El Arepazo - Latin Grill
Posted by cmhgourmand 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 Arepera (ah ray pay rah). 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 Columbian dishes with a some other specialties thrown in. There is a good variety of items on the menu 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 once 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.
October 16, 2006 at 8:06 pm
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.