The Sunflower Bakery & Cafe

I cannot figure out why this place is always so crowded! I have never been to another restaurant, anywhere, that cared less about accommodating its customers. I wouldn't go here at all except I have friends who (inexplicably) love it. It's always crowded and noisy, and DO NOT go if you have a large party of people to seat. We were there this past Sunday with a party of seven and it took almost an hour for them to get us a table. I wanted to remind the hostess that two tables of four took up the same space as one table of seven, since she kept seating smaller parties ahead of us. It took another hour to get our food (during this time we only got one refill of water; our waiter was mostly MIA) and when it arrived, it was cold. Cold fries, cold gumbo, cold hot sandwiches. My ""chicken and sausage gumbo"" had four small shreds of chicken, no sausage at all, and was served over about two tablespoons of rice. The flavor wasn't bad but it was basically a big bowl of watered-down, lukewarm, roux filled with large, unpleasant-to-eat, chunks of bell pepper. It's overpriced in general. They charge $1.25 for each *can* of soda (no refills) but can't be bothered to offer a caffeine-free cola. They don't make substitutions: One member of our party is diabetic and asked if he could get a small salad or green vegetables instead of fries with his sandwich, but they wouldn't do it. A ""side"" of coleslaw is about three tablespoons in a plastic cup. Be careful ordering meat or fish on days they are busy: It will almost always be undercooked. Apparently they don't have enough staff--wait staff OR kitchen staff--for the number of customers they can seat, because the service is always slow and inattentive, and the food is haphazard. Granted, this was Mardi Gras weekend, but I see it this busy or more busy on a regular basis so I don't think that's an excuse. Furthermore, since they are very busy on a regular basis, I don't understand why they can't establish better seating and service protocols: It's not like they don't expect it. The, the waiter messed up our tickets three times in a row because he didn't think he needed to write anything down. On the way home, my friend and I stopped at McDonald's (54th and Broadway. Very nice McD's) for a coffee and soft-serve. It was quieter, cleaner, had better background music, and the service was better, and it didn't take us three hours. more

Sunflower Bakery and Cafe more

This man will send you the wrong food, harrass you at your table, and then demand a nice tip. Here is the tip of the day, for you Zachary......you never know who is coming into your place of business. You should always respect the fact, you are the wait staff, and we are the customer. We were unable to enjoy our food, because you looked down on us, and didn't stop to think that you were handing us bad service. Our food was cold, and you didn't even bother to give me coffee, until I was almost done with my cold pancakes. My boyfriend could not even enjoy his breakfast because he was trying to control his urge to punch your lights out. You did us a disservice and have no respect for your customers. Following us, out and demanding that we stiffed you on your tip, well that was justice in it's self. You do the math. Next time, you get people in there that you think you can intimdate, think twice. This review will have everyone thinking twice before visiting your establishment. You want to through your weight around. You are the one working there, we are the customers, and we are always right. I feel rasicm all over Sunflower Bakery. more

Sunflower has great food but horrible wait staff and managers. I have been there numerous times for the food and I have now just given up on having a good server. Be warn good food but not happy people. more

The last time I went to the Sunflower was about 3 weeks after they opened the 14 st location. The service then was abysmally slow. Today, while the food is OK (not great, not horrible, just OK) the table service had improved immensely. However, after lunch I attempted to purchase some baker items. After waiting at the counter for almost 10 full minutes, I asked for help and was told As soon as I wait on this table. A man in a blue shirt came out from the back and I asked for help, which was given up to the point where he deserted me at the cash register where I stood for another 7 minutes before I just dumped the items and left. In this time of tight money and slowing economy, no shop can afford to lose customers standing there with money in hand, as this place does. My second visit was my last. Lousy service + ordinary food = keeping my hard-earned $ in my pocket. more

This is a great little place. If you are a soup lover, its a must try. They have the most delicious soups and sandwiches. Its a great little homey place for a Sunday brunch, and makes a great date place. It's always quiet and has great atmosphere. Make sure you check out the bakery cases if you visit, the desserts and specialty breads are not to be missed. more