Pica Pica Maize Kitchen on Valencia Street in San Francisco’s Mission District has been bringing authentic Venezuelan cooking to the Bay Area since it opened, building a menu around arepas — the Venezuelan cornmeal cakes split and stuffed with meats, cheese, and the fillings of the Venezuelan table — that earns a Mission District restaurant its devoted following in a neighborhood with one of the deepest concentrations of Latin American food culture in California. It appeared in Season 17, Episode 13 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “That’s Fresh,” which aired August 19, 2013. Guy Fieri found a San Francisco kitchen producing authentic Venezuelan arepas from scratch — nixtamalized corn masa, house-made fillings, and the cooking traditions that are genuinely rare outside of Venezuelan communities on the East Coast.
Quick Facts
Restaurant: Pica Pica Maize Kitchen
City: San Francisco, California
Cuisine: Venezuelan / Latin Food
DDD Season: 17
DDD Episode: 13
Episode Title: That’s Fresh
Original Air Date: August 19, 2013
Address: 401 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone: 415-400-5453
Website: https://picapica.com
Status: Open
What to Eat
The Reina Pepiada Arepa — chicken and avocado salad in a split, toasted arepa — is the Venezuelan classic that earns Pica Pica its Bay Area reputation and the item most first-timers order on the recommendation of anyone who has been before. The Pabellon Arepa with shredded beef, black beans, sweet plantains, and white cheese is the full Venezuelan national dish in handheld form. The Cachapas — sweet corn pancakes folded around fresh white cheese — are the Venezuelan corn tradition alongside the arepas worth ordering on any visit. The Tostones with house-made garlic sauce are the fried plantain side that belongs on every table. Find a San Francisco hotel on Travelocity.
Plan Your Visit
Check the website for current hours.
Address: 401 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone: 415-400-5453
Website: https://picapica.com
Status: Open
Triple D Essentials
Stream the That’s Fresh episode on Amazon. Pica Pica is one of the only Venezuelan restaurants in the entire Triple D catalog.
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Pica Pica Maize Kitchen appeared in Season 17, Episode 13 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “That’s Fresh,” originally aired August 19, 2013.