Café Sintra in Sunriver has won several categories in our Best Of poll for years. Stop by in the morning for one of its eggs benedict dishes, egg scrambles, omelets or breakfast pastries, or during lunch to grab one of the sandwiches, stews or salads. The owners of Cafe Sintra in Bend started the restaurant 25 years ago, but for the last 17 years Tracie Peterson has owned and operated the business after years in the food service business.
“I started when I was 14 on this corner at Treehouse Pizza and then Marcello’s and then came over here, and then I haven’t really left. I guess it’s just in my DNA, restaurants and foods,” Peterson said. “Working all these years, you just make a connection with the regulars, vacation homeowners and you see their kids and then their kids are grown and they have kids… It just feels good to see everyone still come into Sunriver and recognize you.”
The restaurant is named for a town in Portugal. Portuguese food is influenced by both French and Mediterranean cuisine, as well as the spice trade that flowed through the country. There’s also more traditional American fare like pancakes, turkey club sandwiches and steak and eggs. Sintra’s staff takes pride in its food, and says the key to its success is making their food fresh with high-quality ingredients.
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Dream Dishes: Sintra Benedict
“Our popular items are the Linguica scramble. We have a Sintra Skillet with all the trios of meats and a Veggie Hash. Our sandwiches are the Portuguesa, Chicken Lisboa. We have the Portuguese Chicken Stew and all of our salads… there’s so many yummy items on the menu,” Tracie said. “We make our own bread, our own pastries, just like they do in Europe. Everything’s freshly made and I think it just makes a world of difference.”
Café Sintra Sunriver
At the Village at Sunriver
57031 Ponderosa Rd, Sunriver
541-593-1222
Open daily 7am-3pm
Second place: Josie K’s Deli and Kitchen
This article appears in Best of Central Oregon 2023.
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