Arepa Lady

The actual “arepa lady,” Maria Piedad Cano, used to ply her trade on the street, but eventually her sons (the arepa gentlemen?) decided to anchor the family tradition by giving her ephemeral creations a brick-and-mortar home. When they were forced to vacate the space, they moved the business to much roomier digs, all the better to accommodate larger groups drawn by the allure of Colombian corn cakes and tropical juices. The sweet, pillowy arepa de queso (lush with melted mozzarella) and the intensely corny arepa de choclo are crowd-pleasers, but don’t underestimate the arepa rellena: Stiffer and less sweet, it’s a sturdy vehicle for fillings like chicharrón and chorizo.