We are now living in a city where street food plays a huge part in our culture and our decisions on where to eat in Portsmouth! A lot of these amazing street food ventures started out in a food court called Outside In and one of those businesses that set up there was Arepa 2Go! Outside In is a pop-up place for food go-getters to try and make their food ideas work before heading off on their own. Arepa 2Go was a staple at this food warehouse for 4 years and really brought stability to the residence on Middle Street but their venture was always something that needed to sit on its own just like their old neighbours Natty’s Jerk Kitchen, and brings an exciting new journey for the family-run Venezuelan business.
Arepa 2Go is owned by Alejandro and his wife Meriana who wanted to bring their love of the recipes they grew up with all the way from Venezuela to Southsea! Concentrating on well-loved bites to eat like their arepas and empanadas brings a whole Latin-American vibe to town. Chatting to Alejandro, he said that his roots lie in Italian history as his Italian grandmother fled Europe like many after WWII and settled in Venezuela. He was born Venezuelan but his mum and grandma kept all the Italian roots along with their incredible love of food and cooking to the family he has been around all his life. He said that he loves to bring all that knowledge to his venture ‘Arepa 2Go’ and that all his family help to run this business just like his brother who is the other director of the company. The colourful blue shutters guide you to the premises on Victoria Road South where Bangers n Brewz used to reside.
Opening the door, you feel sunshine in your heart straight away from the decor with yellow, orange and red and an accent of sky blue thrown in. The walls are white with lovely plants dotted around and there is plenty of seating. The layout has been cleverly designed with metal seating so it doesn’t feel too heavy in here and feels bright and airy. The couple who started out on the Love Southsea market back in 2015 said they feel very humble to be able to call this new eatery their own and have felt their journey has been a great one to achieve where they are this wknd, serving their favourite food to Southsea customers. Giving out a statement before starting work on the new premises they said, “So many years have passed since we embarked on the Arepa 2GO adventure. These years have gone by like a flash, looking back it has not been an easy ride but it has been definitely THE best ride. Even after surviving a pandemic, we keep going. We find it fascinating how we have grown over the years, how our recipes continue to improve, how carefully we handle the kitchen processes, and how honoured we are to have our customers. It has always been a pleasure serving the public, and we look forward to doing so in the future.”
You can expect the same friendly service as you did in the pop-up they developed over the last 4 years and you can expect the same best-selling food items on the menu. The arepas are gluten-free so really good for allergy sufferers out there but also ultra tasty! My favourite the Sifrina, consists of shredded chicken, avocado, cheddar cheese and garlic sauce and is a delightful choice, priced at £10.95 so not too expensive to eat out. The gluten-free empanadas always make me smile and offer an exquisite taste that really does make you feel like you are on holiday in some faraway Latin American place!
I have always loved halloumi fries here as they are different to eating chips or fries and ending your meal with a dose of churros is always a winner for me! Have a look at the menu and if you haven’t eaten at Arepa 2Go before, now is a chance to go and try this delicious food. Serving Venezuelan Beer called Polar and pronounced POLA is a lovely addition to the joint.
Open now from Thursday through to Sunday, check out their socials for times.
