If it wasn’t for a referral by a co-worker, we might have missed out on Cafe 300.

The cozy restaurant is located on 300 South, hence the title, a couple blocks east of University Avenue in Provo. Our co-worker was raving about it one day and encouraged us to stop by for a visit. We are certainly glad we did.

One thing you notice right away upon entering Cafe 300 is that you are probably in for a unique dining experience. Missing was the hustle and bustle of a typical restaurant — and it was replaced with a casual, down-home vibe.

As we soon realized, Cafe 300 comes by that down-home feeling honestly — as it is a completely family-run business. During the course of our meal, in fact, we were greeted by three different generations of family members. Some were in the normal course of service, and a couple others made it a point to stop by and chat us up and make sure everything was OK with our meal and experience. Everyone was so friendly and helpful that by the time we walked out the door at the end of dinner, we almost felt like family members ourselves.

Cafe 300 has dining tables on two different levels. There are a couple tables in a small room where you first enter, but the main dining room is located down a short set of stairs off to the left of the main entrance. The lower room featured six tables that could seat just under 30 patrons. We really enjoyed the simple, yet distinguished decor. Each table had some sort of plant on it, and there were a few more in the windows. The downstairs floor was concrete, but it had been hand-painted in interesting patterns.

The dinner menu is pretty straightforward, with three main entrees, seven different sandwiches, seven burger options and four salad choices.

As a main entree, we ordered the Tri-Tip Roast. It came with three and a half slices of the roast, which tasted great, especially when dipped in the house barbecue sauce. The meal comes with a choice of soup or salad, but when we were told that the clam chowder is made specially on Fridays our decision was simple. (Yes, the chowder was great!) The meal also comes with a potato dish of the night (herbed mashed potatoes), a vegetable (peas) and a roll (or Texas-style toast). We think the side dishes rotate, as we were not asked for a preference.

Other dinner options include Hot Turkey, and Pork Chops.

For a sandwich sampling, we chose the Club Sandwich. This was a triple-decker delight featuring oven-roasted turkey breast, ham, thick-sliced bacon, American cheese, tomato, lettuce and mayo. It was a mouthful and mouth-watering. You can order it on white, wheat, rye or sourdough bread.

Sandwiches come with two sides. The Ranch Beans had a zesty barbecue flavor, and the onion rings were thick and puffy — just as we like them.

After eyeing the hamburger portion of the menu, we decided to try the Bacon Cheese Burger. It was a solid choice. The burger featured a one-third-pound patty complemented with bacon, cheese, bbq sauce, lettuce, tomato and onion — all on a toasted bun. Delish!

For dessert we tried a cream puff, which is a house specialty. The flaky pastry was filled with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate and powdered sugar.

While we visited during dinner hours, Cafe 300 also has separate breakfast and lunch menus. If the friendly service and quality of offerings is similar to dinner, then we’re sure it would be worth a visit during other parts of the day as well.

Cafe 300

Where: 279 E. 300 South, Provo

Hours: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Prices: $6.50-$9.95 main, $1.75-$3.75 sides, $4.25 kids menu; separate menus for breakfast and lunch.

Info: (801) 691-0218