Sunflower Natural Food Restaurant

this place is amaazzinngggg!!!

Although I’m a meat eater, trying new veggie/​vegan dishes is always something I look forward to (Tofu and Vital Wheat Gluten are a constant in my fridge/​pantry/​tummy) so I was REALLY excited to try this place out.
Sunflower Natural Food is a cute lunch counter and, luckily, right next door to my office. Unfortunately, it’s not very tasty. I’ve eaten there 3 times and each time the food has been bland and disappointing. The final time, my coworker shared her sandwich with me, we each took a bite and and threw the rest away. It wasn’t horrible, just tasteless, uninteresting, and not worth the calories.
My take is that this restaurant is a vegetarian diner of the 70’s and hasn’t been updated to reflect that veggie food in the 21^st century is flavorful and delicious. If I could leave a one word review, it would be «bland».

This place was awesome! I still can’t believe that nut burger had so much flavor. I guess eating healthy can still taste good! Wait time could improve but the food was great.

Oh my god! Words are useless to describe this place. I live 10 hours away and I will be dreaming of the ambrosia produced by this place… Until we meet again!
06−07−16 I came here again today! The food was again AMAZING! I ate 2 super nut burgers! And a number 2 smoothie! I was starving! I was super excited when I found out I was coming to Sac again just because of this place! Definitely the highlight of my work trip!

My favorite veggie burger ever! And a gluten free option without the slimy lettuce wrap — actual GF bun!

Super Nut Burger. I’m not vegetarian or vegan, but I could eat it every day and have a smile on my face. Food can take a LONG time to be prepared (we now call the order in). And seating can be limited at busy times. But the food is darn good and I don’t feel too guilty about it.

Despite being a meat eater, the reviews for this place had me curious. I was feeling adventurous and decided to try the nutty taco. Other reviewers weren’t kidding about the wait. It took 30 minutes for me to get one regular nutty taco and an iced tea, so this is not the place to go if you’re absolutely starving and need to eat right now. Seating is limited, but there is a park next door that I found quieter anyway.
The taco itself was much larger than I expected, but I found the sprouts confusing. I’d never eaten sprouts and it seemed like spinach or lettuce would have made more sense. Continuing on my vegetarian adventure I soon discovered the taco was really difficult to eat. Having a single corn tortilla and it being overstuffed just led to the whole thing falling apart and becoming more of a knife and fork affair. There were just way too many sprouts and I ended up pulling most of them out so I could taste more of the other ingredients. The nut mixture tasted better than I expected and I’d be curious to try a spicier version. The whole thing could have used more salsa, more cheese, and some avocado to be more taco like.
Overall this was not a terrible experience, but I don’t see myself craving nutty tacos anytime soon. I’m open to trying something else on their menu if out this way again. If there were a 2.5 star option that’s what I’d choose, but there’s not so since nothing heinous happened rounding to 3 isn’t the end of the world.

Great food and a nice destination ride as it’s easily accessible off the American River Trail. I had the nutty taco (actually two nutty tacos), and was comfortably numb afterwards! Seriously, they need hammocks or ample sofas to accommodate the post bike-​riding/​feasting semi coma that occurs.
Anywho, I digress. It was great food and a nice atmosphere. I suggest if it’s busy you grab a table when you can. The only negative was that because of this, my friend paid while I snagged us seats. When I went to pick up our food I didn’t have the ticket and they would not give it to me unless I could find it. They even covered up the drinks to ask what we got. I didn’t know what drink she ordered! This confuffle was very minor though. Overall a great experience.

This place is pretty good. My favorite food here is the avocado and also falafel sandwiches. The place gets really crazy busy sometimes. I’ve tried to call in as I leave my work to order my food so it’s ready by the time I get there but every time I call no one picks up! Anyway. The food is good enough that makes the waiting part worthwhile. There is plenty of benches and tables to sit outside if the weather is nice but if the weather is bad good luck finding a place to sit inside since the space inside is very small and limited. As I said I usually get my food to go. Very healthy food. The kind that after you finish eating your food you don’t feel disgusted by yourself. Lol. I highly recommend this place.

I grew up in Fair Oaks and remember feeling like the milkshakes at the Sunflower were amazing. I recently came home with my husband and mentioned as we drove past that they used to have the best milkshakes. He immediately demanded that we stop and get one. His choice: Coffee with peanut butter (strange, I know). It was still absolutely amazing. Still the best milkshake I’ve ever had.

Great vegetarian food aside, be prepared to wait (upwards of an hour to get a taco and ice tea); and be prepared for less than stellar service.
For those reasons, I will not return to Sunflower unless major improvements to service are made.

After looking into a few healthy restaurants, I settled on Sunflower and their nut burger. I opted not to get chips and salsa, and Im happy I did only because the burger was a good size and left me perfectly full. I forgot to ask for it vegan-​style, so be sure you specify as they wont ask. The nut burger was good and definitely satisfied my hunger! I think it could have used a little more flavor, but otherwise it was tasty and I felt good afterwards – not heavy. Overall I was pleased and would go back again to try some of their other items.

The nutburger is amazing. I haven’t tried the tacos, or anything else because the burger is THAT GOOD.
The do cans of soda and juice but I always go for the fresh squeezed vegetable juice, which is delicious.
Seating is limited as is the parking, however there is also seating indoors (never tried) and street parking.
This place feels like it came straight out of the 1970’s in the best way possible. There are chickens free roaming and sitting in trees which really adds to the atmosphere. They take cards.

So I happened to be driving within a quarter mile of Sunflower, and, would you look at that, my car just took itself to Sunflower. This is one place I always hit while in Fair Oaks, and have been for over 20 years. (Can’t believe I haven’t Unilocaled it ’til now).
So I can’t provide a comprehensive review, because I ONLY EVER get one thing on the menu: the patty melt!!! It is amazing. Food takes forever to get made, seating is never all that great, picnic tables that abut the parking lot, surrounded by local chickens that must have taken begging lessons from a beagle… and yet I can’t help but give 5 stars!
Yes, the patty melt is that good. So they use this vegetarian nut burger patty, which is unique and amazing in itself (and I’m saying this as a NON-​vegetarian carnivore who has never cared for a Boca burger or soy-​anything). Then it’s topped with melted cheese, an excellent mustard, and mayonnaise that might just be homemade. It comes with tomatoes and grilled onions, and is served on a grainy, crunchy, fantastic bread. Oh, everything goes together so perfectly, it’s heaven.
My mom and aunt have the same passion for their nutty tacos as I do for the patty melt. So apparently those are good too. And everything is vegetarian, so if you swing that way, there are tons of options. Many vegan too. They have lots of good drink selections like Hansen’s sodas, interesting juices, and smoothies.
So please go there, try a patty melt at least once. Call ahead your order so you’re not waiting forever. Consider taking it to go, unless you are in it for the unique downtown Fair Oaks cultural experience. There’s a park right around the corner, so you can sit over there too, but plan on chickens. Lots of chickens.

This is the foundation of Old Fair Oaks. It’s got small town charm and the best vegan and vegetarian eats for miles.
Still fresh, still awesome. Still wondering why I haven’t written a review sooner because I’ve eaten here well over a decade.
If you stuff your face with one thing here, let it be the Super Nut Burger. If a Carl’s Jr commercial had a vegan burger it would be this one. Get in it and get messy.
This establishment changes the opinion of all the skeptics I’ve ever dragged here kicking and screaming about eating anything without meat.
Everything is made to order so bring a book for the wait if you brave the lunch rush. Or just stare at the chickens that are about as forward as the squirrels at Sac State.
Seating is sparce, but you might get lucky with a picnic bench on a sunny day.

As my cousin puts it, «It’s nice to go somewhere where I can eat basically anything on the menu.»
Now, if you’re a vegan this doesn’t apply to you (but you can still eat MOST of the things they have), but I can imagine it is very freeing. Burger? Sure! I can have that! It’s a nut burger! Why yes, I’d love some nut tacos! If you’re vegan, I’m sure you’re used to asking for them to skip the cheese anyway.
As a gluten-​eating meat-​eater, I don’t struggle with finding things on a menu that I can eat (in fact, it might be better if I struggled more). But even with all the options in the world, Sunflower has some really good food. I hedged my bets and got the nachos, which I usually eat vegetarian anyway, but they were really delicious. The beans were super flavorful, the toppings were fresh, and except for the presentation (a little messy in a take-​out container), they were nachos I would order again.
I got to try the nut burger, and I might actually opt for that next time (surprising, I know), but you have to think of it more like a falafel and less like a burger. But the flavors are all really solid and the ingredients and vegetables fresh and tasty.
The ambiance is a little «meh.» Not much seating inside and it was a little chilly outside, but you forgive them for it.
Oh! I almost forgot. Get a pineapple milkshake. If you’ve ever been to Disneyland, it’s just like a Dole Whip. Epic.

Love this place! The food is always amazing and flavorful. The service is always wonderful.
I had the mushroom millet this time, but I love the nut burger; and the nachos are truly amazing. There is so much yumminess to choose from.
Their shakes are a great treat as well.

Nut burger is THE super food! It tastes delicious and leaves you feeling satiated without the bloat. It’s the perfect post-​hike meal (came here after hiking around Lake Clementine in Auburn.)
None of that food coma, greasy, groggy feeling! If only I was sponsored.
The patty itself is reminiscent of cumin spice. It’s not overpowering so I think non-​curry lovers and non-​vegetarians would enjoy it just as much. Sprouts, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, and sliced carrots were very fresh. Wheat buns were surprisingly soft and almost spongey. Plus a variety of hot sauce in self-​serve condiment area!
Frozen yogurt– like homemade ice cream made of less sugar and fresh flavors. A big scoop for 2.99. I mixed half tangy raspberry and creamy vanilla.
After reading reviews of how rude their service can be, I came mentally prepared. Just let them do their job and come for the fresh food! I’ll pray that you don’t get as many mosquito bites as we did…

My last review was in 2008 and this place is still 5 stars in 2016. I wish I was able to make it over here more frequently it’s such a nice spot to get lunch and hang out.
It’s Noon as I’m writing this review and the parking lot is packed. There is also a line a few people deep, but it’s still totally worth it. It’s a pretty small place where you order at the window and then they give out a paper number to pick up your order. Think of it as delicious vegan and vegetarian fast food.
It’s nice to enjoy the cool breeze outside at one of the tables when the weather is nice. I’m also especially happy when the chickens are out here and walking around.
The nutburger here is delicious and is what I usually order. But there are several other items on the menu that look really good.
I highly recommend this place!

This place is one of my local favorites. I usually order the super nut burger and my wife orders the nutty taco. I also recommend trying the falafel and I am still trying to navigate the rest of the menu. Everything I have tried is delicious, but the super nut burger blows my mind… It’s that good.
Only downside to this place is the early closing hours and long lines.
When I’m rolling thru the hood, I always check the line… no line today! Touchdown!