Somos Handcrafted Arepas is a new fast-casual Venezuelan restaurant that will make you dream of warm, pillowy corn pockets for days. Their menu includes customizable arepas, cachapas, and bowls. Plus, add sides of empanadas or tequeños for the perfect meal.
Started by brothers Alejandro and Andres, SOMOS Handcrafted Arepas was designed to feel like home. They imagined SOMOS Handcrafted Arepas as a hub for quick, delicious food that felt like your grandma’s cooking. It’s a goal clearly accomplished by the pair: even passing on the street, you feel immediately welcomed by the restaurant’s bright colors and lively music. Think of a crossover between your grandma’s food and your trendy cousin’s dining room—That’s SOMOS Handcrafted Arepas.
After passing by the restaurant countless times, we had to test their arepas for ourselves. We tried everything on their menu so you don’t have to (though we highly recommend you do).
Arepas
SOMOS’ bread and butter—you can build your own or choose from four signature arepas (the “OGs”). We tried the vegetarian (grilled vegetables, sweet plantains, beans) and pabellon (carne mechada, sweet plantain, beans) arepas. Each came with a choice of toppings and cheese, all stuffed into a warm corn flour pocket. (Speaking of cheese, SOMOS has 5 options—fresco, blanco, queso de mano, mozzarella, and vegan cheese. Talk about variety!)
At around $6, these are the perfect meal for a hungry college student: filling, balanced, and affordable. We were also shocked by the huge diversity of flavors within just one arepa. Thanks to the variety of fresh, flavorful fillings, there’s a distinct flavor in each bite. Plus, with so many different meats and toppings, the combinations are endless. We’ll be back to try their other signature arepas.
Cachapas
Sweet corn pancakes filled with juicy meat, fresh toppings, and melty cheese. Mic drop.
We filled ours with carne mechada and queso de mano—a recommendation from Alejandro. The cachapa has a much sweeter base than the arepas, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that pairs well with the cheese and meat. Despite having the same meat as the pabellon arepa, the sweet capacha outside made it taste like a completely different combination. If you’re a fan of mixing sweet and savory, this is absolutely the choice for you.
Bowls
I went back for a vegetarian bowl a couple of days later (a testament to just how good this place is) but forgot to take photos. Bowls offer choices of the same fillings, cheeses, and toppings as arepas, but this time paired with a bed of lettuce, sweet corn, or rice. I chose a corn base, with grilled vegetables, sweet plantains, and vegan cheese. Another filling but diverse spread, I would recommend this for a tasty on-the-go meal.
Empanadas
SOMOS Handcrafted Arepas makes their warm empanadas fresh—Every. Single. Day. We chose a chicken empanada (though they also have vegetarian ones). The empanada’s mild flavors make it perfect for dipping in sauce or eating between bites of arepa.
Tequeños
Don’t leave without at least one order of these—I’m begging you.
Tequeños are small bread sticks stuffed with queso blanco cheese. Think Venezuelan-style mozz sticks. Tasty on their own, we loved dipping them in sauce.
The sauces were an unexpected star of the meal. Also made in-store, SOMOS Handcrafted Arepas offers 7 different types: garlic crema, rosada, spicy verde, guasacaca, chipotle mayo, picante, and sweet pina. There’s a huge variety of tastes—across the range of sweet, savory, and spicy—and they pair well with anything on the menu. Trust us, we tried them with everything.
If you come with friends, be prepared for a debate over the best sauce. In our group of four, we each chose a different favorite. Try them all and let me know your preference (unless it’s not guasacaca—then keep it to yourself).
SOMOS Handcrafted Arepas offers a fun, lively environment with diverse food options. There’s obvious care behind everything in the restaurant—from the menu to the music to the decorations—and we can’t wait to see what’s next on their mission of making affordable, home-y Venezuelan food. After just a couple of visits, we already feel like part of the family.
Check them out at 63 Orange St.