Sunnyside Up Cafe

(This restaurant has closed)

Here is all you need to know about Sunnyside Up Cafe: It has the best breakfast in the Twin Cities. But... I guess I should elaborate on that.

Sunnyside Up also offers lunch and (on certain nights) dinner, but I can't comment on either of those options because I go there for breakfast. Even were I to go there later in the day with the intention of getting lunch or dinner, I'm sure I would break down and end up getting breakfast anyway. And why not? It's just so damn good.

Calling the place a greasy spoon would probably be too flattering, and it if ever appears on that show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, it wouldn't be because it's a diner or a drive-in. It's one large, garishly designed room with strange, oddly captivating murals on the wall depicting anthropomorphic armadillos, turtles, and other such animals camping out in the desert. The service is curt but perfunctory, and they must have a high turn-over rate because I rarely see the same server more than once or twice. Service speed is usually pretty snappy during the week, but expect excruciatingly long waits for both a table and then your food on the weekends.

The menu contains the usual breakfast fair in the usual combinations and varieties, though the flavors are certainly extraordinary and the portion sizes are huge. You could definitely order a combination plate and finish it all in one sitting, but I don't recommend it. One of my favorite things about breakfast at Sunnyside Up is being able to take my leftovers home to eat for lunch and dinner. Along with the usual eggs, pancakes, and other breakfast standards, are the kitchen's fantastic Tex Mex inspired dishes, including the best juevoes rancheroes I've ever had (and, granted, I live in Minnesota and not Mexico) and a "cowboy" pork torillia torte that is totally off the hook.

I usually get the eggs Benedict with American fries, since the homemade hollandaise sauce is amazing, and their potatoes have just the right blend of flavor and crunch. The french toast is also fantastic in somewhat unique, having a crunchy crust made from cornflakes, or some other such cereal. And they always have different specials, combos, and new items.

I can't recommend this place highly enough, with the only downsides being occasionally slow and less than enthusiastic service, but the food is so good, and the ambiance so laid back and comfortable, that you won't mind waiting. Also, they only accept cash and checks, but there is an ATM located at the back in case you only have a credit card. Oh, and the bathrooms are pretty gross, and they take you right past the open kitchen which looks ever grosser, but the less said about that the better.

5 out of 5