Sunridge Restaurant
“A Sunny Delight”
For years, the building that now houses Sunridge Restaurant sat empty, slowly breaking down and becoming an eyesore. Enter Gary Johal, who purchased the building, gave it a complete renovation, and brought it back to life. Today, it’s home to Sunridge Restaurant, a spot focused on breakfast and brunch that has quickly become a mainstay for both locals and tourists.
Up until this week, I had tried multiple times to come in and do an article on them, but every time I visited, the restaurant was full and the staff didn’t even have five minutes to spare. That tells you a lot about their popularity. Luckily, after the most recent long weekend, I stopped in mid-week and finally caught a short lull. That’s when I sat down with general manager Wendy Stebbings and kitchen chef Kamalpreet Johal.
Both Wendy and Kamalpreet have been with the restaurant since day one, and in a world where fake and damaging reviews plague the Internet, Sunridge has managed to maintain a strong reputation and a steady stream of five-star ratings. Their focus, they told me, is simple: provide the best food possible, day in and day out, with consistency and quality. It sounds very simple and you would think that is common sense, but I assure you it is far harder than you think in the service industry.
Kamalpreet is especially proud of the menu she’s developed and the fresh ingredients sourced from local markets nearby. One of their best sellers isn’t what you’d expect from a breakfast and brunch menu — their Caesar Salad is quietly becoming the number one crowd favorite. The secret? A house-made dressing Kamalpreet creates from scratch. And let me tell you, the difference between fresh Caesar dressing and something out of a bottle isn’t even comparable and can be the difference between a successful restaurant and a failed one.
When I review a restaurant, one of my go-to “tests” is to order a Caesar salad. That first bite tells me almost everything I need to know about a restaurant and its chef. Making Caesar dressing isn’t complicated for even the most basic of home cooks and takes less than 5 minutes, so if a restaurant can’t be bothered to make their own, it’s a red flag and scathing indictment about the entire operation and business.
Customers today expect more: fresh ingredients, dishes made with pride, and food that feels worth leaving the house (and spending the money) for. Owners and chefs, take note — if you’re cutting corners with bottled dressings, frozen products, or pre-made items, your business is already on borrowed time. It’s not if customers will stop coming, it’s when. Just look at the restaurants in Osoyoos and Oliver that have shut down or changed ownership in the last decade — almost all of them were guilty of serving low-quality, pre-packaged food. Go ahead and tell me I’m wrong. I’ll wait.
That’s why I respect Kamalpreet and Sunridge so much. They’ve chosen the harder path — the right path. They’re committed to quality, freshness, and consistency. And it shows.
Now, while the Caesar may be their “hidden gem,” the eggs benedict with hollandaise has been their top-selling breakfast dish since they opened. On my visit, I went a different route and ordered the Ukrainian Breakfast Bowl — farmer’s sausage, eggs, hashbrowns, and pierogies. A hearty, delicious plate that checks every box for comfort food and an empty stomach after a late night in Osoyoos or a little too much wine tasting.
Normally, my interviews only last a few minutes, just long enough to grab the essentials without keeping staff from their work. But Wendy and Kamalpreet were so engaging and so genuinely interested in my own story that we ended up talking for over half an hour.
What should have been a quick Q&A turned into a warm, back-and-forth conversation that felt like I was having a meal with old friends. That kind of hospitality, that genuine passion for both food and people, explains exactly why Sunridge has the reputation it does.
Even better, Sunridge plans to remain open year-round this winter. If Osoyoos wants to shift from being seen only as a “summer destination” to a true year-round town, we need more restaurants like this staying open — and we, as locals, have a responsibility to support them.
So next time you’re craving breakfast or brunch, whether it’s the underappreciated but outstanding Caesar salad, their crowd-pleasing eggs benny, or a hearty breakfast bowl, stop in at Sunridge Restaurant. And when you do, tell them Sheldon sent you.
Sunridge Restaurant is located at 9913 BC-3, Osoyoos (behind the Westridge Motor In) and is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. seven days a week.
Sheldon Herman is the author of the multi- award-winning, international best-selling book The Tortured Traveller: How I Survived the Worst Vacation Ever, and has eaten his way through over 60 countries. This review was written independently and without compensation. Have a restaurant you’d like featured? Email [email protected].
