Guasaca

5 out of 5 stars

Now that I’ve relocated to a new and exciting place of work in Raleigh (yay!), I’ll be spending time getting to know the hidden gems closer to home. I’ve already checked out a few but the hottest one on the list right now is Guasaca. Which is fun to practice saying.

Guasaca is a South American arepas joint located right across Lake Boone Trail from Rex Hospital. It’s kinda like a Qudoba or Chipotle but with more fun ingredients. And those ingredients get layered into a corn cake called an arepa. Or you can get them on a salad or brown or white rice bowl.

The arepas are yummy but messy, so consider getting a fork to help shovel in all the goodies that fall out of the sandwich. I tend to like the brown rice bowl with steak, plantains, cheese, black beans and some grilled onions. You should also consider getting a side of the guasaca with some chips, which is the signature sauce made of avocado dice and pico de gallo. It’s all made fresh daily, and you can tell.

You can order two arepas but most people are pretty satisfied with just one ($3.90 and up). I prefer to order the salad with my choice of toppings on top, or the brown rice bowl.