The Sunny Side Café

I’ve come here twice for brunch and both times have been pretty good. It’s a small place with seating upstairs. The décor is cute, with a vintage feel. They have attentive service, and come by to fill water and check on you.
I’ve tried their house made granola which is theSunny Side Granola with vanilla yogurt. The granola was really good, chock full of almonds, pecans, oats, raisins, cranberries, and not overly sweet. I’ve also tried their Tofu Scramble which is madee with firm tofu, savory herbs sautéed with onions and garlic. It’s served with homefries and toast but I asked to have fresh fruit substituted instead. I didn’t expect the tofu to be yellow, but I assume it was sauteed with curry powder. It was light and pretty good! My friend got their Breakfast Burrito and said it was really good. It was pretty darn big: filled with scrambled eggs, salsa, homefries and
black beans, all wrapped in a tomato tortilla.
I have yet to try any of their benedicts or their breakfast specialties such as the Amaretto French toast or the The Alameda. The Alameda has mushrooms, ham, roasted tomatoes and Swiss cheese, sandwiched between two pieces of savory French toast. It’s also topped with two eggs over-​easy, Hollandaise sauce, and a balsamic reduction. They also have mimosas and typically brunch beverages. Overall, The Sunny Side Café is on west side of campus and a nice choice place for brunch.

Very good egg menu! I’ve never seen anything like it. The location is very nice and sitting on the second floor gives you a great view of the campus. The staff is very friendly and super fast. I would eat there everyday if I could. Great coffee also!

Food is over priced. Waitstaff is inadequate. Would give them lower rating but can’t.

The Alameda is incredible both to look at and tastes pretty dang good too! I ordered it on a whim and was not at all disappointed. I’m never a huge fan of their toast though. It’s very small so it gets very tight inside the restaurant very quickly, but I enjoy the food and the staff is always courteous to me.

Decent but overpriced. Two eggs toast and home fries with bacon and coffee cost me $ 15+. The décor and menu seems high end (you can get mimosas and they have great breads) but they serve single serving smuckers jelly. The breakfast didn’t taste markedly better than Bongo Burger’s $ 3.95 special.

Came here with a big group and had to split up. The food was ok. It looked better than it tasted. I had the pigs in the blanket and the consistency of the pancakes was very unusual. They were not fluffy and a bit chewy.
My friend had the tofu scramble and was excited to try it since she doesn’t eat eggs. However she was unimpressed. There was no flavor and she had to add an immense amount of salt and pepper.
Another friend ordered the French toast and was not happy. It wasn’t crispy and almost had a soft texture. Definitely will not come back.

How have I not reviewed this place before?!
This is the place to have a satisfying brunch in Downtown Berkeley without the wait. Though the place itself may seems small, there is an adorable outdoor seating area to the side of the restaurant, as well as an upstairs. The restaurant is delightful, with an endearing yellow interior that really does make the name «Sunny» fitting.
The drinks are ok — the hard lemonade and the latte are nothing to come back for. The food is great and so filling for what you pay! The Alameda is huge and flavorful (get it vegetarian for more greens), and the blueberry pancakes are really good too. My personal favorite is the amaretto french toast (better than the orange!).

I’ve come here twice now for brunch, and I’m happy to say that this is a good quality brunch place in Berkeley. The ambience here is very typical of a diner and there is limited seating downstairs and more open seating available upstairs. If you’re feeling up for it, they also have outdoor seating that has heat lamps to keep you warm if necessary. The most recent time I came here, I sat upstairs and they’ll take your orders upstairs rather than having you order at the counter.
The first time I came, I ordered the pancakes, and there wasn’t really anything special about the pancakes here but they were decent and fluffy and a good way to fill up my stomach in the morning. The second time I came, I ordered the 2 egg breakfast, which I thought was really great. The potatoes here were nice and flavorful without being overcooked and the scrambled eggs were perfectly moist and tasty. I am always really surprised at how many brunch places are really terrible at making eggs and potatoes although they have so many other specialties, but this is definitely not the case with Sunny Side Café. My friend ordered the Alameda and really loved it as well.
Overall, this place is a great place for your basic brunch. Tip: Go outside of Sunny Side Café to take cute pictures with the Wall with the quote «You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.»

Don’t get me wrong, I love my eggs, and coming to sunny side on an overcast Sunday morning hits the spot every time. However, this particular morning I felt compelled enough to write a review because the service nearly cancels out how good the breakfast is.
We got here and were told to put our name on a list and come back in 20 minutes, so we left for 10 minutes and came back to check on our spot. After finally getting a server’s attention (no one was manning the front booth), we were told we had been called already and our name had been crossed out so we were effectively at the bottom of the list again. Pardon my French, but wtf! Not generally how that works, but they seated us fairly quickly after that.
Then, it took 10 minutes to have a server come to our table, they messed up my order, they didn’t bring utensils until we had to ask, and we’re currently waiting for our check (going on 10 minutes with no luck).
Again, love the food but if they see this I hope they work to improve their system! I’ve always noticed their poor service but today was especially bad. Next time I probably will not be coming here for brunch.

Average brunch that was over-​priced. I got the Tilden Eggs Benedict that had garlic tomato and mushroom. Though it was well seasoned, it was a little too oily for my palate.
Service could also be faster and more efficient.

Slow and basic service. Gratuity fee is automatically added for 18% even with the medicocre quality of service. Food was good but nothing spectacular, for the price. I had the bacon alameda. No flavors stood out for me. Egg was a little too runny (the white part) Bacon was hard and chewy. And not too much flavor. I prefer it crisp and light and salty. Water was tap and had some floaties and no ice. We were seated outside due to our group size (7) and they didn’t allow us to move inside and we had to sit outside in the sun and it was hot.

I can’t get enough of this place! Excellent eggs Benedict. I’ve had it twice this week: P the coffee is also very good, and the price is right :)

Great customer service. Warm, cozy little spot. Very chill and not snobby. The classic eggs benedict was delicious.

Definitely a great brunch spot.
The portion sizes are decent for the price being offered. The ambiance of the entire place is really nice, especially if you get seated by the red wall. For my first time, i got the Eggs Benedict, which is my first ever so I really don’t know how to judge. It was delicious nevertheless.
The only downside was the service. I was really confused on whether there was a waitress taking my order of if I go in front to order.

It’s nice they have some vegetarian options like a fried tofu sandwich. I had a bowl of oatmeal with raisins and pecans but it was quite bland.

When I think of brunch I imagine inhaling the soft scents of fluffy cinnamon pancakes, juicy sausages, hearty potatoes, and ripe fruit. Sunny side café smells like burnt toast. I ordered 2 eggs over easy, and not only did they mess up my order (although to be fair they offered to fix it) the scrambled eggs I received were dry and unseasoned. The bread was burnt on the edges, the sausages dry and tasteless (also not aidells as they had advertized), and the potatoes were bland. In short, this place is not worth your time if you want a decent brunch to start your day with.

This place has both indoor and outdoor seating. We had the recommended Alameda and their special stuffed croissant. I really like the stuffed croissant, and it is really STUFFED! With cheese, egg, bacon or ham to your choice. Also there is salad on the side with vinegar dressing. And it is big enough for a person to be stuffed :)
The dressing of the Alameda is a bit sour to me, and it made me feel a bit uncomfortable after eating it (but it’s probably just a personal thing).
They also served beer and wine!
(Their logo is so cute)

I loved this! Try the alameda! Its everything you could wish for, its huge too we split it betweek two because we were on a food outing trying tons of different places! This is a must try

Pricey but very good food. Had breakfast there, breakfast wrap — good stuff. Pancakes, home fries, egg scramble — all tasty. Neat ambience and very friendly folks

I am a self-​proclaimed brunch aficionado, and Sunnyside is my favorite place to go in Berkeley. Portions are hearty, options range dramatically, and they are very liberal with avocado portions. What more could you ask for?
Important warning, like most restaurants in the UC Berkeley area, there isn’t a ton of seating, and eating with larger groups is basically impossible. Sunnyside is a great place to go on a brunch date with a bestie, a bestie you don’t mind squeezing into a small table with.
All in all, Sunnyside gets five stars as my favorite brunch place in Berkeley. A perfect mix of welcoming, casual dining and delicious, hearty portions, what more could you ask for on a Sunday morning?

I came here based on a Cal friends recommendation who loves their Alameda specialty dish. I was also enticed by their blueberry french toast pictures past Unilocalers posted.
I guess that the blueberry french toast was a special but their staple is orange french toast. I went with the original eggs benedict and my partner with the bacon Alameda. My benedict were OK. Every few bites, I tasted something zesty but could not pin point its origin. The bacon Alameda is definitely a force to be reckoned with. The french toast is savory in case anyone was wondering. It pairs nicely with the meats and veggies.
You order first then find yourself a seat. It is a very small place with 2.5 booths, a small counter, an upstairs area where you can make 3 4 seaters and one large 8 seater, there is also seats directly outside and also not the side.
I wasn’t blown away but its fair to note that it is a fairly popular place. We came in at 10am and when we left, they had a line out the door.

BACKGROUND
Came here after an 8 am class in VLSB with J. We were both hungry and this was the closest brunch place. The store is small but cute, in the sense that it gave off a homey vibe. There were several customers eating in the tables outside and the booths inside. We noticed that it was a order and pay first place and went to the counter. The cashier was patient with us as we looked over the large selection of breakfast items.
FOOD
I ordered pigs in a blanket because I wanted to try their sausage. The portion was large, so large that I had to take-​out half of it. Everything tasted good, nothing overcooked or undercooked. However, like some Unilocalers have mentioned, nothing in this dish is special because it can be easily made at home for much less than $ 10. Overall, pricey for an average dish.
J got the Alameda because of the fish. It turned out to be a lot more delicious and I ate most of his dish instead of my pig in a blanket. I love the hollandaise sauce! Maybe it is my first time tasting that sauce but I thought it tasted great with the fish and the sandwich. This is coming from someone who doesn’t like to eat fish too.
OVERALL
Usually not crowded on a weekday morning, so you don’t have to worry too much about seating. Plan to spend more than $ 10 per person for breakfast. However, you will have a large portion so come super hungry or prepare to eat it for a second meal.

The only reason for this rating of 3 stars was the tofu scramble. Honestly, it tasted like the only spice they used to season it was turmeric, and they used way too much of it. Yes, turmeric gives tofu scrambie a delightful yellowish hue, but mine was absolutely NEON yellow. The only thing I could taste was turmeric. I could barely eat ¹⁄₃ of it and was tempted to complain about it but didn’t want to ruin the dining experience for my darling husband, who gave the place 4 out of 5 chainsaws (his own personal rating system).
PLEASE FIND A BETTER TOFU SCRAMBLE SPICE RECIPE.
Here’s the one I use (credit to
):
1 pound extra-​firm tofu
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp salt (black salt if available)
I would hope that in Berkeley, you could find nutritional yeast, but it can easily be omitted. Black salt would give an awesome eggy/​sulfuric taste. Just because we’re vegan, doesn’t mean we don’t like FLAVOR! I like to make a big batch of this combo of spices and just scoop out 4 tbsp of it per pound of tofu, then squeeze a bit of mustard on it and call it a day! YOU CAN DO THIS, SUNNY SIDE!
Potatoes were awesome, as was the sourdough toast and veggie sausage. The tofu scram was so bad though… Please improve it!!!

Me and my partner love this place. It’s our favorite brunch place in Berkeley and we go here all the time! The Alameda is to die for. The portion size is SO big we usually share one, but today we were feeling extra hungry. We’re both vegetarian and they give us the option of substituting the meat for broccoli and mushrooms. First time I heard this, I was confused about the combination of broccoli with pancakes but IT WORKS SO WELL. The mushrooms are juicy, the tomatoes are grilled nice and large and are so flavorful and juicy as well. The whole thing is layered into a cake structure with different foods on each level. The plate is topped off with a perfectly cooked warm-​centered egg and some hollandaise sauce on top.
We also ordered the blueberry french toast which was on the special menu. This came as 3 thick slices of toast, cooked and browned to perfection. Blueberries were embedded into the toast and served with butter and syrup. My only complaint was that I wish there was more. For the same price as the Alameda, I’d expect a similar size but it was significantly smaller. But overall, fantastic experience and would always come again!!!

Since there’s no half stars, I’m rounding down to a 3, when I really think it’s more of a 3.5. Today I got the ham and egg with potatoes and wheat toast. I’ve been here a handful of times and I think their food is good, but I think most of what I order I can make at home, and I feel like it’s more expensive than the food is worth.
Also my fresh squeezed orange juice today was bitter, and it’s literally the same price as a mimosa… is that normal? Honestly, $ 6 is way too expensive for bitter OJ. Since it is fresh squeezed, the oranges are more to blame than the actual place (but still…)

This place sucks. The food isn’t appealing and it’s overpriced. Four dollars for a small orange juice? Are you kidding me? If you’re looking for a better breakfast place. Go to Original pollo’s, a few blocks down on shattuck. It’s a better experience, better food and reasonable pricing.
Oh and the Orange juice is watered down. There is no way it’s 100 percent fresh squeezed orange juice.

L’endroit idéal pour prendre un monstrueux petit dej ou brunch à côté du campus.
Conseils: optez pour leur jus d’orange frais, les œufs Benedict à tomber, et le pain perdu (à partager de préférence).
Leurs pancakes sont sympas aussi mais moins mémorables.
Et pour le prix, c’est vraiment bon marché !

Great little brunch place near campus! My dad and I had brunch before my class on a Monday morning and it wasn’t busy at all but it is a bit smaller compared to other brunch spots. Dad went with a simple 3 egg omelet and added spinach. Good portion size and they give you lots of potatoes on the side. After looking through Unilocal reviews, I decided to get the Alameda which is usually ham, roasted tomatoes, and sandwiched in between french toast topped with hollandaise and a balsamic sauce. BUT that day they had a special: pancetta alameda. double yum! Went with that and it was the perfect bite! Salty from the pancetta, a little smokey from the roasted tomatoes, sweet from the balsamic and creamy and tangy from the hollandaise. I would definitely get it again & come back to try the Amaretto french toast people have been raving about. Just cause it’s Monday, who says you can’t brunch like it’s Sunday?!
Till next time, LIVE.LAUGH.LOVE.EAT.REPEAT

Was on my way to Cinnaholic right next door — hoping to get a decadent sweet gooey lunch — and sadly Cinnaholic is closed on Mondays! What?! So. I turned my frown upside down and decided to check out the Sunny Side. Ditching my sweet tooth for savory Eggs Benedict and a classic black coffee, I was so pleased to take a seat in this teeny quaint homie spot.
Here’s what I’ve got to say about the food:
Tasty, simple, and fresh. BUT I found huge egg shells in my eggs. I munched them up thinking it was a crispy bit of ham! Ick! I told my server and I wasn’t charged. I guess eggshells in your meal = a 100% off coupon. Sweet! Score free meal, woah.
I also wish that my Benedict was really swimming in sauce — was a little on the dry side in my opinion.
But other than that, I’m happy to find a new cozy breakfast joint, eggshells and all. :)
However, I do wish they used organic ingredients. For not being all organic, it seems a little overpriced. Although they do have semi-​local eggs from Petaluma (not sure if they are free-​range or organic though) :/

Solid 4 star brunch place! Great quality and interesting items on the menu, and the waiters here are so nice! This place is also super cute, but like most places on Oxford– it’s a bit small.
I shared the vegetarian Alameda and the Mascarpone blackberry French toast, and both were amazing! I was scared that this combo would get too bready since both consisted of challah bread, but the flavor a of each were so uniquely savory versus sweet– it worked out great!
–Vegetarian Alameda: I am a meatitarian, but I actually really liked the vegetarian option where they subbed the ham with broccoli and spinach. This definitely made for a lighter option and brought some fantastic crunchy bites to the dish.
— Blackberry French toast: this smelled so amazing, my entire table was excited to have a bite of this. Since the dish was so rich and heavy, this is definitely something to share. Don’t let the mascarpone deter you away from this, you need to try it (especially for the blackberry espresso batter, so good!!) I ate the oranges with my French toast to add a little bit more flavor rather than dousing the bread in their thick maple syrup, and it was perfect!
A perfect place to go with friends or family on a sunny Berkeley day!

I love brunch, and I’ve always wanted to try Sunny Side Café.
I like to think of this place as extremely simple, yet filling. Unlike other brunch places, where you have to wait for a seat before ordering, in this place, you order before you find a seat. Sunny side café is a bit on a small side, so during peak brunch hours, it gets crowded and cramped. There is upstairs seating, but if that fails, you can always eat on the grass at UC Berkeley.
The Alameda. This is more like a meal rather than breakfast. Think of a french toast sandwich topped with an egg. There are two variations: one with sausage and one with ham. It’s super super filling.
Chocolate Marshmallow French Toast. At first, I thought was going to be extremely sweet, but it wasn’t! However, eat a couple bites before you put syrup to see if it needs any. This is my favorite, probably because I’m a sucker for sweet brunch, and the Alameda is a bit too much for me.
Everything else that doesn’t seem unique is pretty mediocre. The homefries were a bit mushy, and nothing else stood out. I would definitely come back for items that are unique only to them (Alameda, and Chocolate Marshmallow French Toast), but everything else is just meh.