I really don't understand why we waited 45 minutes for this place. While I was watching, empty tables sat empty, as servers lackadaisically carried food to other patrons at a snails pace. If the service was any slower it would have been going backwards. The food was palatable according to my dining companions however my Biscuits and Gravy were not. They have a mimosa which is nice, but I can make one of those at home. For me this place just missed the spot on all levels, slow service, sub par food, and an over all disappointment. Next time I'm in Capitola I'll just make breakfast myself. I do it better. read more

If you like slow, inattentive service, go here. If you like even slower food preparation and enjoy long, long waits, this is the place for you. The food is passable. read more

I'm writing this initial review based on the lunch I had there. I feel that this is probably more of a breakfast place though. I had a tofu scramble which was very good! The place kind of has a diner feel which I really like. The waitress was very nice. I was a little disappointed because they were out of french fries that day which I thought was a little weird. How can you be out of french fries at a diner. Isn't that like a staple food? Anyway, I am interested in trying breakfast there in the future. read more

This is a greasy-spoon type diner in the heart of Soquel "village" - I don't mean that in a negative way but it describes the type of place this is. A small place with counter seating and about 6 booths so it will be crowded during prime eating hours. Service is friendly. Great for kids. It's mainly a breakfast place and of course, breakfast is served all the time. Limited portions but for the price, the value is OK - but you can do much better at similar places in the area. For example, their Sunrise Breakfast special comes with two pieces of tiny bacon. Bottom line - nothing extraordinary here. If you are in the area and need a quick breakfast or lunch go for it. But it's not a "hey, let's go drive to the Sunrise Cafe" type of spot. read more

Run down diner, for sure. Slow food delivery, but it was worth the wait. The partner had the vege omlette and was thrilled that vegetables were a little al dente. I had the french toast special and they smelled like mom used to make. read more

My husband and I are new to the area and wanted to look for a breakfast place. We decided on this place based on the comments on yelp.com and Sunrise Cafe passed with flying colour! Everything was in our favour...got a parking spot right in front of the restaurant, and a booth became available as soon as we walked in...if we had arrived any sooner or later, we would have had to wait. Service was fast (greet and drinks ordered as soon as we sat down) Food came out about 15 min later but we didn't mind as the restaurant was at full capacity. Food was great, I ordered the Soquel Special; english muffins topped with canadian bacons and two poached eggs along with hollandaise sauce...3 slices of tomatoes and freshly cut fruits. My husband ordered Potato mess, which was on the board; basically a potato fritatta loaded with goodies and topped with sour cream and tomatoes...also had whole wheat toast, a more than satisfactory meal. We will definitely return and may have to wait next time...but well worth the wait! read more

Had breakfast here on valentine's day. There was a short wait which wasn't bad, we ended up at the counter. SO had the western scramble, I had the Greek omelet and we shared aside of biscuits and gravy. There are specials written on the wall that I saw after we ordered. The food took a really long time to come, once it came out looked really good. My omelet was well made, the ingredients are fresh but it was just OK. My partners scramble had alot of things that should have made it wow, sadly there was no wow. The biscuits and gravy were bland too, again no wow. The biscuits were super cake like. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great. Think we'll try someplace else next time. read more

Old greasy food! Dine at your own risk. Of you go, stick with the standard, greasy fare. Don't order any specials and don't order anything exotic. By all means, stay away from the shrimp omelet. We both got food poisoning here. The technicolor yawns started a few hours after breakfast. Luckily we weren't in My car. Nasty! read more

What you expect for a cozy breakfast place..Good food and service , very consistent...Try the potato mess or Corralitos scramble, both really good . read more

Really great breakfast with lots of options. Very fast and friendly service. Good prices too. This place makes my list of breakfast places to visit again. read more

Breakfast was very popular and staff was a little absent when it came time to order or even bring our food. I think we counted three servers helping us because the previous was either gone or on break. Food was good but a few dishes had a lot of salt. read more

Well after living nearby 13 years and never eating here, I thought it was about time to try it, especially after reading all these good reviews and seeing a line form out there every weekend and sometimes even weekdays. WOW, it was great. FANTASTIC I think. Home fries cooked so well, I went with 3 people and we all got different things. Each one of us raved about how great the food was. It had that old fashioned feeling of a little diner and I liked that. It really was worth the wait, which wasn't all that long. (maybe 15 minutes on a Sunday). Friendly staff, fresh veggies, tasty eggs, a good assortment of types of toast, I mean it was all good. No complaints from me (that's unusual!) read more

I noticed the other reviews saying how the place gets crowded and that the waitresses are mean. My recommendation for people is to go early as in 7-8 because if you go any later there WILL be a line. I went at 7:30 on a Saturday & by the time I left an hour later there was already a line forming outside. The waitress I got seemed nice and attentive to the table. (I cant vouch for the waitresses later in the day as there was only 3 tables full when I went.) The food was delicious! I got the eggs benedict; it was cooked perfectly and it was very filling. I'm a fan of sunrise cafe read more

We were looking for a brunch place near Capitola on this stormy Sunday morning.... and this place was just a right pick! The staff is super nice, especially the host girl! The food was homestyle, tasty and not pricey. Right after we ordered, the power went off... they had to close, but they still served us and couple other tables. Such a pleasant experience :) read more

Really cool place. Very small diner but totally worth the wait. Service was on point and the prices are fantastic.

Cute place. Jazz music. Small but comfortable. Food was not great. I had the California Benedict which was awful.

Don't want to give it 5 stars just bc I don't want to give out the secret of such a great small local restaurant. Great food and friendly staff. You may have to wait but worth it! Gotta has the biscuits!!! read more

My favorite breakfast place in the entire bay area, though I may be a bit biased because it is about 5 minutes from my house. Ive been coming here for 20 years now (yep, my entire life) and I think ive only managed to try about 5 items on the menu, because they are addicting and then I end up ordering the same thing for years at a time. I most often get the soquel spuds with no ham and adding bavarian sausage from corrolitos market. delicious. Their scrambles can also be replaced with tofu instead of eggs, which I love. All their wait staff are really nice and friendly too which is an added bonus to great food. Potato lovers come here as their homefries are delicious. read more

The Mrs & I were looking for a relaxing Friday brunch so we decided to give this place a try. It was an excellent choice. The place reminded us of the small, hometown diners we had grown up with. We got the chorizo omelet and the bavarian sausage scramble. Both with home fries and biscuits, plus the spanish salsa. Both meals were absolutely delicious and enough to satisfy any appetite.The salsa added just the right amount of kick to the home fries and the biscuits were warm, soft and soaked up butter and jam like a sponge. The wait staff took good care of us and the price was very reasonable. We will definitely be going back! read more

Love this place! Great food and excellent service. I have been coming here for over 10 years and am always delighted.

I've been coming here for years. I love the food, which reminds me of some good, home-cooked meals.

Been here a few times now and everything has been great. Very nice service, always there to refill your cup of joe when needed. The cheezy Bavarian sausage scramble was ridiculous, yummy times. Also got the Hill Burger and it was ENORMOUS and tasty and only cost $7.25 with a heaping helping of fries. Awesome value. Highly recommended and with a cool, small town diner atmosphere. read more

I love this place..comfortable and casual atmosphere and pleasant background music contribute to the overall pleasantness of this quirky little cafe. This is where a lot of locals eat, and that's always a good sign. (If you ever want to find a great place to eat in any town you happen upon, find out where the locals go, it's usually a sure thing). The food is great, the atmosphere relaxing, and the waitresses are cool, very sweet and laid back. This is not a place for high maintenance people, but if you're a local, or have the laid back, unhurried mellowness that Santa Cruz County invokes, stop by and enjoy this little jewel of a cafe in Soquel. read more

Very good food. The pancakes were perfection. The sausage had so much flavor. The home fries were yummy. I also enjoyed the biscuit with gravy. You can't beat the deals here!!! read more

Our favorite is the Joe's Scramble. My husband orders sliced, grilled tomatoes instead of the home fries - and I sometimes get a pancake instead of toast (just every so often because their pancakes are delicious). It's a great neighborhood diner. We've been going here for years and years. read more

Such a fantastic little local spot. Staff was incredibly friendly and efficient. The food was delicious and the portion sizes were more than generous. I'd definitely come back. read more

I came here based on the yelp reviews and was a little disappointed with the food, it wasn't bad but I had higher expectations based on the reviews I read. I had the corned beef hash and eggs, and the hash was dry and overcooked. The service was wonderful and very accommodating, the waiter kept all of our glasses full. My kids had the Mickey mouse pancakes and enjoyed them. The price was fair and I'd visit again but I wouldn't order the corned beef hash. read more

Went around 8:45 to get some breakfast. Amazing service for being early in the morning. Waiters where very attentive. Food was amazing goes great with a fresh side of fruit!! Definitely come here again ! read more

The service was great, and the food really delicious, very tasty and fresh. They serve coffee to die for!

My favorite place in town to get breakfast. The scrambles are amazing (choices range from shrimp to Corralitos sausage and everything in between!). Prices are very reasonable and the service has always been good. read more

This is such a cut place. My boyfriend and I love to come here to enjoy a nice relaxed breakfast. The waitresses are always nice, friendly, and on top of coffee refills. The food is good. They have lots of varieties of omelets and scrambles, which is mostly what I get. While I'm not personally crazy about the potatoes that come on the side, the eggs and toast is always enough to fill me up and leave me satisfied. read more

Not much to choose from on the menu a lot of basics where missing. For some reason they gave me my juice in a tiny child sized glass and I had to ask just for a normal sized cup. The bacon and fries where the only thing that tasted good. Their soup gave me food poisoning and when we left there were two waitress smoking in the parking lot while wearing their work aprons and staring at me. Really? if you are going to smoke on your break at least take off your apron that's just nasty. read more

I've only eaten lunch here, so I can't chime in with everyone else about the wonderful breakfasts. But the lunch was excellent. Good price for an amazing gourmet burger, and perfectly crispy fries. Service was friendly and relaxed, good down-home atmosphere. Highly recommend for lunch, as it isn't the mob scene you can get at breakfast. read more

We have wanted to eat here for some time and always find it to be very busy. After finally trying out the cafe, I would say it has good food and service. read more

Ate breakfast with my wife and granddaughter at this wonderful diner in Soquel. The Poppas Pesto is incredible - potatoes, spinach, mushrooms, and pesto of course. Large portion and so very tasty. read more

Best corned beef hash anywhere. Definitely NOT out of a can, this was delicious, big, not at all greasy, and satisfying. We ate at the counter and had fast service, great food, nice portions, and friendly service. Good place. Only knock was the hot chocolate, which came out of a machine and wasn't bad, but we would have loved something homemade. read more

Love the staff here. If your half decent person to a wait staff then they go out of there way for you. I'm picky and they always work with me. read more

All in all it was good. Home style breakfast and the portions were huge! Very affordable. The coffee was kind of watery and I give the service about a B- but it was busy. We'll go back for sure though. read more

Delicious food, great atmosphere, friendly staff. The Potato Mess (usually on the specials board) is delicious, but I always add salsa because it's a little dry. They have a Mexican special that I can't remember the name of with housemade sauce that is amazing, and the pesto plates are all delicious as well. Great breakfast and very home-town feeling without the grease. Can be a wait on the weekends but if you sit at the bar, you usually get in quick. Bonus: mimosas! read more

I like the veggie sramble. Good service and prices are reasonable. The have a full beakfast and lunch menu. I like it because the veggies are fresh and get your food without waiting too long- read more