Paparepas is now open on Broadway, bringing arepas, empanadas, and fried tequeños inspired by the best flavors of San Cristobal to Capitol Hill.

Juan Carrero, the co-owner and chef of Paparepas grew up in Venezuela, trying empanadas from vendors all over the capital city of the country’s mountainous western state of Táchira. The pastries were one of his favorite foods, but after moving to Miami 17 years ago, he wasn’t finding what he was looking for.

“Every day when I lived in Venezuela, I tried a different empanada. When I came here, I was missing it, and invited friends to try mine. When they tried it, they told me to open a restaurant, because you can’t find this in the United States,” Carrero said. He took that advice and ran with it, opening a food truck that hangs out in Westlake Park on Wednesdays, a small restaurant in Kent, and now a brand new location on Broadway on Capitol Hill.

The new space took almost exactly one year, with construction delays, permitting issues, and lease negotiations. Despite the roadblocks, the Carreros managed to open just a few days before the one year anniversary of signing the lease.

Thanks to the restaurant in Kent and the Westlake Park food truck, some folks already know the name Paparepas, while others are stopping in as they see the grand opening sign.

“I love the people here, because the people are so amazing, they say ‘welcome to the neighborhood,'” Carrero said.

CHS reported on the plans for Paparepas to expand to Seattle earlier this year as we talked with Grecia Carrero about the  Kent-based restaurant and food truck to expand to Capitol HIll. The Paparepas expansion adds a new tenant to the Broadway Building just north of E Pine where Blick Art Supplies is the street level center of the commercial offerings below office space above. The building has lost tenants during the COVID-19 restrictions including GameStop which closed after a decade headed into 2021.  The building is also home to Yo! Zushi, Ian’s Pizza, and Fresh Off the Boat Poke. “Concierge”-style clinic One Medical has also opened a location there. Across the street, Seattle Central’s thousands of students are transitioning back to more regular schedules.

Its opening adds another new South American flavor to the street after the Eastside-born coffee chain Kitanda opened with Brazilian lattes and cheese bread across from Capitol Hill Station. Marco Casas Beaux, meanwhile, is preparing to add a Broadway sibling to his steak-filled Boca Restobar and Grill when the new Boca Argentine Bakery and Pizzeria opens in the former Pagliacci space later this year.

At Paparepas, the food is the traditional Venezuelan menu of arepas and empanadas, which Carrero tells us is made from the same cornmeal. Their arepas are grilled, while the empanadas are fried.

Grecia says, “The arepa is the bread of Venezuela. It could be compared to the buns on a burger or the two slices of bread on a sandwich, but that comparison would simply not do it justice.”

“Contrasting the arepas, our empanadas our pre-stuffed with mouthwatering fillings and then fried,” she said. “My husband and youngest son have developed a sort of addiction to these empanadas, so a menu without them would not be an adequate one.”

Similar to a pita in size, arepas are typically made with PAN cornmeal and, according to Carrero, “arepa is the most traditional. It’s in every home in Venezuela. People eat it for breakfast, lunch, and at night.” These two staples of Venezuelan cuisine are stuffed with cheese, pork, chicken, or beef and cheese, so much cheese.

Carrero’s love of Venezuelan food now brings new dishes to Broadway.

“My idea is to let people know what is Venezuelan food,” he says. “Our food is different than Mexican food. I try to use the traditional recipes from home. When Venezuelan people come to eat, they say, ‘I love this food because I remember my mom, my home.’ I want people to know what is traditional Venezuelan food.”

Paparepas Capitol Hill joins its continuing food truck operation and its Kent original and is now open at 1620 Broadway. Hours are 9 AM to 8 PM on Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 9 PM on Saturday, and 11 AM to 5 PM on Sunday. You can learn more at paparepas.com.

$5 A MONTH TO HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE
🌈🐣🌼🌷🌱🌳🌾🍀🍃🦔🐇🐝🐑🌞🌻 
Subscribe to CHS to help us hire writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. To stay that way, we need you.

Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for $5 a month -- or choose your level of support 👍