SEBASTIAN — Anyone who has traveled through the South has experienced the authentic roadside diner and the surprisingly great, hearty and home-cooked food.
Southern Sisters Café on U.S. 1 is that kind of place, but North County residents don’t have to hit the highway to find it.
Southern Sisters Café takes the best of a traditional Southern diner and raises the bar with a variety of lighter fare, salads, fish, delicious soups, fresh ingredients and even some vegetarian choices.
And it’s all served up with a smile by a waitress wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan, “Put a little South in your mouth.”
The décor of the place – shades of dark green, burgundy and a splash of pink – is a welcome change from the tropical colors of some of the more touristy establishments in town.
The Southern Sisters keep their glasses in dark cherry china cabinets and they serve the food on mismatched dishes – some white but most sporting a variety of floral patterns.
It’s shabby chic done quite tastefully and it makes us feel welcome every time we visit.
Southern Sisters is a kid-friendly place and one of those restaurants where guests frequently strike up a conversation with folks at the next table.
My son likes to pick a table in the screened-in porch on the north side of the restaurant, which is a nice spot to enjoy breakfast.
Hours are limited to breakfast and lunch for the summer and fall, but we were lucky enough to dine once at the tail-end of season when the café was open three nights per week for supper – that’s dinner for you Yankees out there.
To get the full experience, we stopped at Southern Sisters Café on four different occasions over the past few months – twice for breakfast, once for lunch and once for supper.
The food is consistently good and the service is always friendly. During very busy times, it might take a few extra minutes to get your food, but the waitresses keep your coffee piping hot and your tea cold and full in the meantime.
Breakfast is my favorite meal to dine out and omelets are my favorite breakfast food.
Southern Sisters has a great variety of omelets and fillings, expertly cooked so the eggs aren’t dried out and the veggies aren’t raw.
I chose the Ugly Omelet ($7.95) and it’s loaded with all the fixin’s.
Don’t miss the homemade biscuits and stick around for that extra cup of coffee. It’s served in generous mugs, just like home.
My son ordered the mouse-shaped pancake off the children’s menu and it was so good (and cute), he begged for another one the next week when we went back for lunch.
Next time we stop by, I want to try the “Build Your Own” breakfast casserole. You get to pick your own base of hash browns, home fries or grits, then add scrambled eggs with your choice of ham, bacon, sausage, peppers, onions and tomatoes.
On top of that, add your choice of sausage gravy, cheddar cheese or hollandaise sauce. It comes with toast, a made-from-scratch biscuit or a muffin baked fresh every morning on site.
Southern Sisters serves breakfast until 2 p.m. so you can satisfy that craving for eggs and pancakes and homefries and bacon later in the day.
They also serve lunch all day, making the restaurant a popular place with midnight-shift workers and folks from the hospital who might want a bacon cheeseburger at 7:30 a.m., according to owner Carol Dolan.
Speaking of bacon, which is a Southern staple, BLT fans will want to try Southern Sisters’ bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich on the lunch menu ($6.95).
A generous sandwich with crispy bacon and vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh lettuce. I chose the potato salad as a side and it was creamy and definitely homemade, with perfectly cooked potatoes and just the right amount of mayo and seasoning.
Wash it down with a tall glass of sweet tea and that’s a meal that will get you back to work or revive you after 18 holes on the golf course.
We had supper at Southern Sisters while they were still open three evenings, but the best meal we had is also on the lunch menu.
Mama’s Meatloaf ($8.95) is a generous helping of moist, well-seasoned meatloaf. It’s served with pan gravy, but you might want to get it on the side as it’s perfect without the gravy.
Try a little on the mashed taters, though. They are real mashed potatoes, by the way.
If a dish at Southern Sisters Café becomes your favorite thing that you order over and over, don’t be surprised if you open the menu and it’s got your name on it – literally. Several of the menu items are named after loyal customers who love them.
Breakfast for two runs between $15 and $20 before tip and lunch could run about $20 for two for sandwiches, or about $35 for platters, a few dollars more for beer or wine with lunch.
Mimosas, Poinsettias and champagne cocktails are available with breakfast or brunch if you want to start celebrating early.
Overall, Southern Sisters Café is the kind of place that could easily become a cozy, regular spot to go a couple of times a week and never tire of the food or the Southern hospitality.
The reviewer is a staff writer who dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Sebastian River News.
