What is an arepa?

An arepa is “a type of food made of ground maize dough, originating from pre-Columbian northern region of South America, and is notable in the cuisines of Colombia and Venezuela.”[1]

I’ve had the pleasure of trying out the different tasty arepas that Fruit Paradise offers, which are available for purchase between 11:00am – 3:00pm every day. This is a great option for lunch or a snack if you’re in the area! Below are the ones that I tried:

Jumbo Country Pork Arepa

The Country Pork arepa has pulled pork and cheese. I love pulled pork, and this was seasoned very well. It’s quite savory and flavorful. Some pulled pork out there can be a bit too salty, but this was just right.

Jumbo Criolla Arepa

The Criolla arepa has homemade black beans, cheese, and plantains. The saltiness of the black beans went well with the sweetness of the plantains because one didn’t overpower the other. You get four slices of plantains in this arepa.

Jumbo Garden Arepa

The Garden arepa has sautéed eggplant, mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, and chick peas, which is topped with four slices of fresh avocado. This tasted pretty fresh, and I like that it was packed with healthy ingredients. If you’re not in the mood for heavy food, this might be the one for you.

Jumbo Caprese Arepa

The Caprese arepa has big chunks of tofu, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and basil, which are all marinated with olive oil and herbs. This is another healthy option if you don’t want heavy food. The marinade was perfect for this combination of ingredients. This arepa also tasted fresh, similar to the Garden arepa.

Jumbo Tofu Arepa

The tofu arepa has a hefty amount of black beans, plantains, and slices of tofu. This is a new menu item that is vegan and almost similar to the Criolla arepa except that it has tofu instead of cheese and more black beans. Vegan options are a trend, and I’m glad to see Fruit Paradise accommodating that. This arepa is for all the black bean lovers out there because that flavor dominates here. It’s filling for sure!

Trio Arepitas

This includes three regular-sized arepas of your choice and was my favorite arepa menu item. Although they are smaller than the jumbo arepas, the trade-off is that you get to try three different arepas! The doughs are in different colors too where the green is from spinach and red is from beets. I got the Caprese arepa, Criolla arepa, and Catira arepa. The Catira arepa has sautéed chicken and cheese. All of them were really delicious!

Sauces

Fruit Paradise offers two different sauces to eat with the arepas: house sauce and chimichurri sauce. I really enjoyed both of them! If I had to choose only one, it would be the chimichurri sauce. It’s probably one of the best I’ve had in Chicago because it’s so fresh and has the perfect combination and amount of ingredients. The house sauce has a slight kick to it and complements the savory and light arepas while the chimichurri sauce goes well with the savory arepas.

• House sauce: It consists of cilantro, garlic, onions, bell peppers, chile, olive oil, and pumpkin seeds.
• Chimichurri sauce: It consists of cilantro, olive oil, parsley, and garlic.

I recommend checking out Fruit Paradise if you haven’t already. This has become one of my favorite local spots!

Fruit Paradise
2355 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
Phone: (773) 676-7321
Website: https://www.fruitparadisechicago.com

[1] Wikipedia contributors. “Arepa.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 7 Jun. 2019. Web. 9 Jun. 2019.