MiNi Cafe, Dallas

Unlike the animals imprinted on cereal boxes, MiNi Cafe’s emblem—a blue elephant with its trunk pointed proudly to the sky—isn’t just a clever marketing ploy. Elephants are known for their remarkable memories, making the noble animal a thoughtful representation for the café’s parent company, Memoria, which means "memory" in Spanish, and its founding ambition—to create positive memories for its members, customers, and community.

Featured on Thrillist for its specialty coffee and tea drinks, Americanized arepas, and jolting line of Epiphany Energy Drinks, which "well, tastes like apples, and has even more caffeine than Red Bull,” there’s no doubting that MiNi Cafe is an unforgettable Dallas go-to. Customers can find a spark of energy in fresh-made drinks such as mango teas, hot chocolates, or lattes, or take a pound of the cafe’s Columbian coffee to go. Similar to paninis, the café's arepas, are patties that can be topped with cheese, or Southwest-style chicken between flatbread made from freshly pressed cornmeal. The food is not the only thing that makes MiNi Cafe stand out from the crowd—the eatery calls itself cashless, meaning customers must pay with their credit, debit, or birthday cards.