A great brunch spot that you’ll return to time and again

first visit to The Sunflower Bakery & Cafe in Galveston was one to remember, albeit not necessarily for the food (although it was delightful).

It was April 2016 and a couple girlfriends had joined me to go see Chief Robert Irvine of Restaurant Impossible perform at The Grand 1894 Opera House in Galveston’s Historic Downtown Cultural Arts District.

Little did we know that we’d wake up the next morning to a catastrophic flooding event in the Houston-Galveston area caused by a storm system that dumped more than a foot of rain on the area and would come to be known as the Tax Day flood of 2016.

Ready for a hot breakfast, the closest place that we could safely access that morning was The Sunflower Bakery & Cafe which proved fortuitous. The multi-roomed restaurant with its sunny, yellow-painted walls and array of brightly-colored paintings and photographs hanging throughout provided a welcome respite from the dreary weather outside. I enjoyed a heaping plate of migas accompanied by a cup of coffee and a mimosa before we made our way back home.

Hubby and I were in Galveston not long ago for an overnight trip and I knew I wanted to partake in a leisurely brunch at The Sunflower before heading home. A line of people hanging out the door when we arrived was a bit daunting initially, so Hubby let me out to get us on the list while he looked for a parking place. Fortunately, the wait wasn’t long and before we knew it, we were at a table enjoying coffee and Bloody Marys.

I selected the “Texas Crab Cakes & Eggs” which was two crab cakes topped with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce, accompanied by breakfast potatoes and toast. Hubby selected “Chicken & Biscuits” which was fried chicken strips, two eggs any style (he chose scrambled) with a biscuit and sausage gravy. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals and couldn’t finish them because there was so much food.

Family-owned and operated, the Sunflower Bakery & Cafe has been serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and its famous bakery treats since 1999, all created from scratch.

It began as a small bakery that served a few bakery items, cold sandwiches, and its famous tomato basil soup. A second location was later opened, with both continuing to grow. Eventually, both businesses were combined at the current location, with the crowds of customers nearly overwhelming them.

All was nearly lost in September 2008 when Hurricane Ike brought in seven feet of water that destroyed everything in the restaurant right down to the last spoon. Refusing to be bested, however, the restaurant was rebuilt in record time and reopened just three months later to record crowds and excellent reviews.

According to the Sunflower team, “The secret to our success is that we are chefs first. As a result, we focus on making fantastic food as well as creating a delightful experience for our customers. By focusing on creating a business we could be proud of instead of just making a profit, we build a loyal following that has far surpassed our wildest dreams.”      n

The Sunflower Bakery & Cafe is located at 512 14th St. in Galveston. Closed on Tuesdays, it is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Mondays.