Arepa Lady
Family-Owned Colombian Cuisine Perfected Over Decades
Arepa Lady
Family-Owned Colombian Cuisine Perfected Over Decades
About Arepa Lady
María Piedad Cano, the original Arepa Lady, began her journey to the US over 35 years ago—bringing her family and incredible arepas with her all the way from Medellin, Colombia. Starting her culinary career as a street vendor, her cart soon became a staple of Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens and provided opportunities for the family to expand into a fully-fledged restaurant.
Today, Arepa Lady is one of WAM’s most unique and compelling concepts, offering the city’s most famous arepas and other Colombian dishes in a combination indoor/outdoor space with a bar overlooking an attached garden. Best of all, we’re still family-owned and operated! Make your reservation or place an order now and come sample a piece of our history.
Some say the legend of the Arepa Lady started on the northwest corner of Roosevelt Ave. and 79th St. in Jackson Heights, Queens. Her golden, buttery, cheesy arepas have satisfied cravings on warm summer nights since 1990. But before she was a street food celebrity, María Cano was born in La Estrella, Colombia, where she was a lawyer, a judge, and one of the founders of the Universidad Autonoma de Medellin. And most importantly, she’s mom. When political unrest came to a boiling point in the 1980s, mom moved our family to Queens. She had to start fresh, but like everything else she does, she makes arepas with love. It’s the love that made the legend.
Maria Piedad Cano
Creator
A lawyer, judge, and founder of the Universidad de Autónoma de Medellin in her home country of Colombia, Maria Piedad Cano relocated her family to the US in the 1980s due to rising political tensions—for a fresh start as fresh as the arepas she’d soon become famous for throughout New York City.
Maria’s golden, buttery, authentic Colombian arepas have become a legendary brand across NYC since 1990. Her son Alejandro continues this amazing family tradition with his wife, who together bring an unmistakable authenticity to every dish they serve in a delicious, comfortable, and fun format.