Caracas Arepa Bar

What Caracas Arepa Bar does

Caracas Arepa Bar is a privately held NYC-based restaurant group founded in 2003 by native Venezuelans Maribel Araujo and Aristides Barrios, operating an authentic Venezuelan arepa-focused dining concept across three locations: the original East Village storefront, a full-service Williamsburg, Brooklyn restaurant (which houses the Roneria Caracas rum bar featuring over 40 rums from Latin America and the Caribbean), and a seasonal beachside outpost at Rockaway Beach, Queens, open from mid-May through September. The core product is homemade Venezuelan cuisine centered on arepas, supported by traditional sides, cocktails, weekend live music programming at the beach location, and a curated rum program that the company positions as a cultural differentiator rather than a "Nuevo Latino" or fast-food offering.

Name

Caracas Arepa Bar

Legal name

Caracas Arepa Bar

Website

https://caracasarepabar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venezuelan Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Mexican/Latin QSR (Tacos, Burritos, Bowls) (THAFAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Neighborhood Bars & Taverns (CRANACAA)

Keywords

• Venezuelan restaurant
• Homemade arepas
• Latin American cuisine
• Rum bar
• Packaged food retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockaway Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining: Full-service dine-in at Williamsburg and Rockaway Beach locations with cocktail bar (Roneria Caracas)
2. Retail Products: Sale of packaged food items (salsas, frozen meats, beans) and merchandise through online shop

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Caracas Arepa Bar operates Venezuelan restaurants serving homemade arepas and traditional dishes at physical locations in NYC (East Village, Williamsburg Brooklyn, and a seasonal Rockaway Beach outpost), paired with the Roneria Caracas rum bar at Williamsburg. The business also sells packaged Venezuelan food products (salsas, frozen shredded beef, shredded chicken, black beans, tequeños, empanadas) and branded merchandise through its Caracas Shop e-commerce site.

Product overview

Caracas Arepa Bar is a Venezuelan restaurant chain founded in 2003, offering a unified dining experience across multiple NYC locations. The core offering consists of the restaurant service at three locations (East Village, Williamsburg Brooklyn, and seasonal Rockaway Beach), complemented by Roneria Caracas rum bar at the Williamsburg venue, and the Caracas Shop online retail platform for prepared foods and merchandise. The business focuses on authentic homemade Venezuelan cuisine centered around arepas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Roneria Caracas: Rum bar located at the Williamsburg Brooklyn location, featuring over 40 rums from Central America, South America, and Caribbean Islands. The name derives from the Venezuelan term for rum bar.

Products and services

• Caracas Arepa Bar Dine-in Restaurant Service Full-service dine-in Venezuelan restaurant serving homemade arepas and traditional dishes, with locations in East Village, Williamsburg Brooklyn, and seasonal Rockaway Beach Queens. Targeted at NYC diners seeking authentic Venezuelan cuisine.
• Roneria Caracas Rum Bar Full cocktail bar at the Williamsburg Brooklyn location featuring over 40 rums from Central America, South America, and the Caribbean Islands. Targeted at adult diners visiting the Williamsburg restaurant.
• Rockaway Beach Seasonal Outlet Seasonal beachside arepa outpost on the Rockaway Beach boardwalk in Queens, open mid-May through September, featuring popular arepas, sidekicks, frozen sangria, and live music on weekends. Targeted at beachgoers and summer visitors.
• Caracas Shop E-commerce Retail E-commerce storefront selling prepared and packaged Venezuelan food items (salsas, frozen shredded beef, shredded chicken, black beans, tequeños, empanadas) and branded merchandise such as the 15th Anniversary Sweatshirt. Targeted at at-home consumers and brand fans.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Sweetgreen: National fast-casual chain built on a chef-originated concept — illustrative peer for how an independently founded ethnic/quality-driven restaurant concept scales into a national brand.
• CAVA: Fast-casual Mediterranean/Latin-adjacent chain with national scale — represents the broader fast-casual ethnic-cuisine competitive set against which Caracas must differentiate on authenticity.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill: National Mexican/Latin QSR incumbent — competes for the same Latin-cuisine occasion at much lower price points, training consumer expectations around speed and value.

Direct peers

• Cosme: Upscale contemporary Mexican restaurant in NYC — comparable full-service ethnic format, cocktail bar, and premium positioning to the Caracas Williamsburg experience.
• Toloache: Upscale Mexican/Latin full-service restaurant group in NYC with cocktail programs — directly comparable format and price point to Caracas's Williamsburg dining room.
• Casa Mono: NYC Spanish/Latin tapas and full-service restaurant with deep wine/bar program — directly comparable small-plate Latin format with strong beverage identity.
• Empellón: NYC chef-driven Mexican restaurant group serving full-service Latin cuisine with crafted cocktails — comparable full-service ethnic positioning and beverage program.
• Arepa Lady: NYC-based Venezuelan arepa restaurant with multiple locations and a long-standing reputation — the closest direct competitor to Caracas Arepa Bar in cuisine, format, and city.

Others

• Maman: NYC-based independent café/restaurant group with multi-neighborhood footprint and a strong brand identity — comparable independent NYC operator scaling a differentiated concept.
• Russ & Daughters: Iconic NYC multi-generational specialty food business with both physical locations and a robust retail/e-commerce operation — directly comparable independent NYC brand extending into packaged retail products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/caracasarepabar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caracas-arepa-bar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Caracas Arepa Bar