Arepas Arrive on South Pearl Street This Weekend

Igor and Beckie Panasewicz’s Quiero Arepas already has a home inside Avanti Food & Beverage along with a food truck. Now the Venezuelan sandwich shop opens a new location at 1859 S. Pearl St. from 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 20. It takes over the former Makan space.

The menu includes a roster of arepas with bread made from ground maize dough, sides, salads, and desserts along with a full liquor license.

The reina arepa features zesty chicken salad with avocado mayonnaise, named in honor of Susana Duijm, Miss World in 1955 and a popular Venezuelan celebrity. The arepa pabellón features shredded beef, sweet plantains, black beans, and crumbled cheese, the same ingredients as the national dish of Venezuela, the pabellón criollo. El caribe features salmon, while queso and plantains each find a home nestled in separate cornmeal sandwiches. Quiero Arepas features all gluten-free dishes.

The grand opening happens to coincide with the restaurant’s ninth year in business; already the truck plans to hit the streets this summer and the couple signed on for a third year at Avanti.

Igor Panasewicz was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, the inspiration behind the food.

• Quiero Arepas Is Expanding to Old South Pearl [EDEN]