Rob Snow S.
Yelp
Food Network missed this hidden gem!
So I usually have a work trip in Miami a couple months out of the year, and I always stay at the EB Hotel. Next to the EB is a Pollo Tropical, but because of Hurricane Ian...they were closed. I was a little discouraged, but I decided to ask the front desk what else was close and he suggested Airport Cafe.
Don't let the generic name fool you, this is now home of the best burger I've ever had!!!
When you first walk in it's a hybrid diner style, but it's also got this long bar with liquors you can purchase, and single ciders or beers you can buy out of a freezer grocery style section. There is ample parking around the front and back of the cafe, and decent seating inside if you include the chairs around the bar.
The menu is lengthy, and thats normally a red flag. A restaurant that is a jack of all trades typically is a master of none, but not here. When I say lengthy I literally mean a numbered menu with about 100 items. Granted some of those can seem like duplicates, they aren't completely unique especially when we are talking breakfast, but thats still very impressive for such a small establishment.
The food is outstanding, I had the "Dr. Pepper Burger" cooked to medium perfection. It's a bourbon glazed burger, traditionally pepper jack cheese but I customized mine at no extra charge with cheddar. There is so much flavor in the patty and toppings, sandwiched in with a soft warm bun. It's hefty, you don't even need sides (they come separate).
Pricing was very interesting, remember that incredibly long menu I mentioned before? Well they don't have a listed price on the menu, that comes from the server you happen to get that day. I find this to be a very unique quirk that you'd see on a "Diners. Drive-ins and Dives", where the 100 menu item price list is memorized but your server. Others could be put off by the possible errors that could be made with such lengthy variations. Burger ($15.00) Curly fries (4.00)
Overall, I was incredibly pleased with the food, service and location. It's true what they say, when you receive good service you often don't hear about it. The customer just leaves and goes about their day. But if it's bad, they'll tell everyone. I got to the end of my review and noticed I hadn't said a word about the service, and it fit within that category...it was good. Not over the top special but just right, and I'd like to shared that...HA!
Pro tip: Kiss the cook! Or you could follow him and leave a like, The chef has his IG posted on the front of the menu. My girlfriend spotted him in the restaurant as we looked him up, he came over greeted us with a smile and a fist bump.