Arepas in Chicago

Can anyone recommend restaurants/bakeries in Chicago that serve tasty south american corn-flour breads that are stuffed with cheese/beans/meat and called Arepas?

I have had arepas in NYC and would love to chow on them here at home for Super Bowl Sunday!

Thanks!

t-mac

[StreetFed]

Check out Aripos in Oak Park on Marion Street, just east of Harlem Avenue. The entire menu is focused on Venezualan style Arepas. It's a cool area for browsing too! Aripos is my usual stop before I hit the live music scene at Fitzgerald's, although I haven't been there since the end of the summer, now I'm craving some arepas! I've had a couple of pretty decent meals there, and of course some tasty arepas! Their serve pretty decent food at reasonable prices, plus the decor is stylishly casual. This is a big departure from most places that serve Arepas. Brasa Roja on Irving Park Road and The Flying Chicken Also serve decent arepas and empanadas.

http://www.aripos.com/

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Flying Chicken
3811 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60613

Arepas are mainly a Colombian thing. You can find them at Las Tablas, the terrific Colombian/pan-Latin place at 2965 North Lincoln.

I second the notion of Colombian Bakery (Merkato's I believe is the name on their business card). The Arepas are good, excellent Pan de Bono, great cauldrons of coffee.

there is a Colombian bakery way north on Lincoln (5400 north)that serves them. they don't match up to the arepa lady in queens but they are still decent.

Arepas are served at just about every Colombian and Ecuadoran restaurant in Chicago. Some are better than others, of course. My favorites are at the cafeteria of the Cuban grocery (run now by mostly S. Americans) La Unica on Devon. They are available at Mexican bakeries as well, but I can't rec any for their arepas.

I've enjoyed the arepas in house at EL LLano on lincoln, though I've found when I carry them out they toughen up very quickly. I also like their empanadas and sausages, which have ben posted on fairly recently.

[mlipps]

You can NEVER go wrong w/La Unica!! Yum :)