Sugar Cafe

They’re closed… but rumor is they’re the people behind The White Rabbit Café & Patisserie in Greensburg, PA (just in case anyone is looking for them).

Unfortunately, they are closed :(
It’s a nice little place tho. Sigh–

Dormont needed a place like sugar café. Sorry to see it go.
I really feel the Dor-​stop down the street is such a different type of place to say or hear it was one of the reasons for it closing is very strange thing.
I loved going to Sugar and will miss it.

I just heard that Sugar Café is going out of business. Sad.

I can’t believe it!
I have to wonder if Dor-​Stop was just too much competition for them. It is a shame since I did have a pretty nice lunch here a year ago. Kay kept wanting to come by. Sugar Café even hosted a Unilocal Elite Event once.

Amazing food & dessert! Been here twice, love the Caramel Almond Bread Pudding but this morning i went to find out that today was their last day in business :(the line was packed to almost outside the door but by noon they began closing and the workers informed us that today was their last day as business has not been doing well for the last few months.
only thing i would advise if they were to open again, which i would definitely go if they did is to PLEASE WEAR GLOVES WHEN HANDLING FOOD.

We love it here! Love the coffee. I really appreciate getting a mug instead of a to-​go cup. The oatmeal w ginger, blueberry, and almond is lovely. Today’s lentil stew was perfect.
We will be back and back and back.

I like Sugar Café. Like it, but don’t love it. I mean, I WANT to love them; their shop is adorable — the tables are quaint, there’s a comfy couch and lounge area in the corner, and there’s even a tree up in their building right now. It looks and feels like a sweet little spot, right down to the «Keep calm and eat cupcakes» poster that I always want to take with me when I come here.
Alas, nothing can be perfect. So, my points:
I actually think their menu is a bit short, and could probably benefit from having a few seasonal items that change every few months (although it’s probably just suffering as a result of the currently increasing prices of fresh ingredients, which affects many local businesses this time of year). I find their breakfast menu in particular to be waaaay too short and limiting; I’m sure every item on there is delicious, but at the same time, basically all I can get for breakfast is a bagel, muffins, granola or pancakes. That’s a lot of carb-​heavy options, guys!
Lunch is definitely more Sugar Café’s forte. Anything from a grilled cheese to tuna melt bagels to a fancy vegetarian option is here, and each sandwich can come with a variety of sides, from regular chips to potato salad. I definitely prefer to eat here this time of day since there’s more to eat and choose from. I highly recommend the tuna melt bagel, which to date is the best item I’ve had here.
Finally, I’m sure anyone who hears the name «Sugar Café» has guessed that they (supposedly) specialize in desserts. Personally, I think the desserts are… okay. I remember a friend I went with commented their crème brûlée wasn’t perfect, and in my case the cupcakes I’ve had have been a bit hard, dry and cold from sitting in a fridge for too long. I’m sure if you get them fresh, they’re wonderful.
If you have the time to stop in during their limited hours, I’d it’s definitely worth a shot, particularly for lunch. Hopefully you hit the café on a good day!

Sugar Café is exactly what Dormont needed, more specifically Potomac Ave needed.
Everything about Sugar Café is legit. Their coffee products are spot on and won’t let you down, and their pastries are AMAZING, not to mention the rest of their menu is at first glance, awesome… But once you actually sit down and order everything and actually indulge yourself, you’ll come to realize that everything on the Sugar Café menu is top-​notch.
Swerve.

I have heard quite a bit about Sugar Café so a few months back when Groupon offered a deal, I went for it. The deal was for 2 sandwiches and two pastries/​desserts. Until I saw the offer, I had no idea they even had food options but after looking over the menu online, I couldn’t wait to give it a try. My Groupon quickly expiring, I was happy to treat my Mom when she asked if I was available for lunch.
Sugar Café is a modest place, and rather quiet if you pop in on a Tuesday afternoon. My Mom selected the steak sandwich with potato salad. I had the roasted chicken sandwich with side salad. The wait for our food seemed a bit long considering we were the only ones waiting for food at the time. But our sandwiches were out of this world so I was willing to forgive the extended wait for the most part. My side salad was fresh and the dressing was great, but I was jealous of my Mom’s choice of potato salad once she gave me some to try. I was glad to have the Groupon and while I was impressed with our food, it seemed a bit pricey. However, the $ 2 charge for a bottomless cup of amazing local La Prima coffee is a steal.
Having filled up on sandwiches, we picked our desserts to go. This is where my Mom was not as impressed, mostly because she asked for the chocolate chip scone and ended up with a chocolate chip cookie (but blamed herself for not checking the bag before we left). I got a lemon cupcake that was delicious and refreshing — a good choice for a summer day.
Friendly staff and good food made this a good choice. I’m slowly learning that Dormont is full of great gems I have yet to discover. Places like Sugar Café will keep me coming back.

I scored a Groupon to Sugar Café a while ago and finally made it around to travel (that’s what people from the North Hills call driving to the South Hills) to Dormont and give it a try.
My husband and I went on Memorial Day for lunch and a pastry. The service at Sugar was really very sweet (ha ha ha) and the process of using the Groupon was easy. We got two sandwiches, and both picked the Roasted Turkey on Ciabatta. This sandwich was really great because they slipped all sorts of interesting things into it, mainly avacado and bacon. For a side we both got side salads, which were also filled with nice things like croutons, tomatoes, greens, and a delicious mystery dressing. The dressing was seriously my favorite part and I am kicking myself for not asking what it was. I even started dunking my sammie into it, and when I didn’t have any left I grabbed my husbands leftover dressing and used his. Yep, that good.
For dessert I got a lavender cupcake. It was BEAUTIFUL and made my mouth just as BEAUTIFUL. Really intense purple iciing here. I’m admittedly not a huge cupcake fan (weird I know), but what I can tell you is that Sugar’s cupcakes are among the best I’ve had in Pittsburgh. They are not dry or cakey at all and the iciing was much denser and less sweet than others I’ve had. These happened to be things I like in a cupcake so I was into it. I loved the fresh lavender that topped it too. very nice touch.
All in all a great little place that not only got me to «travel» but it made me want to come back and stroll the streets of Dormont and discover what else I’m missing in the area. Highly recommended!

I’ve been to Sugar Café for Breakfast, lunch, coffee, and even evening catering, and all were/​are wonderful.
Breakfast is a great variation from the (also delicious, but very different in spirit) Dor Stop down the street. Slightly more sophisticated selections with fresh ingredients, made at a slightly smaller scale make for a wonderful breakfast experience.
The sandwiches are also amazing. The grilled cheese with tomato and basil offers a more refined take than two slices of Sunbeam with a slice of Kraft in between. Delicious.
Cupcakes, baked goods and barista/​coffee also outstanding. Free wifi too.

Hit up Sugar Café for the first time on Saturday for a ladies brunch. I was all bent on getting a sandwich until I saw the special was stuffed french toast with strawberries. One, please! You order and pay at the counter and then take a number and wait for them to bring your food to the table. The french toast was absolutely delicious and incredibly filling. I’m sure it was high in calories though because if I closed my eyes, I would believe without a doubt that I was eating a scrumptious dessert. The table agreed that my meal was hands down the best. If you see this on special one weekend, order it!
Here’s what I didn’t like… my post dessert, dessert. I had a lilac cupcake and was truly disappointed. I had their macaroons at an event recently and they were to die for. The cupcake, I could have left behind (but of course, I didn’t.) The cake itself as well as the icing were incredibly dense. I like my cake to be light and fluffy. The cupcakes reminded me a bit of Dozen’s which I was never a fan of either. I also sampled a bit of the lemon pound cake a friend ordered. Now that was melt in your mouth deliciousness.
The atmosphere in here is interesting. It’s a bit eclectic and almost feels a little unfinished. It’s a small place and was packed on a weekend. Our table was really close to where the coffee creamer and sugar stand was so that was a little annoying but overall good experience. I’ll be back for sure and hopefully there will be some macaroons in that pastry case.

Breakfast is soooooooo good! It seemed even better than my last breakfast at Sugar. The cookies, cupcakes and pastries in the display case look awesome.
Of course it was crowded, due to a weekend morning, small space and delicious food and pastries. We ordered at the counter and were given a number to set on the table so the server could bring the food to the correct table. Had to wait for a table along with a few others, but the staff was clearing the tables and assisting to make sure you were seated before your food was ready. Many just enjoying the coffee and a pastry or cupcake. We were there for the scrumptious breakfast.
The cinnamon french toast with pecan had a nice sweetness and banana flavor from the gently cooked bananas and pecans and cinnamon cream cheese.
Congrats to Sugar Café on 1^st anniversary! They were giving delicious miniature cupcakes to everyone with their meal or cup of coffee.

Oh, this place was YUH-​MY!
My first encounter with Sugar Café was actually through their presence at the Unilocal Event in Fall 2011 held at the Toonseum. They provided a smattering of macarons and cupcakes, all of which were delectable!
My second was a trip here with a Living Social coupon (methinks I have a shopping trend here). I came for brunch and ordered the grilled cheese on sourdough, complete with tomato, and an almond cupcake. Now, I’m a self-​proclaimed grilled cheese connoisseur, and this one seriously took the cake (or sandwich)! I ordered mine with cheese options combined, so there was no shortage of fromage dripping from all sides. The sourdough really gave it nice flavor, since sandwich bread can be oh-​so-​bland.
As for the cupcake, I didn’t expect it to be as tasty as it was. It almost seemed like they poured an entire bottle of almond extract in the frosting and batter, ’cause they definitely did NOT skimp on flavor! Too many bakery items claim almond as a name, but so few actually taste like it. While the texture of the cake itself was a bit dense for my taste, the flavor was just soooo divine.
I will totally stop by Sugar Café next time I’m in Dormont!

I cannot begin to describe how much love I have for this place! Every. Single. Item. I have had has been amazing! I have now officially had breakfast, lunch and dinner here. Should I be proud? I think strongly lean towards a yes!
I was lucky enough to meet a lovely bunch of Unilocalers here for lunch. Lunch is my least favorite meal. In my personal opinion, it’s hard to make lunch items non boring. I’m not really a sammie fan (unless it’s drowned in something, like a Reuben drowned in 1000 Island). I like salads, but only if they’re full of ingredients. You get the point, I want my lunches to be fabulous… and they’re usually utterly boring. SO not the case with my delish veggie wrap. It was oozing with rich cheese, packed full of YUM-​O grilled veggies (eggplant, squash, zuch, mushrooms, etc.) and toasted to perfections… even the wrap was toasted! I was in veggie heaven!
Fast forward to the next night (obsessed much!?) and I enjoyed the company of some other Unilocalers at Sugar for their fall tasting menu. I’m all about dinner, usually because it leads to dessert! But everything was beyond amazing. The Butternut Squash soup had to be the best soup I had ever tasted in my life… I’m for serious! I chose the Wild Salmon and potatoes. While this was good, I was also able to sample the Root Veggie Pot roast was to die for! The goat cheese mixed in with the crisp veggies was my heaven!
If there’s ever another tasting for dinner you MUST go! They don’t normally serve dinner, so it’s a special circumstance. But take advantage of their delicious sweet treats during the day… cupcakes, tiny crisp macaroons and freshly baked pound cakes. I’m in love!

Woot woot! Finally made it to Sugar Café and certainly surpasses expectations. I came for the Harvest Fall dinner. Décor is welcoming and warm yet simple with the turquoise, white and black color scheme. Feels immediately cozy and even more so with the thought of a nice pastry and cup of coffee or tea.
Anyway as for the dinner, I started with a salad which wasn’t overly dressed and had some crunchies with the sunflower seeds, then moved onto sausage stuffed mussels which was very musselly but delicious, had the braised short ribs and then had a ginger pumpkin cup cake dessert. Instead of the stuffed mussels, my friends had butternut squash soup and instead of the short ribs they had the salmon. Also because none of us had ordered the vegetarian pot pie the owner graciously gave us a plate. The sausage stuffed mussels were delicious but again very seafoody which I do like. I did however taste the butternut squash soup which was rich and comforty — I could have gone either way. I did not taste the salmon but my short ribs were okay — a little tough to eat. The pot pie on the other hand was like the butternut squash soup — rich and delicious and soulful — though not sure if I could have eaten the whole thing. Dessert won my heart over and I typically sway savory.
Service was awesome and to boot we could buy some of their treats in the display case — I bought four strawberry macaroons. I am in love after tasting the macaroons at the last Unilocal event. I will be back for some more sweets and perhaps lunch.

Oh my delicious! I’ve been super bummed lately b/​c most of the recent places I’ve reviewed have been disappointing. Well that is NOT the case for the Sugar Café.
I cannot even begin to describe how scrumptious the meal I had here was last night. I went to the Harvest/​Fall dinner that they had. First came a salad which was mainly lettuce leaves with some light seasoning and sunflower seeds. Very tasty, but not appearing like too much. Then the delectable butternut squash soup — this was heavenly. It was so smooth and had a subtle flavor to it that was complimented by the pears and I think blue cheese sorta of cream drizzled in. It was everything a fall soup should be.
As the entrée I chose the salmon — it was cooked beyond perfection and not overly salted or flavored — it had all the right tastes throwing a party in my mouth. It was so good, I’m drooling just thinking about it. The owner was kind enough to also give us a taste of the vegetable pot pie, which was also really tasty. It was vegetable, pastry, cheese heaven.
I can’t get over how superb the salmon was! So on to dessert, by this point, I was so full, so I only had a bite of the dessert. I wish I hadn’t been so full and I would’ve devoured the entire gingerbread cake! It was the perfect end to a fantastic meal.
I’m definitely looking forward to coming here for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or snacks — you name it, I’ll be there!

This is a genuine 5-​Star establishment. Quaint little shoppe where you can tell the employees are hard at work to make your experience a complete success. From the very beginning I knew we were in for a treat … the smells where fantastic!
The chicken sandwich I had was cooked to perfection, the cheese was excellent (I’m a dairy fanatic) and the veggies were warm enough to go along for the palate ride but still tasted fresh. The right amount of chips were included, enough to provide a salty compliment to the mixture of tastes in the sandwich.
They do have a large selection of drinks … lamely I opted for a Diet Coke … but mostly because I knew I’d be hitting the sweets later in the lunch hour. I’m all about caloric planning, haha. Rachel C loves loves loves their Chai, so I’ll be trying that for breakfast in the near future. Rachel’s veggie wrap looked absolutely fantastic while Amy’s ham sandwich looked quite scrumptious.
On the way out I purchased some Strawberry Macaroons, Lemon Pound Cake, and Vanilla Bean cupcake. The macaroons were SUPER sweet and tasty, if you’re sugar-​sensitive you might want to try something different but if you like your sweet they’re definitely a must-​try! I’ll have to report later on the other items since I haven’t had a chance to dig in yet!

Everything I’ve ever had from Sugar has been delicious. It is 3 minute walk from my house so I get to go pretty regularly. It is such a great addition to Dormont!
The staff is always friendly. My only complaint is it gets super busy on the weekend and at times I’m still waiting for a table to eat at by the time my food is ready. But… that means they are doing well so more power to them. I highly recommend the Roasted Turkey Sandwich which is absolutely delicious. I had a special last week, the Chimichurri Chicken Sandwich that was amazing as well. Lots of sweets in the pastry case all the time, and I’m looking forward to the return of the Irish Carbomb Cupcake!!!
I can’t say it enough. Go to Sugar Café, you won’t be disappointed.