Recently, I’ve been wanting to take Eat the Strip back to its roots: the hidden-away gems tucked into strip malls, industrial parks and downtown basements. But something I never had on my bingo card was finding one inside a Cadillac dealership.

That’s where I found myself today, at the Caddy Cafe, tucked inside the Myers Automotive Group’s Cadillac dealership at Merivale and Baseline.

I was waiting in the area for my dog’s grooming appointment to wrap up when I started Googling cafes nearby. Then the Caddy Cafe popped up. I zoomed in because I couldn’t quite believe what I was looking at. The cafe was, in fact, located inside the dealership.

Not one to pass up a chance to strike Eat the Strip gold, I made the five-minute drive from the Merivale PetSmart.

Walking into the dealership, I was admittedly a little confused. I asked an employee where I should go and they pointed me up a staircase toward the northern wing of the massive building. I climbed the stairs and, lo and behold, there it was: the Caddy Cafe.

Sarah, the owner, greeted me and quickly made me feel like I had stumbled into a neighbourhood diner rather than a cafe inside a car dealership.

She told me the build-your-own breakfast was one of the popular choices, so I went with the toast, a sunny-side-up egg and home fries. The toast had received plenty of praise in the cafe’s Google reviews, while the home fries came recommended by Sarah herself. With a coffee, the whole thing came to just under $10.

That’s a pretty tough price to argue with.

The cafe is bright and spacious, with big windows letting in plenty of natural light, ample seating and a TV mounted on the wall. For a moment, it’s remarkably easy to forget you’re sitting inside a Cadillac dealership. Then the loudspeaker comes on, announcing that someone’s vehicle is ready to be brought around from the back, and reality comes rushing back in.

There are a few dealership employees making their way upstairs for breakfast, but I couldn’t help wondering how many people outside these walls know this place exists.

From the kitchen, I could hear Sarah singing.

This is a happy space.

While I was eating, two young guys who work at the dealership came upstairs and ordered the burrito. And, yeah, if I made one mistake coming here, it was not arriving with an empty stomach.

The burrito comes packed with two scrambled eggs, peppers, onions, bacon, sausage, home fries, cheese and chipotle mayo, all wrapped in a flour tortilla. It looked like the kind of breakfast that makes you immediately regret having already eaten breakfast.

The two employees told me the cafe has been through a series of owners since the dealership opened, but they felt the current ownership was the best yet. The challenge is simply getting people to know the cafe is here. With the location tucked away inside the dealership, Sarah and her team have been leaning on Uber Eats to spread the word.

The food certainly gives them something to spread.

Everything tasted fresh from the first bite. The home fries were crisp around the edges without being overly salty, exactly the way good diner home fries should be. And the toast really is good — simple, well done and somehow worthy of all those online compliments.

That simplicity is part of what Sarah is going for.

Her father was a salesman at the dealership for most of her life and was the one who discovered the cafe opportunity and recommended her for the job. Sarah has now been here for three years, bringing with her years of kitchen experience. She grew up cooking with her family, started working in kitchens in high school and has worked everywhere from fancier restaurants to diners.

When she took over the cafe, she wanted to bring that experience to familiar classics, while still having a little fun with them. One example is the garlic bread grilled cheese.

Sarah’s right-hand man, Cory, is part of that kitchen rhythm, too. About 90 per cent of the clientele are regulars, largely dealership staff, though customers waiting for tire changes or service appointments are also sent upstairs with little slips so they can grab a meal while they wait.

They’re serving around 120 people, with another potential customer base sitting across the street at a government building. The clientele is there. It’s just a matter of getting them through the door — or, in this case, up the stairs.

There’s also a weekly special, which keeps things interesting. Every Sunday night, Sarah posts the next week’s special on Instagram. This week it was flatbread; previous weeks have featured jerk chicken and shawarma.

And then there’s the singing.

As Sarah and Cory move around the kitchen preparing food, you can hear them carrying on from the other side of the counter. When I mention it to Sarah, she laughs and describes the experience as a dinner and a show.

It certainly feels that way.

There’s no pretentiousness here. Just good, classic food, friendly people, a bright space and prices that give you a pretty compelling reason to come back.

And I will be coming back.

I’m already thinking about that burrito.

There’s something particularly fun about discovering a cafe like this. I had never really considered that a dealership this large would have a cafe catering to its staff and customers, but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. People are going to be here for hours waiting on their cars. They’re going to need breakfast. Why not have a good little cafe upstairs?

The Caddy Cafe is exactly the kind of place I’ve been wanting to find again for Eat the Strip: a little hidden, a little unexpected and full of people who clearly enjoy being there.

I can’t afford a Cadillac anytime soon, but luckily, you don’t need to buy one to come upstairs for breakfast.

And at these prices, I’ll happily be back for more.