El Arepazo – Latin Grill
Posted by CMH Gourmand on October 7, 2006
El Arepazo
47 North Pearl Street
Columbus (Pearl Alley – between Broad and Gay Streets)
614 228 4830
Monday – Thursday 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Friday – 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Saturday – 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Arepa is white corn meal. This is cooked into a cake which is used for a bun to make a sandwich called an AREPA The sandwich fillings can vary depending on the locale and availability of ingredients. In Venezula – these little sandwiches are usually cooked on a grille. Carlos Gutierrez and Eliezer Molina had great success selling these sandwiches at the Columbus Latino Festival so they took the leap and opened a very popular spot in Pearl Alley. The signature dish – is an Arepera – hence – El Arepazo.
The menu features Venezuelan and Colombian dishes with a some other specialties thrown in. The Latino fare features a variety of items including Mexican Sopes, Tilapia (grilled fish), Chuzo (marinated steak), Plantains, Burritos, Empanadas, Carne Asada and Flan as well as daily specials.
Service is friendly and quick. The dining area is small but there is outdoor dining available. The inside is cozy and seats about twenty. The decor is simple and bright with some interesting latin themed artwork to look at. Many downtown diners get their food to go. The price range is $3.50 to $8.00. I have only sampled the place a few times but everything sampled (Chicken, Pork, and Beef items were tried out) was good. The best bet so far – seems to be the Venezuelan Platter (Pabellon Crillo) – rice, black beans, shredded beef, a fried plantain and a arepita (small / little arepa cake). I’ll be trying this out again.
CMH Gourmand - Eating in Columbus & Ohio 
mac said
I tried this place about a year ago and I liked the food very much. The atmosphere lent itself to a bright lunchtime type of place. I may have been misinformed on what goes into an arepa, but all the items were a la carte, so by the time I got a fully loaded , I had a pretty pricey sandwich. Maybe soemone can straighten this out for me, because I feel you should get a decent sandwich for five bucks or less. I am glad to see that they are still around, and I will go next time I’m downtown CMH(which is maybe once a year)….
cheers.
Bear said
It is.
And do not, do not, do not miss the mayo-based cilantro hot sauce. Have it on your arepas, your fried plantains, everything. Buy a bottle and take it home — it’s amazingly versatile and delicious.
JCruz said
Good to hear about the place, and looking forward to visiting it soon. However, the appropriate word is Colombian, not Columbian since it’s referring to Colombia, not Columbus, or Columbia, SC.
CMHG Comment: Fixed! Thank you. I was just there today – it is a wonderful place with great staff, perfect black beans and rice and always a great meal.
Miranda said
I spoke with a friend today who has an inside track on El Arepazo. She said the owner is in the final stages of opening up a new (additional) restaurant in Worthington. Awesome!
Jorge said
What happened with El Arepazo? Did they open a new one already? I heard they remodeled? who can give me some news?
CMHG Comment: They are still at the regular location. They are always looking for the “right” new location. In the meantime, they still make people happy.
Plantain Fail. « itinerant foodies said
[…] south for lunch. After much discussion and menu perusing online, we chose Banana Bean Cafe over El Arepazo. Bad […]
David Roberts said
Just a couple of corrections:
“AREPA” is what the sandwich (or cake by itself) itself is called.
“AREPERA” is what a place that sells arepas is called.