Ellie Nowakowski
Sunroom Cafe — an old Madison favorite that closed because of the pandemic — is back, under new ownership. Euler and Juan Montiel, a father and son from Venezuela, hope to introduce more Madison residents to Venezuelan cuisine.
Former Sunroom owner Mark Paradise permanently closed the beloved Madison restaurant in October 2020. Euler and Juan reopened the space July 17, with the same name and menu, ultimately hoping to feature Venezuelan cuisine on the dinner menu.
The Montiels made no changes to the restaurant decor, but say they will officially add Venezuelan food to the menu within the week. For now, Juan is making some Venezuelan food for people who ask.
“A lot of people who come here want to try something new, and I recommend my Venezuelan food,” Juan says. “They tell me it’s really good. I actually have a couple customers that come here every week, and two times a week, because they like it.”
Both the positive reviews that the old Sunroom Cafe received and advice from the owner of the building led the new owners to keep the same name and previous menu when reopening, Euler says.
Euler and Juan immigrated to the United States from Venezuela, five and six years ago respectively. It’s difficult to start again, Euler says.
As an immigrant, Euler has many goals, including introducing more Madisonians to Venezuelan food. Madison already has La Taguara, a Venezuelan restaurant, and the Caracas Empanadas and Caracas Arepas food carts, but Juan says he and his father want to “bring more diversity to the community,” and serve the growing Hispanic population, especially other Venezuelans who are looking to dine out on their native cuisine.
The existing Sunroom Cafe menu includes omelets, pancakes and french toast for breakfast, and salads and sandwiches for lunch. Under the ownership of Paradise, Sunroom was a popular brunch spot among UW-Madison students. The sunny second-floor restaurant is located at 638 State St.
The new menu will be available from 3-9 p.m. and includes arepas, empanadas, patacones and tequeños, a Venezuelan cheese stick. Euler will cook; Juan is more focused on the business and hospitality side, something he says he learns more about each day. They’re fixing something every day, Juan says, from providing better customer service to serving the food faster.
“I want to let the people know that we're here, we’re open, and we're doing our best to bring five-star service,” Juan says.
The first week brought many more orders than they expected, and they’re still working out the kinks of their new operation.
A lot of people warned Euler and Juan that opening a restaurant would be difficult if not “impossible” as immigrants, But “here we are,” Juan says. “My dad doesn’t even speak English, and he is getting his dream.”
Sunroom Café is open 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.
