By Editorial Team · September 15, 2026 · 8 min read
A cachapa is a Venezuelan corn pancake, made from fresh sweet corn and folded warm around soft queso de mano cheese. It tastes gently sweet, close to corn at its peak, with a savory, milky center where the cheese melts into the batter.
It is not an arepa, though the two get mixed up all the time. An arepa is made from dried corn flour and split open like a bun. A cachapa is made from fresh corn kernels ground into a batter, so it lands much closer to a pancake than to bread.
Here is what a cachapa actually is, what goes inside it, how it is made, and where to order one on Palm Pkwy in Orlando, five minutes from Disney Springs. For a side by side look at the cachapa and the arepa, read our Arepa vs Cachapa guide.
Key Takeaways
- A cachapa is a Venezuelan corn pancake made from fresh sweet corn, not from dried corn flour.
- It is folded around queso de mano, a soft fresh white cheese, and often finished with cream on top.
- The flavor is gently sweet from the corn and savory from the cheese, which is the whole point of the dish.
- A cachapa is not an arepa: different corn, different texture, and a different way of serving.
- You can order one on Palm Pkwy in Orlando.
Short Version
A cachapa is a Venezuelan sweet corn pancake, ground from fresh corn and folded warm around soft queso de mano cheese. It is a little sweet, a little savory, and completely different from an arepa. Sofrito Latin Cafe serves one on Palm Pkwy in Orlando, with pork or beef add-ons.
In this article
- What is a cachapa?
- Cachapa is not an arepa
- What goes inside a cachapa
- How a cachapa is made
- The cachapa at Sofrito Latin Cafe
- Where to try a cachapa near Disney Springs
- FAQ
- Sources
What is a cachapa?
A cachapa is a Venezuelan corn pancake made from fresh, sweet ground corn, cooked on a griddle, then folded around soft queso de mano cheese.
That griddle, traditionally, is a budare: a flat clay or iron plate used across Venezuelan cooking. The batter comes from real corn kernels rather than a bag of flour, which is why a cachapa carries actual sweetness and a slightly lumpy, tender texture instead of the smooth, uniform crumb of a flour-based bread.
The dish comes from Venezuela, with roots in the country's central corn-growing regions, and it shows up the same way arepas do: at roadside stands, at breakfast, and on cafe menus. In parts of the Venezuelan plains it even goes by another name, arepa de maiz tierno, meaning tender or young corn. Colombia knows a version of it too, but the cachapa most people mean is the Venezuelan one.
Fold that warm pancake over a slab of fresh cheese and you have the whole idea. Everything else is a variation on it.
Cachapa is not an arepa
A cachapa uses fresh sweet corn and folds around cheese. An arepa uses dried corn flour (masarepa) and splits open like a pocket.
What goes inside a cachapa
The classic filling is queso de mano, a soft fresh white cheese. Many cachapas add cream on top, plus roast pork or shredded beef.
Queso de mano translates to "hand cheese," named for the way it is traditionally made. It is soft, mild, and fresh, closer to a fresh mozzarella than to anything sharp or aged, and it melts into a gentle, milky pull inside the warm pancake. That contrast is the dish: sweet corn on the outside, cool then melting cheese in the middle.
From there, cachapas take well to additions. Cream or butter on top is common. Pulled or roast pork and shredded beef turn it from a snack into a full plate. Some versions pair it with crisped pork on the side. The base rarely changes, though. Corn, cheese, fold, done.
How a cachapa is made
Fresh corn kernels are ground into a thick, lumpy batter, then cooked on a hot budare or griddle like a pancake until golden and set.
The corn does most of the work. Because the kernels are fresh and starchy, the batter holds together with very little added: sometimes an egg or a spoon of corn flour to steady it, sometimes a touch of sugar or salt, but the corn itself provides the body and the sweetness. That is why a cachapa tastes so distinctly of corn and an arepa tastes mostly of, well, warm bread.
Poured onto a hot surface, the batter sets into a soft, slightly uneven round with lightly caught edges. It is finished while still warm, folded over the cheese so the heat starts to soften it. Eaten fresh off the griddle is the point. A cachapa that has gone cold and stiff has lost most of what makes it good.
The cachapa at Sofrito Latin Cafe
Sofrito Latin Cafe serves a cachapa, a sweet corn pancake filled with queso de mano and topped with cream. Meat add-ons are optional.
It sits on the menu as a Venezuelan dish, which tracks with the kitchen: Sofrito's founder, Maria Molina, is from Venezuela, and the arepas and cachapa on the menu are the food she grew up on. The cachapa follows the traditional build, sweet corn pancake, queso de mano, cream, rather than a reinvented version of it.
If you want it heartier, you can add roast pork or shredded beef, and pork belly is also offered as an add-on. That turns the cachapa from a lighter plate into something closer to a full meal. You can see the current listing on the cachapa item page, and the rest of the Venezuelan and Cuban lineup on the full menu.
Where to try a cachapa near Disney Springs
You can order a cachapa at Sofrito Latin Cafe on Palm Pkwy in Orlando, five minutes from Disney Springs.
Cachapas are hard to find at a sit-down spot this close to the Disney Springs and Lake Buena Vista hotel corridor, which is exactly why it is worth knowing about if you are staying nearby and want real Venezuelan food instead of another hotel restaurant. It is a short drive down Palm Pkwy, not a cross-town trip.
Here is the practical information:
Sofrito Latin Cafe
8607 Palm Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32836
(407) 778-4205
Check today's hours on our Google Business Profile before you go.
Because the cachapa is a Venezuelan specialty, it also pairs naturally with the rest of that side of the menu. If you are new to it, our overview of Venezuelan food in Orlando is a good next stop.
FAQ
Is a cachapa the same as an arepa?
No. A cachapa is a soft, gently sweet pancake made from fresh ground corn and folded over cheese. An arepa is a firmer disc made from dried corn flour that gets split open and stuffed. Our Arepa vs Cachapa guide compares the two in full.
What kind of cheese is inside a cachapa?
The traditional cheese is queso de mano, a soft, fresh, mild white cheese similar to fresh mozzarella. It melts into a milky center inside the warm folded pancake.
Is a cachapa sweet or savory?
It is both. The fresh corn gives it a light natural sweetness, and the queso de mano and any added meat make it savory. That sweet-and-savory contrast is what defines the dish.
What can I add to the cachapa at Sofrito Latin Cafe?
You can add roast pork or shredded beef, and pork belly is offered as an add-on as well.
Where can I try a cachapa near Disney Springs?
Sofrito Latin Cafe serves one at 8607 Palm Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32836, about five minutes from Disney Springs.
Sources
- Sofrito Latin Cafe, cachapa listing: sofritocafe.com/items/cachapa-2
- Sofrito Latin Cafe, full menu: sofritocafe.com/menu
- Sofrito Latin Cafe, Arepa vs Cachapa: sofritocafe.com/arepa-vs-cachapa
- Sofrito Latin Cafe, Venezuelan food in Orlando: sofritocafe.com/venezuelan-food-orlando
- Wikipedia, "Cachapa" (dish origin, budare cooking method, queso de mano)
- Curious Cuisiniere, "Cachapas (Venezuelan Corn Pancakes)" (ingredients and preparation)
- Caroline's Cooking, "Cachapas (Venezuelan corn pancakes)" (cachapa vs. arepa distinction)