Adriana Lopez moved to the Mission District from Venezuela nine years ago. In 2010, she opened Pica Pica Maize Kitchen, a Venezuelan arepas restaurant at Valencia and 15th streets.
Lopez told Mission Local about the history of arepas, the South American version of tortillas or pupusas. Last week Pica Pica opened a second restaurant in the Castro and unveiled a new menu.
This video is part of an ongoing series by Mission Local videographer Claudia Escobar profiling Mission District business owners who came here from other countries.
that looks lovely, what where the side dishes like?
Tasty food. Their menu changed later last year by offering more plates and a few more side dishes, however, I didn’t appreciate how Pica discontinued their ‘loyal customer card’ program for frequent eaters. Price increases and eliminating rewards for loyal customers left me with a bad taste.
It’s very tasty, but the portions for the price are a tad on the small side. Still, great story and wonderful to see someone who brought her dream to the neighborhood.
I always think that the portions are small, but I always leave very full! I think it’s dense food.