Where To Find the Best Arepas in Atlanta

Arepas are the perfect first time Latin food for Southerners to experience. Consider that the main ingredient in arepas is ground corn meal and it’s often stuffed with a savory, delicious, slow cooked protein – it’s basically BBQ and cornbread! Ok, it’s not quite the same experience in the texture department, and the Venezuelan/Colombian approach to seasoning the meat IS a uniquely delicious experience. But it’s something everyone in Atlanta should try – especially considering the wealth of delicious options around our City. Check out our list of Atlanta’s 10 best arepa restaurants and set out to find your favorites!

Arepa Mia
10 N. Clarendon Ave, Avondale Estates, GA 30002
(404) 600-3509
This Avondale Estates restaurant has been considered one of Atlanta’s best and for good reason – they’ve made some of Atlanta’s best arepas for a decade. Their focus on mouthwatering, organic fillings, along with a creative approach to flavor, is a big part of it. Take, for example, their Asado Negro, which has grass-fed beef that’s been roasted for 12 hours in red wine and cumin and is served with a Thai Chili sauce! We also loved the more traditional pernil – 12 hour roasted pork served with caramelized onions.

Arepa Grill
4166 Buford Highway, NE, Atlanta, GA 30345
(678) 974-7795
We’ve already talked about how much we love this Arepa stand inside of Buford Highway’s famous Plaza Fiesta, but we have to emphasize here that it might be one of the best lunches in that entire complex. One option we want to highlight here is the black vegan Arepa with plantains, avocado and beans – more than enough to keep you going for the entire day!

Arepita Cafe
11105 State Bridge Rd
Alpharetta, GA 30022
(770) 777-1823
This Alpharetta arepa spot is a neighborhood favorite and for good reason – they make delicious, classic arepas like the shredded chicken, Reina Pepiada and Pabellon that folks love coming back for. Our favorite thing there, though, is a twist on an arepa – you can have any of their burger options served on an arepa bun. We loved the Arepita burger – topped with cheddar, Hamm, pork, coleslaw and a fried egg!

Calle Latina
406 Church Street
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 378-0020
This pan-Latin restaurant in downtown Decatur is basically a Swiss army knife for whatever your latin craving is – including arepas. You can essentially get any of their tacos, burritos or tortas served to you in an arepa, putting a whole new spin of flavors on the Venezuelan classic. For something COMPLETELY different, try The El Pastor, the Cubana, or Ropa Vieja for totally different approaches to your typical Arepa.

Cylantro’s Venezuelan Cuisine
Multiple Locations – Woodstock, Kennesaw, Roswell
With 20 different arepa options, Cylantro’s Venezuelan Cuisine isn’t keeping its simple – and we love them for it. They make a perfect arepa de queso (get the Guayanes cheese – it’s worth it) for those looking for something simpler, but we love the breakfast option – chorizo, egg, and cheese – and the Reina Pepiada. It’s a creamy chicken breast/avocado/cilantro mix that expands perfectly inside the arepa – a must try!

Don Arepacho
5964 S Norcross Tucker Rd
Norcross, GA 30093
(678) 334-4068
A fast casual Norcross Venezuelan restaurant, Don Arepacho has tons of delicious Arepa options that you can easily get from a drive-thru window. We particularly like their Arepa Tumbarrada, which is essentially a deep fried arepa covered in batter! They also make a delicious Pabellon and might be the most convenient way to get a good arepa in North Atlanta.

Epa Come Arepa
2870 Peachtree Industrial Blvd
Duluth, GA 30097
(770) 623-1227
This Duluth Arepa spot is serving up crave worthy arepas with a flair – and live music. With great Latin music on Friday nights the vibes are good at EPA! Come Arepa (which translated means YEAH! EAT AREPA) and the food is even better. The owners have solid arepa options like pernil, chorizo, a pabellon and Reina Pepiada. But they also have other creative options like the Maracucha Con Queso Frito, or shredded beef with fried cheese! Plus, the owner has a pretty good Tik Tok with lots of Arepa demonstrations that are worth watching. https://www.tiktok.com/@epacomearepa?lang=en

Los Maracuchos
1948 Day Drive, NW
Duluth, GA 30096
(678) 600-3175
Guests coming to stay in Duluth’s Syndham Garden must be met with a pleasant surprise every time they stay there, with a Venezuelan restaurant as good as Los Maracuchos located inside the building. They make a delicious arepa with shredded chicken and pork, along with delicious grilled chicken arepas and shredded beef. We also think they deliver a solid deep fried Tumbarrancho with a delicious mortadella inside.

Natarica Grill Restaurant
5730 Buford Highway
Norcross, GA 3007
This Norcross Venezuelan restaurant may seem nondescript since it’s tucked in away in a strip mall – but let us assure you, the flavors are anything but nondescript! They make some of the best standard arepas you can find – the Arepa de Pabellon (shredded beef, beans, cheese and plantains) is mouthwatering and they make a delicious Arepa de Reina Pepiada (guac chicken salad). Always order the Venezuelan cheese when you can – we found one of the best arepas was the Carne Mechada with queso guayanes, or simply Venezuelan shredded beef and Venezuelan cheese.

Zuarepa
1956 Duluth Highway
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
(470) 294-1291
We just became aware of this incredible “Venezuelan Fast Food” restaurant in Lawrenceville, and we hope we’ll see more locations soon. They make delicious, accessible grilled arepas with chicken, steak, pork and chorizo, and even simpler options like ham and cheese and plain cheese. We really liked the fried arepas the most though – pecifically, the arepa pernil (with slow roast pork) and the Cabimera (with shredded beef and egg). Both worth trying for the more adventurous eater.