Bien Me Sabe - Venezuelan arepas and more

A friend of a friend recommended this place, saying they serve the best arepas he's ever had. I could probably say the same but that isn't necessarily a ringing endorsement, since I've had only arepas about 3 times in my whole life and one of those times I made them myself . . .


Bien Me Sabe - 1637 W Montrose
If the woman holding her hand in front of her face is responsible for the natural disaster I discovered in the bathroom shortly after she exited it, I understand completely why she's doing it.


Ceviche
This was really nice, with firm, fresh fish and a well-balanced acidity.


Empanaditas
A pair of these is included in a lunch special that also comes with an arepa and a beverage ($8.99). This one contained curried chicken. The other one (underneath) was filled with cheese.


Side of Black Beans
These were great. Tender, without being mushy and quite flavorful.


La Catira arepa (shredded chicken, gouda)
With this and the other arepa we shared (pictured below), I loved the arepa itself. It was crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and quite light. However, as abundant as the fillings were, the meat was quite dry.


After Party arepa (roasted pork, gouda, avocado)
Well, the avocado was nowhere to be found but in end that probably wouldn't have made much difference. Again, great vehicle but the filling was super dry. This dry shredded meat may reflect the authentic style but I found it not overly compelling.

It's clear that this place is well-known to the Venezuelan community. There's a wall near the back of the restaurant that contains the signatures of many MLB players, so it seems like when Venezuelan major-leaguers come to Chicago, this place is very much on their radar.

Service was friendly and helpful. I'd like to go back sometime and try some of the other Venezuelan dishes they serve, beyond the arepas.

=R=

Bien Me Sabe
1637 W. Montrose
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 549-5538

Thanks, Ronnie. Looks like an interesting place to explore. Those empanaditas look very inviting, and I love a good black bean soup. Too bad the meat and cheese arepas were dry -- but good to know, as their appearance certainly makes them look desirable.

Cynthia wrote:. . . and I love a good black bean soup.

Just to clarify, this was a side of black beans, not a soup. But delicious in any case.

I realized after the fact that Sula wrote about this place back in September but because The Reader didn't put spaces between the 3 words in the place's name, I failed to immediately connect the dots. Needless to say, he provides a far more informative take on the offerings . . .

Venezuelan spot Bienmesabe is a hit with Cubs catcher Willson Contreras and other expat baseball players

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I am no expert on arepas but would suggest trying Puesto's on Sheffield. I've been there and Bien Me Sabe a couple of times each and Puesto's filling has not been dry, possibly because the arepas are cooked to order. I really enjoyed the avocado salad and the elotes as well.

Puesto Sandwich Stand
3349 N Sheffield Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 661-2490

http://www.puestosandwiches.com/

smokinjoe wrote:I am no expert on arepas but would suggest trying Puesto's on Sheffield. I've been there and Bien Me Sabe a couple of times each and Puesto's filling has not been dry, possibly because the arepas are cooked to order. I really enjoyed the avocado salad and the elotes as well.

Puesto Sandwich Stand
3349 N Sheffield Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 661-2490

http://www.puestosandwiches.com/

Thanks for the heads up. I do think the arepas at BMS were made to order. The arepas themselves were just too hot, crispy and light for it to have been otherwise. I'm guessing they drop the batter once an order is placed.

=R=

I recommend the Pabellon Arepa - shredded beef, black beans, tender plantains and white cheese. The plantains and beans keep it nice and moist. It's delicious. They make everything to order at BMS.

I tried the pabellon arepa mentioned above since pabellon is the national dish of Venezuela. The shredded beef was a little dry, but I thought the dish was solid. I recommend scooping out some of the overflowing filling (see pics above) so that you can eat this with your hands, as the arepas themselves are best enjoyed warm. I ate most of the filling first and ended up with cold pancakes at the end.
The tostones were also fine but unremarkable. My favorite part of the meal was the cocada, a shake made with fresh coconut that was worth the $6 price. Service was pleasant and efficient. The salt content of the food here must be pretty high, because I woke up parched this morning even though I had no alcohol.
They had a pretty good crowd for a Thursday night. I am glad to see any restaurant doing well in a year during which I expect many places to suffer from growing delivery competition.

Maybe it was the national dish, but nowadays there are mainly empty dishes. I am sure they would think every dish is solid no matter how dry the beef was.

i've eaten, once, at bien me sabe and the 2 arepas we ordered were terrific. neither the pork nor the chicken were at all dry. there was a really long wait to order and to get the food, but i would definitely go back. the empanaditas that came with it were a little too greasy for me...but no big deal.

A second location of Bienmesabe is pegged to open soon at 29 E. Adams Street

https://chicago.eater.com/2018/4/4/1719 ... ood-report