Arepera Guacuco

I’ve become a regular at this place, probably for the tostones and such a great variety of arepas and empenadas, this visit I tried the Guanabana juice for the first time and it is AMAZING! It translates to soursop which doesn’t really sound like it would be good but it is now my new favorite drink. I don’t even know how to describe it buts it’s delicious and you need to add this to your life. Also if you Google it you will see that it practically makes you indestructible. Idk where this has been hiding but it’s a must have.

I needed a place to charge my phone and decided why not get a beer and an empanada. I normally never come this far out, but it’s worth a trek to Bushwick for bars and events. I ordered a vegetarian empanada; which had coconut in it (so I had to get it no matter what). They have a surprisingly vast selection of beers, I was able to get an Imperial, which I haven’t seen since I left Costa Rica. The prices were decent– $ 5 an empanada and $ 5 a beer. They hand make all their arepas and empanadas– I had a fun time watching the guys make them behind the bar. Authentic, affordable, and delicious! The empanada was pretty big too, not those small ones you get in a truck, and came with a green sauce. Mm my mouth is watering at the thought of coconut, plantain, and beans in a fried shell… I’ll come back soon!

Love it. All of the appetizers are good. All of the arepas are good. The arepas themselves are crunchy and yet soft and dough at the same time. Always impressed and leave feeling fat and happy. Cheese empanada is great. So crispy and two types of gooey cheeses. The cocada is delicious and the parchita is just sweet enough with a great flavor to accompany your meal. Sangria isn’t bad either. Always full, but never had to wait for a table. Eat here when in Bushwick. If not in Bushwick, take the L and eat here anyways. Delivery is worth it as well.

The arepas are amazing, but you can’t neglect their empanadas– they’re huge, perfectly fried, and stuffed full of any kind of flavorful meat/​cheese you could desire. I go for the Cazon ($ 5), an crazy sweet/​salty/​savory shredded fish filling. They also come with a ridiculously tasty assortment of sauces. Slather everything in all of them, be happy.
They have another location a block or two away (Guanaco Dog, focus on the hot dogs), but you can order Arepera’s food there too – with the added bonus of having a great bar next door (The Sampler). Empanadas and drink sampling… double-​win.

The Arepas here are so on point. This hole in the wall place is bestowed with cheerful yellow walls, a smiling waitstaff and the best dam Arepas you’ll have in your life.
Do not miss out on the Pernil (slow cooked pork) arepa or their house special: black bean, queso, plaintain and pork arepa. The pork is so tender it melts in your mouth. The arepa dough is fresh, crispy and has that oh so appealing crunchy corn texture.
Snag some of their special hot sauce or green sauce to adorn your arepa. This place is a neighborhood gem in Bushwick. If you’re chilling in the neighborhood or taking in some street art this is an absolute must try while you’re in the area.

So good! The green sauce. Wowee. Could drink it! Can’t go wrong with any of the arepas!

This restaurant is a teleport to Venezuela in one of New York’s finest locafions. Empenadas and Arepas are fantastic. Steak has the right texture and rich taste. Excellent taste of the common sides — rice, beans, bananas. Price quality ratio cannot be beaten. The manager that served us was extremely attentive and knows the classy and friendly — but not phony — South American style of serving. Been here twice on busy hours and food arrived very quickly.
The only point of critique is that it does not serve coffee to complete the experience and prepare one for a night out.
Not sure why this place still does delivery and take out, which seems to harvest some bad reviews. It’s too good for that and should rather move to a bigger place.

I stopped by here NYE with my BF for dinner. There was enough people and we had to wait a couple minutes for seats. But the staff there was very nice. We got our seats in 10 – 15 min and ordered. We started off with tostones as our appetizer. It was amazing!!! The green sauce mixed with the cheese on the plantains… I’m salivating thinking about it. You will not be disappointed.
For entrée, I had the pabellon criollo. They had the similar thing in the arepa that we ordered. But it came with plantain, rice and beans on the side. Last, we ordered a pabella arepa.
For drink, I had the papelon con lemon which is molasses with lemon. It pretty much tasted like honey tea with lemon. I liked it although it had the bitter sour taste.
I will def be coming back since it’s close to my house and work!

This place is NOT overrated. The food is great, the service is top notch, and the prices are reasonable. Get the parchita (passion fruit drink) and the steak and chicken arepa. A+ all around.
Overall, great food for a great price. Definitely worth a try if you’re in B-​wick.

I’m not sure what has happened in this restaurant.
But I do know that I will NOT be coming back or calling them again for a delivery.
Approximately a month ago, I called and ordered… I was told to it would be ready in 15 min, unfortunately that was not the case. I actually ended waiting outside for half hour and still no food came. So I walk back inside and it turned out my order was never placed to begin with.
Tonight after some hesitation I called for a delivery, and I swear I’m not exaggerating when. I say that it took them approximately two hours to deliver! WTF is going on here? I totally understand if the restaurant is busy but the restaurant should always give the customers a heads up regarding how long it will take for a delivery if they are so busy.
To make matters worse the food was cold when. It came in and a large part of the juices I ordered spilled along the way to my apt. Leaving me with a soaked brown paper bag.
My dine in experiences have not been a disaster just a FYI.

The food was delicious but I very clearly asked for no cheese on my meal and it came covered in cheese. Automatic one star. Sorry, guys — not that hard to listen to your customers with food allergies.

La comida fue genial y tambien el servicio! La comida fue rico con mucho sabor. Gracias

Fast delivery, and delicious Arepa’s! I had the shredded beef and Chicken and Avocado Arepa with the Coconut milkshake… I’m a believer and you should be too!

I’ve lived near this place for years, so it was finally time to give it a try. It’s always crowded, so it must be good! I got the pork and cheddar arepa. It was good, maybe a little plain, but the sauces on the table helped it out quite a bit. If I were to go back though, I’d probably get a little more adventurous with my order in hopes of getting more flavor. There are many to choose from. It was the perfect size for me, not too big, not too small, and I think around $ 7.00. My friend said he would need more than one to fill him up. He got a full entrée that included rice, beans, and plantains for about twice the price, but I feel like my order was a better value. I have heard they have fantastic fresh squeezed juices here. I’ll go back again to try something different, maybe bring it up another star.

Third time eating here officially. The food here is so awesome ! Very low key dark kind of place to go on a date or with some friends to grab a bite. My favorite Arepa is the pulled pork with Cheese (I personally ask to add avocado). The flavors are unbelievable here.

One of NYC’s best meals. But let me tell you. I repair a lot of things. When arepera car, I save a lot of money on auto service bills. When arepera bicycle, my father is proud since he spent his life building a bicycle business in England. When arepera dryer, then it saves my housemates and I having to go to the damn motherf***ing laundromat (launderette). But it’s when arepera broken friendship or a rift in a relationship that I am most happy. However, since I do not know what a Guacuco is, I have to admit I have no idea how arepera Guacuco.
What to get: Pabellon Arepa and a Cocada drink
What else: It’s one of the most amazing things you’ll taste in NYC
Why: Hot, wet, juicy, filling, and absolutely packed with plantains which are the best part
Better than…: Yes, it’s better than the one at Arepas Café and most others
Why is it so good: Because Michael’s beard is sexy
I’d had this place on my «to try» list for a long time, but (blush) because it wasn’t in Queens (yes I’m serious, I’m addicted to Queens), I kept skipping it. My loss. Recently, my good friend Michael said to me «Fox, you gotta check out this spot in Brooklyn it was my favorite as an omni: Arepera Guacuco.» And that sealed the deal. I detoured out of Queens in Sept 2015 to try it. And, wow. And this review is dedicated to Michael (the Vanilla Gorilla) for this amazing rec, for being such a nice guy, for being an inspirational Vegan, and for, well, for the beard of course.
My main complaint is they don’t serve any Mexican Avocado-​based dishes. So why the hell are they named «Arepera Guacamole»?
So, on my recent Queens food tour, I braved Brooklyn traffic, parked illegally (as usual) to dip in to the Hipster Borough and pick up the Pabellon Arepa that I ordered. I already know that Pabellon is *the* Venezuelan standout. This turned out to be one of the most delicious Pabellon’s I’ve ever had.
My main complaint is they are Venezuelan (S America) and are not at all from Central America. So why the hell are they named «Arepera Guatemala»?
Why is the Pabellon so good? It has shredded beef, black beans, fried sweet plantains, sprinkled with aged white cheese. It’s similar to the Surena at Caracas Arepa (except that has chicken and sausage), or the Ropa Vieja Arepa at Cleveland’s Barrocco. It’s simply one of the best things you will ever put in your mouth (not including human body parts). Every bite is heaven. Every morsel is delicious. It just *works*.
My main complaint is they don’t serve tropical fruits. So why the hell are they named «Arepera Guava»?
So try the Pabellon. If I was going to be permanently trapped on a desert island with my fave Unilocal girl (hi!), I’d ask for Guacuco to provide daily Pabellons to make the eats as delicious as, well, the «eats.»
My main complaint is they aren’t owned by mercenaries in camos with automatic weapons and war-​paint. So why the hell are they named «Arepera Guerrilla»?
Actually, considering who told me about this place, I suppose it should be renamed «Arepera Vanilla Gorilla.»
I did have a complaint though. I was parked illegally and in a hurry, and their computer system froze, and it took them (no exaggeration) five minutes or so just to take my money and give me my change. I thought they could have done a better job of getting me out of there. But I didn’t get a ticket, and the food was still piping hot, so I guess it’s no big deal. Still, while they were friendly, customer service could have been much better.
My main complaint is they don’t serve chewy sweet kiddie candy. So why the hell are they named «Arepera Gummybears»?
Others have complained about the pricing. I found it to be fair. The Cocada (Coconut Shake) was 4-​ish and the Arepa was 8-​ish. Considering how filling, spectacular and delicious it is, I find this price to be fine. As in, you so fine, you make me wanna eat you. Arepa.
My main complaint is they are in NYC, not Buffalo, and don’t sell Black Balloons or Slides and nobody named Iris works here (and if they did, I wouldn’t tell you her name). So why the hell are they named «Arepera Googoodolls»? You think these jokes are bad? This is one of my «Better Days.»
Speaking of the Cocada, it was very delicious and is well worth a try. It wasn’t too thick, it was more like «Coconut Horchata» if that makes sense. And I loved it. You know what else is white and not too thick? I can show you. Hold on.
My main complaint is they aren’t owned by an actor named Steve who once looked after a baby, then a little lady, attended a police academy, and hit on Veronica Mars. So why the hell are they named «Arepera Guttenberg»?
So make sure you come to Guacuco (not literally) just like Michael said. These Arepas taste almost as good as his beard. I will definitely be back and will recommend this to all visiting Brooklyn.
But my main complaint is there were no female servers for me to flirt with, hit on, and try and make excited. So why the hell are they named «Arepera Gooeydownbelow»?

Arriving at 9:30pm on a Sunday night when operating hours are until 10:30pm, one would think you’d have plenty of time to finish a solid evening meal.
Dining experience was next to awful.
Obnoxiously loud music led the waitress to asking me three times for what I would like to order. The first waitress stopped tending to us after delivering a portion of our meal. The second waitress asked if we were waiting for more food which we answered yes to. She was clearly confused and reconfirmed what we were still waiting for. After 7 to 10 minutes, my arepa arrived however my guest’s food was still not ready??? I asked our second waitress how long it would be before the food would come out and miraculously she misunderstood and our food was STILL not made.
To make matters worse, the entire kitchen staff and the first waitress, who apparently was now off and sitting at the bar stool right next to our table, were all talking about our table in Spanish. «What are they waiting for? I want to get out of here» they would tease one another RIGHT IN FRONT OF US assuming that we didn’t understand what they were saying.
I have never experienced such a disrespectful dining experience and am ashamed this beautiful country, food, and culture is shamed by these employees.

Had lunch here and enjoyed a few Venezuelan delights.
For the food, I had two of the Arepas, The Pernil and a chicken one that I can’t remember the name of. Both were great but the Pernil was the winner.
For the drink I had the cocada. Soooo soooo good, I would drink this all day long if possible.
Cool «hipster» vibe here but slightly overpriced.

We had a groupon for Guacuco but sadly it expired before we got around to using it. However, this just means that the original price paid for the groupon is used toward the meal! So we still trekked out to Bushwick for some tasty Venezuelan arepas.
It’s a cute restaurant with a relaxed, fun vibe. Service was good. We had the pitcher of sangria and it was huge, delicious, and strong! The original appetizer we ordered was sold out so we tried the sweet plantains instead and they were mediocre — the main issue was that they were somewhat dried out.
However, the arepas and empanadas were excellent! The arepa itself was crisp, which held the filling in nicely, so it didn’t fall apart in your hands. The empanada had a strong taste of sweet corn and I loved it.
Two arepas and one empanada for two people was a good amount of food.

I always use seamless and order in for this place. Best empanadas HANDS DOWN. I will make my way to this restaurant eventually one day, but in the meantime I wanted to give it the 5 stars it deserves :-)
P. S.- food always comes the minute I become hungry and the tostones are to dieeeee for!

We discovered this place thru groupon. The décor is kind of plain. Open kitchen concept. Very small but was seated quickly on a saturday afternoon.
For app we have something that was like a tiny cheese empanandas. Better than your typical mozzarella sticks at an italian restaurant. For entrée we had the pabellon criollo and pabellon oriental. Both entrée came with rice and beans, sweet plantains with cheese and a plain arepa. The rice and beans were good but the beans were just a little on the sweet side. The shredded fish was not as tasty as the shredded beef dish. The beef was not dry and flavorful. The fish was surprisingly not too fishy taste but wasn’t as flavorful as the beef. We also had their cocada to drink. It was a pretty big and was amazingly good. A lot of coconut flavor and milky.
Service was good and fast. But don’t think it is worth the trip if coming from far. Nothing really stood out to me except the cocada

Another bushwick gem! Guacuco saved us new years day when everywhere had an hour+ wait for large groups.
This place gives off serious Latino vibes. They were blasting music that had us dancing the minute we walked in the door. Great sangria, cheap beers, and the food. OH THE FOOD.
best arepas I’ve had… I dare say better than Caracas in EV. I’d go with the #9 Pabellon… really just knocked us all out of our seats. The bread was the perfect amount of crispy and the shredded beef was both juicy and flavorful.
For the empanada, I tried the veggie with coconut, cheese and jalapenos. also a winner!
Please take note: though a little sandwich and empanada may not seem like enough, their portions are huge. The empanadas are more calzone sized than anything… Left the biggest dude at our table more than full.
I look forward to returning and trying everything else on the menu.

Come here if you have plenty of time
The food tasted great! I now know why the waiter tried to persuade us from ordering the seafood arepas. They take a long time to make well. We waited more than half an hour for the pulled pork and seafood arepas and the fish empanada. All recommended.
I have no idea how authentic it is. I can only tell you how it tasted.