Arepa Queen – another addition to the relatively rare, focused Venezuelan offerings in Maryland, expanded out from Frederick all the way to Hagerstown that I had the long commute of a pleasure of shooting recently. Seeing how they are a tiny, local affair, it puzzled me having to go the extra 30 miles out all the way to Hagerstown when quick homework showed that their Frederick location is pretty much identical and would have been much closer of a hike, but who knows how the ownership set up the two locations…
Store itself is very colorful, modern, and casual which is exactly the vibes to go for with essentially street food wrapped in brick walls.
As for the three-some staples of food we have, the appetizers-
Staple variety of arepas-
And heavier hitter cachapas and patacon-
The plates here looked especially pretty reflecting the giant wall mural with all of its warm colors, and that really fit the vibe of the place despite these nice plates not being part of the everyday stable here in favor of paper baskets.
As you can see – the food looks fantastic, but I can’t comment on the flavor not being offered a single item. That’s perfectly fine since I will never blame any, and especially small, restaurant for wanting to save on product, and on the product here was saved quite well. This shoot was rescheduled several times due to them also running a tight team, which I understand and agree with personally as well. Makes me wonder how the Frederick location actually varies from Hagerstown, and perhaps I will find out one of these days.
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