You want to root for little places like Judkins St. Café in Seattle's Judkins Park neighborhood because despite the diversity of the surroundings, between 23rd Avenue South and Martin Luther King Jr. Way South by the Interstate 90 Lid, there are precious few memorable neighborhood eateries on offer.

Luckily, the cafe, hidden on a quiet side street and housed in an old storefront that once was a Caribbean joint among other things, there are plenty of reasons to cheer. Open all day, with low prices, friendly service and comfort food that's both satisfying and well-made, the cafe winningly fills a much-neglected niche.

The menu: The cafe sticks to the basics, offering mains like eggs with home fries and house-made bacon or sausage ($8.50), grits and eggs ($6.50) and brioche French toast ($7) for breakfast; a veggie or chorizo scramble ($8.50 and $9.50) for brunch; a meatloaf sandwich ($8.75), salmon fillet sandwich ($11) and black bean quinoa burger ($9) for lunch; and hearty dishes like chicken potpie ($9), ratatouille ($9) and mac and cheese ($8) for dinner.

What to write home about: Stopping in for lunch, I opted for the hefty meatloaf sandwich, a thick slice of spicy beef and pork meatloaf topped with a spread of buttery mashed potatoes and habanero ketchup in a hoagie roll, with sweet potato tots on the side. Not a light lunch, to be sure, but it was stick-to-the-ribs delicious.

The setting: A homey storefront with big bay windows leads into an airy space with art on the walls and the smell of food cooking in the exposed kitchen. There's live music on some nights and special "Meatless Monday" dinners on the first Monday of each month.

Summing up: Meatloaf sandwich with sweet potato tots ($1 extra) came to $9.75 plus tax and tip.

Tyrone Beason is a Pacific Northwest magazine staff writer.