Arepas Cafe: Children of the Corn III

"Shredded baby shark" are not words you often stumble across on menus unless you live in Key West or the Congo. You can now add Astoria to that list as Arepas Cafe expands the neighborhood's culinary vocabulary beyond tzatiki and Thai iced tea. It's an admirable cause, even if it occasionally falls short.

As the name suggests, Arepas Cafe is dominated by the traditional Venezuelan corn patty that comes stuffed more ways than Michael Moore at Thanksgiving. The menu is chock full of arepa dishes but there's also leeway to cobble together your own messy arepa, Frankenstein-style. With the create-your-own-hodgepodge feature, there's a number of impressive ways to give yourself a delicious, delicious hernia: plenty of cheeses (grated, aged, melted), beans, meats (pork, chicken beef, shark), and fresh vegetables await hungry patrons. The stewed, shredded chicken is recommend as it drips with a tangy marinade that infuses the arepa with a flavorful, if spongy, quality. While Arepas Cafe is not particularly generous in the meat or cheese departments (focusing more on less expensive beans and veggies), a polite request for extra sides of your favorite ingredients will remedy that. The pork arepa sounds promising but its sweet, fatty flavor is lost in translation as the meat alternates between rubbery and gristle-filled. Ultimately, there are dozens of combinations to dabble in and most Astorians will strike gold eventually, while the less than perfect arepa will still be a cut above customary neighborhood fare.

The interior is small without being cramped and there are good people-watching opportunities as 36th Ave. slowly develops its own identity as...Dutch Kills? The service is a little slow but the sign above the counter admonishes customers that homemade delicacies take time. All of which gives you more time to mull over the possibility of Venezuelan shredded baby shark.


INFO: Arepas Cafe
33-07 36th Ave.
(718) 937-3835
Official Website