Trattoria crafting homemade sausage & Italian staples such as ravioli & veal parmagiana since 1926.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 601 N Niles Ave, South Bend, IN 46617
Phone: (574) 232-9620
Website: http://sunnyitalycafe.com/
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Sunny Italy Cafe
Sunny Italy Café · South Bend’s Oldest Italian Restaurant · Serving Dinner from 4:30 to 9:00 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays · 574-232-9620 · 601 N. Niles Ave.
Sunny Italy Cafe | Visit South Bend Mishawaka
Trattoria crafting homemade sausage & Italian staples such as ravioli & veal parmagiana since 1926. “South Bend’s Oldest Restaurant”. Offers.
Sunny Italy Cafe | South Bend IN – Facebook
Sunny Italy Cafe, South Bend. 2714 likes · 11 talking about this · 3024 were here. Since 1926… Welcome to South Bend’s Oldest Restaurant.
Reviews
Jeffrey Scott
Wow !! We had the best time here. The food was fantastic. Our server was very attentive and friendly. We cannot wait to return. Highly recommend
… moreJames “Liam” Biggerstaff
Sunny Italy Café in South Bend provides a historic take on classic Italian cuisine. With nearly 100 years of service, they’ve perfected a simple yet effective menu of handmade, fresh, and delicious dishes that deliver a wholesome and memorable dining experience.
Despite the restaurant being packed during our visit, service was timely, and our waitress was attentive throughout the meal. Every dish we tried was flavorful and expertly prepared. Sunny Italy Café truly offers a charming, family-style dining experience that we look forward to enjoying again soon.
… moreDespite the restaurant being packed during our visit, service was timely, and our waitress was attentive throughout the meal. Every dish we tried was flavorful and expertly prepared. Sunny Italy Café truly offers a charming, family-style dining experience that we look forward to enjoying again soon.
Keith Rushing
I really enjoyed the food and atmosphere here! I’ve seen where some reviewers thought that the atmosphere was old and out of style. In the table next to me was a party of 3 gentlemen, the oldest of which was there to celebrate his birthday. I would guess that he is in his 90’s. The thought of that brought to my mind the image of an Italian Restaurant from the 50’s. Several tables of regulars also enjoyed themselves and sometimes exchanged in conversation. This was before the big dinner rush. We arrived at 4:45PM.
The food is amazing! I devoured the Broiled 1/2 chicken. It was fantastic! My friend had the manicotti, it was also great! We had bruschetta before dinner and split a canoli for dessert. I left satisfied! Our server was also very attentive and friendly.
… moreThe food is amazing! I devoured the Broiled 1/2 chicken. It was fantastic! My friend had the manicotti, it was also great! We had bruschetta before dinner and split a canoli for dessert. I left satisfied! Our server was also very attentive and friendly.
Carmen
Oh my god the food is wonderful! We had a party of 6 and got there right before the rush. Wonderful service, Stephanie went above and beyond for us. We enjoyed our meal so much! No one walked away disappointed. Desert was amazing, food was amazing. Pictured here we have veal parm and scampi, although everything we tried was amazing.
… moresandeep reddy
It is a timeless gem with almost 100 years of rich history! The food is authentic and full of flavor, the ambiance warm and nostalgic, and the service always welcoming. A perfect place to experience true Italian charm and tradition
… moreBernard Hessley
Only place I eat red sauce outside of my own home. Perfect. (2024)
Back again, still the best. Waitress was so nice and helpful. (2025)
… moreBack again, still the best. Waitress was so nice and helpful. (2025)
Chris McBride
This is the place my father took my mother when they were dating in the early 50s. Then they took my sister and me later. My favorite place for my birthdays. It’s still the same, the foods still the same and I always get the deluxe spaghetti dinner, antipasto with french dressing and spumoni for dessert. It’s tradition.
… moreMark M
I had the Ravioli Complete, and I loved it. It was very good, and my only two complaints we’re that it was doughy, and the sauce was a little too liquidy, and not very thick, but it. was good nevertheless. I also had the 5 layer chocolate cake, and it was amazing. A little rich, but that was to be expected with chocolate cake. The ice-cream was perfect with the cake, and it was just amazing. The service was also amazing, and it also was very fast food. Overall, my meal was very good, and a great restaurant.
… moreBeached Bum
I used to see the “Sunny Italy Cafe” billboard on old 31 (now HWY 933) near the stateline when I was much younger. I thought about going there a few times in the last 30 years, but never actually did. I guess it was just an instantly forgettable passing thought, and I never heard ANY buzz about the place. Tonight I stopped in for dinner.
I arrived at 5:45, the parking lot was almost empty on a Friday evening. (uh oh!)
There were two other tables seated and more employees than customers.
Right away my skin began to crawl, as I am HIGHLY ALLERGIC to pretension and faux eleganza.
The inside looks like a caricature of any 1940’s Italian mob film.
I thought it stupidly ironic that a restaurant called SUNNY Italy is so dark and dingy inside.
The hostess (remember they had two out of thirty tables seated!) walked me to the darkest corner of the dining room. I vetoed this for a spot near the front windows.
I knew I wanted the spaghetti with meat sauce.
The prices merit special attention: the spaghetti with a nothing special salad (97% just lettuce) and a small loaf of bread cost $15.00.
Adding meat sauce was $3.00 extra. The tiny, little gag-sized (8 ounces) bottle of Coke (no refills!) was $2.00. (See pix)
I reflexively asked for the house Italian dressing, the waitress repeated back “CREAMY Italian”, I said “No, I don’t like creamy dressings”, she said that’s how our house dressing is made. She then SUGGESTED plain vinegar and oil. I didn’t like the sound of that so said I will try the creamy house dressing.
Five minutes later she brought me a plate of lettuce drenched with plain vinegar and oil. I took a photo for this review and set it on the far side of my table without tasting it.
At this same time she brought the little clown-sized bottle of Coke and I uncontrollably laughed as she set it in front of me along with a glass full of ice. I asked her “How much is this wonderful vintage costing me?!”
She replied $2.00.
As I continued to chuckle at this absurdity she sensed my disdain and offered “The small bottles are a TRADITION with us. Most people DON’T LIKE the big bottles.”
OH, I SEE!!!, it’s a TRADITION!
It isn’t just you fleecing your customers by serving stingy, small portions for the ridiculous prices- IT’S TRADITION!!!
And certainly no one will argue, mock or otherwise impune a TRADITION because that might some how cross into some imaginary cultural disrepect that scares all kowtowed Americans to death!
What a steaming load of B.S.!!!
Most people DON’T LIKE the big bottles???
When and where do Americans NOT like things big and more?
Why do you think almost every restaurant in America offers a giant 64 ounce drink size or at least free refills?!!!
This tiny, little joke-sized bottle is nothing more than a money grab as Sunny Italy is counting on people needing more than two Dixie Cups of drink with their meals.
I set the doll-sized bottle of Coke on the far side of the table without tasting it.
My waitress brought my spaghetti while I was only half finished with my salad and asked if I did not want the travel-sized bottle of Coke? I said “No, not for $2.00 I don’t!”, with a chuckling smirk in my voice.
The spaghetti and sauce was actually pretty good. The meatball was drek. For the money the portion was small.
As I finished my poor choice of a meal, I felt suffocated by dusty, old pretension that might have flown three, or four, or five decades ago, but was just sad and pathetic today. Sunny Italy Cafe is attempting to monetize it’s moldy, faux grandeur into a palatable fleecing operation that convinces customers that they should feel good about dropping their money here.
Their failure becomes more absurd as the years pass, they have become a parody of “added value” through mock solicitousness and third-rate elegance.
As I paid, the aged hostess asked how was my meal? I said simply and honestly “Disappointing.”
She said “What was wrong?”, I replied that my review would be on yelp within 24 hours.
She asked “What is yelp?”
… moreI arrived at 5:45, the parking lot was almost empty on a Friday evening. (uh oh!)
There were two other tables seated and more employees than customers.
Right away my skin began to crawl, as I am HIGHLY ALLERGIC to pretension and faux eleganza.
The inside looks like a caricature of any 1940’s Italian mob film.
I thought it stupidly ironic that a restaurant called SUNNY Italy is so dark and dingy inside.
The hostess (remember they had two out of thirty tables seated!) walked me to the darkest corner of the dining room. I vetoed this for a spot near the front windows.
I knew I wanted the spaghetti with meat sauce.
The prices merit special attention: the spaghetti with a nothing special salad (97% just lettuce) and a small loaf of bread cost $15.00.
Adding meat sauce was $3.00 extra. The tiny, little gag-sized (8 ounces) bottle of Coke (no refills!) was $2.00. (See pix)
I reflexively asked for the house Italian dressing, the waitress repeated back “CREAMY Italian”, I said “No, I don’t like creamy dressings”, she said that’s how our house dressing is made. She then SUGGESTED plain vinegar and oil. I didn’t like the sound of that so said I will try the creamy house dressing.
Five minutes later she brought me a plate of lettuce drenched with plain vinegar and oil. I took a photo for this review and set it on the far side of my table without tasting it.
At this same time she brought the little clown-sized bottle of Coke and I uncontrollably laughed as she set it in front of me along with a glass full of ice. I asked her “How much is this wonderful vintage costing me?!”
She replied $2.00.
As I continued to chuckle at this absurdity she sensed my disdain and offered “The small bottles are a TRADITION with us. Most people DON’T LIKE the big bottles.”
OH, I SEE!!!, it’s a TRADITION!
It isn’t just you fleecing your customers by serving stingy, small portions for the ridiculous prices- IT’S TRADITION!!!
And certainly no one will argue, mock or otherwise impune a TRADITION because that might some how cross into some imaginary cultural disrepect that scares all kowtowed Americans to death!
What a steaming load of B.S.!!!
Most people DON’T LIKE the big bottles???
When and where do Americans NOT like things big and more?
Why do you think almost every restaurant in America offers a giant 64 ounce drink size or at least free refills?!!!
This tiny, little joke-sized bottle is nothing more than a money grab as Sunny Italy is counting on people needing more than two Dixie Cups of drink with their meals.
I set the doll-sized bottle of Coke on the far side of the table without tasting it.
My waitress brought my spaghetti while I was only half finished with my salad and asked if I did not want the travel-sized bottle of Coke? I said “No, not for $2.00 I don’t!”, with a chuckling smirk in my voice.
The spaghetti and sauce was actually pretty good. The meatball was drek. For the money the portion was small.
As I finished my poor choice of a meal, I felt suffocated by dusty, old pretension that might have flown three, or four, or five decades ago, but was just sad and pathetic today. Sunny Italy Cafe is attempting to monetize it’s moldy, faux grandeur into a palatable fleecing operation that convinces customers that they should feel good about dropping their money here.
Their failure becomes more absurd as the years pass, they have become a parody of “added value” through mock solicitousness and third-rate elegance.
As I paid, the aged hostess asked how was my meal? I said simply and honestly “Disappointing.”
She said “What was wrong?”, I replied that my review would be on yelp within 24 hours.
She asked “What is yelp?”
Kara Gallagher
My first time at Sunny Italy was incredible. Our waitress Alyssa was friendly, attentive, helpful, and overall fantastic. Best garlic bread of my life. Will be returning.
… more