Restaurant Review
That’s Israel Stanley on the left with a towel. Daughter Sunnie is to the right.
Sunnie’s
4723 Pt. Loma Ave.
San Diego, CA 92107
www.SunniesOceanBeach.com
619-693-5298
I have been so reluctant to go to Sunnie’s since they have reopened. My review of them awhile back was less than stellar, and I was afraid that this time it would be no different. I am so happy to say that it was 180 degrees different this time than last time.
It was a very hot night and I just didn’t feel like cooking. Hitomi had school until 7:00pm, and my other student had gone out for “Taco Tuesday.” I decided to “bite the taco” – and try Sunnie’s again.
We took Shadow the dog with us, and because all of the tables (3) were filled outside, placed our order and Hitomi walked the dog. I stayed inside the restaurant, “people watching.” And there were a whole lot of people to watch. The term “revolving door” is certainly playing a role in the success of this restaurant. Just while we were waiting for our take-out order – 15 minutes – 7 people came in to place their order. I felt sorry for the cook, because he was really moving to get all of the orders filled.
Besides the tables outside, there were a few chairs up against a counter facing the wall, and two chairs at a counter facing the street. (One of the employees was sitting at one of the chairs there doing some work, so if a customer wanted to sit down and eat it was not possible.)
The menu is virtually the same as it was before. It is quite extensive with “Special Burritos” starting at $7.99 and going to $9.99. But there are also “Simple Burritos”, served with guacamole and sour cream ranging from $3.99-6.99.
There are six Quesadillas – $4.99-8.99; 5 Tostadas from $3.99-5.99; Three Enchiladas – $5.25-5.99; Five Soft Tacos – $2.99-3.99; TJ Style Mini Tacos and they are all $6.99. Additionally there are Hard Tacos and Flautas – $2.99-6.99; under “Seafood” there is one offering of Ceviche and Chips for $5.99. And there is more: Combos – $8.99-9.99; Plates – $8.99-10.99; and 14 Sides. That is in addition to Extra’s. There are two desserts listed and many, many drinks.
Breakfast is served all day, and ranges from $5.50-8.99. Along with the Belgian Waffles and regular bacon and eggs, there are also Breakfast Burritos. And the Daily Specials: Monday –Wednesday, from 1:00-4:00pm TJ Style Tacos are $1.50 each. For Taco Tuesday, TJ Style Tacos are $1.50 all day, and on Friday, Fish Tacos are $2.00 each.
Hitomi was particularly hungry, so she decided she wanted to try each of the TJ Style Taco’s. She had one chicken, one pork, and one steak. I decided that I needed to order the same thing I had ordered the first time I was there so I could make a comparison of the two times. I ordered a chicken taco and a steak taco. When I went before with a companion we had ordered a side order of Guacamole -$2.99 – that was so salty that neither of us could eat it so I ordered a side again this time to compare. The server told me that there was Guacamole on the Taco, but I said that I wanted a side anyway.
One more section on the menu is a “Build Your Own” plate. You can pick your base – burrito, fries, chips, quesadilla, salad, bowl for $6.99. Then there are four options for protein at $1.00 each – the Shrimp is $2.; and then there are 10 toppings, of which you can select four. If you want more than the 4, each additional topping if $1.00 each.
When I gave the server the order, I specified what Hitomi wanted and what I wanted. I truly expected them to be placed in separate containers, but that was not the case. When we got them home and opened the container, we could not tell which one was what taco. They all looked pretty much alike. (See picture.) And, the container was placed in the bag tilted, so that one taco had nothing in it; it had fallen out of the tortilla. We managed to put most of it back, and started on our eating journey.
The taco’s were very good. They were “double tortilla’s” with a nice portion of filling on the inside. And what the server said was true; it was topped with a generous amount of guacamole.
The guacamole was excellent. It was not too spicy and seasoned well. There was no evidence of salt this time, and we almost finished the entire container. It should be noted, however, that it did not come with chips, but I had some at home so for us it was not a problem. I would suggest that chips be part of the menu, because there is a listing for “Chips, Cheese and Salsa” as well as “Chips Cheese, Salsa and Guacamole”. I did not want the Salsa – had that at home also, but someone coming in off the street may want to have the chips to eat with the guacamole.
One of the complaints I had previously was the cleanliness of the place. I was not happy with what I saw, and the abundance of flies made me feel dirty. This time I did not see any flies at all. And an incident happened that shows me they are more aware of how important cleanliness is than before.
A waitress was attempting to carry three regular size taco’s out to a customer. Somehow one of the taco’s fell on the floor – I caught the second one and pushed it back on the tray. The patrons waiting for their order started to pick it up but were told that they would take care of it. After it was picked up, one server got a broom and swept the pieces into the dustpan. Then another server came out with a rag and wiped up the remainder.
Then Israel came out with a towel and disinfectant and also cleaned up the floor. By the time the three of them were finished cleaning up one could have eaten off the floor it was so clean.
It should also be noted that listed in a “Veggie Quesadilla” but I do not see a choice of tortillas. I didn’t ask if there were any gluten-free ones, so that is something to ask if you are going there for a meal.
Our total bill for the 5 taco’s and side of guacamole was $9.72. Not bad! And would we go again? Without question. Welcome back, Sunnie’s.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
One note: The owner’s name is Israel Stanley. Stanley isn’t his first name. :-)
Thanks. I heard someone call him “Stanley” when I was there and just picked that up. I’ll have my editor-dude change it.
Sunset Cliffs is part of Point Loma
What’s your point?
Sunnies is on Point Loma Avenue between SSC and Ebers.
Point Loma Avenue (to the middle of Froude) is part of OB using the City of San Diego’s borders (OB actually extends to Adair St).
Don’t want to be picky about this, but my deed of trust on my house specifies “Sunset Cliffs” not Point Loma.
Sunset Cliffs is a neighborhood in the Point Loma community of San Diego, California but it really doesn’t make a difference with the review.
Point Loma Avenue from Froude west is within the Ocean Beach Planning Area.
The OB Community Planning Board boundary also is south of there at Adair Street. The restaurant is within those borders, but what difference does it really make as Judi said?
Do we really need to have this argument every time someone says something is in OB?
An idea…instead of taking two paragraphs to basically write our the menu and prices, why don’t you just include a picture of the menu, like you did for the beverages? I’ve noticed you do this frequently in your restaurant reviews.
I like this idea! The more photos the better.
Thanks for your suggestion. I write the prices of the items because not all restaurants have a menu that photographs well. Some use a very small print, and if you enlarge it you miss the pricing, etc. Some restaurants have their menu’s on line; some on-line only have the most asked for items. And..frequently price change is not reflected on-line. Hence – writing about it.
If you’ve ever been at a meal with Judi — she does not miss a thing. She keeps track of how customers’ beverages are poured or what is said about a refill of beverages (she observes how a refill is offered to her, served to her, or not offered to her). She observes it all. Keep doin what you do Judi!!
Thank you. I never go into a restaurant with a preconceived idea of what I will find. I report only the things that I see – or don’t see.
I do enjoy your reviews though, thanks for doing them.