Sacramento is famously known as America’s Farm To Fork Capital making it a dining mecca. Because it’s such an agricultural hub, restaurant guests will often find menu items that come right from a local farm.
Sacramento is the sixth-largest city in California with 500,000 people calling it home, creating one of the most diverse demographics in the country. And with such a wide range of people living so closely together, there is sure to be a variety of restaurants that cater to all appetites and tastes.
Whether you’re in town for King’s basketball game, a River Cats baseball game, attending a concert at Golden 1 Center or visiting on business, make time to enjoy the cuisine Sacramento has to offer. Who knows? You just might bump into a notable state legislator or an athlete.
Café Bernardo
Cafe Bernardo is a casual Sacramento restaurant concept based on the European tradition of cafe dining. With multiple locations in Sacramento and Davis, a seasonal farm-to-fork menu and a comfortable atmosphere, it has been a dining staple in the region for over 25 years.
De Vere’s Irish Pub
Enjoy a hot meal, friendly banter with the bartender, and your favorite drink by a cozy fire. Owner Henry de Vere wants you to experience all that Ireland has to offer right here in Sacramento. It prides itself on its food and service, but most of all, on its pints of Guinness. Come taste the soul of Ireland, poured to perfection in a twenty-ounce imperial pint, curved and shaped to fit the palm of your hand. Whether guests stop by for business, lunch, dinner, or just looking for a place to socialize, come in enjoy the best craic in Sacramento!
Echo and Rig
Chef Sam Marvin has introduced a new concept transforming the long-held theories behind the steakhouse formula by creating a modern American surf n’ turf steakhouse with a butcher on-site, craft beer and allowing diners to indulge in the best cuts of meat for approachable prices.
Frank Fat’s
Frank Fat’s is more than a restaurant; it’s a culinary institution, a pillar of the community, and a quintessential American success story. Started by an immigrant dishwasher, Frank Fat’s created a downtown political scene, along with a tradition of Chinese cuisine that integrates classic flavors, fresh ingredients, innovative culinary techniques and modern-day fine dining.
In March of 2013, Frank Fat’s received the James Beard Foundation America’s Classics Award—an honor bestowed upon locally owned and operated restaurants that are the fabric of their community. In 2019, the Fat Family Restaurant Group celebrated 80 years of service and proudly took its place as the oldest restaurant in Sacramento to be owned exclusively by one family.
Hoppy Railyard Kitchen & Hopgarden
Hoppy’s Railyard features 24 taps of locally brewed beer, seasonal specialty cocktails and a locally sourced farm-to-fork menu. It also has one of the best regular Hoppy Hours and the best Late Night Hoppy Hours featuring a casual, warm pub grub atmosphere alongside brunch in Sacramento.
House Kitchen & Bar
House Kitchen & Bar was created by chef/owner Chris Nestor. He was driven to create an atmosphere that included classic comfort food in an upscale, yet casual, environment. His goal was to create classic comfort food with a contemporary twist, that makes everyone feel like a guest in his “house”. If crunchy double-dipped fried chicken or creamy five-cheese mac n’ cheese doesn’t appeal to you, its chefs are more than happy to create something special just for you!
Il Fornaio
Step inside Il Fornaio and take an award-winning culinary journey through Italy. Specialties include house-made pastas, wood-fired pizza, grilled fish, authentic risotto, and rotisserie meats. Using the freshest ingredients and traditional cooking techniques, each Il Fornaio offers a wide variety of premium-quality Italian food paired with great wines and cocktails.
Mayahuel Tequila Museo
Mayahuel is not simply a restaurant; it’s an experience for the senses. Mayahuel is a tequila museum, featuring a Mexican restaurant, tequila bar and lounge. Admire murals of acclaimed artist Gabriel Romo, or enjoy unique and refreshing cocktails. Learn about the culture of Mexico through its themes, music, and regional cuisine. It combines fresh, local ingredients in the ‘farm to fork’ tradition, to bring guests the perfect blending of authenticity and inspiration.
Mikuni Japanese Restaurant & Bar
Mikuni’s restaurant in the historic East End Lofts building in midtown Sacramento is alive with the flavors of New York and San Francisco. From the amazing intricacy of exquisite sushi rolls to the extraordinary beauty of female Japanese warriors whose likenesses adorn the walls, it is truly a place to see —amidst the bright lights, bold colors, and the undeniable hum of excitement in the air. And with its three sushi bars, drinks bar complete with exotic concoctions, and many large, flat-screen televisions, guests may never want to leave.
Mulvaney’s B&L
Mulvaney’s B&L is a restaurant that specializes in hand-crafted New American cuisine, and a farm-to-table devotee that celebrates the efforts of the growers, ranchers, brewers and winemakers who are neighbors, purveyors and friends.
Set in a historic 1893 firehouse, with its original brick walls and soaring ceilings, Mulvaney’s B&L is also a nexus of Sacramento: a place that serves impeccable and creative fare featuring daily menu changes in step with the local growing seasons.
Morton’s The Steakhouse
Renowned for its signature menu and legendary hospitality, Morton’s The Steakhouse sets the standard for fine steakhouse dining. It serves highest quality foods, featuring USDA prime-aged beef, succulent seafood, decadent desserts and an award-winning wine list. From its innovative cocktail culture that fuels a bustling bar scene, to the elegant dining rooms, Morton’s welcomes guests for business, pleasure, and special events.
Nash & Proper
Nash & Proper serves the best Nashville-style fried chicken in Sacramento, California! Chef Cecil Rhodes has been perfecting his recipes over the past four years and has opened a new location on K Street, a ghost kitchen off Northgate Blvd and three food trucks, making it easy to find a spicy snack all over Sacramento. It was voted “Best Food Truck,” “Best Fried Chicken” and “Best Spicy Food” in Sacramento by the Sacramento Magazine in 2020.
Old Soul
Old Soul a community space and eatery that celebrates local farmers, brewers and purveyors including Frank Lienert Honey, Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates, Blue Diamond Almonds, Delta Farm Friends and Giusto’s Flour. Serving pastries, breads, sandwiches, salads, soups and quiche all freshly prepared in its bakery, and boutique coffees from the best farms all over the world, using artisan barista techniques to create the best lattes and mochas, its sure to amaze any coffee fanatic in Downtown Sacramento.
The Porch Restaurant & Bar
Located in vibrant midtown Sacramento, The Porch pays homage to the South Carolina coast by creating an ambience that captures the essence of Southern charm and elegance with a menu that reflects the artful comfort and distinctive flavor of Low country cuisine featuring locally sourced ingredients. Signature dishes include fat cornmeal fried shrimp and pan-fried trout, shrimp po’ boy, crab cakes made from Atlantic blue crab, buttermilk fried chicken, and fried green tomatoes.
Willie’s Burgers
Willie’s Burgers is an old-fashioned burger joint perfect for a quick bite. A long time favorite of many locals that serves perfectly built burgers, cheeseburgers, chiliburgers and fries that are a mountain high.
Rio City Café
Rio City Cafe is situated in beautiful historic Old Sacramento, overlooking some of the most prominent landmarks in Sacramento. The Sacramento River runs by its spacious outdoor patio, with spectacular views of the historic Tower Bridge and the Ziggurat building.
Rio City Cafe opened its doors in May of 1994. The building, designed to replicate a steamship warehouse of the late 1800s, is open, airy and stylishly rustic. It adds an elegant touch while still maintaining the historic feel of Old Sacramento. It displays a comfortably casual setting, with indoor and outdoor seating.
The Chef’s approach is to present fresh, wholesome farm-to-fork ingredients and combine them in an attractive, tasteful and creative way accompanied by an extensive wine list featuring popular wines from Napa and other appellations of California.
