As you drive outside of Watsonville, on Freedom Blvd. towards Santa Cruz, you will drive by a place that residents here consider to be their own town: Corralitos! Although it doesn’t have its own postal zip code, it really is a town of its own. Corralitos is a residential and apple orchard country area that has an elementary school, corner market, a cafe, a state fire department and a community center. All the hallmarks of a township! And if you happen to be driving through in the morning, a stop at the Cadillac Cafe is a must!
Breakfast is my favorite meal of any day and time! I’ve had breakfast for lunch and dinner on many occasions. When you walk inside this cafe it sends you back to an era I only know from history, photos and movies.
In many ways the Cadillac Cafe is a hidden gem and yet, it’s not! It’s slightly off the beaten path to many who live outside of Corralitos. In fact, it sits in the background and is typically overshadowed by the 5 Mile House. But for those who have been around a while and live here, it’s well known and currently the only breakfast diner in the area.
Cadillac Cafe has gone through some reincarnation over time. It had a fire break out a few years ago and was forced to close for a bit. There was a change in ownership and their times of operation changed as well.
But the rear end of the pink 1959 Cadillac still sits on top of the roof! And, most importantly, the food is still good
The chorizo scramble was a heaping mound of over indulgence! This massive portion of food could feed two people or be two separate meals for myself. There are a couple of things I look for when considering if the food is good or not. For this particular meal I looked to see if my eggs were moist and if my potatoes were soggy or just right. I hate dry eggs when it’s scrambled. And I don’t like soggy potatoes. I also looked to see if my chorizo was too oily or too dry. The next thing I examined was the taste. Did everything blend well together in flavors? That includes adding Tapatio, salsa and sour cream. In this case, the cook did it right! And after I doused my food with all the sauces it was an amazing foodie experience.
Corned beef hash is another favorite breakfast of mine. I’ve been to many breakfast places in my time and every place I go has a different version of corned beef hash. Some are good and some suck! What kills a good corned beef hash is dryness! If the meat is dry and stringy I won’t eat it.
I can also tell when corned beef hash comes from a can! Now, I’m not big on canned hash, but during morning hangover recoveries, hash from a can, is suddenly the best meal in the world. Much like a late night Taco Bell run after a long night of drinking.
The best part of eating corned beef hash is when I smother it with runny egg yolks! As many yolks as I can get! The saltiness of the corned beef and the silky runny yolk is a blissful mix of flavor to my taste buds.
The corned beef hash at Cadillac Cafe is straight forward and good. It was a simple mix of potato and corned beef. Nothing flashy just good eats.
Chicken fried steak and eggs is a classic American dish! I love a good chicken fried steak! This dish from Cadillac Cafe did not disappoint! What I really liked about this meal was the sausage gravy. It was thick and flavorful and it stuck to my steak. The steak it self was good! It was moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside. That’s all I ask for and Cadillac Cafe delivered!
Corralitos is home to the 5 Mile House (currently under restoration and future home to another cafe opening soon) Corralitos Brewing Company, Alfaro Winery and the Corralitos Market and Sausage Company. http://www.corralitosbrewingco.com; http://www.alfarowine.com; http://www.corralitosmarketsausage.co
Great work,Paul love your articles!
Thank you Kevin!
All three dishes looked delicious Paul. How was the coffee? Chris and I will definitely check out the Cadillac Cafe for breakfast.
The coffee was good!
Lots of good memories. I havent been there in so long….i miss it.
Awesome! I hope you get to come back some day?!
I miss taking that back road route into Aptos, I’ll definitely will stop in next time I’m in the area and try their chorizo plate! Thanks for the great review keep them coming!
Thank you