Before opening Ally's Comfort Cafe in 2009, Ally and her husband, Victor, sat down with their three children and discussed the pros and cons of opening a restaurant. As a family, they decided to go for it and, as a family, they've made a whole lot of customers happy. While Ally cooks, the rest of the crew pitches in: Ally's son buses tables, and her daughter runs the register. Ally's mom even joins the effort by greeting and chatting with guests.

It's a well-oiled family system, but it would all be for naught without Ally's incredible cooking. Her buttermilk pancakes, for instance, have become a local legend, though their recipe remains more top-secret than the location of Area 51's doorbell. The pancakes come hot off the griddle any time thanks to an all-day breakfast menu, which includes three-egg omelets and addictive grits. Later in the day, the lunch menu brings with it a lineup of comfort sandwiches, including a chicken gyro doused in Ally's homemade tzatziki sauce.