Sunny Hill — Restaurant in Seattle

Having tried a lot of different pizza spots in Seattle, I’d say Sunny Hill truly does have top notch pizza. Subjectively speaking, ofc, because aren’t all these reviews simply our own perspectives? The crust is chewy but crisp, never burnt or overdone or dry or greasy. The dough is well risen, with a hint of nuttiness as though some whole grains have snuck in there. The toppings are high quality, fresh, and seasonal. Yes, the pizza is on the expensive side, but it’s 2024 and you pay a premium for good food.

I hate to knock them for online ordering. It’s 2024 and online ordering should not be this difficult to get right. Prior to the current same day ordering system, they would frequently turn off online ordering when it was busy, so your only option was to go in person or order over the phone. Highly frustrating to have online ordering sporadically turned off. If you go order in person, you end up aimlessly wandering the neighborhood or sitting in your car for 30+ minutes. It’s 2024 - these processes seemed simply archaic? And if it’s busy, and no one picks up, well - the juice ain’t worth the squeeze. There are other good pizza places that have easy, dependable online ordering or online reservations or larger seating availability.

Equally unimpressed with the current “same day preorders” system. I was quite excited to see this updated on IG, but it has not been open at 8:30am as advertised. I have also checked at 9:30a and 10:30a on a Saturday and it just says “not accepting orders at this time”. I figured it was a fluke day so I tried again the following Saturday, and same thing. I called Sunny Hill and the woman I spoke to was genuinely confused and surprised. Her comment was “oh there’s so many buttons to click to make it active”. Again, it’s 2024 - online ordering should not be this difficult to get correct. It seems as though same day pre-orders come online around noon maybe? I preordered late afternoon on a Saturday and orders were being accepted then.

No knocks for our dine in experience, but they do not accept reservations, so go early on a weekend if you don’t want to wait. Around 5p and there’s usually no wait. Summer weekends are particularly nuts. We would 1000% dine in more often if the wait was not so long or if there was more seating / staff. We tried one summer weekend evening and they were not seating people because they didn’t have the staff to serve them. So, tables sat empty while folks sat waiting because staff was inadequate. Trust me, I was not the only one who was extremely peeved. I felt for families with young children.

Again, amazing pizza - but overall service is highly highly unreliable. If anything, please get the online ordering figured out. If you’re going to advertise on IG that it’s available at specific times, please ensure it actually is. That doesn’t seem like an unreasonable request for a business, unless the bottom line just doesn’t matter to you guys and you’re too good to worry about...

TLDR: One of my favorite Seattle Restaurants, Sunny Hill is a stylish yet casual eatery that is pure savory paradise, even for vegetarians.

Sunny Hill is nestled in Golden Gardens, right at the top of the stairs and the mouth of the road. As a restaurant, it is a culinary haven that's as cozy as it is delicious. Starting as a take-out joint in April 2020, it has evolved to be a hotspot for Detroit style pizza aficionados and burger enthusiasts alike, ultimately Sunny Hill has carved out a “summit level” niche in Seattle's dining scene.

Helmed by industry veterans Jason Stoneburner and Holly Robinson, Sunny’s isn't just about the food; it's a celebration of community. The staff are all incredibly kind and easy to connect with. The space offers a swath of maybe 8-10 indoor tables, with outdoor options in front of the restaurant and on the patio. We dinned in the cozy patio most recently and it was great!

From the menu, getting one of the Detroit-style pizzas seemed like a must so we got the 4 Slice Loyal (Square Pie) as well as the gnocchi. The gnocchi was exceptional as it was perfectly cooked into a square tray that was cheesy and laden with juicy, bright, vibrant tomatoes, with sweet and savory onions beneath the pasta. It was like gnocchi made into your mother’s lasagna; warm, cozy, and super tasty.

The pizza was equally delicious. The slices are hefty in the Detroit style with crispy edges and nice crunch. We found that the 4-slice was just enough to split between two hungry people so long as they had a side or something before. Also like the gnocchi, the Loyal had vibrant tomatoes, and plenty of well-chosen cheeses making what may very well be the perfect pie. With the pizza, staff offered us options of hot honey and feta ranch (2$ for each). While the honey wasn’t really that spicy, it didn’t seem to add much, and I wouldn’t have it on pizza again. Meanwhile, the feta ranch REDEFINED ranch for me, and I’m not sure if I’ll ever go back to regular.

Finally, while we didn’t have this on the last trip, other things to try from the menu are the waffle fries, the meatballs, and the smash burger, all of which are classics to the restaurant. The drinks are pretty good too! We had two different shrubs last time and while they were tasty and unique, they weren’t as shatteringly special as the food.

So, if you’re looking for a great evening, with great food in a vibrant spot, stop by Sunny’s and try it out. Sunny Hill doesn’t accept reservations, seeming to prefer spontaneity instead, but I think most waits must be...

I rarely give lower rated reviews but this one is warranted for a few reasons. I saw some amazing pictures of the food and Detroit style pizza is one of my favorite style pizzas. I found out that we can order our food in advance so I ordered it on the website and paid for it with the intention of eating there which is a slight bit abnormal but I did leave a tip and was going to order a few more things once we got seated to eat. We got seated quickly after arrival. They provided a plate and water which was fine. They didn’t ask if we needed anything else though and left us alone. I decided we needed some drinks for our food so we asked for a root beer to start. We had already started eating the pizza and our hands were full. The waitress came over with the card reader trying to cash us out for the root beer while my hands were filled with grease and stood there waiting. I was surprised and said I’ll pay for it with cash afterwards suggesting that I’m in the middle of eating and would rather not go wash my hands to get my wallet to pay and then wash again just to eat again. I felt for the first time as if the waitress thought we would run off without paying for the root beer as if we didn’t already pay $70 for the food already in advance. The waffle fries were amazing as well as the burger with added bacon and cheese.

I’ve been to Detroit 9 times and have had real Detroit style pizza so it was quite hard to eat subpar Detroit style pizza from here. I don’t have a problem with the crust or sausage but the cheese and sauce were very basic. Like basic cheese and sauce I could get from dominos pizza or any standard pizza place. I probably should give a 2 star review but I’m a pretty generous person so I’ll go with a 3 star and just say that maybe the pizza might be better on a different day and the waitress was having a bad day. I asked one of the waiters where the restroom was and he was very nice and pleasant. It was just the gal that was there...