The Abridged version:
- Sacramento’s iconic restaurants span several cuisines and neighborhoods.
- There are longstanding favorites such as Frank Fat’s and newer flagships such as Fixins Soul Kitchen that define the modern dining scene as well.
- Was your local favorite snubbed? Write it in at the end of this article.
Sacramento’s cultural core is in its restaurants — particularly these 11.
These restaurants define Sacramento’s dining scene, from a Michelin star in Midtown to a South Sac bánh mì joint exported from the Bay Area. Listed in no particular order, they’re a culinary guide to this complex, evolving city, bites one must nosh and dining rooms one must trod to be considered a true Sacramento eater.
A few caveats: These are the culinary institutions that define Sacramento, not necessarily a list of the city’s best restaurants, although there is some overlap. To be considered, restaurants had to be within Sacramento’s city limits — not Elk Grove, West Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom or unincorporated areas (Arden Arcade, Rosemont).
While these 11 restaurants encompass much of what makes Sacramento’s dining scene itself, they don’t capture everything. Write in the snubbed restaurant you think belongs on this list in the survey at the end of the story.
(Jamie Judd)
Frank Fat’s
806 L St.
Sacramento’s most distinguished legacy restaurant has been a downtown fixture since 1939, 20 years after founder Dong-Sai “Frank” Fat immigrated from China. The lore is rich — first-term Gov. Jerry Brown secretly chowing down with the cooks in the kitchen, then-Assembly Speaker Willie Brown hashing out a “napkin deal” at the 1987 session’s 11th hour — as are the honey walnut prawns that make their way to most tables. The New York steak smothered in sautéed onions and oyster sauce has its fans, as do yu kwok dumplings and teeth-chattering lychee martinis. But no dish defines Frank Fat’s like its feather-light banana cream pie, which has required an estimated 1.3 million bananas since it landed on the menu in the 1940s.
Also try: The Firehouse Restaurant, El Novillero, Caballo Blanco Restaurante
Mulvaney’s B&L
1215 19th St.
Mulvaney’s pork chop sides change with the seasons, but the Bledsoe Meats double-cut is always on the menu. (Mulvaney’s B&L)
Local produce defines a great number of restaurants in the nation’s Farm-to-Fork Capital, perhaps none more so than Mulvaney’s B&L. Bobbin and Patrick Mulvaney’s Midtown joint turns its menu over daily based on what farmers bring to the door. A few items are constant no matter the season: house-smoked salmon with Irish brown bread, a double-cut pork chop from Bledsoe Meats and a fancified take on a Ding Dong for dessert. Stop by for a power lunch like the bigwigs, or reserve your spots in advance for “Family Meal,” themed communal dinners eaten at 10-person tables on the fourth Monday of each month.
Also try: Paragary’s, Magpie Cafe, The Waterboy
Fixins Soul Kitchen
3428 3rd Ave.
Kevin Johnson’s mayoral tenure had its share of controversies, but his restaurant in his native Oak Park has been a success by all measures. Fixins Soul Kitchen is Oak Park to its core, sourcing recipes from long-neglected area residents and making a point to hire Sacramento High School students. The fried chicken is the city’s best and the catfish isn’t far behind, but Fixins is the modern embodiment of a soul food restaurant, with a vegan menu and inventive cocktail bar. Next up: a nationwide expansion targeting historically Black or entertainment-rich neighborhoods. Locations in Los Angeles, Detroit and Tulsa have already joined the cookout.
Also try: Tori’s Place, Louisiana Heaven, Sarom’s Southern Kitchen
Jimboy’s Tacos
Several locations
Ground beef, iceberg lettuce and Parmesan-dusted tortilla shells: These aren’t your abuela’s tacos. But Jimboy’s is beloved here as the locals’ alternative to Taco Bell or Del Taco, a Folsom-based icon with 28 regional locations, including six within Sacramento city limits. Founded by Jim “Jimboy” Knudson in 1954, it’s helmed today by his grandson Erik Freeman and still a cheap meal, after-school snack or hangover remedy for many. Continued innovation has resulted in newer creations such as wild cod tacos, avocado chicken salads and scratch-made queso.
Also try: Taco Exxpress
Duc Huong Sandwiches
6825 Stockton Blvd., Suite 200
Of all the Bay Area exports to Sacramento, Đức Hương may be the most universally appreciated. The bánh mì shop and market has long anchored Stockton Square, arguably the top spot for Vietnamese and Chinese flavors in South Sacramento’s Little Saigon neighborhood, in addition to its four San Jose locations. Numbered sandwiches are a mere $3.25-$6 depending on size, with favorites including the grilled pork, cold cut combo and pork. Ask for them on garlic bread for a touch more zing.
Also try: Huong Lan Sandwiches, Phở Xe Lua, Pho Bac Hoa Viet
Localis
2031 S St.
Localis’ octopus is one of the Midtown restaurant’s signature dishes. (Benjy Egel)
The tip-top of Sacramento’s dining scene crests with Localis, perhaps the best place to see what a restaurant in this city can be if price ($266 per person before beverage pairings) is no object. Chris Barnum-Dann crafts tasting menus based on core memories or his travels with staff: a Michelin-starred take on Peruvian dishes, say, or a Japanese takeover walking guests from Kyoto to Tokyo. Octopus became a signature dish early on and can often be found along the 10-course tasting menu, which is kept a secret until the start of the meal but has pivots for dietary restrictions. For a taste of Barnum-Dann’s mind at a lower price point, check out Localis’ sister restaurant Betty Wine Bar & Bottle Shop in Southside Park.
Also try: The Kitchen, Kru Contemporary Japanese Cuisine, Allora
Corti Brothers
5810 Folsom Blvd.
It’s a grocery store, yes, but Corti Brothers‘ lunchtime sandwich counter is as bustling as any deli in town. Thick piles of turkey, mortadella or corned beef require two hands and lots of napkins and should be ordered online to avoid a lengthy wait. The signature Corti Special assigns customers to pick their bread, veggies, cheese and spreads but leaves meat choice up to the sandwich-maker; at a mere $8.49, it’s one of the best deals in town. Founded in 1947, Corti Brothers’ remaining store has persevered as a premier place for high-quality shopping thanks to Sacramento’s most famous gourmand, Darrell Corti, and his longtime general manager, Rick Mindermann. Grab some housemade ravioli from the freezer aisle (meat sauce optional) on your way out for dinner.
Also try: Nugget Markets, Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op, Oto’s Marketplace
Gunther’s Ice Cream
2801 Franklin Blvd.
Gunther’s fruit freezes are nearly as popular as the shop’s ice cream. (Benjy Egel)
Team Vic’s or Team Gunther’s? With Vic’s Ice Cream still under renovation in Land Park, we’re giving this one to the Curtis Park neighbor featured in the 2025 movie “Sacramento.” Gunther’s was founded in 1940 and has retained its old-timey charm, from the mint green uniforms staff wear to the rich scoops of rocky road and butter brickle. The neon sign of an aproned ice cream man flipping his scoop toward a cone serves as a citywide beacon during summer evenings. For the lactose-intolerant out there, Gunther’s fruit freezes are a summer balm in their own right. If you can handle your dairy, try them as a “50/50” with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Also try: Vic’s Ice Cream (once reopened), Yume Gelato, Rick’s Dessert Diner
Tower Cafe
1518 Broadway
Tower Cafe has one of Sacramento’s best patios and food from around the world. (Benjy Egel)
Jim Seyman opened Tower Cafe on Earth Day in 1990, fitting for a restaurant that takes dishes from across the globe. Thirty-five years later, people still line up on Broadway for weekend brunches and summer dinners under the tree canopy. Tower Cafe, like its contemporaries listed below, excels at having something tasty for the whole group, no matter their dietary restrictions or flavor preferences. The oft-changing menu stacks Jamaican jerk chicken with “Polynesian guacamole” next to Thai green curry and an East African veggie burger, with an enticing display case full of house-baked cakes and tarts. Everyone can usually agree on an order of steak fries with miso chili sauce, curry aioli and Belgian fritte sauce for the table.
Also try: Selland’s Market-Cafe, Cafe Bernardo
Pancake Circus
2101 Broadway
Is it the city’s fanciest breakfast spot? Far from it. Is it the creepiest? Depends on your feelings about clowns. Yet Pancake Circus has endured since 1970 thanks to its old-fashioned hospitality, eclectic decor and a certain Sacramento je ne sais quoi. While the tower sign at 21st Street and Broadway promises “steaks, seafood, salads,” pancakes are of course the star, fluffy buttermilk stacks included with many breakfast items and available à la carte. When people plastered “keep midtown janky” stickers around the grid in the mid-2010s, this is what they were talking about.
Also try: Stagecoach Restaurant, Mr. Perry’s Diner, Sammy’s Restaurant
Freeport Bakery
2966 Freeport Blvd.
A sugar cookie on a summer day, a pink box of cupcakes in the office break room, a fruit basket cake topped with birthday candles: Freeport Bakery improves any Sacramento celebration. Marlene and Walter Goetzeler bought Freeport in 1987 and quickly established it as a Land Park institution influenced by Walter’s Bavarian roots and Marlene’s Jewish background (see: “pragels,” pretzel bagels that stand out among the savory offerings). Freeport’s cakes, particularly for weddings, are in such high demand that the bakery expanded into a 2,100-square-foot production annex in 2015.
Also try: Marie’s Donuts, Mahoroba Japanese Bakery, Faria Bakery
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.