A new restaurant with a spirit as cheerful as its food has arrived in Sunnyvale: Called Joy Cafe, it has opened at 3501 Belt Line Rd., Ste. 115, within the new Charales Plaza complex.

Joy Cafe, which is open for breakfast and lunch daily from 8 am-4 pm, focuses on fresh, high-quality ingredients. The kitchen produces its own bread and tortillas from scratch without preservatives, and coffee beans imported from Veracruz, Mexico, are roasted right at the front of the store.

The menu features American classics like pancakes, French toast, hamburgers, and club sandwiches alongside Mexican staples such as chilaquiles, tortilla soup, and tres leches. There are also global influences with a Mexican twist, such as shakshuka featuring house-made chorizo, as well as croque madame and hummus.

Most dishes range from $10 to $16.

Their coffee program includes traditional espresso drinks and specialty options like the mazapán latte — an iced vanilla latte topped with the popular Mexican almond candy. A variety of fresh juices is also available.

A selection of breakfast and lunch staples at Joy Cafe, featuring sunny-side-up eggs with bacon and a fried chicken sandwich. Photo by Álvaro Saúl Gutiérrez

Joy Cafe is the latest project from owner Andrea Hermosillo. Born into a family of restaurateurs in Zapotlanejo, Jalisco, Hermosillo grew up in the hospitality industry. After moving to Dallas in 2006, she worked as a consultant helping Hispanic small businesses grow.

In 2020, she opened a taco shop in downtown Dallas called Chimalma. But the short-lived restaurant did not survive the pandemic, due to a lack of foot traffic near the Convention Center and other nearby buildings. It was a dark period for Hermosillo, who admits she "lost it all" when the doors closed.

However, motivated by her children, she regained her footing with a new perspective on life.

“Everybody was complaining and closing businesses at the time,” Hermosillo says. “I cried a lot, but I am very resilient, so I kept going.”

Joy Cafe is intentionally bright, representing the light of her current path.

“We all go through a lot of bad things, so I wanted to create a small oasis, and it worked: people look happy here; they don’t want to leave,” she says.

The minimalist space features white walls and light green open ceilings, accented by nods to her heritage like woven chairs and colorful hand-blown glass flowers imported from her hometown. With seating for 120, the restaurant offers a mix of booths, tables, and a communal table designed for guests to “share joy.”

The restaurant also serves a deeper mission: Hermosillo employs a team that includes individuals from a domestic violence shelter where she volunteers. In a full-circle moment of community support, the contractors she once advised as a consultant financed their work to help bring her dream to life.

“God has been good; four weeks after opening, we are already thriving,” Hermosillo says.