The Abridged version:
- When Julia Perinovic returned home to Sacramento County after years in Los Angeles and San Francisco, she opted for Fair Oaks’ small-town feel, unique houses and quirky chickens.
- A great day in Fair Oaks includes a chocolate croissant from O Café Bakery & Bistro, a nut burger from Sunflower Drive-In and braised short rib over polenta from Fabian’s Italian Bistro.
- Make sure to spend some time near or on the American River, shopping in the Fair Oaks Village and catching a show at the Fair Oaks Performing Arts Center.
You can have a lovely day in any neighborhood or suburb across the Sacramento region, as we explore in this series. Want to tell us what a beautiful day in your neighborhood looks like? Email abridged@kvie.org with your recommendations.
When Sacramento County pulled me back home after many years in Los Angeles and San Francisco, I knew I wanted to land somewhere with a strong sense of community, a lot of character, and a little bit of quirk. Fair Oaks fit the bill and then some, and six years in, it still finds new ways to win me over every day.
Growing up across the bridge in Gold River, with its perfectly paved streets and meticulously manicured lawns, I had my sights set on something a bit less polished. My husband and I settled on Fair Oaks, and we’ve spent the past several years raising our two daughters here and leaning into what makes this place so quietly wonderful. It’s a town where business owners know your name, one-of-a-kind homes are plentiful, and wild chickens roam the streets like they own the place.
Tucked along the American River about 15 miles northeast of Sacramento, Fair Oaks has proudly been doing its own thing since the late 1800s. The Fair Oaks Village, at the heart of this community, was built beneath a canopy of heritage oaks and carries a layered, lived-in charm that you can’t manufacture. It’s worth noting that Fair Oaks has never been incorporated as a city — no city hall, no mayor — just a community of about 33,000 residents with a strong sense of self.
Whether you’re a longtime local or just discovering it for the first time, here’s your guide to spending a really great day in this town I love so much.
Morning
Every good day in Fair Oaks (read: anywhere) starts with coffee, and there is no shortage of solid options in and around The Village. Old Soul Co. recently moved into the newly renovated Fair Oaks Village and has quickly become a go-to morning ritual for locals. Grab a seasonal latte and the chorizo breakfast burrito.
If your sweet tooth wakes up before anything else (guilty), O Café Bakery & Bistro is your next stop. Chef Christophe Jusseaume brings a traditional French pastry menu to this Village mainstay. The chocolate croissants and lemon tartlets are the best around, and the patio is the perfect place to slowly start your day.
Pause Coffee House is another neighborhood favorite with a dedicated following and a rotating menu of specialty drinks. And in perhaps the most anticipated coffee news this spring, Temple Coffee Roasters just opened its newest location right here in Fair Oaks, a welcome addition for those who’ve been making the drive to one of their Downtown Sacramento outposts.
After coffee, the question becomes: how do you want to spend your morning on the American River? You have options.
My favorite view is a short walk down from The Village, toward the bluffs above the river. Deer are a common sight in the area, and a rogue chicken or two will almost certainly make an appearance. The Fair Oaks Bridge connects the bluffs to the trails below, and that crossing might be the single most iconic view in town. Miles of paved trails run along the river in both directions, and whether you’re walking or biking, there’s always a new stretch to explore.
If you’d rather be on the water than admiring it, head to Sailor Bar. It’s the perfect spot for standup paddleboarding, with an easy-to-access launch point and wide open stretches of river that feel far-removed from the suburbs just a mile or two up the hill. For something more laid-back, head over to River Rat Raft Rentals and grab a tube for floating. Despite your suburban loyalty, there’s one thing we can all agree on: Nothing screams “I’m a Sacramentan” more than spending a warm day drifting downstream with no particular agenda (and maybe a cooler in tow).
Afternoon
Lunch in Fair Oaks can only mean one thing: the Sunflower Drive-In. It’s been a Fair Oaks institution since 1978, operating from behind a humble walk-up counter and serving what is maybe the most unexpectedly delicious sandwich in the region.
Its flagship nut burger — a nutmeat patty on a fluffy bun with sprouts, sauce and the works — has to be your order. If you’re skeptical, your skepticism is understandable and also misguided. Meat eaters, I promise this is not a consolation prize. The Sunflower’s nut burger is a legitimately great burger that just happens to be vegetarian. If your morning on the river worked up a real appetite, go for the larger version: the super nut burger.
The Village gives you other lunch options worth knowing. Brahma Bar & Grill is a locally owned spot in the heart of The Village that offers house-made American fare and slow-smoked meats. The brisket French dip is hard to beat, the margarita options are fresh and the covered patio is a welcome reprieve on a triple-digit Sacramento County day.
For something more casual and quick, the Fair Oaks Coffee House & Deli is your place. Grab a turkey sandwich and take your lunch over to Village Park. The park has a new play structure that will keep the kids in your group busy while you claim a picnic table in the shade. There’s plenty of both. This is exactly the kind of unhurried afternoon that Fair Oaks does especially well.
After lunch, stroll back through The Village for some shopping. Leera is a boutique with a loyal local following for a reason, offering a perfectly curated mix of clothing and accessories. Bungalow Style Living is the kind of shop that’s impossible to walk through quickly. It’s been in The Village since 2006, filling its space with antique treasures, architectural salvage, repurposed furniture and French farmhouse pieces that are each handpicked.
Evening
If there’s a show at the Fair Oaks Performing Arts Center, definitely go. The newly renovated venue and amphitheater have drawn impressive talent since it opened last fall. The inaugural Fair Oaks Folk Festival kicked things off with headliner Jessica Malone, an award-winning Northern California singer-songwriter and former Fair Oaks Village resident, who wrote three albums from her old digs in The Village.
The venue has continued to build on that momentum with a full season of concerts, comedy and community events. Free performances in Village Park also happen regularly through the warmer months and shouldn’t be missed.
Ready for a cocktail? Head to Shangri-La. Built on the site of a former mortuary (there’s that Fair Oaks character again), Shangri-La leans into its mid-century Palm Springs inspiration with fire pits and a full outdoor bar. The craft cocktail program is sure to impress, and the patio holds its own as one of the best outdoor spots in the area.
When the evening settles in, there’s no shortage of places to land for dinner. The Fair Oaks Brew Pub is the classic local choice, and for reasons that go beyond the great food and beer. Owner Wei Zhang and her staff have built a place where everyone is welcomed like a regular, even if it’s your first time in. The pizza is excellent, the beer list is thorough and I’ll bet you’ll become a regular after just one visit.
If the night calls for something more elevated, make the short drive to Fabian’s Italian Bistro. I’ve enjoyed the braised short rib over polenta more times than I can count, and the chicken piccata, made with Fabian’s signature crispy buttermilk chicken, is equally hard to pass up. The menu leans Italian with a strong commitment to locally sourced ingredients, and the charming tree-covered patio is the kind you linger on longer than planned.
End the night with ice cream. The Roost opened in May, and The Village has been waiting for it. A Fair Oaks family saw what anyone who’s spent an evening here has felt: The nights need a proper sweet ending. They answered that with a scoop shop serving up Gunther’s Ice Cream, a Sacramento institution that’s impressed devoted ice cream eaters since 1940. It’s a natural fit for a community that takes its local loyalties seriously.
If a nightcap sounds more appealing, Stockman’s Bar is Fair Oaks’ favorite dive: no frills and good company. It’s the perfect low-key landing spot at the end of a really good day in a really good place.
Fair Oaks has a way of sneaking up on you. I didn’t expect to feel so rooted here so quickly, but that’s what happens when a place keeps rewarding you — a new restaurant in The Village, a beautiful morning on the river, a neighbor who turns into a real friend. And through all of it, the chickens are still crossing the road and Stockman’s is still pouring.
You may have your own pick for the best suburb in Sacramento, but when it comes to character, quirkiness and the kind of place that pulls up a chair for everyone, Fair Oaks has no competition.
Julia Perinovic is a freelance writer based in Fair Oaks.