Venezuelan Chain Arepa Zone Now Open in College Park

A local Venezuelan chain is now open in College Park.

After starting as a food truck in 2014, Arepa Zone has grown to six locations around the greater D.C. area, selling a wide array of Venezuelan cuisine.

Its seventh location, which had its soft launch last week, is its first in Maryland. It is located at 4341 Calvert Rd., inside the new Aster apartment complex. The chain said it plans a grand opening soon.

The signature dish is arepas, a circular flatbread typically stuffed with meats and cheeses.

But the menu also includes rice bowls with sides such as fried plantains; empanadas, which are half-moon shaped turnovers with meat and cheese; cachapas, a sweet corn pancake; and patacóns, a twice-fried green plantain sometimes also called tostones.

Venezuelan food has long been a hot commodity on the Route 1 corridor, where about a third of residents are Hispanic, including many immigrants from Central and South America. The now-closed Cafe Azul was well known for its arepas, which were once voted the best in the D.C. area.