This Miami Gas Station's Food Is Restaurant-Worthy, According To Customers

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Miami, Florida, has become one of the most expensive cities to live in, and the cost of rent, real estate, and even dining out has forced many entrepreneurs to think outside the box when it comes to opening a food business. Mendez Fuel is one place that has made lemonade from lemons by turning a gas station into a food-lover's destination. Forget squished breakfast burritos and stale donuts (yet surprisingly delicious hot dogs) that you find at most gas stations. Instead, expect to find a combination restaurant, cafe, and juice bar that will rival any trendy restaurant in the Magic City. The menu features everything from açaí bowls, matcha lattes, their own line of cold-pressed juices, and what one Uber Eats customer claimed to be "the most amazing sandwiches."

As if that's not enough, Mendez Fuel is also a gourmet shop with an impressive selection of wines, sakes, craft beers, and specialty snacks, including its own line of popcorn. Depending on which of the three locations you visit in Miami, you can encounter a selection of 16 to 20 different draught beers, including many from local microbreweries and their own specialty lager. Like most gas stations, Mendez Fuel is not a bar, so you can't drink alcohol on the premises. But it does provide its own colorfully designed 32-ounce crowlers and 64-ounce growlers for customers to fill, which make unique souvenirs to bring back from your travels. Wine selections can include well-known luxury bottles, but the real draws are its more niche selections. If you've ever wondered what natural wines are, this is a great place to grab a bottle and taste the difference; one Google reviewer shared that Mendez Fuel is their "spot for natural wines."

Despite its extensive array of beer, wine, and snacks, the prepared food has become the real draw to Mendez Fuel. While the menu offerings are innovative, it still keeps an authentically Miami flavor, which has made its sandwiches especially popular with locals in the know. You can get a proper Cuban sandwich here, which the gas station calls My Mother. Mendez Fuel's take on a BLT, the B.L. Mr. T., includes sprouts in addition to the traditional bacon, lettuce, and tomato, an ode to nearby Coconut Grove where some of Miami's first natural foods venues set up shop.

Getting a snack and a freshly-brewed espresso at a gas station is neither new to Miami nor unique to Mendez Fuel. The thimble-sized cups of sweet Cuban cafecito are what fuel the Magic City, and many locals have come to expect to find this high-octane brew along with an empanada or pastelito almost everywhere they go. Mendez Fuel offers locals these staples and is a great place for even visitors to sample a Cuban coffee, which is different from a typical espresso, along with one of its housemade Argentinean-style baked empanadas. Another Google reviewer wrote that "every morning[,] coffee time [is] like being at home" at this gas station.

Customers who are into third-wave coffee culture and not-so-Miami snacks can also find favorites like caramel lattes, turmeric milk, avocado toast, and breakfast burritos. The Mendez brothers' flagship location is also located between Miami International Airport and many popular tourist destinations, like Miami Beach, Brickell, and Wynwood, making it an ideal spot to refuel your body and your rental car, along with getting supplies to fuel Miami's infamous late-night revelry.