The Abridged version:
- 58 Degrees & Holding Co. will close May 31 after 20 years in Midtown Sacramento.
- It was an early wine bar in Midtown and adapted throughout the years to stay relevant.
- Employees and several partners from Gavrilov & Brooks Attorneys at Law bought the restaurant and bar in 2017.
Midtown Sacramento wine bar and restaurant 58 Degrees & Holding Co. will close May 31 after 20 years at 1217 18th St., its operators announced in a social media post Thursday.
“What started as a wine bar became so much more because of all of you,” 58 Degrees wrote in the post. “We’ve shared countless meals, celebrations, conversations and memories together, and we are endlessly grateful for every guest who walked through our doors and every team member who made this place special.
Midtown Sacramento was a different landscape when 58 Degrees opened between L Street and Capitol Avenue in 2006. Zócalo and Mulvaney’s B&L had just opened around the corners, and popular neighbors such as Old Soul, Kupros Craft House and Federalist Pizza had yet to emerge.
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Wine bar competitors Revolution Winery & Kitchen, Ro Sham Beaux and The Rind were still years away from opening, too. That left 58 Degrees uniquely positioned to draw Gen X and Baby Boomers eager for a wine-focused evenings in Sacramento’s urban core without the price tag of high-end restaurants.
As time went on, 58 Degrees adapted to find its niche in an evolving scene. It began offering weekend brunch, introducing pork belly hash and Southwestern scrambles, and Chambongs to help drinkers guzzle sparkling wines quickly. Dinner items ranged from beet salads and charcuterie boards to blackened salmon and filet mignon.
Named for an optimal wine storage temperature, 58 Degrees was purchased in 2017 by several partners and employees of Gavrilov & Brooks Attorneys at Law, whose office was within walking distance of the bar.
Benjy Egel is the senior food editor at Abridged. Born and raised in the Sacramento region, he has covered its local restaurants and bars since 2018. He also writes and edits Abridged’s weekly food and drink newsletter, City of Treats.