Arepa and Salsa

All I can say is WOW!
i first went here on a first date and while my date was bland and boring, the food did not disappoint. He recommended I try the Shredded Beef Tostones and they were AMAZING! (definitely not first date food lol, kinda messy) I became obsessed with this Venezuelan gem of a place! I lived in midtown and it was a very very short drive away.
The staff is so friendly and my compliments to the chef.
Whatever you try here, make sure you get a small side of the cilantro sauce. That stuff is just outright amazing.

Neither the hubs nor I had ever tried Venezuelan food before, but we are fans now! We had the UFOs, Cachapas (beef), and the purnil tostones (purnil means with pork, I think)…all were absolutely delish! The tostones are like a sandwich with fried plantains instead of bread… the Cachapas are sort of like a quesadilla, but much better. We pretty much grunted at each other the whole time — talking not really an option when you’re shoveling that much food in your face!
The restaurant is small, informal and very quaint. The proprietors are friendly and patient in explaining menu options. Highly recommend if you have time to kill before your Sun Studios tour (about 2 or 3 blocks away), or if you are just in the area at all.

Arepa and Salsa is the first and only established Venezuelan restaurant in Memphis and the surrounding region. While I wish I could give it a full 5 stars (being Venezuelan myself), I can’t.
Like a few Unilocalers have said before me, Arepa and Salsa is a hit or miss. Some times is a 3, other times is a 5. It really depends on luck. That being said, the food is generally great, with a distinguishable Latin taste and a very pretty presentation. While not exactly 100% Venezuelan, you’ll find the most usual plates: arepas, empanadas, cachapas, pabellon, tostones, platanos, etc. During Christmas, they will make seasonal plates that are unique to Venezuela like Hallacas, Ham Bread and Hen Salad. The UFO’s, on a good day, are amazing. Every person should have tequeños at least once in their life (they are NOT just cheese sticks!).
The staff is always friendly, but service can be very spotty. One time, me and my girlfriend waited for over an hour for our food, and then it wasn’t that great, or complete. They apologized and gave us a free appetizer, a free dessert, and coffee. Another day, the UFO’s, an all time favorite of my girlfriend, were just not good. Other times it has been great. So yeah, it depends. My other concern is the prices. Last time I was there they were raised by across the board by a dollar or 2. Venezuelan food is expensive to make, but this may be a bit too much.

Delicious. Cachapas with shredded beef and cheese was great. Crispy corn edges, melty cheese, tasty beef filling. The UFOs were also great. The green sauce that comes with things is a perfect compliment. Ask for it if you don’t like sour cream dipping sauces. Been coming here since they opened and it’s always good.

Very rarely does a lunch hour feel like a Latin American vacation. I ordered the Pollo arepa and it was not only very pretty, but very good! It was my first time there, and I would definitely escape the office and eat there again! The atmosphere will keep me going back to try new things.
Also very clean, always a plus!

Well I have been to this place a few times which it somewhat hidden but you can find it once you see it. The food is pretty awesome I will say for what you’re getting. The service is another thing that could be definitely be better which I feel like that they don’t enjoy refilling the customer drinks especially it being pretty hot nowadays. I will give the food ⁵⁄₅ by far. Service is a good ³⁄₅ on a good day. Its definitely worth a shot if you’re in need of good lunch.

I felt like at home, but for the food, the Tequeños are best and Pabellon Criollo Arepa omg!!!
I really enjoyed my food .
Just they have to be more friendly.

My first time with Latin American food! It was a definite thumbs up! Played safe and tried the shredded chicken tostones after reading the reviews here and it did not let me down! Two small sized fried plantain sandwiches was wholesome! There was standard ranch like dressing inside, which made it seem less authentic! Yes, it can get messy but it was worth it! :)

Stopped by here on my way into town for a quick dinner. Original plan was to hit cozy corner but they closed at 6 so I Unilocaled the nearby environs and arepa y salsa popped up first. It’s literally a «mom and pop» joint in the best sense of the word. Mom took my order, abuela was in one of the booths doing something on a laptop, pop walked in after picking up the kids from school and gave mom a kiss. The kids went to abuela and started doing homework. In the midst of this I perused the menu and ordered. This is a Colombian joint and, having no experience regarding it, I asked for recommendations. Arepas came highly recommended and the Cachapas. I tried ordering both, but mom said it was a lot of food and not worth buying that much unless I was sharing. I appreciated the honestly and went with the Cachapas. This dish is basically a large corn «pancake» that is folded over a filling of meat, salty cheese, and some veggies. Hard not to like combination. I went with pork and when the dish came out I was so glad I hadn’t bought two entrees! It was gigantic! The dish came with a small salad which was a nice light complement to the heavy main. There was also a white sauce that tasted like crema but with some herb and lime. The cachapa was itself amazing– piping hot off the grill too. Afterward, I was full, happy, and thankful cozy corner has been closed. I’ll definitely be back for the arepas later– maybe tomorrow!

With limited lunch options in the Medical District area (Trolley shop, Subway and Lennys), this place is a delicious and different lunch/​dinner option if you live/​work around there. When my husband lived right next door, we use to come here a lot! I am happy that Arepa and Salsa is becoming more popular but that the service and quality of food has stayed great.
I think we have pretty much tried every thing on the menu! The tostones are a little on the oily side for me so I always go for the arepas. My favorite is definitely the Veggie Queen. It’s perfect, filling and you will not miss the meat. Warning, the areas are stuffed, so it’ll get messy!
My Husband swears that the Venezuelan hamburger is THE best burger in Memphis. A bold statement, but with it’s juicy beef patty the size of your hand, thinly sliced grilled ham, crispy bacon and cool lettuce and avocado, it’s hard to argue. It’s delicious and worth trying for sure.
Next on the agenda, convincing the husband to try Salsa classes!

I don’t understand why all of Memphis does not go to this spot, every day, all day long. Delicious, fresh, unique, tantalizing.
I could eat here every day and would if I worked downtown. Hidden gem. Support this place!!!

Okay, I get it. No one should eat their first meal of the day at 2:30 in the afternoon. I know, I deserved it. But, in my defense, I so love Latin food that I couldn’t pass this place by.
I was the only patron at this time. Waitress was super friendly… I asked for her favorite appetizer and also main dish. Naked Arepa got here quickly and the taste was just not good… The plantain was thick and chewy and it was covered with lettuce and ranch dressing… I took 2 bites and my main course was here… The Cachapas, beef… And it, even though was fresh out of the kitchen, seemed as though they knew I was coming but I arrived 4 hours late. It was greasy and tasted like I have already described.
Funny part: when the waitress asked about how much I liked it, I replied, «it wasn’t my thing»
She smiled, and handed me the bill… I promptly handed my card to her and she return shortly and said thank you:).
Two stars is for the friendly staff!!! :)

It’s good, absolutely… I’ll give you that. I’ve been back a few times and they do have ‘off nights’. Enough people have written comprehensive reviews, so I’ll keep it short:
Pros:
+Authentic Venezuelan with solid presentation
+Great flavors to experience, so you should try it
+Nice service and people
Cons:
–Can be greasy (i.e. UFO’s some nights are not great)
–Messy messy, you end up with this stuff all over you :)
–Ambiance isn’t great (how many Marc Antony videos are there?)
So there you have it… the food and flavors themselves are solid (4 – 5 stars), but the experience is so-​so (2 – 3 stars)… and so I average it out at 4 stars, where some nights they are a 3, others they can be a 5. I’ve been back a few times, and with all the Latin American options that now exist in Memphis, I guess in the end I’d have to say, «¡Es bueno para mí!»

This place is really good. I don’t come here often but when I do I am never disappointed. The chicken is never dry, the sauce is never bland, and the service is never terrible. I love how when we dine in they always have some salsa dancing competition on because I can just imagine myself up there getting it too. Not really but its nice to dream. I have eating the arepas and the tostones but they always get too messy so lately I’ve have ordered the entrees instead. I really like their empanadas and their rice and black beans. The chips are the best side sometimes too depending on what you order. They are really quick to get food and your orders in so even if its lunch time you are good as long as you get an hour lunch.

Great tostones. It holds the meat and veggies so well. The meat (Pabellon) was seasoned well, and so was the rest of the plate.
I didn’t think the UFOs were anything to write home about, but the tostones– get them!
There are a few parking spots in the front, a well as some outdoor seating.

Pretty good Venezuelan food. Had Pernil and it was pretty good. Took the picture of it. It reminds me Ethiopian food, and it was OK. Had visited here before and had Oscar de Leon. It was good as I like white rice and pork. Overall pretty good food.

My friend brought me to this place and I loved it!
I got the beef tostones. It is a fried plantain sandwich with shredded beef, avocado, tomato, cabbage salad and these 2 sauces they give on the side (the plantains are the buns). It was so delicious! I want to try other items on their menu but every time I come here I just can’t turn down ordering the tostones.
I wished they were open on Sundays! I’m all for ethnic cuisine here in Memphis since we are so much lacking of!

Service super friendly, food incredible. This place is really good.
They have enough choices and the flavors are simple yet so tasty!
I had the tostones and Oh my God! so good. I went there with my hubby and kids so we ordered one chicken toston, one pernil toston (pork), one arepa and one cacharra, but definitely the pernil toston was the best! I will go for sure for more tostones in the future.
I’m a fan, only downside it is far from my house to go eat more often.

Sorry, y’all. I don’t get the obsession. And I realize I’m going to lose a lot of cool points and street cred with some hard core foodies for that confession.
This place has been bookmarked for a few months now and the only reason it took me so long to go here is because it is in a part of town I never frequent. I was super excited to see the place that my die-​hard foodies were frequenting and so when John P suggested meeting there, I jumped at the opportunity.
There is parking in the front and the back — convenient. And the storefront is charming. The inside, however, was lacking a bit in personality. Definitely clean, but pretty bare.
The service was very nice albeit a bit distance. Not losing any stars there though since it could be she knew we were talking shop. And she was definitely all about filling drink glass!
I’ll admit I didn’t order the UFO’s (which look awesome in the Unilocal photos) and probably should have… same goes with the fresh squeezed pineapple juice. But I just don’t get it. My arepa was just ok and Ann-​Marie T said the same thing about hers… nothing to write home about. I will definitely be back though… and hopefully have reason to add a few stars!

It was a beautiful sunny day when I pulled into the only parking space left in front of Arepa and Salsa. The sunroof was back, the radio was turned up, and I was only 10 minutes late meeting everyone. It was a good day! This is not a place I would have just passed and thought to stop in. Partially because parking is in the rear of the building off of New Orleans St. and I would have been aggravated that I couldn’t find a place to park, and gone somewhere else. By the way — «thank you» to the nice man I accidentally and unknowingly blocked in a private parking space for not having my car towed… Don’t park in front of the restaurant people!
When I walked in, no one was there yet for the UYE. I just assumed that Veronica had told me to be there 30 minutes early hoping I would make it on time. That wasn’t the case, everyone else was running late too. That was cool because I got a chance to look over the menu and take in the atmosphere a little. The inside of the restaurant is painted a somewhat bright colors with pictures of famous Venezuelans covering the walls. The TVs are on Latino stations. The comfy booths are upholstered in a trendy floral fabric. There’s also a little patio in the front that I can’t wait to try out. They definitely get an A for the atmosphere.
As soon as everyone else got there, we ordered our food. Everything on the menu looked unusual and interesting. I’d really like to try it all, and I plan to do just that over several trips. I started with the fried cheese sticks. They were different from typical cheese sticks. I’m not positive what kind if white cheese they use, but they are wrapped in dough and fried. They came with this great garlic cream sauce which is indescribable.
When it came time to order an entrée, I was a bit indecisive because everything on the menu looked and sounded so good. I asked the sweet little waiter to just bring me his favorite thing off the menu. He brought two tostones — one with shredded chicken and one with shredded beef. They were both scrumptious! I have to say that even though I’m a lover of chicken, I liked the beef tostone better. They were served on plantains, rather than bread, and topped with lettuce, tomato, avocado, and some sort of sweet slaw. I quickly scarfed mine down and made a happy plate! I even got a to-​go order to take home to my son and he loved them. He has asked me several times to take him to there for dinner. He’s a little food connoisseur in the making.
The service was great! They little guy taking care of our table reminded me so much of my son that I wanted to hug his neck. (Spence thinks he’s too big to hug his mamma now.) Don’t worry, I didn’t hug the waiter. That would have been a little creepy for the poor kid, and everyone else at my table for that matter. He was attentive and very helpful with suggestions when we had questions about the menu. I got the feeling this is a family owned and operated business. The staff was very warm and personable.
They give free salsa lessons on Friday nights. I’m thinking I should get in on that if anyone wants to tag along. I’m not exactly graceful or coordinated, but booze helps me think I am. Let’s hope it’s BYOB salsa dancing. I’m sure it will look like a Saturday Night Live skit of Dancing With The Stars, but in my head, it will be smokin hot.
My second visit was with my husband and other son. We had the shrimp tostones for an appetizer, and they were addicting. I had the DePabellon, hubby had the tostones, and the boy had a Venezuelan hamburger. We left with happy tummies. Thank you Unilocalers for turning me on to this cool little spot! Can’t wait to go back again and again!