Asian American restaurant planned for Midtown Sacramento

An Asian American restaurant is planned for a Midtown Sacramento commercial building most recently occupied by a home decor store and gelato business.

Sunny Side Restaurant will occupy 1221 19th St. in Sacramento, an approximately 2,200-square-foot building near the corner of Capitol Avenue and 19th Street.

Jack Scurfield, a director with Turton Commercial Real Estate, said the former tenants of the building were Devine Gelateria & Cafe and home decor chain AR Workshop, which both had ceased operations out of the building by the start of the year.

"The building is currently two suites, but that division is going to be removed and it will be one full restaurant, and it has a back patio area that will allow for outdoor dining," Scurfield said.

While the restaurant could potentially serve dinner, the current menu revolves around breakfast and lunch/brunch, Scurfield said, and the plan is to use fresh produce from the Midtown farmers market.

One breakfast menu item includes a Japanese curry with tater tots, crispy bacon, scallions and Cotija cheese, while a brunch option includes an open face with Wagyu patty, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, white cheddar, a fried egg, garlic, ginger and rice.

Scurfield said the family-owned restaurant will be run by a couple of partners with restaurant experience around the Sacramento area, though he declined to provide their names. The owners signed a lease for the space in December.

Construction is expected to begin next month and the hope is to begin operations this summer, Scurfield said. Interior designs for the building will see it renovated to have more of an industrial style with earth tones, he said, including steel, dark woods and some exposed brick.

"This will be a great breakfast, brunch and lunch option for Midtown locals looking for something a little bit different beside the classic American spots, it will have a little bit of an Asian twist to it," he said.

Scurfield, along with his colleague Scott Kingston, represented both the tenant and the landlord in the deal.