Biting into a hefty meat-filled arepa at Kärrecho provides satisfaction to the highest degree. Shredded beef melds with black beans and cheese inside a hot “Maïs Arepa”, which hails from Venezuela — where Marina Caldera, Carlos Bonilla and Rosana Di Miele were born and raised. In 2014, they started Kärrecho (a German-tinged play on the Spanish saying “¡qué arrecho!”, meaning “wie geil!”) at the ZK/U flea market in Moabit before opening their brick-and-mortar location in 2017. If you’re yet to sample an arepa, there’s one thing you must know: Eat it with your hands! Kärrecho’s arepas are delicious renditions of the classic Venezuelan street food staple, and when paired with crispy fried cassava or tostones (fried plantains), make for a messy but fabulous eating experience. Located on Neue Bahnhofstraße, the fast casual restaurant can get quite packed during weekday lunch (hey, Zalando employees have to eat too!) There are also plenty of special events — from brunch to “Empanadas Thursday” — to get in on. (Text: Devan Grimsrud / Photos: Luke Marshall Johnson)
Kärrecho, Neue Bahnhofstr.5, 10245 Berlin-Friedrichshain; map
Tue-Sat 12-22h, Sun 12-16h
