arepas, both Colombian and Venezuelan style.

Read More
Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Sabor Venezolano Express

Copy Link

This catering food truck is sometimes on the go, which means that you’ll have to follow Sabor Venezolano Express’s Instagram account for their daily whereabouts. But when the truck is parked at its home location in Carrollton, the best arepas in DFW await. Order these arepas fried or freshly griddled and stuffed with lettuce, ham, and cheese, then add even more protein with lomito (steak) or desmechada (shredded beef). Wash all those arepas down with a Frescolita, Venezuela’s favorite red cream soda. 

Casa Vieja Colombian Restaurant

Copy Link

DFW’s go-to destination for Colombian cuisine, Casa Vieja opened in 1997. Here, arepas feature mainly as an appetizer or side item to be paired with one of the restaurant’s many Colombian classics, and the arepa con carne desmechada (shredded beef brisket) and arepa con queso are excellent. 

Mi Pueblito Colombiano

Copy Link

A hidden Garland gem, Mi Pueblito Colombiano serves traditional Colombian dishes, and that of course includes Arepas.  Colombian arepas are thin, crispy and topped with ingredients, and here, they can be ordered with queso fresco, sausage or carne desmechada. Also consider the arepas de choclo con queso, or a sweet take on the arepa that’s topped with cheese.

Mordisko & Salsa

Copy Link

One of the most popular Venezuelan spots in the DFW Metroplex, Mordisko & Salsa is a stationary food truck in Garland serving Venezuelan street cuisine. Both grilled and fried arepas are on the menu, stuffed with mozzarella and proteins like grilled chicken, carne asada, and chuleta ahumada (smoked pork chop).

Arepa TX

Copy Link

Arepa TX is the only restaurant in Dallas devoted solely to serving Venezuelan-style arepas, both traditional and not. Here, find carne mechada (shredded, spiced beef) tucked inside corn pattied grilled on a panini press, or try one of Arepa TX’s more modern iterations of the dish, like arepas stuffed with Vietnamese chicken or fried chicken and maple syrup. Order a side of tequeños (fried, dough-wrapped sticks of cheese) to round out the perfect meal. 

La Duni Latin Cafe

Copy Link

There are two outposts of La Duni in Dallas — one at NorthPark Center, one in Uptown — and only the latter serves a unique take on arepas. Here, find smoky grilled corn cakes stuffed with reina pepiada (avocado chicken salad) or queso fresco, Cuban ropa vieja, and plantains.

A Dallas institution, Zaguán has been dishing up traditional South American fare since 2002. The arepas here are griddled and sliced in half, then stuffed with one, two or three choices of filling. Order an arepa dominó (black beans and queso blanco) or reina pepiada (avocado chicken salad) for a traditional Venezuelan combo, or create your own. Definitely add a side of plátanos maduros (fried sweet plantains). 

Espumoso Empanada + Espresso Bar

Copy Link

This Colombian coffee bar serves up killer Venezuelan-style arepas—but only at the Baylor University Medical Center location on Gaston Avenue. Be sure to try the arepa vegetariana (filled with queso fresco, avocado and fried sweet plantains). Served with a sour cream and jalapeño salsa, it’s a perfect trifecta of sweet, salty, and creamy. Note: Parking anywhere near Espumoso is extremely difficult, but the food is more than worth the stress. 

View this post on Instagram

"Don't be afraid..."

A post shared by Giselle (@garellanoo) on

Sabor Venezolano Express

This catering food truck is sometimes on the go, which means that you’ll have to follow Sabor Venezolano Express’s Instagram account for their daily whereabouts. But when the truck is parked at its home location in Carrollton, the best arepas in DFW await. Order these arepas fried or freshly griddled and stuffed with lettuce, ham, and cheese, then add even more protein with lomito (steak) or desmechada (shredded beef). Wash all those arepas down with a Frescolita, Venezuela’s favorite red cream soda. 

Casa Vieja Colombian Restaurant

DFW’s go-to destination for Colombian cuisine, Casa Vieja opened in 1997. Here, arepas feature mainly as an appetizer or side item to be paired with one of the restaurant’s many Colombian classics, and the arepa con carne desmechada (shredded beef brisket) and arepa con queso are excellent. 

Mi Pueblito Colombiano

A hidden Garland gem, Mi Pueblito Colombiano serves traditional Colombian dishes, and that of course includes Arepas.  Colombian arepas are thin, crispy and topped with ingredients, and here, they can be ordered with queso fresco, sausage or carne desmechada. Also consider the arepas de choclo con queso, or a sweet take on the arepa that’s topped with cheese.

Mordisko & Salsa

One of the most popular Venezuelan spots in the DFW Metroplex, Mordisko & Salsa is a stationary food truck in Garland serving Venezuelan street cuisine. Both grilled and fried arepas are on the menu, stuffed with mozzarella and proteins like grilled chicken, carne asada, and chuleta ahumada (smoked pork chop).

Arepa TX

Arepa TX is the only restaurant in Dallas devoted solely to serving Venezuelan-style arepas, both traditional and not. Here, find carne mechada (shredded, spiced beef) tucked inside corn pattied grilled on a panini press, or try one of Arepa TX’s more modern iterations of the dish, like arepas stuffed with Vietnamese chicken or fried chicken and maple syrup. Order a side of tequeños (fried, dough-wrapped sticks of cheese) to round out the perfect meal. 

La Duni Latin Cafe

There are two outposts of La Duni in Dallas — one at NorthPark Center, one in Uptown — and only the latter serves a unique take on arepas. Here, find smoky grilled corn cakes stuffed with reina pepiada (avocado chicken salad) or queso fresco, Cuban ropa vieja, and plantains.

Zaguan

A Dallas institution, Zaguán has been dishing up traditional South American fare since 2002. The arepas here are griddled and sliced in half, then stuffed with one, two or three choices of filling. Order an arepa dominó (black beans and queso blanco) or reina pepiada (avocado chicken salad) for a traditional Venezuelan combo, or create your own. Definitely add a side of plátanos maduros (fried sweet plantains). 

Espumoso Empanada + Espresso Bar

This Colombian coffee bar serves up killer Venezuelan-style arepas—but only at the Baylor University Medical Center location on Gaston Avenue. Be sure to try the arepa vegetariana (filled with queso fresco, avocado and fried sweet plantains). Served with a sour cream and jalapeño salsa, it’s a perfect trifecta of sweet, salty, and creamy. Note: Parking anywhere near Espumoso is extremely difficult, but the food is more than worth the stress. 

View this post on Instagram

"Don't be afraid..."

A post shared by Giselle (@garellanoo) on

Related Maps