Business of the Month: Classic Arepas, 31 West 8th Street

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Heavily armed non-state factions have been engaging in a long standing conflict along the Venezuela-Columbia border over control of smuggling routes and illegal economies. Or so the story goes. An alternative theory holds that the conflict actually stems from disagreement over which country invented arepas. The mere existence of this theory attests to the merits of the dish (has anyone ever fired a shot to dispute the provenance of surströmmnig or haggis?). Far be it from us to weigh on this dispute and get caught in the crossfire. Suffice it to say that the Columbian and Venezuelan arepas are different, that they are both delicious, and that today we’ll be talking about the latter, because, to our great fortune, our June Business of the Month, Classic Arepas (31 W 8th Street), has brought them to the Village. And that is reason enough to put disagreements aside and rejoice.

Andrea Blanco grew up eating arepas in Maracaibo, because just about everyone in Venezuela eats arepas on a regular basis — breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon snack, late night snack, you name it. She brought this habit with her when she moved to New York, fleeing the 2017 Venezuelan economic collapse. Her colleagues at the Greek restaurant where she found a job noticed and enjoyed her arepas. Gradually, Andrea started toying with the idea of opening a restaurant of her own, and not just toying. She started developing a menu and calling relatives to get their favorite home recipes. When Andrea’s bosses caught wind of her plans, they were supportive of her endeavor. And then fortune intervened. A lease dispute thwarted an expansion that her bosses had contemplated into a space they had found on West 8th Street; so they asked Andrea whether she wanted to use the space for her restaurant. And with that, Classic Arepas was born.

But what is an arepa? The dish, which predates European contact with indigenous American peoples, fundamentally consists of precooked ground cornmeal mixed with water and salt that is flattened into a disk shape and cooked, often on a girdle, so that it becomes crispy and golden on the outside, while remaining soft and compact on the inside. Venezuelans make theirs thick enough that you can cut them in half and stuff them, allowing the inside to soak up the juices that are otherwise kept contained by the toasted outer shell. When it comes to stuffings, you’re only limited by your imagination. But there are classic preparations and, as its name would suggest, Classic Arepas features many of them. These include: Reina Pepiada (shredded chicken with avocado); Pabellón (shredded beef, black beans, white cheese, and sweet plantain);

and Pelúa (shredded beef and cheese). Other standouts include the vegetarian, which itself boasts the classic combination of sweet plantains, black beans, and avocado.

Note, however, that you can also make your own, which allows you to sample combinations that, while not listed on the menu, are themselves quite popular and for good reason (e.g., Dominó, i.e., black beans and white cheese).

An arepa is substantial enough for a meal. And that’s what you’re there for. But Classic Arepas also offers a variety of other typical dishes worth trying both from Venezuela and from neighboring countries. Tequeños are a deep fried stick of sweet dough wrapped around semi-hard white cheese (or cheese and guava). (N.B.: once you’ve tried these, you will henceforth toss every mozzarella stick you’re ever offered in the garbage). 

You’ll also find Venezuelan soft drinks to wash it all down. 

And Venezuelan candies for the way back home.

Home, incidentally, was Andrea’s organizing concept for her restaurant. She dreamed of opening a place that felt like home, because she missed home. So she did just that, hoping that, in a neighborhood as culturally eclectic as the Village, people would be accepting of the food and appreciate its home-cooking appeal. The popular response has proven her right. People from all walks of life swing by, from Venezuelan arepas-habitués to curious passers-by who don’t know what an arepa is but would like to find out. But perhaps the most important verdict of all has been rendered by Andrea’s parents, who come to visit every Christmas. They’ve tried Andrea’s handiwork. They approve!

For bringing with her a treasured part of her native home and sharing it with us here in her adoptive one, we are grateful to Andrea and are thrilled to name Classic Arepas our June 2026 Business of the Month.

What special small business would you like to see featured next? Just click here to nominate our next one. Thank you! #shoplocalnyc

Here is a map of all our Businesses of the in Month: