Review of Quiero Arepas

This walk-up counter establishment is inside a collective of other restaurants. The vibe inside was fun and loud. At Quiero Arepas, the service was poor but the food was delicious. We ordered 3 different arepas sandwiches and a side of fried plantains, which had a small amount of cheese and green avocado-cilantro salsa on top (which I had not expected but which was very good). We also order passion fruit juice which was refreshing and sweet but not too sweet. The sandwiches we ordered were the Reina Pepiada (chicken/avocado/citrus Mayo), Pollo Guisado (marinated chicken), and Pabellon (marinated beef). My favorite was the Pabellon but all were good. What I did not care for was the surly large man with a bald head that took our order. I have a 10-year old daughter with celiac disease. We don’t have a lot of options to eat out where we live, so we were all really excited to be in Denver and try this place. My daughter is a pretty adventurous eater, but she has had a couple of bad experiences being glutened when eating a sandwich. So she has developed. A little aversion to sandwiches. She will eat them deconstructed. It’s weird, I know. But, how big of a deal is it to just not put the sandwich together and serve all the ingredients on the side? Well, apparently it’s too difficult, because Mr. Surly Sour Face interrupted me before I could finish my request and said “No. We don’t do that.” It was delivered with such a finality and “case closed” attitude that I didn’t even try to go further. I ordered for my daughter anyway, but she wouldn’t eat it. It was so frustrating because I work so hard to provide good eating experiences for my daughter and this all just went to *!?$”* I was mad I paid a bunch of money to Uber there, mad at Mr. Surly, and unfairly mad at my daughter. So, although the food was very good, I will skip this place on my next trip to Denver. A gluten-free place that can’t accommodate a simple request from a little girl with celiac disease? No thank you.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Somewhat

Safety Feature Ratings

• Completely dedicated gluten-free kitchen
• Dedicated gluten-free space in the kitchen
• Dedicated gluten-free fryer

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Other Characteristics

• Good for dairy-free
• Good for dinner
• Good for lunch
• Good for takeout