It was hot and steamy yesterday, what better way to celebrate one of the final 90+ degree days of summer than to eat at one of the hottest food trucks in Minneapolis, Hola Arepa. The Latin street food sensation, Hola Arepa has been recommended to me by several people and has been on my radar for the entire summer. Unfortunately while people were happy to tell me their food was great, they neglected to mention they have some of the most forward looking street food available in downtown Minneapolis to date.
Hola Arepa serves several variations of a stuffed corn-based dough sandwich known as an “arepa”. They tout their arepas as being vegan and gluten free which is a big draw for many. Me? I loved that they are proud to offer local and sustainable ingredients when they can and proudly use Fischer Farms pork and Kadejan chicken. While this normally wouldn’t be a big deal being that it’s a food truck in Minneapolis, once you take a look at the prices on their menu, you’ll realize what a great deal it really is. Seriously with an average price under $6, Hola Arepa is an absolute steal.
We arrived around 11:30 and found the truck with no where near the line length that accumulates at any number of other trucks around the city at that hour. We looked over the menu board and placed our orders. One coworker ordered the Cuban Arepa (Fischer Farms roasted pork, ham, Swiss, pickles, mustard and jalapeno-herb aioli) for $7. Another ordered the Pulled Chicken Arepa (Kadejan Farms chicken, beans, tomatoes, salsa verde, and pickled cabbage) for $5. I nabbed the Pulled Pork Arepa (Fischer Farms pork, black beans, cotija cheese, and special sauce) for $6 as well as a basket of chips and salsa for $2. We also ordered a Pineapple Jarritos (only flavor they have), a cucumber lemonade ($2) and an Arne Palmer ($2) to drink.
Our orders were up quickly and were served simply enough in paper boats with nothing except what the menu promised. The sandwiches were presented in a way which was above average for street food in Minneapolis but, as expected, nothing fancy. They were individually wrapped in paper and were begging to be doused with one of the four sauces available.
We walked a half a block away and sat down on stone benches to eat. My Pulled Pork Arepa was tasty but as a recent Urbanspoon reviewer mentioned, the sandwiches are super messy and aren’t really well suited for people working downtown all dressed up. After the first bite sent a rocket of pulled pork, juice, and some “XXX hot” salsa (it was actually pretty darn spicy!) through the back end of the arepa onto the sidewalk in front of me I swore out loud and picked up a large pile of the pork and ate it anyway–I live by the five second rule, deal with it. Overall the sandwich was a good one. Not a great one but a good one solely because the meat itself lacked any real flavor. Much like Rosemount’s Las Tortillas, it really needed something extra to fight through the powerful taste of the arepa. If they got that down the Pulled Pork Arepa would be phenomenal.
While my arepa needed some work, my coworker’s Cuban Arepa was nothing short of spectacular. Only allowing me a small taste, it was not nearly as good as the famed torta at the temporarily homeless Tacolmeca but in the traditional Cuban sense it was nearly spot on. The pickles and mustard were beautiful and while the arepa was again a bit powerful for the sandwich, the ham and pork worked really well to pull it all together with the cheese. I must admit that the $7 price tag when compared to the other sandwiches was a bit concerning but after just that little taste it was well worth it–and possibly two or three more. If you’re downtown and you see the baby blue truck idling along the side of the road start running towards it and order the Cuban, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised as just how good it is.
The pulled chicken sandwich, one I didn’t try myself, apparently also suffered from a lack of flavor in the meat but as I understand it the arepa was quite good. For $5 it is simply a steal when you look at other downtown offerings, especially food trucks. If you’re looking for an inexpensive and filling meal, this one might be it.
While we were impressed with the sandwiches, the drinks were a little strange. The cucumber lemonade was more cucumber than lemonade and my coworker noted on two different occasions that it was “weird”. Apparently the Arne Palmer, with mostly pink lemonade due to it’s bright pink color, suffered from some weirdness but carried an interesting hint of strawberry as well. While I’d prefer flavors other than pineapple Jarritos, the woman at the counter noted that they had limited space in the truck and that’s what they could have. No complaints but be forewarned that you may be stuck with pineapple, Mexican Coke or some crazy homemade concoction and you may want to bring your own with you.
Overall I’d definitely recommend you check out Hola Arepa the next time you’re craving some street food. They definitely have some inventive sandwiches and with a little work they definitely could compete with the big boys just down the street. If you’re looking for some decidedly different and inexpensive as can be for Downtown, I highly suggest you get over to their Twitter page and find out their currentl location (they were between 9th and 10th on Marquette when we visited) and get over there to try out an arepa for yourself.
Have you ever eaten at Hola Arepa? If so what did you think? What did you order and would you order it again in the future? Have you tried any of the other food trucks either in Minneapolis or St. Paul? Do you think there should be more or are there too many to choose from already? Whatever you have to say about Hola Arepa go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Address:
Hola Arepa Food Truck (check Twitter for updates)
Between 9th and 10th on Marquette
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Hours:
Monday – Friday: 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Sunday: 11:30 AM – 3:30 PM (Uptown Market)
See all the pictures from Hola Arepa on Flickr here.
Dakota Complaints Map
Dakota Inmate Dashboard
Loading ...
September 2nd, 2011 at 7:45 am
I’ve eaten from Hola Arepa twice and I really liked it. The first time, I had the pulled pork and the second time I tried the chicken avocado salad. I definitely liked the pulled pork better – with the cotija cheese and the sauce I added, I thought it had more flavor than the chicken salad.
I also tired the cucumber lemonade, but I loved it! I will definitely be getting over there again before they’re done for the season.
September 2nd, 2011 at 8:15 am
I have eaten here a number of times this summer. By far my favorite is the pulled pork with pickled onions added. They are a little messy and i recommend eating them quick as the arepa gets a little doughy after it gets soaked with the juice. I found the pulled chicken bland too so now I stick with the pork or the sausage and peppers when available.
On the drink side they served Ginger Rhubarb lemonade earlier this summer and it was fantastic. I have tried to recreate at home a few times. The cucumber lemonade was different. It was refreshing but just not what you expect since I normally don’t drink cucumber.
This truck is highly recommended.
September 2nd, 2011 at 8:25 am
I had a chorizo and peppers arepa – and it was killer. Absolutely killer. My favorite street food so far this year. The flavor of the arepa is strong – and so you’re right about needing to have a strong pop of flavor inside to balance it out.
September 2nd, 2011 at 8:42 am
Ice cream would be a better way to celebrate one of the last 90 degree days, you ask me.
September 2nd, 2011 at 8:58 am
I wish I worked downtown. The food truck scene is pretty cool right now, but the best way for me to get to them is at events and such. Thanks for the tip on this truck!
September 2nd, 2011 at 10:21 am
Hola Arepa is at 29th & Lyndale on Sundays between 11:30 and 3. That’s where I’ve caught them twice. (I wish they came to St. Paul!) I liked the pulled chicken a little more than the pulled pork, but both were good, if a little plain without hot sauce.
They were selling a strawberry-iced tea last Sunday, so I bet that became the base of the Arnie Palmer, which would explain the odd flavor.
September 2nd, 2011 at 1:03 pm
All of this talk about Hola Arepa made me crave one for lunch. However, on the way to their location I walked by Natedogs – YUM! Best hotdog I’ve had all summer and the Summit Anniversary mustard is great. I’ll have to try for Hola Arepa again next week!
September 2nd, 2011 at 1:27 pm
What’s better than one meat at lunch? That’s right. It’s two meats. Upon first viewing the Holy Arepa menu, I zoned in on the Cuban and never looked back. I somehow missed out on Cubans in my pre-veg days, but then again, I wasn’t really paying attention to meat because it was a daily occurrence. Now that it’s much more scarce in my diet, I definitely notice it and take a special kind of joy in it.
This Cuban was well worth any guilt I might later feel about secretly eating the little piggy. Hard to say, but I think I enjoyed the ham more than the pork and somehow missed the flavor of the cheese entirely. The jalapeno-herb aioli had a nice flavor, but I should have spread it out more evenly as it was concentrated in one spot. Aside from that, the meats worked together splendidly and brought me to a special happy place.
September 2nd, 2011 at 2:00 pm
I really enjoy Hola Arepa.
September 2nd, 2011 at 4:28 pm
I consumed the pulled chicken sandwich that was referenced. The pickled onions were good, but sat on top so they only were consumed wit the first half of the sandwich. I put a little of 3 of the 4 salsas on sections of my sandwich and they were all good. They come out of a ketchup-esque squeeze bottle, so they’re all pureed. I prefer this type of salsa, but some may like chunks of vegetables. Like Bill referenced, the meat itself wasn’t very flavorful (certainly not spicy) but it was moist and I didn’t feel like there was anything inherently wrong with it. The strawberry-hibiscus tea and cucumber lemonade Arnie Palmer was alright, definitely an interesting thing to try but I don’t know if I’d ever crave that again. I had a few of Bill’s chips (would be great with the spicy salsa!) and they were fine, though nothing special. We couldn’t decide of they were homemade or not, but they certainly weren’t fresh out of the fryer. Not incredibly salty, which is good or bad depending on how you look at these things.
September 2nd, 2011 at 4:59 pm
Carlos M. introduced me to Latin cuisine back in the 80s, he was from Guatemala. He brought an appetizer to a pot luck at work – some kind of oysters marinated in lime juice and olive oil concoction. It was delicious! Next was a Cuban sandwich at a hole-in-the wall barrio in Little Havana, Miami. Oh my! I was hooked. Reading Bill and all the other folks describe the food at the Hola Arepa food truck makes my mouth water. If there is a Cuban Sandwich on the menu I’m there. “POP!” (no longer in business) in NE Minneapolis used to do a Cuban Sandwich justice, even the Tony Oliva Sandwich at Target Field is passable, even it’s way over priced. I think a trip to Victors is in order.
September 2nd, 2011 at 9:17 pm
This isn’t the only food truck in MN…… just love this link……..
http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&source=hp&q=food+trucks%2C+mn&pbx=1&oq=food+trucks%2C+mn&aq=f&aqi=g1g-j1g-b1&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=98000l106397l0l108185l15l14l0l2l2l0l291l2408l0.5.7l12l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=105eeea550cf825d&biw=1280&bih=581
Notice DeRusha’s OTHER comments regarding OTHER food trucks….. LOL
September 2nd, 2011 at 9:52 pm
O.K., someone gave me the thumbs down for saying I enjoy Hola Arepa. I do really like their food; why would this warrant a thumbs down??????
September 3rd, 2011 at 7:01 am
Sandy, the voting buttons are unforgiving. Once you vote they’re frozen for you. It’s possible someone incorrectly clicked it. It’s also possible someone just doesn’t like you.
While I meant for it to be used only to downgrade trollish comments, I knew people would use them as a popularity contest. It sucks but it’s the best I can do to crowdsource the moderation complaints.
September 3rd, 2011 at 3:50 pm
To second KC’s comment, I had Natedog’s yesterday for the first time and loved it. Both the natedog and the bratdog were good (had to try one of each), and the kraut is excellent. Plus they sell Spring Grove sodas too.
September 3rd, 2011 at 3:51 pm
I’m not one of the thumbser-downsers Sandy, but maybe it was because your post really added nothing at all to the conversation (similar to this comment).
I mean, imagine standing over the water cooler talking with a friend about Hola Arepa and someone walks up, says “I like Hola Arepa” and walks away.
You’d probably be thinking, “what the hell was that?”
Or, as Bill says, it’s possible someone just doesn’t like you. I suspect lefty.
September 3rd, 2011 at 4:30 pm
Not guilty! Well, sort of guilty. I did the second thumbs down, but only after sandy complained about the first one. I see it is now up to three!
September 3rd, 2011 at 7:38 pm
Sandy, it was me, but it was an accident. I got a bunch of thumbs down for my comment too. Which, while possibly adding nothing, was in direct response to a line from the post, therefore, relevant. *hmph*
September 3rd, 2011 at 8:22 pm
dm, no biggie. I was a bit abrasive recently when I was crabbilyhome with the flu and maybe was overly aware of the punishment that might be coming!
Lefty, screw you! (kidding)
September 5th, 2011 at 4:32 am
[...] makes a stand at the State Fair, praise for the Hola Arepa food truck (and check out our Street Food Directory), Dara thinks The Lowry will fail as a fancy [...]
September 6th, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Holy Arepa… heh. How apt.
As for hotdogs, I’ve been really into the $5 corndog at Wise Acre. Yum yum.