sunny point cafe & bakery

i don't give perfect 5.0 ratings very often. this place is the bomb! a wait is normal so be prepared for 30-60min but they have a text msg system to notify you when table ready and a beautiful tree covered stone patio for waiting with self service coffee. they even have sidewalk chalk for the kids. i am a home roaster coffee snob and give this place a seal of approval with their single-origin guatemala coffee. the service was impeccable once we were seated. their two signature breakfast dishes are the shrimp & grits and the huevos rancheros, so we ordered both. we are from savannah georgia where people are serious about their shrimp and grits. these were on par with the best in savannah, with an inviting twist...topped with thick cut bacon pieces!!! the sauce was a little smokey with some spice, but i wouldn't call it "spicy". the huevos rancheros came on a bed of black bean cake with tortilla chips instead of tortillas. very delicious. they offer adult drinks, including big mimosas and variants of mimosas. we enjoyed a strawberry rhubarb mimosa which was tart and not too sweet. our neighboring table ordered a bloody mary that looked amazing, topped with many veges including okra and bacon. they ranted and raved about it. the service was spectacular. very attentive and ensured we were taken care of.  amended: as we left, they had live musicians playing on the patio for the waiting guests.  it is unheard of!  the waittimeis part of the overall grand experience.

i am always looking to find my next favorite place, well this is it. i travel to asheville a couple times a year, and sunny point cafe will be on the must do list. we started with the pimento cheese on bruschetta app. this alone is worth a trip. it is served with fresh tomatoes and dressing. ( did i mention they have their own garden). i had the chicken and waffle sandwich. it was delicious, and a must try. my wife had the shrimp and grits, which is one of their specials. being from florida we always hesitate to order seafood, because we are often disappointed. that was not the case here. the grits were creamy with hint of smokey flavor , and the shrimp were cooked perfectly. we enjoyed dinner so much we went back the next morning for breakfast. we arrived about 30 min after they opened and already the wait was 45 min. to pass thetimewe walked through the vegetable garden. there is also a small patio to sit and enjoy some coffee, and biscuits.

i have been to sunny point twice now. eachtimewas fabulous. firsttimei had the shrimp and grits which were the best i have ever had. and, i'm a sullivan's island girl! creamy grits, perfectly seasoned, not overly sauced. went down beautifully with a fat tire ale. the nexttimei had the grilled pimento cheese. another big hit. great crispy fries too. the ambience is playful and kitsch. love their vegetable patch.

sunny point cafe is on the main drag in west asheville. thistimeof year, their porch is sealed in and was pleasant on this cold winter evening. my dinner started out with a salad that i forgot to photograph. trust me, it was great: very fresh, greens and carrots, topped with a wonderful dressing that was creamy but not in the least bit heavy. for my main course, i ordered the portobello stack. it's a combination of breaded portobello mushroom on top, zucchini in the middle, and polenta on the bottom. as you can see, it comes with two sauces---three if you count the dollop of pesto on top. the parmesan sauce was good, but i am a sucker for tomato sauce and this one had a great balance of sweetness and acid. the savoriness of the mushroom made this a great vegetarian choice for dinner. while they have a wide range of vegetarian options, they don't ignore the carivores. i got a chance to taste the chicken sandwich, which was very juicy.

wonderful experience. by far the best breakfast we have had in an exceedingly longtime- superb quality! we sincerely appreciated the creative options on the menu - including the savory french toast. delicious! loved the ambiance and our server, danny, was wonderfully friendly, attentive and prompt. we live two hours away in charlotte but next visit to asheville, we will most definitely go out of our way to return. this spot is a must!

excellent. never been disappointed and don't expect to be. fresh is best and they have their very own garden in the back. love the surprises of the special offerings. cool and funky vibe, great and fun staff. wait times, at peak times, can be a turn-off but you have to expect that with this type of experience. great summer-time outdoor dining, bigtimedog friendly (which is important to us.) wish they would add another location sometime!

best breakfast asheville. best breakfast in all of asheville. there's a reason why you can get on a 40 minute wait on a monday. the waittimeis usually less than what they say so keep that in mind if you're there on a sunday :)..... (i like their approach...much rather be seated 20 minutes after an estimated 40 minute waittimethan 50 minutes after a half hour estimated wait time)....food is spectacular. i'll give 5 stars because the food, locally sourced jam, angel biscuits, real maple syrup (you'll never go back), and coffee is fantastic.....service is in the 2-5 star realm. lots of fantastic waiters/waitresses here (like half the staff is among the best you'll find in asheville) but also a lot of duds that i imagine got hired because their hair is green or they have a bunch of tattoos.....not saying anything against dyed hair or tattoos (the best of the best of asheville servers i just talked about are in the same category here.....but i feel sunny point would hire an inferior waiter if they looked the part over a more "non-dumbass" some times. that said, best breakfast in town and i got my regular waiters/waitresses that are awesome and the cooks are really solid....i'm sure, as with any restaurant or life, they make a mistake now or then, but i've never had anything but a superb experience...

ps. ive been going here for years and they finally added biscuits and gravy to the menu (formally a special only).....holy dang crap its good....unreal....again best breakfast in asheville.

get to the point!. i've been to sunny point café three times (each at different times of the day), tried three entrees, and sat in three different sections of the restaurant. naturally, i feel confident that i can give you a solid review of sunny point café. no first impressions have soiled or set my opinion of this place; also, rest assured that there is a gorgeous photograph of each dish i've tried uploaded on urbanspoon.
i tried sunny point café for the firsttimetwo weeks ago during the first day of my fall break. i liked it so much that i decided to go back for a second visit on my way out the morning i left for school. having come back to town for a weekend stay, i've capitalized on another opportunity to attend what has fast become my most favorite location for breakfast and lunch in asheville.

i'm no stranger to home-cooked meals; i prepare homemade southern food on a (very) regular basis, and i appreciate originality, nuance, and authenticity, as well as traditional preparation of old staples. however, any way southern breakfast food is conceptualized and prepared, i'm very particular that it be done homemade and with care. as a result, if i'm going out to eat breakfast, i'm going somewhere that can fulfill my desire for a satisfying, delicious, and properly prepared breakfast. anything else, in my humble opinion, is a waste of mytimeand money, unless i'm in a hurry (and i do hate eating breakfast in a hurry . . . it is a meal which deserves devotion and effort).

sunny point café (along with two other breakfast giants on haywood road) has so far yielded the most satisfying breakfast and lunch experiences that i've ever had in asheville (followed closely by salsa's, downtown (for lunch)). the atmosphere is quite friendly and convivial. i've been served by two different waitresses during my visits, and any and all service has been prompt, attentive, and very kindly administered (during all three visits during three different times of the day).

the food is affordable, relatively speaking. of course, one other pretty solid breakfast option (just down the road) serves a more traditional style for a bit less money, but sunny point café offers the traditional and the "new southern" options, served properly (every time), for a very good price. the portions are also quite large. at very few restaurants have i been served that much food-with that quality of both ingredients and preparation-within that price range. however, to be fair, the restaurant ought to be listed as "$$"
on urbanspoon, not "$".

and, the very best part of sunny point café is their attention to every ingredient and menu item. if you've read my other reviews, you understand that, as a cook, i esteem and value very highly a restaurant (which, keep in mind, is a business) which can prepare "home-cooked" food properly all across the menu. sunny point café goes the extra mile, and makes sure that, as a foundation, all of their ingredients are also local and "home-grown". the big hullabaloo over local food can only be justified, however, if said "local" food is prepared properly and tastes good (obviously).
so, to my immense enjoyment and satisfaction, i have walked away from sunny point café everytimewith a serious difficulty figuring out which item on my plate i enjoyed the most. in my opinion, this is a good problem. it means that every item that was put on my plate was thought-up and prepared with care and attention. it means that the biscuits and spuds aren't there to fill me up; it means that my glorious chicken sandwich suddenly has to compete with, of all things, my salad, as the king of my plate. this is a glorious problem, indeed, and it's why i'll be back to sunny point café again and again, until my king returns, until i die, or until they decide to stop serving me good food. keep it coming, sunny point!

ratings: atmosphere: 4.5/5 (check out their garden); service: 4.8/5; accessibility: 4.2/5 (the way they handle their long wait line is impressive; also, park across the street at the dollar store); affordability: 4.2/5; cleanliness: 4.8/5; portion sizes: 5/5; food quality: 5/5.

overall rating: 4.8/5; if you're a tourist, eat here. if you live in asheville and haven't tried it in a longtimeor haven't ever tried it, try it today. sunny point café is among my most favorite places to eat.

an excellent place for breakfast or brunch if you are willing to wait. they use local hormone antiobiotic free meats which is music to my ears. some great picks are the breakfast croissant, the amazing stuffed french toast available in savory (with cream cheese, cheddar, and crumbled local sausage) or sweet versions, and the award winning huevos rancheros with blean bean cakes, eggs,chorizo, salsa verde, roasted potatoes, tortilla slivers, and cilantro crema. i've been trying to replicate this dish at home ever since i first had it. thistimearound i tried a special dish about to be entered in a food competition. the tomato napoleon, with layers of local h

imagine. wow. in general, this isnt the type of place i would normally go. its just comes across as a little too precious. however, i was assured that i would be doing myself a terrible injustice if i didnt try their breakfast, and with my wifes parents in tow i figured there was no bettertimeto give them a spin. the huevos rancheros and the shrimp & grits seem to be the things to get, so i went with the latter, as did my father in law. wifey went with one of their specials; a black pepper biscuit, heirloom tomato, pimiento cheese napoleon garnished with sugar bacon. her mama had a black bean tostada. of course when in the south you drink sweet tea. this was to be no exception and theirs was certainly up to snuff. anyhow, everything showed up around the sametimeand i immediately knew that i was in for a rare treat. you have never had grits like these before my friends. cheesy and creamy with chipotle in a white wine dijon cream sauce, topped with crisp bacon?! oh yeah, and the shrimp, perfectly cooked, in there soaking up the sauce like it knows what i know. this dish blew my mind. next to me, my wife mentioned that she wished the tomatoes were sliced a little thicker but had no complaints otherwise. her parents are a hard read but they seemed to be happy. it neednt matter, as i was lost in a daydream about living in a world where we could all sit around and eat shrimp & grits under an air conditioned sun as mermaids swam by, spiking the refills of my sweet tea with vodka.... and that is where i shall linger, until we can return.
grade: a (well worth the half hour wait. and you will never hear me say that, because i simply dont do it.)

shrimp and grits better than charleston!. we split ourtimebetween asheville and mount pleasent sc and these shrimp and grits kick it out of the park! we've eaten all over the charleston area and tried the local fare including the very good hominy grill and these are superior to any we've had. major nod to you guys, you do not dissapoint and best bacon ever! just please stop changing your house salad dressing! it breaks my heart everytimei fall in love with one and then you take it away!! please allow us access to your former successes!

the only reason i will go to west asheville!. sunny point has some great food!! it is the sunny point in west asheville. it's the only reason i'll venture to west avl, a part of asheville i find depressing & decrepit. sunny point is like a beacon of yummy light though! one of my top 5 places for breakfast. huge fluffy, lightly topped with sugar biscuits. build your own omelette which for me is swiss/red pepper/onion/bacon. side of grits. fresh fruit plate (which today included ripe pears, apples, bananas, strawberries). blueberry muffin. gigantic portions which mean i get to snack all day. stays busy but waittimehas always been minimal when i've gone. right around 10:30 seems to be my lucky no wait window. so yes, go to west asheville & try sunny point. in my opinion the only great restaurant in that part of asheville.

free range eggs, solid organic coffee, best breakfast! i've always felt guilty about eating out for breakfast knowing that i am supporting factory farmed eggs, not so here! from the "farm to table" garden out back to the permeable parking lot, this place is the real deal. a line of 30+ had formed just before opening on saturday morning and by thetimewe left they was a wait so get there early.

omelette heavan!. great omelette's anytimeof day and although i am local usually have an omelette even when there for dinner. everything freshly prepared and delicious. i can't remember if i have had anything else there. the only one problem is that the wait can be very long at times.

lunch at sunny point. i took a group of friends to sp a week ago while vacationing in nc. it was a sunday at lunchtimeso a wait was to be expected. the hostess was extremely very friendly & made plenty of effort to get us seated. the waiter on the other hand was a bit abrubt and seemed hurried. first let me say we waited at least 45 minutes for our food after waiting 40 minutes to be seated. the food; however, it what will keep me from returning next year - i had the house made black bean burger; the burger, if you can call it that, was the consistency of firm mash potatoes - i have had better frozen veggie burgers than this. the portion of chicken on two of my friends plates was miniscule and one friends food was not hot. the others did not have much comment which lead me to believe they thought their food was average. i did eat hear last summer and had the portabella sandwhich which i enjoyed my food very much,