Wash, fold, drink, repeat
The influence of Cuba in Miami overtakes the senses. The faint smell of cigar smoke permeates the air. Road signs in Spanish are at nearly every intersection. Blaring salsa music through open car windows is the city’s soundtrack. On the corner of 27th Avenue and 25th Terrace, on the fringes of Coconut Grove, sits an unassuming laundromat with a Cuban twist. The first clue that this is no ordinary wash-n-fold is the intermingled smell of detergent and coffee that greets you as you approach.
After opening Mary’s Coin Laundry in 1982, owner Victor Sanchez, a construction worker and the son-in-law of the eponymous Mary, noticed that young people preferred to wash their clothes late at night. He promptly added a coffee window, and the legend began to take hold.
Info
Address 2542 SW 27th Avenue, Miami, FL 33156, +1 305.443.6672 | Hours 24 hours a day| Tip For a scenic spot to enjoy your café con leche, head south on 27th Ave to its terminus and watch the boats float by from Kenneth Myers Bayside Park.
Now, from morning through evening, washers and dryers rattle and hum alongside espresso machines and blenders. During the daytime, an older clientele populates the laundromat and watches the constant stream of traffic flow by while they wash their clothes. At night and into the wee hours of the morning, Miami’s exuberant youth and weary insomniacs pass through to grab some late-night bites and maybe even throw in a load. Police officers, ending their shifts at 5am, stop in for a pastelito de guayaba (guava-filled pastry) on their way home.
While it’s rare that English is spoken here, you’ll find a way to get what you need. The express option is the Cuban coffee staple, the café con leche – a shot of sweet, potent Cuban espresso and milk. For those with an appetite, the medianoche (Cuban sandwich on egg bread) is a classic. Or to kill that sweet tooth, try a mamey (fruit with the taste of an almond-infused pumpkin pie) milk shake. And if you should happen to drip some mustard on your shirt from that medianoche you’ve just devoured, throw it into one of the machines before the stain even has a chance to set.
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