Arepas may be the obvious choice at a restaurant called Amaizing Arepa Bar, but it’s the cachapas that have consistently stolen our hearts since the Venezuelan restaurant opened in downtown St. Louis at the beginning of the year.
The massive sweet corn pancakes envelop chewy, toothsome mozzarella, and they’re topped with salty feta (a stand-in for Venezuela’s queso llanero) and a generous drizzle of nata (Venezuelan-style milk cream) plus your choice of meat. We favor pork with the cachapas, but the chicken, beef and pork belly are all worthy options; vegetarians can opt for plantains instead of meat. Pay an extra $1.50 to upgrade your filling from mozzarella to the queso de mano, a soft white cheese typical of Venezuelan cuisine.
500 N. 14th St., St. Louis, 407.218.9629, Facebook: amaizingarepabar
This article appears in August 2024.
