On the search for the best arepas in Connecticut brings us to Valencia Luncheria in Norwalk.
I don’t like arepas.
It’s mostly a problem with the cornmeal cake.
Whenever I’ve had an arepa the cornmeal is mealy, breaking apart, and overpowering.
Not here.
Arepas a Venezuelan street food, fried cornmeal cakes stuffed with meat and/or veggies.
Perfect morning after food too.
Here, the cornmeal cake on the outside is fluffy and tender.
It provides a wonderful pocket to stuff.
I asked for a recommendation and was told if I like spicy I should go with the Chef arepa.
It’s shaved steak with onions, jalapeno peppers, and pepper jack cheese with chipotle sauce.
The corn patty is perfect and doesn’t carry much other taste other than a slight hint of fried cheese.
The outside is perfectly crisp as well, with a soft fluffy interior.
The inside was actually not that exciting in comparison, being more a very lightly seasoned cheese steak flavor with not a lot of heat.
The whole thing is good, but it’s missing something.
Enter the “green sauce”.
They have two types of sauces, red and green.
I was encouraged to get the green sauce.
I can’t really describe what the green sauce is.
A slightly fresh tasting hot sauce. and to have the best arepa in CT, is absolutely necessary.
The Rating:
The Chef arepa is solid, like a philly cheesesteak with some slight bite to it. On its own it would easily be a 7.5/10. But most of that is actually because the cornmeal cakes are so damn good, I’m sure they could stuff them with all sorts of things (and they do!). But this isn’t a review of a restaurant, this is a review of a food. And the Chef arepa with the green sauce is wonderful.
8.5/10
I repeat; you must eat this with the green sauce.
https://www.instagram.com/eatthisct/
Address: 164 Main St, Norwalk, CT 06851
https://www.valencialuncheria.com/menus.php
Phone: (203) 846-8009