Sunlight Cafe

Awesome staff here and I love their menu! The food is always delicious and it definitely brings more sunlight into my evenings as well as bright sunshine during my mornings! Thanks you guys :)

My family came with twin two-​year-​olds and the service was absurdly terrible. Nobody took our order for at least twenty minutes and it was almost as if we were being purposefully ignored. The food was overly salty and while this spot may have once been trendy, brunch and vegan/​vegetarian dining has long surpassed what was offered here. My side salad was disgustingly tangy (I love vegan tahini dressing, and this was off putting) or the tempeh which had great potential but was so salty I couldn’t tell if it was good. Also who charges extra for Nutritional Yeast?
What really bothered me was the message of healthy living and wholesome food that was clearly not embodied by the employees who didn’t seem to care enough to even make sure they brought us the correct food and seemed to openly be annoyed with our two-yeaar-old’s behavior?
Save yourself the trouble and try out Chaco Canyon, Wayward Vegan Café or one of the other many options doing this same concept a million times better.

My go to vegetarian café in Seattle. I’ve only been for breakfast but my dish of choice is definitely the Huevos Rancheros. The coffee is excellent as well!

Over the past few months, I’ve been trying to go mostly-​vegetarian again (though I still eat fish sometimes) and just eating more healthy food. I’ve been to Sunlight with my mom twice in the past two months or so — once for lunch and once for dinner. I’ve had the Hummus Roll-​Up and the Greek Salad (with lemon-​tahini dressing) and shared some of my mom’s falafel. Everything I’ve tried is tasty and healthy, though they do tend to go rather heavy on garlic and onion flavors. Bring breath mints!
Service has been a bit on the slow side, but friendly. There’s a relaxed vibe, so don’t go if you’re in a hurry. I plan on returning to try some of their other options like the Nutburger.
A note on the tables said that the restaurant may need to move soon because their building might be redeveloped. I really like the space and hope that they find somewhere else comparable if they do have to move.

Brunch. 10 AM. Huevos Picante, egg whites only. Green sauce. Coffee. So happy-​making.

A small café in Seattle that’s been around for 40 years. It’s a vegetarian joint but the food there is wonderful. The service is great and the chef in the kitchen is hilarious.
I got the brown rice salad with sautéed tofu and their homemade lemon tahini dressing. WOW! I would suggest this to everyone who walked into the door. It pops with so much flavor and everything is so fresh! My mouth is watering just thinking about it (and I’m writing this review a few days later after my thanksgiving dinner). My friend got the eggs and home fries. Their home fries were delicious! Cooked to perfection.
Everything about this cozy place is great. If you are in the university district area, stop here. Even if you’re a meat eater, I’m sure you could find something you like on the menu like I did. They do their own spin on tacos and the variety is amazing.

Good expresso coffee and really nice food!
Last time I went seemed pretty crowded (Sunday morning) so be aware and plan in advance.

My boyfriend really likes this place and took me here for breakfast the other week. We got blueberry hotcakes and one of the scramble specials, and shared three cups of their house chai. YUMMMMMMMMM. The pancakes were so freaking delishiouuuuus. And I loved that the chai was spicy and not pre-​sweetened. This is huge for me, because it’s really hard to find good, spicy chai that doesn’t have sugar added in the mix. The scramble was standard yummy – though I really appreciated that the cook subbed feta for swiss (duh) even though the sign said NO subs. Sweet joint, I’ll be back for your CHAI tea, madam.

Great service from friendly waiters, but that was basically all the positives for the experience. Went for a quick steamed veggie & tofu w/​garlic-​ginger sauce and brown rice for $ 7.95. The veggies and tofu were cooked just enough, and very plain… not even a sprinkle of salt. The brown rice had some kind of strange flavor that it was difficult to finish. It was this bitterness paired with extreme saltiness. If that was the garlic-​ginger sauce, it definitely needs to be toned down!

This is the best food in Seattle if you’re into things like love, empathy, sustainability, quality, quality time, organic ingredients and protein that is not an animal (they prepare the food with all of the above). I was born and raised in Seattle and this place embodies my favorite elements of this city. On top of all of this, every single time I leave the Sunlight, my body feels like it just got a massage from the inside out. This is not a place for people who like ego, guns, or blood in their food. P. S. they have what appears to be the world’s largest vintage Pez collection.

Our waiter was super friendly. Our food was so good! I was thinking it would be so so, considering it was a vegetarian restaurant, but I was wrong. Tons of flavor! My only downfall was the bathroom. I washed my hands and whatever soap they have made my hands smell like throw up. Thank god I had hand Lorton in my purse because it was really bad! Like REALLY bad!

Unilocal is like Ashley Madison. I usually go to wayward café but when I logged into Unilocal I found that this café was around the corner I couldn’t resist. Very astute and charming staff, comfortable and pleasant ambiance. Love the friendly neighborhood vibe.
Had the vegan highlander and it was straight up the best breakfast I’ve had in a long time. Those are my flavors. Sweet and salty sauce over nicely cut temphe, greens, peppers, potatoes. I felt everything was cooked to perfection. Wife had vegan deluxe and loved it. Without asking our server gave us some cut fruit for our 1 year old which was very thoughtful of her.
Loved that they serve espresso too. Thanks for hooking us up Unilocal

I’ve been here three times and all three times have had sub-​par service. They always seem like they’re annoyed to have to help customers and when we’re ready for the check or ready to pay, we have to sit around, even if I try to get the server’s attention. I’ve gone weekday morningss when there aren’t that many people in there so it’s not because they’re busy, either.
It’s not really vegan friendly, either. I really like their tofu, but they charge over a dollar to have it instead of eggs. When I asked if they had non-​dairy creamer, the waitress said they just had soy milk; I think it was completely unsweetened, so it didn’t help much. When I asked for sugar she said there was honey on the table, even though we’d already established that we’re vegan. I asked if she had other options and she said she COULD bring some sugar over if the honey wasn’t okay. Clearly it’s not or we wouldn’t have asked.
I like that the portions aren’t gigantic and the prices LOOK reasonable but if you’re vegan you’re going to pay about 50% more for the substitutions anyway.

I wish there was a 3.5 star for me to rate this place. This restaurant is rather cozy, and the service was good. At first I told my server that I wanted to box my food home, but then another guy bussed my table while I was gone. However, she was kind enough and asked the kitchen to remake everything and box it for me.
I ordered the Soup, Salad & Bread Combo with tempeh, and had a cake with tofu based chocolate with coconut in it. The dessert was DELICIOUS and super rich, and I loved the special creamy basil dressing for my salad. The soup was the 3 bean chili, which I thought was just alright.
Not my favorite vegetarian restaurant, but it was still pretty good.

Been here twice for breakfast. Neither experience was bad but I was never super impressed. Minus one star because it was really dirty in there — the lamps on the tables were coated in dust (you just think someone would notice and take care of it), and our silverware was dirty (coated in strange yellow substance). We also were first to arrive (9am) and our table clearly had not been cleaned (black crumbs everywhere). Minus one star because although the food is vegetarian it was still greasy and service was very very slow despite us being first in the door. The food was not bad but I think this place could definitely do better.

First, let me say that I did not try the food at this place. It did look pretty good when I saw what my neighbors had ordered.
I went here to grab a quick lunch and was disappointed to find that
1) the menu consisted of like 4 different things, rearranged in slightly different packages.
2) it was a little on the pricey side
3) you are charged extra for literally everything. Extra salad dressing = $ 1.25 extra, split a meal between two people = $ 2.50 extra, add tofu to a meal = $ 4.50 extra (that’s all a vegetarian place sells… why doesn’t it just come with it?), and the list goes on.
My girlfriend and I decided not to get food due to the limited options and obnoxious up upcharging. We got a tea and a cider and spent $ 10. I was surprised because she was the one who commented on how ridiculous it was, and she is normally willing to overlook that sort of thing for a niche food like Vegetarian.
This reaffirmed my theory that if you want vegetarian food, you should just get it at a regular, full-​service restaurant. Vegetarian restaurants have limited competition and charge more as a result. They also just have fewer options.

Very tasty food the deluxe with tofu and guac was really good and enough for 2 with a little left for my husband to taste. He got the eggs and breakfast fries. No complaints there either. This is a trendy artsy place. The smells of French toast and pancakes are lovely. Do not be put off by the tattoos and piercings it’s just window dressing the people and friendly and the service good. Will most certainly come back to enjoy the food and atmosphere. The people watching is certainly part of the experience.

I’ve gotten the vegan highlander twice and I absolutely love it. It’s so delicious. I had a lentil daal soup the first time and it was amazing. The second time I had a «Lima bean gumbo» which was good, but I would not consider it gumbo. My boyfriend had the tempeh burger with red pepper spread both times and loved it. The service is a bit slow bc they seem a tad understaffed but as long as you’re not in a hurry it’s not a big deal. Will definitely return.

How I heard of this place: Probably the oldest, and undeniably the longest standing vegetarian restaurant in Seattle, the Sunlight has been my go-​to ever since moving to Seattle over a decade ago.
Type of cuisine: The Sunlight Café has been «offering delicious and healthy vegan, vegetarian and gluten-​free dishes for over 35 years.»
«The restaurant is vegetarian, meaning meat free, but we do use dairy products and eggs. We offer vegan dishes and vegan alternatives to many of our non-​vegan menu items. We also offer vegan and gluten-​free deserts as well as traditional dairy and egg containing selections… The ingredients used at our restaurant are the finest available short of being completely organic. We serve organic coffee and espresso, additive-​free beer and wine, fresh fruit smoothies, and a variety of homemade breads, pastries, and desserts. With the exception of a few ingredients, our dishes are prepared almost entirely on the premises.»
Ambiance: Having been around since 1976, only the layers and layers of paint seem to have changed in the establishment. Set on the corner of Roosevelt Way NE and NE 64^th Street, the floor to high-​ceiling windows along two sides of the restaurant allow for the streaming in of natural daylight — whether grey or blue skies persist. Upon entry, patrons are offered the option of dining at the space to the right: bar seating immediately adjacent to the grill and chef space, or to the left: in the 70s-​era dining room. Either way, diners are in for a gustatory treat. The blue painted walls, red-​orange accents, miscellaneous plants, tables and chairs or booth seating at the back wall are only the backdrop to the more important people-​watching that one will thoroughly enjoy while dining at the Sunlight.
What I ordered: As with every meal at the Sunlight Café, no order is complete without the signature Small Tossed Green ($ 4.95) made up of lettuce, vegetables, seeds, clover sprouts & «choice of dressing». We all know, however, that no one dares go outside of the most amazing Lemon-​Tahini dressing, the only reason, really, to order this mountain of fiber.
What I loved: Lemon Tahini.
Why I loved it: The space is comfortable, unpretentious, cozy and blue. The windows grand and the food so good you’ll forget it’s vegetarian.
Cost: Average ($ 7 — $ 12 per entrée)

Pretty good espresso, laid back atmosphere, super chill barista. If their espresso was slightly better, it would have gotten a 5 from me.