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Preview data: all rankings, scores, votes, refresh labels, methodology, testing and editorial-process statements in Top 49 are illustrative demo content, not live measurements or documented reviews.
Rank 074Down 4Editor’s pick
#7 in Street Food
of 16 ranked entries
Arepa de Queso
Venezuela · grilled corn cake
A cornmeal cake grilled or griddled until the outside crisps, split and filled with cheese that melts against the residual heat. Simple enough to make at home, but street versions get a griddle char that is nearly impossible to replicate in a home kitchen. Recorded specifics: country Venezuela, region Nationwide, avg. price 2. Panel highlighted gluten-free by tradition, not as a substitution, cheese-to-cake ratio calibrated by decades of practice and works as breakfast, lunch or a late-night stop. The reservation on record is fillings vary so widely that “an arepa” barely describes one dish.
HandheldVegetarianBreakfast
Score breakdown
How Arepa de Queso earned 87.5
Each criterion is scored independently, then combined using the weights published on Street Food.
- Flavour intensityweight 30%
- 86.6
- Value for priceweight 25%
- 88.0
- Authenticity to originweight 25%
- 90.1
- Portabilityweight 20%
- 85.2
On the record
Recorded detail
| Country | Venezuela |
|---|---|
| Region | Nationwide |
| Avg. price | $2 |
| Rating | 8.0 |
Panel verdict
Strengths and reservations
What it gets right
- Gluten-free by tradition, not as a substitution
- Cheese-to-cake ratio calibrated by decades of practice
- Works as breakfast, lunch or a late-night stop
Where it gives ground
- Fillings vary so widely that “an arepa” barely describes one dish
1 appearance
Where this entry ranks
From the same list
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Rank 04Elote
Mexico · grilled corn on the cob
Charred corn slathered in crema, cotija cheese, chilli powder and lime, sold from carts identifiable by smell before they are visible. The char on the kernels is doing more flavour work than the toppings, even though the toppings get all the credit.
91.5/100 Top 49 score—No change
Rank 05Editor’s pickFalafel Sandwich
Levant · fried chickpea patties in pita
Ground chickpeas, herbs and spice formed and dropped straight into hot oil, then stuffed into pita with tahini, pickles and a salad that varies by neighbourhood as much as by country. The fry is everything — a stale falafel has nowhere to hide.
91.4/100 Top 49 scoreNewNew entry
Rank 06Pad Thai (street cart)
Bangkok · wok-fried rice noodles
A wok over a portable gas burner, fifteen seconds of high heat and a practised flick of the wrist — the entire dish is decided in that window. Tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar have to hit balance every single time, at volume, all night.
88.9/100 Top 49 score—No change
Rank 08Döner Kebab
Turkey & Berlin · vertical spit-roasted meat
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Rank 09Poutine
Quebec · fries, cheese curds and gravy
Fresh-cut fries, squeaky cheese curds and hot gravy poured over the top so the curds soften but never fully melt — that half-melted texture is the entire point and the hardest part to get right. Invented in rural Quebec diners in the 1950s, now a national fixture.
84.5/100 Top 49 score3Up 3
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