Arepas El Chamo

After another stellar brunch at The Haab (
), I came across Arepas El Chamo, which may very well be the only true Venezuelan eatery throughout the Woodside, Sunnyside, and LIC area. Considering Venezuelan style arepas have become all the Latin American rage, it’s nice to know this diamond in the rough offers a substantial variety of them, while breathing life into a part of the hood that so desperately needs it.
For the extra curious, «El Chamo» is a Venezuelan term for «buddy» or «amigo.» And they certainly do treat folks like friends here, as the service I’ve encountered has been consistently good and amiable. The place is small, but there is enough seating for small groups and outdoor dining when the weather is good. The menu is primarily in Spanish and most of the staff doesn’t speak much English. Don’t let intimidate you, pointing and broken sentences learned from those HS Spanish classes will suffice.
Each of the arepas are between $ 4 – 6, ranging from classics like jamon y queso (ham and cheese) and pernil (roasted pork) to reina pepiada (avocado mayo and shredded chicken). All are delicious, each adequately stuffed to where even the lettuce was pouring out. More importantly, the arepas are fresh, simple, and made with love. And like a true Venezolano biz, they offer all of the stuffings in patacon and tumbarrancho form.
Not feeling like arepas? Stick with some their traditional platters, such as the pernil horneado (roasted pig) or the ever traditional pabellon criollo. I am also a lover of their version «perros calientes (hot dogs), which are stuffed with chips, sauce, and additional protein filling to make one souped up but delicious dog.
Sometimes during the summer days, I enjoy sitting outside and enjoying one of their smoothies while watching the Latin families stroll around the block. Throw in an arepa or hot dog, and suddenly it’s a perfect summer meal.

This wildly underrated spot is located on 48^th Ave near better known spots like De Mole and Mi Bolivia.
This place is small and clean with a cool vibe, it seems to be mostly focused on takeout orders though.
The menu is varied. Arepas are one of the classic dishes (available in either the classic corn variety or a Fried Plantain version) that are offered and they are wonderful. I also noticed there are a ton of hot dogs available. Interesting.
Sadly, there were out of ingredients for Cachapas, a traditional Venezuelan sandwich. This I look forward to trying on my next trip there.
The lady behind the counter was very nice, she spoke limited English but we made it work.
Give this place a shot.