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Eating breakfast at Sunshine Saloon had not been at the top of my mind for dining out. But I recently devoured corned beef hash there, and on other days, lunched on a burger and enjoyed a ribeye dinner. Calling myself a burgeoning regular is a misnomer. The true regulars have bellied up to the bar and tables to watch games since the saloon opened in Pleasanton in 1978.
While seeking his next business opportunity in 1981, Bob Rossi saw an ad listing the saloon for sale in the San Francisco Chronicle. Rossi bought the Pleasanton bar and kept the liquor license with a key element enshrined on a plaque above an entrance door: “No One Under 21 Allowed” which applies to service inside and on the patio. Rossi installed the kitchen in 1991.
Sunshine Saloon Bar & Grill has a strong “Cheers” ambiance. Rossi greeted us during our breakfast visit. “When people come in the door, I am honored they chose the ‘Shine. I love coming to work to see who’s here and ask how they are,” said Rossi.
Before going to Sunshine, I equated the sports bar with drinking beer. Since I didn’t know about the grill and wasn’t a beer lover, I guessed the wine list would be slim and the cocktails, standard.
When a friend, recovering from surgery, asked for a Sunshine spicy fried chicken sandwich, I was impressed because he was not a bar fly. I picked up his sandwich and my house salad with grilled chicken. When he unwrapped the appetizing sandwich, I regretted my choice.
But I didn’t return to Sunshine right away, and then Covid hit. Once restaurants opened outside in 2020, I noticed Sunshine opened one of the first outside tents in Pleasanton. In 2022 Rossi set up a permanent patio.
A couple months ago, another friend told me he was going to a celebration of life for a neighbor at Sunshine. My friend added that Sunshine was a dive bar, yet the venue had a friendly atmosphere and served a hearty breakfast after bike rides
I asked my neighbor about Sunshine; she fondly recalled eating patty melts there during work meetings. At True Value Hardware next door to Sunshine, which has a similar 45-year presence in Mission Plaza, I bumped into Jim, a former colleague in Santa Clara, who rang up my sale. I asked him about Sunshine’s food, and he replied, “Blackened catfish and prime rib.”
Soon after, I invited my friend Meg to join me for lunch at the saloon. I had asked Freddie, Rossi’s daughter who tends the bar, about the most popular lunch items. She gave me a response that was part reality of designing a menu and part, her honest opinion, “Everything is on the menu for a reason—it’s all good.”
I hungered for a bacon cheese hamburger, and Meg ordered the fried chicken sandwich; we offered each other samples.
The five strips of crispy-as-requested bacon on my burger hung over the bun. This was real smoked bacon, not thin, pre-frozen strips proffered at many restaurants. The chicken was crispy outside and juicy inside. Generous portions of my sweet potato fries and her onion rings were a hit. Even the coleslaw tasted above average—the cabbage is fresh-sliced, not prepacked.
Since we chatted into the afternoon, we shared a Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen. After writing about beer a few years ago, I learned my way about the many styles of beer and figured out my preferences. My view of Sunshine was evolving.
I encouraged my healthy, late-rising husband to breakfast with me. After reviewing the extensive menu and realizing breakfast was served all day, he agreed. Mr. Healthy couldn’t decide among the nine omelets and ordered a custom version loaded with crab and veggies. He liked the wheat toast full of whole grains and seeds.
I was hungry for breakfast and lunch and ordered two things: Corned beef hash and eggs and a crab Louis salad. The corned beef hash was made in my preferred style with large pieces of potatoes and crispy, chopped corned beef. The extra-large eggs looked like giants’ eyes atop the hash.
During breakfast, I asked Rossi about his work before Sunshine. I learned that between ages 25 and 32, his job was opening 70 locations of Victoria Station, an iconic restaurant chain that was extremely popular in the 1970s. From finances to handling people and busy kitchens, he learned every aspect of restaurant operations. No wonder he knows how to order above-average food supplies.
Beyond the regulars, Rossi noted that Sunshine hosts work groups, special occasions, anniversaries, and birthdays especially for new 21-year-olds. People compete in twice-weekly Trivia Nights, laugh at monthly Stand-Up Comedy, and dance to weekend DJ playlists, play pool and attend special events. When non-profits hold fundraiser events at Sunshine, Rossi donates the food.
As I listened, I nibbled on the salad with fresh crab, lettuce and avocado salad which ended up in a takeout box for dinner.
The weekday lunch specials range from tri-tip sandwiches to two pork tacos with rice and beans. Clam chowder is served on Fridays. Daily dinner specials include spaghetti, oven-fried chicken, and beef.
I sat alone at the bar early on a Friday evening and savored a ribeye with Caesar salad. Eschewing mashed potatoes, I requested a half portion of both steamed vegetables and sweet potato fries, and the friendly staff obliged.
The wine list includes a handful of popular premium options. Interestingly, Rossi’s great grandfather Carlo Rossi was the first winemaker for now defunct Italian Swiss Colony wines in Sonoma, and his family owned the winery for many decades.
As for cocktails, the Sunshine Mai Tai based on a recipe from the Rossi’s Hawaiian honeymoon caught my eye. I settled on a draft of Hazy Little Thing from Sierra Nevada.
It may not be all about the beer taps at the local bar.
