Tune-up Café has been a popular burger-and-burrito stop since Salvadoran native Jesús Rivera, who previously worked for Harry’s Roadhouse and Café Pasqual’s, opened the restaurant in 2008. In some ways, Rivera replicated the success of Dave’s Not Here, the café formerly located in the building on Hickox, by attracting a loyal local clientele and offering many of the same items, including great burgers and genuine New Mexican dishes.

But Tune-up has its own special ambiance. It’s the kind of place where you feel like you could show up in your pajamas and no one would look askance. At breakfast and lunch, the café offers counter service. Part of the fun is standing in line (usually briefly) with friendly people you may recognize. At night, Tune-up only offers table service. The five-stool bar in the back room is often a hangout for neighborhood folks who walk over in the evenings. Tune-up offers patio seating when it’s warm out, and its weekend brunch is popular for outdoor diners.

The café has a large menu, including some unusual choices such as smoked duck hash ($15.95) and Salvadoran huevos motulenos ($11.95), pupusas ($9.95), and local lamb barbacoa tacos ($13.95). The dinner menu includes everything on the lunch menu plus a small list of “Entrées/big Plates” ($13.95 to $18.95) and chalkboard specials that rotate every few weeks. Wine is available by the glass or bottle. Also on offer are draft beer and a full bar with cocktails like the Tune-up hard lemonade ($13).

Tune-up has a real pizza oven, too; you can choose from five variations ($10.95 to $16.95), including carne asada, or select your own ingredients ($2 to $4).

On a recent visit for dinner, my friend ordered chicken parmesan ($24.95), which came with a side salad and garlic toast, from the chalkboard list. The salad was served first. Made of Romaine with croutons, carrots, and tomatoes, it was crunchy, liberally sprinkled with parmesan cheese, and just the right size for a starter. The two chicken fillets were battered, fried to a pleasant crisp, and served over fettuccine. The garlic toast was melt-in-your-mouth divine, made the old-fashioned way with slices of French bread smeared lightly with garlic butter and grilled to a crisp on the surface.

I opted for a dish on the regular dinner menu that I sometimes picked up during the worst of the COVID pandemic: halibut and shrimp pasta ($16.95), served over fettuccine in a tomato sauce with feta cheese and zucchini. It came with the same side salad and garlic toast as my companion’s meal. The dish was as tasty as I remembered it, with enough shrimp and chunks of halibut that I didn’t feel protein starved. Bigger slices of zucchini would have added color and crunch.

Two staff bakers create delectable goodies, including desserts, every morning. At our recent dinner, we

chose the lemon custard cake ($7), a moist white cake with a silky tart lemon custard filling. It’s topped with vanilla frosting and sprinkled with coconut flakes. This citrusy cake was a nice counterpoint to the rich indulgence of the pastas. Tune-up also offers a pie of the day ($6). My favorite is pecan pie, which I enjoyed that night. This is unadulterated pecan pie, with none of the chocolate, bourbon, or yes, apricots that some recipes call for. As a pecan pie purist (hurrah for corn syrup!), I love Tune-up’s intense nutty pie and crispy crust. The café also offers five gluten-free desserts (all $7), including the lemon custard cake, a vegan fruit crisp, an espresso brownie sundae, and crème brûlée, plus a gluten-free pie of the day.

I’ve never had bad service at Tune-up, at the counter or table, but on this night, we struggled to wave down a waiter to take our order, refill our drinks, bring up to-go containers, and clear our table. To compound it, the cold night air wafted through the dining room every time someone opened the door. Patrons sometimes walk over and shut it for the room.

Breakfast and lunch likely will remain my favorite meals at Tune-up. We chose the large breakfast burrito ($9.95, or hand-held, $7.50), which was served swimming in a dark red chile sauce that was earthy and spicy but didn’t set my lips on fire. It was stuffed with scrambled eggs, home fries, jack cheese, and crispy bacon (other meat options are available). Also on the table: the huevos el Salvadoreños ($9.95), which is eggs scrambled with scallions and fresh tomatoes, served with refried beans, pan-fried bananas, crema, and corn tortillas. Again, the portions were generous and the eggs especially good, brightened up by the fresh tomatoes. The pale brown pool of thin bean purée wasn’t visually appealing but tasted fine and was scoopable with the tortillas. The pan-fried bananas were warm and sweet and made this a very typical Salvadoran breakfast.

We enjoyed excellent service by the counter workers, one of whom carried our drinks to our table. Two counter workers came by multiple times to offer us more coffee and water.

And, oh yeah — the name Tune-up? Initially, Rivera said he planned to open off Siler Road in an area where many auto shops are located. When he instead found the Hickox location, friends convinced him to keep the clever name anyway.

One bit of advice: Guests should make sure to peruse the dessert case before ordering lunch or dinner, in order to save room and make sure not to miss that last slice of whatever. And hey, leave a piece of that pecan pie for me, will you?

Hollis Walker spent a decade of her young years working in the food industry, ranging from counter service at a Dairy Queen to waiting tables in a fine French restaurant. She loves to cook and hews to her mother’s only food rule: You must try everything at least once.