Tucked into the Colony Centre on a non-descript stretch of Jan Smuts Avenue, Hodge’s is a rarity among Sandton cafes: it’s a family-run place where you can bring the whole family, and the owner-operators really do remember your name from week to week.

It’s also a bit different than other coffee houses: instead of the grab-a-coffee-and-linger-on-the-couch model, Hodges is a bit more of a sit-down meal type place where you go with friends for a hearty Sunday breakfast. But not your fashionable friends whom you want to impress – instead bring your grandmother or your best friend from childhood.

Because Hodges does not aspire to be chic or sleek. The décor consists of an array of generic framed art, plain wooden tables, flat-screen TVs, fake plants and lots of cat knick-knacks (cats are a theme here). Colorful chalkboards display the various specials and events, and a small store with kids’ items and cat memorabilia lurks at the back. About 75% of the tables are inside, and the other 25% are outside in the plant-filled mini courtyard.

The menu is similarly homey. Breakfast, which is served all day, includes items such as French toast, omelettes, and my favorite, American-style pancakes with bacon, beef sausage and scrambled eggs. (The owners have a big American clientele, and cater to them with many American offerings.) For lunch there are hearty gourmet sandwiches, home-baked quiche, burgers, mince pies, and chicken rolls. Dinners are all about the meat, and popular evening specials include eisbein, pork ribs in cider, lamb shanks, and liver and onions. Despite the meat-heavy menu, co-owner Alison, who is vegetarian, has ensured that there is an interesting variety of non-meat dishes, such as grilled tofu on toast, vegetarian lasagne, and veggie sausage.

Of course you can’t leave without trying one of the cakes, rolls, scones, muffins or croissants, which fall under the menu heading “The Cat’s Whiskers,” or an iced tea, homemade lemonade, or non-fat frozen latte.

Hodge’s is also fond of special occasions: every Sunday they offer a Sunday roast, Tuesdays are senior nights, and on American Thanksgiving they put on a special turkey meal with all the fixins’. That’s in addition to Valentine’s dinner, Mother’s Day, and Christmas in July.

Co-owner Donald personally checks up on every table, and the other staff are similarly warm and friendly.