SAP – Best Brunch in Appleton?
Farm to table restaurants have been rising in popularity, and we are thrilled about it. We recently educated ourselves on how food is grown/raised and what it means for both humans and the environment. While that’s a topic for another time, there’s a restaurant in Appleton that’s taking the locally sourced, sustainable approach: SAP.
Their website even says, “We are passionate about food and people. We are committed to connecting ourselves and our guests to the food that we eat, offering from scratch and made to order dishes in an atmosphere that is welcoming and familiar. We source from our “backyard” when possible, supporting local and WI made / grown products. We work hard together, we give back generously to the community that supports us and we have fun while doing it. We will never stop trying to be the best we can be for our guests and for each other.”
Let’s dive in.
In A Bite
MENU
Important note: They are closed on Mondays.
Ambiance: The term industrial comes to mind
Music: None?
Service: Good
Price: $$-$$$
Food Style: Brunch, Farm to Table (natural), Bakery
What to Order: Salad, Anything brunch-related, Burger
Go Again?: YES YES
The Whole Plate
According to their menu, the idea of a breakfast restaurant was inspired by a drawing by a five year old named Owen. The big difference between Owen and every other kid is he is somehow related to the owners of Carmella’s, the most renown Italian bistro in Appleton. With a whole lot of inspiration and years of quality restaurant experience, SAP was born.
The first thing you notice at the entrance are the brick columns covered in colorful drawings. They leave a small bucket of chalk out there for the crowd that usually forms at prime times. It not just for kids cause I saw some drawings pretty high up. If it were summer, the two clear garage doors would be open to allow for fresh air seating.
In the bite, we describe the interior as industrial. This is mostly because of the open ceiling and very dim lighting. There is a ton of color! The ducts and roof are all painted an oceanic teal. However the space relies to heavily on natural lighting so the back of the seating area doesn’t have much, especially on a cloudy day. The handcrafted, wooden counter tops at the bar and the cafe do their best to counteract that industrial feel the ceiling bring. Despite this, it’s still very inviting and comfortable. And it should be cause you’re probably gonna have to wait to be seated.
As for service, we’ve never had a bad experience here. Considering how insanely busy they always are, it’s a wonder the servers stay on their game so well.
The food is delicious. It took us years to finally come here, but once we did, it made sense why people had raving reviews about it. A few favorites are the burger, eggs benedict, chop salad (omg YUM!), and honestly everything else on the menu. Be sure to get the coffee! It’s our fave: Colectivo. The drinks are SAP’s own special blend by Colectivo!
While it pains me to say this…the only meal I was not impressed with at SAP was the gyro special on Saturdays. It had too much cucumber salad, not enough meat, and the lamb was tough. However, it had good flavor.
To finish off your meal, you’ll want to indulge yourself in dessert. Be warned, they are pricey, but worth it. If you’re a chocolate-lover, you will like the chocolate cupcake with marshmallow buttercream. If you prefer other flavors, or if it’s autumn and you’re drinking a cup of coffee, get the maple bacon cupcake. It’s a bit denser cupcake, almost like a pancake. Maple flavoring through the cake and frosting, topped with a candied piece of bacon. Surprisingly delicious.
SAP is an Appleton hot spot that is not to be missed. Just make sure you show up early! If you do go, send us a picture of your dessert!
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”4″ display=”basic_imagebrowser”]