Our Rating: A+

Super Arepa is a family-run restaurant that has made a true impact on Venezuelan culture in South Florida. The restaurant provides quality foods at an affordable price. Alexis Gomez, the founder of Super Arepa, had “an entrepreneurial vision” where he wanted to “provide a quality product at an affordable price.” So, he brought the Super Arepa franchise to Miami.

On the walls of the Kendall restaurant location, one can see pictures of famous Venezuelan artists and well-known individuals, such as Nacho from Chino and Nacho. The dynamic duo has repeatedly expressed their love for Venezuela and it’s culture in their songs. Additionally, multiple Venezuelan flags are displayed throughout the restaurant. On the upper part of the wall, baseball t-shirts that represent the Magallanes and Leones Caracas, two very well-known and followed baseball teams in Venezuela, hang across from each other. Aside from the decorations that make you feel as if you’re actually sitting in a Venezuelan restaurant, the service at Super Arepa is unmatched. Not only are the servers and cooks kind and caring, but they also provide exceptional service, which makes the meal exceptionally enjoyable.

For some, the portions can be rather large, but not to worry. Super Arepa offers to-go boxes for those who wish to take the leftovers home. All food served is fresh and beautifully plated. Their extensive menu offers a brief description of each food item as the names are all written in Spanish, and because it can be difficult to understand exactly what all of the ingredients that go into the dishes are. The empanadas are a great way to start your meal; they are tasty appetizers that are made to order, guaranteeing that they are freshly fried every time. Moreover, multiple batches of dough are made throughout the day in order to ensure freshness for each batch of empanadas. The choices of empanadas include white cheese; shredded beef with thinly sliced onions, peppers and cilantro; shredded chicken and the pabellón, their most Venezuelan empanada of all. The pabellón empanada is filled with shredded meat, white cheese, black beans and plantains. If you would like a sauce to accompany your empanada, they have a serving station with garlic and cilantro sauce, salsa rosada (which is a typical combination of mayo and ketchup used to accompany many dishes in Venezuela) and hot sauce. The empanadas are around the size of a hand, but definitely worth every bite. Super Arepa also offers tequeños, which are sticks of mozzarella cheese that are wrapped in a flaky dough and then fried until they are crisp and golden—truly almost everyone’s favorite Venezuelan delicacy.

“One of my favorite empanadas is the pabellón. The combination of the black beans and plantains with the shredded meat and cheese is simply exquisite,” senior Eric Jimenez said.

Moving onto the entrees, the Super Arepas themselves are real crowd-pleasers. To begin, the dough is made with a maize harina flour pan that is mixed with water until the mixture reaches a thick consistency. Then, the dough is patted down to form a patty and cooked on an iron skillet until it changes color and hardens. Once it is cooked thoroughly, you can choose your stuffing. At Super Arepa, they offer a variety of choices; there is charcoal grilled meat, chicken, pork, sausage and, if you are feeling especially hungry, you can mix any two types of meat. Regardless of your filling, all arepas come with pico de gallo, grated cheese and the special house sauce. If you are not in the mood for a meaty arepa, you can always try the delicious white grated cheese and yellow cheese arepa.

Aside from the arepas, one can get Super Pepitos: sandwiches that are served on a hotdog bun, but no hotdog is present. Instead, it is filled with either chopped chicken, meat, pork, sausage or a mix of any two meats. If desired, they are served with cabbage or lettuce, tomato, ketchup, parmesan cheese, stick potato chips and the special house sauce. To enjoy the full “pepito experience,” these toppings are highly recommended.

“My dad and I try to go as often as possible! I love Venezuelan food and Super Arepa is the best place I have been to that knows how to live up to the expectations of how good Venezuelan food should be,”  sophomore Isabella Martell said.

However, if you are in the mood to try a dish that you may not typically eat, order the Super Patacon. The Super Patacon is a plantain sandwich stuffed with either chicken, meat, pork or, the best option of all, a mix. The patacones are served with lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, grated white cheese and their special house sauce. There are two types of plantains, either light or dark. The difference is simply how ripe the plantain was before it was cooked.

In case none of these plates catch your attention, do not worry! There is an extensive list of Super Burgers where you can surely find one that appeals to your taste buds. Super Arepa offers the Super Burger, a simple burger with lettuce, tomatoes, onion, potato sticks, ketchup and the special house sauce. They also offer a double patty burger with the same toppings as the super burger, if you are extra hungry. A crowd favorite is definitely the Super BBQ Bacon 1/2 lb burger. With a half-pound patty topped with BBQ bacon and yellow cheese, it is a burger that provides a mouth-watering experience as it is set down in front of you. If bacon is not your favorite, try the Super Mexican 1/2 lb. This burger includes avocado, pico de gallo, lettuce and the special house sauce. All the burger orders come with a side of straight cut fries served right out of the fryer.

For now, Super Arepa can be found at three locals. There is one in Kendall at 14417 SW, 42 ST Miami, FL; one in Doral at 2600 NW 87th Ave Unit 9, Doral, FL and one in Pembroke Pines at 15801 Pines Blvd, Pembroke Pines, FL. If you are ever near any of these locations, make sure to visit for one of the tastiest meals you may ever eat.