The Ideal Cafe has been in operation in Campbell River, BC, since the early 40s. It's a favourite for locals and visitors alike.
If you were just passing by, you might not be tempted to stop. But don't let the humble exterior fool you. Inside it's a classic diner style cafe with good eats and friendly wait staff.
New owners in 2011 made improvements without losing it's character catering to loggers, fishermen and families.
It's open for breakfast and lunch from 7:00 am to 3:30 pm. We go mostly for breakfast, but on occasion arrive at lunchtime for a sandwich large enough to share. In addition to their regular items, there are daily specials and all day breakfast, a huge plus for Wayne. And it's a licensed establishment offering spirits including some unique "hard" shakes.
You can find out more about the Ideal Cafe online:
Click on "view larger map" for a better view of the location for the Ideal Cafe. They are between the split of Highway 19 north of Campbell River. You can enter their large parking lot from both the north and southbound sides. We've even parked there with a truck and quad trailer with no problem.
Next door is Ideal Tackle filled with reasonably priced new and used fishing gear. Now how good is that? Fill your tummies and then go out and catch something fresh for dinner.
What are some of your favourite restaurants, cafes and dives. -- Margy
Margy - this looks like our kind of place - the café AND the tackle shop! We recently tried a new to us place on the way home from a hike. We have passed it many times and pretty much dismissed it due to how it looks on the outside. But the place we wanted to go was closed until dinner … So glad we got to try it - it is lovely on the inside and has great food! The Glacier Grill in Coram, Montana.
ReplyDeleteI would love to visit Montana again. The last time I was driving by myself on a solo camping/motel trip between jobs. It was fun, but I hit some early snow so gave up tenting. - Margy
DeleteIt's always exciting to find places that you want to revisit, especially when they serve food!
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to see your link on 'My Corner of the World' this week! Thanks for linking up!
My Corner of the World
We've found that small airports have great cafes that can be reached from both the runway and highway sides. One we loved was Flo's at Chino Airport in California. - Margy
DeleteLove a good diner with character.
ReplyDeleteFast food places are good when you are on the go, but give me a small mom and pop diner any day. - Margy
Deletesounds like - an ideal cafe!
ReplyDeleteNot sure how they picked the name, but it's an ideal place for us to eat. We've been there towing a trailer twice and really appreciate their large dirt parking lot with open space to use. - Margy
DeleteThe best cafes are almost always found inside a humble exterior.
ReplyDeleteWe've learned that. - Margy
DeleteMy favorite new restaurant is Blanco in Tucson. I could go on and on...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip. We will be taking our RV to Arizona and will be in the Tucson area. I looked it up online and it looks perfect for parking our small RV while we are passing through town. - Margy
DeleteDon't you just love finding a gem like the Ideal Cafe? :)
ReplyDeleteI sure do. I love good food and great service in a homey atmosphere. - Margy
DeleteLooks nice!
ReplyDeleteAnd fun for people watching, especially on weekends. - Margy
DeleteI wonder, can a cafe be like that?
ReplyDeleteHave a heartwarming en splendid ABC-Wednes-day / -week
M e l o d y (team ABC-W)
https://melodyk.nl/25-I
For me it is ideal. - Margy
DeleteWhen we can the pears we just hot pack them but making pear sauce is like apple sauce and then either freeze the jars or hot pack. Good no matter what
ReplyDeleteMB
Sounds like you have good ways to preserve them. - Margy
DeleteWhat a neat looking place! That would be exactly the kind of place Dan and I would look for if we were able to still travel. (Love the idea of the ABC pictures.)
ReplyDeleteSmall towns have so many good places to eat like this. - Margy
Delete...I love the checkered floor!
ReplyDeleteIt is such a truly retro spot. Not a reproduction. - Margy
DeleteWho doesn’t love a genuine local diner ... and actually I could go for breakfast any time. It’s hard to name a favorite restaurant ...we like to try new things when we eat out ... but we always look for locals. . Chains and franchises just don’t do it for us.
ReplyDeleteWe are always on the lookout for good diners. - Margy
DeleteLocal diners have such good food, will put this one on the list for the next visit to the north end of the island.
ReplyDeleteYou get out of our way quite often. Let me know if you find any good places for us to try. - Margy
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