Hidden Gem Restaurants: Sunshine Health Market and Cafe
Photo by Haley Bordelon
The “Unique Restaurants,” aka “the Hidden Gems “ section, has revealed several Shreveport secrets during its showcase of fun and tasty places to try the next time you want to grab a bite. The Conglomerate has you covered, from going out with friends and playing Trivia at Twisted Root to picking up gyros from Pita De’Novo and plopping on the sofa to watch an entire TV series.
If you’ve been keeping up with our published issues, and if you haven’t, here’s a reminder to go back and read them. But so far, they all have one similar thing in common. When a restaurant is labeled as hidden, the general understanding is that anyone from out of town may not know about them, or the business is relatively new and not yet popular. There aren’t any tiny trap doors to crawl through or secret code names to whisper to a bouncer before you’re seated. While Sunshine Health Market is located on Youree drive and has an easy-to-read sign, many people that pass by are unaware that there is a cafe in the back of the store.
Photo by Haley Bordelon
Though the full name is Sunshine Health Market and Cafe, even I overlooked this adorable establishment before my visit. I planned on eating at the sandwich shop next door, but I couldn’t find any appetizing vegetarian options, and there wasn’t any gluten-free bread for my friend. We were pretty disappointed, but Sunshine had a wooden sign on their sidewalk advertising their menu for the day as luck would have it. My friends and I were both intrigued and abandoned the idea of going anywhere else. Finally, our curiosity got the best of us, and we walked inside.
A cashier warmly greeted us as scents of herbs and teas filled our noses. The aisles were filled with shelves of essential oils, health supplements, ingredient alternatives, and fill stations to buy items in bulk or small quantities. As a lover of jars and a beginner in the vast world of healthy lifestyles, just walking up and down the aisles filled me with great joy. The filling station also made me happy because many stores have shut down their refill stations due to covid and sanitary reasons.
We spotted the cafe when we finally managed to pull ourselves away from the refrigerated section, which had dozens of smoothies, kombuchas, and milk alternatives. I can only describe the cafe as one of the cutest places I’ve ever seen. The main eating area was about three small tables and a more secluded area in another room if customers wanted a more isolated experience to enjoy their food or get some work done. It reminded me of a coffee shop, but one that had magically erased the chaos and anxiety from the atmosphere as many coffee places tend to have as students frantically try to get work done and impatient people yell at the baristas for being out of matcha.
The menu had a wide variety of options, which was surprising considering how small the cafe was. There was something appealing for everyone in my group to order that accommodated our dietary restrictions or lack thereof. My friends ordered a salad with an organic juice, a turkey wrap with a lemonade, and the daily special of enchiladas. I ordered the avocado toast with a Morning Sunshine smoothie that had strawberries, pineapple, orange juice, coconut water, and honey in it. Our totals were fairly responsible considering the fine print promised organic, local ingredients and freshly made items.
Photo by Haley Bordelon
As there were only two people behind the counter, and we had five people in our group, it did take a little bit for our food to be ready, but we didn’t mind. While we waited, all we could talk about was how interesting we thought the place was and how we couldn’t believe we hadn’t been there before. The cafe was friendly enough that we felt safe to freely talk to each other without worrying if we were being too loud but calm sufficient to where anyone else would feel comfortable relaxing at another table to sip a smoothie and get some work done. Before we got our food, we agreed that we would have to come back as soon as possible.
When our names were called to grab our food, a comfortable silence settled over our table as we tucked into our lunch. As an avid lover of avocados, I’m very critical of how my avocado toast is made. The seasoning has to be proportional, and there can’t be so many toppings that you can’t take a bite without everything falling off. That being said, I have to say that the avocado toast from Sunshine was delicious. The sourdough bread was warm and crunchy, and the avocado was perfectly ripened. The smoothie was equally delicious and arguably better than what you could order at smoothie king. My friends had no complaints either, who raved about how good yet not overly filling their meals were. Even better, we got a cup of the homemade soup for free as it was the last bit in the batch, and they didn’t want to throw it away.
When we left, the same cashier wished us a great day as we forced ourselves not to get pulled back in by the mysteries luring us back to the shelves. Sunshine Health Market and Cafe was a lovely experience between the hustle to and from class, and I’d highly recommend that everyone check it out. It will instantly put you in a better mood and grant you that mid-take pick-me-up that many of us need.