Fill up at the Petrol Station

The Oak Forest neighborhood (just north of the loop near Ella) has a lot of history. The 60 year old subdivision was once the largest subdivision in Houston. It's now known for its affordable small frame homes and retro feel, with many Mom & Pop stores that have been in business since the early days.

What it lacks, compared to other old areas like the Heights, is hip, artsy places to hang out. Well, last year, they tried to change that with the Petrol Station. The coffee shop/bar was developed by Ben Fullelove, who also founded the now defunct Kaveh Kane downtown. You’ll usually find an eclectic crowd there, imbibing their favorite beverage on the loveseat or at one of the tables inside or on the outside patio. The location is pretty much dead center in the neighborhood, with houses all around. The name, of course, is derived from the location’s former tenant — a gas station.

Basically, it’s similar to Onion Creek, but smaller. Petrol Station is a coffee shop first, with a decent breakfast and lunch menu (they’re becoming well known in the area for their crepe-style pancakes and breakfast sandwiches). They also have a good selection of draught beer (St. Arnold’s, Pyramid, etc.) and wine.

If you drop by in the evening, you may come across a jazz or bluegrass band entertaining the customers (they are looking to book more in the future). They also drag out their old projector onto the patio to show films – a practice that they’ve halted temporarily since their projector broke.

We would love to see more places like this pop up around town in other forgotten neighborhoods. Now that Petrol Station’s WiFi connection is more consistent, Houstonist may be there more often (and probably be drinking too much coffee and beer).

Petrol Station
985 Wakefield
Open 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays,
8 a.m. to midnight weekends.