Airport Café and Liquors

June 8, 2016

Miami, Florida – We arrived at our hotel here in Miami several hours prior to check-in time. The lady behind the counter surprised us by telling us our rooms were ready. She checked us in, took our information, and commented that our tour guide Celiece just happened to be right behind us in the lobby. So I asked Celiece for recommendations on places to eat. We wanted something local, not a chain restaurant. She immediately ran off about three suggestions. One was a place that served seafood. I forgot what the second choice was, though my wife and I did consider it. The third was a place where the locals eat. We decided to go where the locals go.

We walked a few blocks down and there was Airport Café & Liquors, right where Celiece said it would be. Except it looked more like a liquor store from the outside than a restaurant.

A bit unsure, we walked in anyway. Inside, we saw a pair of counters with tall, brushed aluminum (I think) chairs to seat the diners. Metal tables have shorter brushed aluminum chairs. Photos of Airport Café’s fare line one of the walls. Television screens play news and sports. Off to the right was the main part of the restaurant. I believe there is a patio outside. My apprehension was now completely dispelled. It still took a couple of minutes to get used to a full-service restaurant inside a full-service liquor store, though.

Airport Café & Liquors has been in operation since 2007, and is family owned and operated. Their selection of spirits includes the top shelf liquors. Fancy wine instead? Airport Café has you covered. If that is not enough, they have a considerable stock of international cigars. The difference between here and most other liquor stores is that you can consume your bottled alcohol purchases right here in the restaurant, though there is a small charge to do so.

Being that the place is right across the road from Miami International Airport, many patrons are flight attendants, pilots, workers from the nearby freight and aviation companies, in addition to those who in work non-aviation-related businesses. You’ll see people in suits and ties, skirts, overalls, and everything in between.

We were seated right away and given a menu. It was kind of overwhelming at first due to the amount of choices. I noticed the selections, wide ranging as they were, featured a large percentage of Cuban dishes. Not surprising considering we were in Miami.

Today I opted for the beer roasted guava baby back ribs ($10.99). The ribs come with two sides. I decided on rice and black beans. These are also available to order separately; rice (white, yellow, or brown) at $2.99, same price for the black beans. For the beverage, let’s have some fresh-squeezed Florida orange juice ($3.50).

Our meal arrived and our table suddenly looked smaller; our food and the condiments took up a lot of real estate on an area that was not that big to begin with.

The orange juice is served in a cup with ice. That’s because it is fresh squeezed, natural Florida orange juice, made right in Airport Café mere seconds before coming to your table. You can’t get much fresher than that; unless, of course, you go to the grove yourself, pick the oranges, and squeeze them there. After letting the ice in the cup do its work, the juice was just about perfect.

Ok, let’s get to know these beans and the rice. My choice was the white rice. It was Cuban style with plenty of butter and garlic. Enough butter and garlic to really get me excited about the rice. The beans, also Cuban style, came in a separate Styrofoam cup. Nice and hearty and harboring the all-important bay leaf. (By the way, those are my wife’s fries in the photo. There were so many we ended up sharing them. Even then we didn’t finish all of them.)

As I usually do with Cuban rice and beans, I mixed them together and made my own version of congri. Oh my! I could make meal off the rice and beans alone. They were that good. Probably the best Cuban rice and beans I’ve ever had. It is mind-blowing how something so basic can be so good!

At Airport Café, they serve you a half rack of ribs. I was pleasantly surprised to see that.

Most places will only give you three or four ribs.

The beer roasted guava baby back ribs were quite tender, nicely roasted, and thankfully not greasy. They had a good amount of meat on them. I could taste a bit of the beer and more of the guava. And I really liked the sweetness of the sauce. I’ve never had guava on my ribs before. That’s one of the joys of trying new things; you might find something you really like. And I think I really like these ribs. The flavor combination stuck with me for a while before it began to fade away during the walk back to the hotel.

If you are looking to dine where the locals dine, you’ve come to the right place. Friendly service, and a wide selection of food and drink. If you have a long enough layover at MIA and are looking to have a meal outside the airport, Airport Café is an excellent place to do just that.

I am very glad we followed our tour guide’s recommendation. It was the perfect start to our trip. Thank you, Celiece!

Airport Café & Liquors – 4.5 forks. Highly recommended. Like their website says, one of Miami’s best hidden gems. They serve breakfast, too.