Oh yes you read that correctly. I have found the BEST arepas in Gainesville, Florida. Before I dive into the details, I’m going to give you a bit of a backstory on how I found this place. About a year ago, Keneatsgainesville posted a picture of a beautiful arepa. It truly was gorgeous. The photo had my mouth watering and I was dying to know if this was local.
The arepa was home to a Venezuelan food truck called Arepas Milko. It’s technically located in Newberry, but it’s close enough to classify it under Gainesville. Ken gave this food truck a GLOWING review. He loved it so much he continued visiting and posting about each visit to the food truck. Since then the food truck has gained an exceeding amount of popularity and has extended their hours. Since Ken’s first post, I had been dying to try the infamous Venezuelan food truck.
After waiting almost a year, my boyfriend and I finally made the 20 minute trip out for dinner. The truck is located on a plot of land that also houses a garden and Lulu’s Gelato food truck. The minute we pulled up to the area, I got excited. The blasting of Hispanic music has you salsaing towards the truck.
Their menu has arepas, cachapas, patacons, tequenos, and mandocas. Protein wise they have a list to choose from: pulled chicken, pulled steak, chopped steak, and pork. They fill their arepas with cheese, meat, their house sauce, pink sauce, and lettuce or cabbage. If you aren’t familiar with an arepa, it’s a almost like a sandwich with two corn patties instead of regular buns.
I ordered the pulled chicken arepa with lettuce and the baked corn patty. You can get it fried, but I chose to get it baked. First off, the presentation was amazing. It just looks delicioso. They really put their time and effort when forming their arepas (and other dishes). It’s pretty Instagram worthy. Since I was starving and wanted to dive into it, I grabbed the arepa with my hands and took a bite. I had to make the signature “mmmmm” sound. It was fantastic. The flavors tasted so well together and the sauce they had put in the arepa was delicious. It was a signature taste that makes their arepa stand out from others. The chicken was also very tasty. It was pulled chicken so it wasn’t clunky or anything to that effect. The cheese they use was also good and wasn’t too salty like some other Venezuelan cheeses.
I ate the entire arepa and savored every single bite. I really took my time eating because I did not want it to end. The owners of the truck came out to ask if we needed anything and if we were enjoying the food. With a full and happy mouth I replied, “Me gusta mucho, gracias!” They speak both English and Spanish here so no need to worry about a language barrier. They were very engaged with their customers which really showed how much they cared for their business, which was also demonstrated in their food!
Dustin and I both agreed we would come back. The arepas here are sensational, the employees are awesome, and the location is nice. It’s about 20 minutes from the Butler Plaza area, but it’s definitely worth it. If you’re just passing by Gainesville, this is definitely worth a pit stop.
285 SW 250 St.
Newberry, Florida
Hours:
Friday & Saturday 5:00-11:00PM
Sunday 5:00-10:00PM
My Bissy Life 