Cynthia T.
Yelp
As a regular at their SF location, I finally had the opportunity to try Sweet Maple's new location in Walnut Creek! At all locations, you can expect them to open at either 8am or 8:30am and close at either 2:30pm or 3pm. With Walnut Creek's location, their hours are 8:00am-2:30pm daily! Easy to remember, right?
[+1 star]
Online Waiting List.
At the time of writing this, Walnut Creek is the ONLY location that has a waitlist that you can join ahead from. Note: you must be within 40 miles of the location to be able to place your name down. Otherwise the system won't let you move forward. This is a fantastic perk.
You might think that the radius is generous (and it is - a lot places have a radius set for 10 miles, or even 5 miles). You know there absolutely will be lines here, so why not see how the wait is online and then put a name down when you're at home getting ready! If you do put a name down in advance and can no longer make it, just make sure to take it down so others can be shown a more accurate wait time.
[+1 star]
Short and accurate wait time.
I did put a name down ahead of time for a party of 4. So I'm sure that influenced the short wait time. I was surprised at the accuracy of the online wait time. We actually received the text message a couple minutes earlier than the estimated wait time. Always a nice surprise when that happens! Pro tip: I say it's always better to assume wait times will be longer so that you're not disappointed when the estimate runs over! Easier said than done (I know, lol) when you're eyeing everyone's millionaire's bacon and other delicious food walk by. We checked in with the hostess and she made sure our whole party was there before she sat us (we were).
[+0.5 star]
Patient and friendly staff.
Two of my friends have never been to any Sweet Maple (believe it or not). They had lots of questions and our waiter was patient and answered all of their questions with a smile.
[+0.5 star]
Attentive staff.
With tables packed pretty much all day, the kitchen has gotten their groove down. All of the food came out very quickly. Within a few short minutes of each other, we all had our food. Being seated outside, generally it takes staff a little longer to refill water and to come around to check in on us. That was not the case here! Water was constantly being refilled. Suffice it to say that I think we were well cared for during our meal!
[+1 star]
Great tasting food.
If you're eating cleaner or have dietary restrictions, there's something for everyone here. I ordered the millionaire's bacon (of course) and the spinach scramble to share. I upgraded from potatoes to fresh fruit for an extra $4 and requested that the scramble be made with egg whites (also extra $4). Scrambles come with ciabatta and we were happy to stick with that. But they also have an option to change it to gluten free bread for an additional $2. With all of the extra substitutions, you'd think I wouldn't be full. Even though the scramble was made with egg whites which usually means less volume for the overall scramble, I thought the portion size was very generous. Fruit was incredibly fresh and also very sweet. Ciabatta was nicely toasted.
Now for the millionaires bacon flight - you've heard it all and I'm going say it again. Popular for a reason, they're sweet and salty and you have to order this (even if you're a regular!) It never gets tiring. You get 4 slices of thick cut bacon with various flavors (original, citron, rosemary, and cinnamon). My group's ranking for flavors from most to least favorite is as follows: original, citron, cinnamon, and rosemary! Order the flight and try for yourself to see if you agree with our ranking!
[+1 star]
Spacious and modern ambiance.
Once you walk in the main entrance, you'll be met with a bright, chic and modern dining space. Gone are the dark wooden chairs and tables that put their first SF location on the map. The Walnut Creek location has a white ceiling affixed with bright light fixtures and a skylight to add even more brightness. Chairs are a luxurious leather half moon chair with and are a neutral taupe color. That's for the inside! We were seated at their outside patio where we were met with rattan chairs with seat cushions and black tables with white marbling. What we liked was that the sliding door that separates the inside and outside of the restaurant can slide completely open. This allows more air for the people on the inside and allows the people outside to feel like they're part of the people dining inside!