Those who live in North Hialeah, Hialeah Gardens, or Miami Lakes may know of Boss Burger and Brew. If you’re not, its founder and chief food maestro Frankie Zerquera (JamaTV) opened The Cafe 72 (7201 NW 36th Street, Miami) after he left Boss Burger. Luckily, he brought his palate full of Miami flavors to The Cafe 72.
The Cafe 72 is located on the west corner of a gas station. The ventanita (ordering window), actually ventanitas since there are two of ’em, is where you’ll place your order.
Seating at Cafe 72 includes a few stools available at the order counter. If regular tables are more your speed, walk around to the left of the building where most of the action happens anyway.
They’re open later on the weekends when many folks are hanging out. This reminds me of the food truck scene when it started more than ten years ago.
Cafe 72 Menu
Doin’ Work
The first time I ate here, I worked my way through the sandwich portion of the menu. They’re all large and in charge, like Marge from Peewee’s Big Adventure. By the way, I’ve waited years to name-drop that movie on my blog, so please acknowledge how witty I am. 🙂
OK, let’s get to business. One day, housemade croquetas appeared on the menu. This “Completa Croqueta” was stuffed with white rice, pulled pork, black beans, maduros, and cheese with a cilantro aioli drizzle.
How great does that sound? Your Abuela’s (aka grandmother) croquetas, these ain’t!
There are a few burgers on the menu, but I like to order a plain ol’ cheeseburger and then go old school with mayo, ketchup, and sometimes mustard.
Award Winning Chicken Tendies?
The Samurai Chicken Tenders are ridiculously tasty! It’s so good, in fact, that they won my Luv Me Tenders chicken tender.
Housemade Drizzle on Everythang
Everything has a housemade sauce drizzle. Don’t fight it. I’d generally be inclined to scale back on the sauce-fest, but Mr. Majestic (my nickname for Frankie) knows what he’s doing.
Well, except maybe the Pan con Lechon. The pork is so good that it needs a small amount to enhance the flavors.
One last thing: order the Cafe 72-style Colada (Cuban Coffee). Why? They whip an egg yolk into it. Huh? Exactly.