Tucked away in a small, fairly empty plaza in Rowland Heights, The Hide Out really does live up to its name. With a relaxed atmosphere, it’s the perfect place to get work done and enjoy a snack.

Upon entering the café, I was greeted by a smiling barista who directed me toward a stack of menus and told me to call him over when ready. The menu consists mainly of snack items, aside from a few entrees, and a large variety of drinks. After a few minutes of looking over the simple menu, I ordered the Guava Lemonade, and my dad chose a Macchiato. We also ordered Hashtag Waffle Cut Fries and Popcorn Chicken to share. After taking our order, the barista had us take a seat and told us he would bring our order out to us.

It being noon on a weekday, we easily found a table in the empty café. However, because of their table arrangement, I could easily see how seating would be a problem at a busier time of day. A long picnic style table, good for bigger groups, took up most of the space in the back of the room. The rest of the tables were smaller, meant for either groups of two or four. There was additional seating outside, though the number of people smoking nearby makes it unpleasant.

The interior of the café was very comfortable and welcoming with its wooden furnishing, dim lighting, and unique décor. Among the entertaining decorations was a large stuffed giraffe lying in the corner, a mural of a family of bears, and a long table filled with old typewriters and cameras. The room was warehouse style, with an open ceiling that revealed the air conditioning pipes painted to match the walls.

Every aspect of the interior made up an especially enjoyable ambiance that is increasingly hard to come by. Most cafes don’t focus as much on their decor, leaving them without the welcoming feeling The Hide Out possess. It had the classic coffee shop feeling, making me want to settle down in a seat with my laptop for a few hours.

Our drinks were brought to us no longer than five minutes after we sat down. The three ounce Macchiato with latte art tasted better and more authentic than anything Starbucks offers. The Guava Lemonade was served in a very large glass mug and didn’t taste as artificial as I expected. Each drink was $3.25, a good value for the size and quality.

Soon after, the barista brought us our food, which was organized on the plate in an extremely visually appealing way. Piled onto the plate with the waffle fries was nacho cheese, ground beef and as a final touch, a sunny side up egg delicately placed on top. The delicious fries were also brought out with tartar sauce on the side. The fries were extremely filling and only $5.25. The popcorn chicken, on the other hand, was surprisingly disappointing, especially because the café is known on Yelp for having the best popcorn chicken around. Their entrees all seem to be garlic-heavy and the chicken is no exception. At $4, the popcorn chicken is something you’d want to skip.

Items on the menu come in generous portions at a good price and are a nice change from the fast food restaurants and traditional Asian cuisine found nearby. However, as satisfying as the food was, the atmosphere is what will keep me coming back to The Hide Out.