Mary's Coffee Express

In a word: Amazing what they've done with the place.

The specs: #00964   
1225 Hwy 18-151, Mount Horeb, 53572
Details at Yelp
Official web site, Facebook

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JM ate the roast beef sandwich.
Nichole ate the breakfast croissant and a scone.
The bill was $20, or $10/person, plus tip.
JM and Nichole gave Mary's Coffee Express an A- (see our grading rubric).

Sometimes, for his job, JM has to travel to convenience stores and so, earlier this spring, he had been in this very spot. He hadn't really noticed that they'd had food (his eyes were looking elsewhere) but vaguely remembered it was a spacious and well-appointed C-store.

So upon realizing that we were bound to a Cenex in Mount Horeb for an A to Z, JM's expectations for food were low. There had been a smallish counter in the back, but really, how good could Mary's Coffee Express be?

Well, this time, we ordered from that smallish counter and noticed that partitioned off from the rows of shelves of antifreeze and Hostess fruit pies was nestled a small, comfortable, even a little funky dining area with a handful of tables and walls bedecked with community service awards. There were even some nice ferns. How had JM missed this? But there it was, an oasis in a Cenex.

We ordered some safe, basic sandwiches. Nichole, wanting to try the signature scones, got a banana chocolate chip one that was really quite excellent. Fresh and with a nutty note, it was neither too sweet nor overly huge, though the chocolate chips could be described that way. As big, they could. So far so good.

The breakfast croissant was also far better than expected. It was certainly flaky and the delish sausage was served with delightfully melty cheese and egg whites. She rounded out her meal with regular coffee, which is what most of Mary's drive-thru traffic was ordering, served quickly and simply.

Other than JM's Oreo milkshake, which was not bad but just , he had a meal that was nothing short of amazing. His roast beef sandwich was probably the best one he has ever had: crusty multigrain bread, cheddar, pink-centered beef all topped with a wonderful wholegrain mustard! It was the most thought-through and the tastiest beef he's eaten twixt slices from a loaf. He decided to try their lemonade and it was so good that he nearly tipped them straight into the A bucket. As it was, still a great meal.

You, too, can make a venture to try a small coffee shop in the back of the Cenex in Mount Horeb. You'd be amazed at what you will find there. Pick up a book from the in-counter Little Free Library and enjoy a smoothie! Or just drive thru and enjoy a coffee and a scone. This is one gas station you don't want to miss.