Celiac-Safe Travel: Arepa Mia in Avondale Estates, GA.
September 9, 2024
Hello and happy Monday! Welcome to another Celiac-safe travel review. Today’s spotlight is on Arepa Mia in Avondale Estates, GA, a suburb of Atlanta. This Venezuelan restaurant is 100% gluten-free and they can accommodate other allergy needs as all food is made-to-order.
The menu has several options for entrees whether you want empanadas, arepas, patacon, or cachapas. Each option is available with beef, chicken, pork, or a vegetarian/vegan option. There are sides available and the one I recommend highly is the plantain chips. These come with a side of cilantro sauce and a dairy sauce. Since I am dairy-free due to an allergy, they gave me a dairy-free garlic sauce which was delicious! Before you decline the cilantro sauce, give it a try. I am one of those who tastes soap when I eat cilantro but this sauce was more like a pesto than anything tasting like cilantro – it was quite good!
Arepa Mia also has specialty drinks including Mexican bottled coke and various alcoholic drinks along with natural juices and coffee and tea. I managed to get the last seasonal dessert available for the day and it was a blueberry empanada! These usually come with cream cheese but since these are made to order they made mine without the cream cheese. It was delicious! The empanada is crispy and tender and the blueberry filling was tart; I appreciated this because sometimes blueberry desserts have too much sugar in them for my liking.
Below are pictures of the beef empanadas and beef cachapa we ordered.
Available is indoor and outdoor seating. The patio is covered and the weather was lovely while we were there. The wait staff is very considerate and polite and offers to bring different sauces and extra items if you need. They make regular rounds to be available.
The area surrounding Arepa Mia is lovely. There is quaint shopping nearby at Tudor Village and the buildings are Tudor-style. The landscaping and vegetation is verdant and peaceful.
I hope this review assists you in making informed decisions regarding your travel and that you stay safe when eating out.
