Sunrise Coffee, Las Vegas NV

Sunrise Coffee

Strawberry Corriander Muffin

Banana Walnut Muffin

Pineapple Cinnamon Roll

Drip Coffee

Visited occasionally in the past for coffee en route to the office, but overlooked for pastries as items were previously outsourced, a return visit to Sunrise Coffee was planned the moment rumor was heard that all muffins, cookies, and confections were now crafted by the team at sister-shop Mothership; plans to meet owner Juanny Romero at 9:00am just a mile down the street prompting an early stop that showed the brew as bold as ever while the relaxed vibe and free WiFi offered impetus to stick around and enjoy a trio of pastries crafted with top tier ingredients and balance bolstered by creativity as well as skill.

A icon of the local coffee culture since 2008, and as such a veritable forefather to the current scene slowly creeping towards the Strip and Western Suburbs, Sunrise Coffee has long featured the locally roasted Mothership brand of beans and with fanciful lattes, espressos, cappuccinos, pour-overs, and presses available it was instead in a medium cup of drip that I invested, the effect of light roasting readily apparent even in the simplest option as fig and caramel tones coated the tongue.

Moving on to pastries, each item individually plated by one of four friendly youngsters tasked with everything from barrista duties to crafting sandwiches from organic produce sourced from a farm in California, the glass case at Sunrise is a bit more straightforward than the counter of Mothership, but with some similarities and a focus on balanced flavors the only question becomes where best to invest one’s appetite, the seasonal cinnamon roll a good first choice as caramelized pineapple finds balance in light yeast with the sort of frosting that never seems cloying, but rather a semi-sweet delivery mechanism for the cinnamon and butter tones beneath.

Passing on a scone that had previously wowed on Green Valley Parkway, instead choosing to focus on muffins exclusive to Sunrise, it was with bites of the strawberry and corriander iteration that the tasting progressed, and with a supple crumb and flavors that bridged savory to natural sweetness the follow-up was no less remarkable, the bitterness of dark walnuts proving an admirable foil to overripe bananas as homey autumnal notes rang through with aplomb.

FOUR STARS: Now perhaps best judged as the casual sibling of brainy sister Mothership, Sunrise Coffee Roasters continues to turn out some of the city’s best brews, and for those looking to sit, sip, savor, and perhaps enjoy a sandwich there are few better places to do so in town.

RECOMMENDED: Banana Walnut Muffin, Strawberry Corriander Muffin.

AVOID: N/A, though if timed right the cinnamon rolls can be obtained hot from the oven for the same price at Mothership.

TIP: Open at 6am on Weekdays, 7am on weekends, with frequent deliveries of fresh pastries from Mothership throughout the day. Daily closure at 9pm and Drive-Thru available for those on the go.

WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor

http://www.sunrisecoffeelv.com/