Miami's trendiest coffee shop serves Argentine goodies from a retired airplane
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Earned my wings. Photo: Martin Vassolo/Axios
Rosana Bentos dreamed of becoming a flight attendant in her native Uruguay, but was told she was too short.
- So she bought her own airplane and turned it into a coffee shop in Brickell.
Why it matters: Sky Coffee Buenos Aires — housed in a modified former Delta Airlines airplane with reclining seats and a full cockpit — has become the trendiest coffee shop in town less than two weeks after opening.
- Without any marketing other than social media, the small cafe has captured the attention of TV stations, newspapers and Instagram influencers.
Zoom in: Bentos says the coffee shop has seen about 1,000 customers a day since opening. At peak hours, there can be 200 people lined up outside, waiting to tour the cabin and snack on Argentine classics.
- There's so much demand that she needs to hire more staff and buy a new coffee machine and sandwich maker.
- She has already been forced to reduce her evening hours due to products selling out.
What they're saying: "It's been crazy," Bentos tells Axios. "We didn't expect it."
Details: The McDonnell Douglas MD-88 airplane was in service with Delta from 1990–2019, WPLG Local 10 reports.
- Bentos told the station that she sold her house to buy it from an ex-Delta pilot.
- Everything is original, except the blue carpet is now black and the cafe's logo is embroidered on the seat headrests.
Martin's order: I ordered the Tierra del Fuego "golden coffee" ($19.50), which is sprinkled with edible 24K gold and served with a gold-covered chocolate truffle.
- There are far cheaper coffee options (an espresso is $3.50), but the whole idea behind this place is to feel like you're in first class and give your Instagram followers FOMO.
- Place your order inside the cabin and snap photos of the cockpit. A dummy in a Santa suit and pilot's hat sits behind the wheel.
- Ask for a complimentary blue-and-gold "passport" that the staff will stamp for each coffee you order. Six stamps, and you get a free beverage.
Of note: You can't actually eat inside the plane due to state rules governing food trucks, Bentos says, but there is an outdoor patio with great views of the sleek black plane.
- The plane has a contract to stay at its Brickell location for three years, she says.
If you go: Located at 1420 SW 1st Ct.
- Open 7am–5pm Monday–Saturday, and until 3pm on Sunday.