Location and ambiance are considered cornerstones of successful restaurants, but in the Queen City of suburbia, many have found staying power in strip malls.

Their exteriors are nothing to scoff at and they're built on busy, car-centric strips. You won't stumble across them on a stroll, but these restaurants have thrived offering a pleasant surprise beyond their doors, with carefully crafted products and catering to a loyal clientele that spreads their offerings by word of mouth.

Afghan Cuisine

Afghan Cuisine is located in a strip mall on Albert Street in Regina. (Heidi Atter/CBC)

Located in a strip mall at Albert Street and Third Avenue, there's a restaurant that seeks to bring the comforts of food from the owners' home country of Afghanistan to Regina.

Abdullah and Zahra Hafizi moved to Regina in 2006, but didn't see any places to get Afghan groceries or food.

"We decided to open as an Afghani restaurant so people know our culture, our food, or the experience of Afghani food and dessert," Zahra said.

Abdullah and Zahra Hafizi came to Regina after living in Toronto and Afghanistan. (Heidi Atter/CBC)

The couple decided to open in the strip mall in 2007 because it was available, but they also viewed it as the centre of Regina, with ample parking.

They made the place their own by having a traditional look with an entrance rug hung up, and other Afghani decorations like traditional vases welcoming people into the store, artwork on the walls and a national flag hanging proudly above the kitchen door.

The restaurant is a way to show who they are.

Afghan Cuisine serves a variety of traditional dishes including ghabuli with shamie kabob, lamb stew, dopiazeh lamb and more. (Heidi Atter/CBC)

"The atmosphere, actually, we like it to show our culture, our tradition," Abdullah said.

"They came here and they say they love the place," Zahra said. "Like home for them."

Abdullah and Zahra Hafizi have a traditional entrance rug hung above one of the tables because it wasn't able to fit at the entrance and they still wanted to showcase it. (Heidi Atter/CBC)

Zahra cooks at the restaurant six days a week. Even on her days off, Zahra makes meals for her family.

"And they get angry at me and they say you can't sit down or you can't relax," she said with a laugh.

Gilmour's Corner

Gilmour's Corner is a small cafe in the strip mall on Scarth Street in Regina. (Heidi Atter/CBC)

Bill Huzil has been in the restaurant industry for years. He worked at a bustling restaurant called Alfredo's until his boss left. Unemployed and looking, Huzil decided to establish something himself.

Seventeen years later, Gilmour's Corner is still serving fresh sandwiches and goodies to anyone who walks through its (somewhat hidden) doors in the Scarth Street pedestrian mall in downtown Regina.

In 2002 when Huzil was looking at different locations, he saw the opening in the downtown strip mall. He had been working nearby for 18 years before and enjoyed catering towards the people working in the area.

Even though the store is in the centre of a strip mall, Huzil thought the name Gilmour's Corner would be fitting because the store is at the corner of two busy pedways.

Bill Huzil is the founder of Gilmour's Corner. (Heidi Atter/CBC)

"I think it's worked out for me," the co-owner said with a laugh. "I've got a very good clientele of wonderful people."

The restaurant is kept classic with white walls and ceiling to open up the small place, and blue for the baseboards and countertop. The menu is written on chalkboards, offering with make-your-own-sandwich combinations that could be done a dozen different ways.

The open concept of the restaurant makes it feel larger than a small section of a strip mall and the windows all look out into the pedways where people walk by and glance in.

Gilmour's Corner serves hot sandwiches and pizzas for people in the Downtown Regina area. (Heidi Atter/CBC)

"Part of the satisfaction is that you are more personal with people. It's not just a face and a number. The concept here is very open. We can see everybody," Huzil said.

"In a way it's like so simple. We just take two pieces of bread. But you can elevate that to be more of an experience."

Huzil only recently got a Facebook account for the shop. Instead, he relies on word of mouth for people to find it.

"I'm behind the times," he said with a laugh. "I'm a dinosaur."

Gilmour's Corner has its menu written on chalkboards behind the counter and local art hung up on the walls. It is traditional, relying on word-of-mouth for getting new customers. (Heidi Atter/CBC)

After 17 years, Huzil enjoys the work because of the people.

"I just feel happy to be here every day."

Vintage Tea Room

Vintage Tea Room and Purveyor of British Goods is located on Broad Street in the north end of Regina. (Heidi Atter/CBC)

Karen and Doug Howden are celebrating the 10th year anniversary of their store in 2019. The owners of the Vintage Tea Room and Purveyor of British Goods were inspired by their British backgrounds and love of tea culture and rituals.

"[We] were trying to think of what we could do as a retirement project even though we weren't even near retirement," Karen said.

The couple struggled to find a spot to set up shop in 2009, finally settling on their current location in a strip mall on Broad Street and Second Avenue North.

"It had windows all the way across the front, so there was lots of light. There was a big parking lot, plus there was also wheelchair accessibility," said Karen. "Anything we looked at anywhere else just didn't have this."

The Vintage Tea Room is run by Karen and Doug Howden. The two started the shop 10 years ago. (Heidi Atter/CBC)

Plus, she said, "it has such a homey atmosphere."

The walls of the Vintage Tea Room are a pastel peach and the chairs look as though they're right out of a 1950s living room. Artwork of the Royal family and Winston Churchill hangs on the walls, and there's antique dressers along the edge of the room. Jars of loose tea leaves line the back cupboards and British treats are scattered throughout the store, with more teapots than one can count.

Neither of the Howdens had any type of restaurant experience and it was a steep learning curve, Karen said, but they were able to make it work and have tried to stay as traditional as possible.

"What's interesting is that we have people from all over the world coming here and a lot of British people come here," she said. "There's been comments said that 'Oh, this is how it used to be.'"

The Vintage Tea Room has a variety of teas from classic peppermint to chocolate. (Heidi Atter/CBC)

"When you have a cup of tea, the whole idea of that is when things get tough or things go wrong or things are building up on you, it's time for tea," she said. "What tea is supposed to do is take you to a place where you can relax, come back down, and find your centre."

Karen uses a scone recipe from the turn of the 20th century from her grandmother's English friend. It was the only recipe they had when they opened.

When Karen first made the recipe, it was all liquid. Flour wasn't mentioned.

"Women back then … they knew how to cook so you didn't have to put [in the recipe] how much flour you're putting in something. You're supposed to know these things," she said. "There was no temperature; there was no time that you cook them for."

The Vintage Tea Room may be located in a strip mall, but owners Karen and Doug Howden have made it their own with classic chairs, long draped curtains, pastel walls and dozens of tea sets. (Heidi Atter/CBC)

After a decade, they have the century-old recipe down to a science, she said. They also have English toffee pudding and other baked goods.

"People love nostalgia," Karen said. "We've even had young men come in here and go, 'I feel like I'm at my grandma's house.'"

There's a special way to brew tea that makes it perfect, Karen Howden said. A person should use loose leaf tea in their tea pot and then strain it into the cup when ready. No tea bags are used at the Vintage Tea Room. (Heidi Atter/CBC)

The Howdens said they love meeting the people who walk through their doors.

"The friends we have made over the last 10 years is really amazing," Karen said. "It's like they come in and they're just dropping in for tea."

Have a favourite place to eat that's located in a Regina strip mall? Let us know in the comment section.