Hello Arepa

Goodbye, Arepa.

Aww, I really want to rate this place higher because the guys running it are soooooooooooo nice. I don't think they're the owners, I just think they're like, totes in love with the owners or something because they could not stop talking about how great the owners and the products are.

Now I am one of the biggest arepa fans you'll ever find. It's one of my fave foods (much like the Mexican Gordita) and I seriously have orgasms - in my pants - several times - multiples I mean - seriously - when I eat a good Arepa. Even a half decent Arepa will get the job done for me.

This might have been the worst Arepa I ever had. It was a "non-Latin" Arepa, for starters, as in, everything in it tasted so white, I can't imagine it ever being served in South America (yes I f***ing love it there and will be going back soon, esp if the glamour model that took me there before wants to take me there again, so to speak, hint hint if she's reading). It just seems like a very Americanized version of the food.

I don't want to go on and on about how bad it is, because firstly I know a lot of you love it, and secondly it's all a matter of opinion anyway. I give three stars because I support family businesses and I like the idea of the truck. I'd never eat these dry, tasteless, white person arepas again, but I fully support everyone who is a big fan of the place and hope it continues to be successful for a very long time. It's like a "hummus pita" which has nothing to do with Middle Eastern cuisine at all. Very popular with college kids and such, but as someone who adores the real thing, I really can't get into it and find it bland.

But like I said... lovely people, and there's a good chance you'll like it, especially if you don't know what Arepas are supposed to taste like.

And don't expect to find Ice T here, or P Diddy for that matter. He's Arapper, not Arepa. You have to understand this subtle difference before you can sleep with a Venezuelan. I mean before you can appreciate an Arepa.

Pretty good stuff, looking at mine and the surrounding arepas I would wager they got jipped. I had about twice as much tofu filling as they did their ingredients. We all agreed that the arepas could have used a fresh bite, something to add texture and dimension (tomato, fresh onion, shredded lettuce, pickled something). We added some of the pico de gallo which was a fare to mid improvement.

I would recommend any of them with cheese if you are eating standing up or in front of anyone. Since it's a food truck in public places I doubt you are hovering over a sink or in your tub. Go for cheese they seemed to retain their shape. The 3 cheese was tasty, not too much cheese and quite salty with the primary cheese being feta. Kudos to them for being friendly for vegan, vegetarian, lactose and gluten folks. It was expressed that there is currently a world wide plantain shortage :(

I like food trucks, actually I love them. I love yummy food and I like the idea of being able to pick your kitchen up and go to where the people are. To feed people and make them happy, isn't that why those of us who like to cook, LIKE to cook? For me to recommend a food truck it usually needs at least one of three things, preferable 2. 1) cheaper than a restaurant. You may have expenses but you don't have as many as a brick and mortar place. 2) A larger portion than a restaurant, same reason. 3) Something truly unique or amazing that I can't get elsewhere.

Hello Arepa has something unique that I can't get elsewhere. Bu,t I did not find it amazing, I was sold a $4 average size english muffin made from corn instead of wheat. Tasted ok, Kind of like grits. To add cheese or meats doubled the cost and I don't think it would hold very much. If these things cost a $1 I would talk them up all day but I can't imagine the $4 english muffin that would get my to come back again.

I say definitely pass on hello Arepa.

Hello Arepa opened in September of 2012 and has been rolling around ever since. With only one steady gig thus far (5-8pm at Roc Brewing Co), they are catching on slowly but surely... kinda like the food truck scene in Rochester.

I moseyed over last night, ravenous for a delicious arepa. For those of you who don't know what an arepa is, let me break it down: it's a corn dough and cooked into a pancake-ish bread. It can be grilled, fried, baked or boiled. People love some arepas in Columbia and Venezula. I believe Hello Arepa specializes in Venezulan arepas.

They've got about 7 different arepas to enjoy:
-Ham/Cheese + sriracha mayo $6.5
-Black beans/feta $6.5
-Margarine $4
-Black beans/eggs/cheese $7
-Three cheese $5
-BBQ Tofu- $6.5

A side of plantain chips with feta and sriracha mayo ($3) are definitely worth it. They are perfection- some are crisp, some a softer... yummers. I could have handled more feta though. I wouldn't mind a bit more heat with the sriracha mayo.

As for the arepa itself (I got the dominó (black beans/feta) with avocado (extra .50 and totally worth it). It was warm, tasty and a complete mess to eat. They give you a fork for good reason. I needed three hands for this thing. Filling was splattering all over me. I've had arepas that aren't cut all the way though and that could help with the mess. The arepa was tasty, not mind blowing (more salt/spices please!), but totally quality...

The couple in the food truck were super friendly and the kind of people you just want to make it.

I plan to go back and try a few more arepas... I mean, where else can I get my arepa fix in Rochester?

TIPS: Vegan/Vegetarian friendly (they have dairy free cheeses!). They can take CARDS! Check their facebook for truck locations and events! https://www.facebook.com/HelloArepa

Hello Arepa introduces Venezuelan style arepas to Rochester, a great addition to the local food truck scene, and local foods in general. Their grilled-then-baked stuffed cornmeal patty has a chewy, creamy consistency that has to be experienced to appreciate why it is such a favorite Latin American comfort food. It lends itself as a delicious vehicle for an infinite variety of tasty stuffings.

I would recommend trying the black bean feta. The black bean is a rich compliment to the cornmeal, and the feta adds some saltiness. I expect Hello Arepa will offer interesting combinations as time goes on. I am very excited about the food truck scene finally maturing in Rochester, it adds another dimension to an already impressive culinary landscape (relative to our size). Lend your support to the efforts of the food truck community to work with the city on all the related zoning issues, etc.

I had the Vegan Hello Plate, which is a variation of the Vegetarian Hello Plate, which itself is a spin on a Garbage Plate. It's an arepa topped with plantain chips, black beans, bbq tofu, pico, and daiya mozzarella cheese. They leave out the sriracha mayo but there is a bottle of plain sriracha available.

The food was great. While I thought it would all come in one big heap, the beans, tofu, and chips were in separate piles, so you could mix and match the ingredients. The arepa is burried under everything, so it doesn't play a starring role in the dish, but everything works really well together. My only complaint is that the daiya isn't melted; I'm not in the habit of eating it raw so I just stirred it in with the other ingredients. The whole point of daiya is that it melts. I'd rather see a fresh almond or cashew cheese if there's no melting involved, but I know that's asking a lot.

Arepas are amazing! I drove from downtown to try my first arepa when the truck was parked off of East Ave today. Totally worth it.

Larissa (so friendly!) was at the window and she and Christina recommended I try the chorizo one as an arepa newbie.

For starters the whole sandwich/wrap is a perfectly crispy & creamy almost polenta-y tortilla. Corn pancake is a great way to describe it.
The inside has a nice sliced chorizo. Spicy and yummy. Not hands down the best chorizo I've ever had, but quite good.
Then there was delicious pico de gallo - perfectly balanced tomato, onion & cilantro. There was also this delicious avocado cream sauce in the arepa that was SOO good (I'm a sucker for avocado).
The cheese was very melty and good. Nothing super unique there, but a nice glue for the arepa.

The arepa was also perfectly wrapped in aluminum foil to ensure no leakage, which I really appreciated.

We will be back! Can't wait to try some others!

I'm a sucker for food trucks, as is my boyfriend (seeing as he works on one), so when we were in Rochester for the day, we made it a point to check out a food truck for lunch.

One thing the Rochester food trucks need to work on is advertising where they are every day!! We couldn't find the location for half of them on their website or social media page.

I told Brad that we should check out the farmer's market because I knew the Chowder truck was there at least, and we ran into Hello Arepa on the way

We both split the 3 Cheese Arepa. I thought it was very rich, I could only have a few bites, but I am not a huge fan of Feta, so don't let this review deter your choice.

I thought I would come back here possibly. It was pretty cheap. I do think the way they take your order and give food is odd. They order-taker is in the middle of the truck window with people having to work around her. I think she should be on one side, and the orders are given at the other. Also, they give you a card with a number on it and call out the card when your order is ready. I think this takes away from really interacting with the customer, and they will never learn returning customer's names.

I love arepas. my college best friend's mom was from Venezuela and she would occasionally make them for us. I also was lucky that one of my favorite bars in my college town was owned by Venezuelans, so we would get delicious late night arepas.

This food truck makes a decent enough arepa, they tend to be less "puffy" than the usual Venezuelan arepa, but the flavor is quite good.

However I have yet to find fillings that blow me away. Don't get me wrong, they are not bad, but I have yet to be fully impressed by them.

Then there are the plantain chips, they are inconsistent with the quality, They range from really good and crispy, to mushy and not quite seasoned.


What they have going for them is their additional dressings. The pico de gallo and sriracha mayo can turn a rather meh arepa and turn it into something delicious and spicy and fresh. The sriracha mayo can also rescue a disappointing plantain chips plate. So ask for Pico de gallo and/or sriracha mayo. It greatly improves the arepas.

I really wanted to love Hello Arepa's food, but I was really disappointed. I ordered the ham and cheese arepa and it reminded me of a bad McMuffin sandwich. The corn flatbread was dry and the ingredients inside were flavorless. It didn't seem authentic or worth the price. Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend this food truck.