Caraquena

Closed.

UGH, I keep thinking about the beans that Michelle serves up here. They are SO GOOD… not to mention the rest of the food at this cart. The arepas are crispy and tasty, while the empanadas, albeit on the small side (vs. any corporate-​made empanada that the world is used to), are bursting with a variety of delicious fillings… guava, maple pork, cheese, spinach! And her hot sauce! And the slaw! And RICE! HOT DAMN! I’d do it all!
Michelle is a bit sassy, but that’s just her thing. I kinda think that fuels the flavor of her goods. If you can’t stand her strong personality enough to wait around for her delish eats, well… you’re definitely missing out.

I have been wanting to stop buy and visit Caraquena ever since I saw that they had set up shop in the North Station Food Cart Pod (at N Greeley & N Killingsworth), and was finally able to for lunch today.
I ordered the empanada and arepa plate, and had a roasted red pepper with cream cheese empanada and Michelle’s special paprika chicken arepa. The plate came with rice and lentils (with a spicy sauce) and fried plantains (and a tiny cookie and an orange wedge).
The food was amazing. Seriously delicious. I wanted to go back and propose marriage to Michelle on the spot. It was THAT GOOD.
Why only four stars then, you might ask? Well, it took her a good long while to acknowledge that I was waiting to order (so long, in fact, that I almost ditched her for biscuits and soup). If she had only been plating previous orders during that time, I would’ve been more patient, but she also stopped to have a conversation with some old friends mid-​way through… which is nice, I suppose, unless you have 3 people waiting for food and 3 people waiting to order.
The food more than made up for the wait — although I might go a little earlier or later next time so that I can have all of her attention.

I visited Caraquena which just set up shop in North Portland at the corner of Killingsworth and Greeley.
I stopped by and ordered a chorizo empanada and an Arepa, which I have never heard of. Empanadas I know, and love. They were both really, really good. I got my items to go and excitedly carried them down the street, up a billion flights of stairs, back to my desk and ripped off the foil and slowly devoured them both all the while hoping to make coworkers jealous. They were both very good and the hot sauce she added gave them so much flavor and added a nice little kick at the end.
For only a few dollars my stomach was happy and content, not too full but just right. I can’t wait to visit again and again and again. Plus, i’ve got to try this beet salad that everyone is talking about.

While I still love Caraquena, I have to update my review and take away one star… Why? Because Michelle is moving the cart to NoPo! Michelle, if those NoPo hipsters don’t treat you right, come find us again on the West side!

caraquena is by far one of my favorite food carts in town.
go for the arepas, obviously. they’re super flavorful without any one flavor over powering the others. i have to say, too, that i LOVE the beet slaw! it’s really really tasty and a nice refreshing contrast to a cheesey delicious arepa. also, the serving size is juuust right. i second what markus h. said: get the daily special, you won’t be disappointed!
michelle, the impossibly cute caraquena who owns and runs the cart, is so great! she always has a smile and a good story, and is probably one of the most genuinely nice food service workers ever.

Had the arepas of the day and was very satisfied. One was curry chicken, the other plantains with ham and cheese. Both were very delicious. This game along side a nice helping of beans, rice, slaw, and a few plantain chips. Each item was unique and delicious. Kody put it perfectly by making the statement «this is not Mexican food.»
Live outside the box. Walk over, have the daily special. You won’t be disappointed.

I wish I could be more descriptive with the following, but how verbose can you be about something plain?
The special arepas of the day were ginger cumin pork and cabbage, but I would hardly call them special. Felt like there
was missing something. Flavor maybe? The batter seemed to not have been fully cooked, with it leaving some flour aftertaste. The meat itself was sparse and uninspired. Additional sides of beet salad and rice were, again, plain.
I don’t know what happened here, ’cause it looked like a poorly conceived McMuffin. It even took more than 10 minutes for the piddly plate to come out. Yikes. should I have gotten the plantains? Buyers Remorse in full-​effect.

Good arepas: fresh, corny, fried, and filled with delicious fillings. I had mine filled with cumin chicken (tender and juicy) and plantains (sweet and mushy), and both were very flavorful. Sides were mixed; the beet cole-​slaw was fab and the black beans and rice were super bland.
While the food is solidly in 4-​star territory, I have to knock a star for slow service. If they are going to make it in the food cart world, they need to figure out a more efficient means of production. About 3 people had ordered before me, and I waited around 10 – 15 minutes, which felt like a long time. It’s great to have fresh food, but I still think they could improve their business model and incorporate some efficiency without sacrificing freshness.

My coworker and I just returned Caraquena about an hour ago, and I have to say this cart is one heck of a find.
We had spotted this new cart last week, after we had already made our orders. Never having had Venezeulan food before, and hungry for new experiences, I couldn’t wait to come back this week.
When we arrived, the gentleman taking orders engaged us in conversation, and explained the menu to us. We were both unfamiliar with arepas, so this was definitely appreciated. (sidenote: Arepa is basically a bread made from corn. It reminded me of a cross between a pancake and an english muffin)
I had ordered plate with a shredded beef empanada, which was a little small, but absolutely packed with sweet juicy meet, and an arepa filled pork cold cuts and shredded cheddar cheese. The plate came with black beans, rices, and fried plantains garnished with a light sauce.
Both the empanada and the arepa were drizzled with a sweet and sour flavored dressing that definitely complemented the meats.
We were enjoying our food so much, the proprietor of the establishment gave us a black bean empanada on the house!
Excellent.

Lots of love for this cart, unfortunately I can’t join y’all on Caraquena lovers band wagon.
I was excited to try out something new, out of the ordinary of my eating habit. Caraquena has a pretty exterior and the guy who took our order was super nice and friendly. Too bad, the owner or his boss was yelling at him about something that he did or did not do right there inside the cart. Yes yes yes, you might said «Well she’s from south America so she might has hot temperature and loud.» Um yeah, I think it’s ok to do that when you don’t have customers around the cart who were trying to relax and enjoy the day. I didn’t need to hear your frustration to your employee. I worked in food industry before, managed a restaurant and I’ve never chewed my employees right there in front of customers.
Anyway, not only because of the whole temperament, but she gave a wrong Arepas. We ordered, bean and cheese, we got bbq chicken and cheese. The chicken was good, the arepas dough was not so much.
I don’t think I will come back here. Yup, won’t go back.

SPEED EATING DON’TS
1. Size them up, what they do for a living, etc.
Isn’t that funny advice in the world of Unilocaling and speed eats? Don’t we come here specifically to size everything up? Worse yet, we’ve been through this story so many times that we could recite it to each person in the window of every food cart, just in case they didn’t get the memo. I’m here with money, wit in spades, and an imploring stomach. You’re here with food and a crumbling economy for small businesses. Nobody likes to admit it, but it’s kind of awesome to start any relationship with the upper hand. Seriously, try it and tell me that it doesn’t feel sooooo gooood. Sometimes, I think the daily consumer/​business owner interaction is the only one that imparts any fleeting jolt of power into the life of this serf and others in my village. Some take it too seriously. I try not to, but I don’t often forget who’s in charge.
That being said, the other party in this speed eat could easily spit in my food. So I played nice. I made conversation with the cashier. I replied, «Oh no, man, it’s cool,» when I heard how Caraquena cart was slammed and my arepas would take a bit longer. Since the cart staff consists of one good-​graced woman at a stove and the bubbly dude at the register, I smiled and tried to find something else to occupy my time. The heat made it incredibly hard to stay upright. I can only imagine how the woman cooking in the cart must have felt.
2. Badmouth other speed eats.
That’s just classless. Caraquena definitely suffered from a few strikes that it couldn’t have prevented — the searing touch of the sun, the undeniable fullness growing in my stomach, the titilating prospect of a nap, the antsiness of the other Cart-​Cation participants to get on with their days. So the twenty-​minute-​and-​then-​some wait didn’t sit well with everybody. But it was my Cart-​Cation, and I’d be damned if I didn’t collect food from at least four corners of the earth and put them in. Muh. Belly.
And as it happened, the cart became less hectic. Once the group splintered off and a shady seat was located about a block away, the cornmeal provided a great pillow for the juicy porcine inside. And the beet salad had beets. Really, I’m not a difficult speed eater to please. You give me beets and pork, and I might even forget a sitcom-​long wait. Then again, if I had stopped by during a workday, a wait (at a cart, which is supposed to symbolize an easy, rapid-​fire transaction) that long would not result in a phone call later. So the four stars, arbitrary merit badges that they are, come tentatively. Everyone knows it’s hard to resist a speed eat who might treat you like shit later.
3. No crossing of the arms.
I can analogize just about anything, but this one puts me at a loss. Cart-​cation Part 1 is over, and I must mourn it and plan the sequel.

This cart was our second stop along our little trip downtown. We were actually looking for a cart that claimed to be Kazakhstanian food, but it was not there, so we tried Caraquena instead.
The guy at the cart was really nice to us, and told us what an Arepa was, so we ordered one with black bean & cheese. That’s where the trouble began; mainly for the friendly dude at the counter, because the female chef/​owner/​girlfriend or whatever she is began to have a «moment».
She berated the gentleman for not working, listening, and being a burden upon her very existence — in front of us — and with most colorful language. At the end of the diatribe, we got the arepa we had been waiting for; but it was the wrong kind (bbq chicken) and was most tasteless.
I normally would have complained, but I decided against it, not knowing whether the female at the back of the cart would be armed or not. It’s safe to say that I won’t be returning again.

Never having Venezuelan food before, I went here to try something new. I had a barbeque chicken and cheddar arepa. It was all good– flavorful chicken on a soft biscuit. I washed it down with some Inca Cola and it was a good cheap snack.

I’m surprised more people haven’t reviewed this cart.
A friend and I were around this food cart area looking for some lunch today and came around the corner to find this little number. As soon as I saw the sign that read empanadas, I was so there. I was in South America last year and wanted to eat at every empanadaria (I think that is what they are called) we passed in our travels. If I had all the time in the world, that is exactly what I would have done.
These little meat filled pies are just wonderful. I had one beef and one chicken. As the other reviewers said they come with a side of fried plantains as well as a cabbagy/​beety salad which was pretty amazing. They were out of rice and beans today, but that was fine. I eat enough of that in my own house.
The owner was very nice. We watched her mash up the plantains which was very cool. The friend that came with me is from Spain, so she and the owner had a nice Spanish conversation while I tried to pick out every other word that I knew. I’m onto them though.
I don’t know of any other Venezuelan food carts in town. This place seems pretty authentic. Next time, arepas.

First of all, Michelle, who owns and runs this cart, is amazing. She could be serving microwave burritos and I’d probably still go visit. Turns out she’s actually serving amazing Venezuelan food instead! The first time I went, I got the arepas, the second time the empanadas. Now, whenever I go, I pretty much just eat whatever she tells me, and she’s yet to do me wrong. Her family recipes are delicious, and it’s a nice departure from the repetitive food cart line-​up right behind her cart. I’m looking forward to seeing what new things she comes up with, that rotating special is something I look forward to all morning!

Venezuelan food is so not Mexican food (I was expecting a very similar taste). I’m glad this new cart adds to the wonderful variety of the SW 5^th and Park cart block.
The woman behind the counter is very confident about her menu and it’s a very well deserved attitude. I went with her recommendation of ordering the Arepas (think corn patties used to sandwich the filling you choose) special. I got one with beef and the other with pork, both with an amazingly addictive sauce that I will try to replicate someday. It came with rice and beans and a handful of plantain chips.
There are many unfamiliar dishes on this list and I look forward to learning them soon!

20 minutes ago I knew nothing of Venezuelan food.
Now, I know that I like it. A lot. AND that that the nice lady at the cart will give you the food your tummy wants, but brain doesn’t know how to order.
Heaping, über flavorful (not over flavored) rice is sitting happily in my tummy. Swimming happily in my tummy is my new friend black beans and my weren’t THEY sweet and delicious. And my oh my, the little corn patty holders for the shredded chicken and beef (not together, I got two) arepas (sandwiches) of nom. Sweetened with cumin and other mysteriousness, these meats are neither dry nor bland. My taste buds are STILL dancing. Plus, the tasty plantain chips covered in her three favorite sauces (ask for this) are to die for.
At $ 6, not only is my tummy and mouth happy (and coworkers murderously jealous), but my tiny wallet is also joyful.
This food makes you happy. BRILLIANT!