Kirsten Moreau is the co-owner of Kirsten's Hideout Cafe in Kamloops.

(SHANNON AINSLIE / iNFOnews.ca)

The atmosphere inside a Kamloops café could not be more opposite than its cool, understated exterior facing the parking lot of a motel. 

Kirsten’s Hideout Café has a warm, welcoming ambiance complete with homey decorative touches, an electric fire and the smells of home-cooked, traditional Canadian foods.

“It looks like a home and you get treated like family as soon as you walk in the door,” said regular customer Josh Harris.

When we asked Kamloops readers for some of their favourite affordable restaurants, this place came highly recommended.

Kirsten’s Hideout Café was noted for its delicious homemade food, unbeatable service, generous portions and fair prices. The café has been serving home cooked meals for six years.

“We are all like a family here, we just want everyone to be happy,” said co-owner Kirsten Moreau.

READ MORE: The Stock Pot Café: a hidden Kamloops gem 

Moreau has a full house of regular customers, from the very young to the very old, and she loves interacting with them. There is a steady, comforting hum of conversations and clinking of knives and forks.

“I know every customer here, it’s like Cheers, right? And I have nicknames for people, sometimes I can’t remember all their names.”

Fireplace and plants at Kirsten's Hideout Cafe in Kamloops.

(SHANNON AINSLIE / iNFOnews.ca)

Moreau designed the diner to be cosy. There are crafty, homey knickknacks on the shelves and walls, a comfy couch in one corner, houseplants and a book nook where customers can take a book and leave one for the next person.

The space is clean and bright, with big windows throughout.

“Every year I buy something nice to add,” she said. “The first year I bought the professional freezers, the next new carpets and the next new chairs.”

Moreau didn’t have a background in business when she opened the café with her husband Rob Carleton in 2017, but she had a lot of experience as a server.

“I was a deer in the headlights at first,” she said. “But I’ve always served. I started at Pizza Hut when I was 15 years old and have worked in various restaurants in Kamloops over the years.”

The family diner offers all-day breakfast, hearty entrees like shepherd’s pie and perogies, and soups and salads.

While Moreau admits she has had to inch up prices recently due to inflation, customers can still find meals under 12 dollars on the menu, from sausage and eggs to pancakes, waffles and omelettes, to breakfast sandwiches and burgers. The portion sizes are generous, filling the whole plate.

Jessica Carlton (left) has iced tea with friend Josh Harris at Kirsten's Hideout Cafe in Kamloops.

(SHANNON AINSLIE / iNFOnews.ca)

“The food is beyond good,” customer Harris said. “It is kind of hidden and that is what makes it special. It looks like a home with pictures on the walls and there is always laughing in here.”

Attached to the former Acadian Inn, now called Canadas Best Value Inn & Suites, an area often subject to crime, Moreau said she hasn’t been affected much.

“We have the odd issue but I don’t think it is any more than anywhere else, people around here are generally pretty nice,” she said.

READ MORE: Jury finds accused guilty of manslaughter in Kamloops motel stabbing

Staffing shortages have been plaguing industries in the province, including the food industry. Moreau said she hasn’t had much staff turnover.

“I have a skeleton crew that has been with me from day one,” she said. “We are like a family working together. Right now we are running thin and could use more staff.”

READ MORE: Another restaurant has closed its doors in Kamloops 

Kirsten’s Hideout Café is located at 1390 Columbia Street and is open every day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Kirsten's Hideout Cafe located at 1390 Columbia Street in Kamloops.

(SHANNON AINSLIE / iNFOnews.ca)

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