Where to eat before Athletics, Sacramento River Cats games this season

The Abridged version:

• There might not seem to be many restaurants right outside Sutter Health Park, but these 11 diverse options are within a 15-minute walk.
• Some are in West Sacramento, while others are across Tower Bridge in Old Sacramento.
• Options include Indonesian fried rice, burgers and New Haven-style pizza.

---

The Athletics’ first season in West Sacramento made fans excited. Options around the ballpark left some hungry for more.

While restaurants and bars surround Golden 1 Center, home of the Kings, Sutter Health Park has fewer places nearby for people to chow down pregame. But good options abound for those who know where to look, both in West Sacramento and across Tower Bridge in Old Sacramento and along Capitol Mall.

As the A’s return for their 2026 home opener Friday (the Sacramento River Cats’ season kicked off March 27), fans can look forward to eating at these 11 restaurants. All are within a 15-minute walk of the ballpark, per Google Maps, and none are too fancy for a pregame bite.

West Sacramento

Cap’s Bar & Grill

900 W. Capitol Ave.

Who says ballplayers are the only athletes in West Sacramento? Capitol Bowl, a bowling alley founded in the early 1950s and resuscitated at the start of the 21st century, offers a family-friendly activity to help kids get their energy out before a game. For adults, there’s a full bar and better-than-expected food at the adjoining Cap’s Bar & Grill, thanks to chef Dave Ball.

Ball’s signature dish, brought over from his time in more upscale kitchens, is his hand-cut balsamic chips. Topped with blue cheese crumbles, balsamic gastrique and fresh basil, these thin crisps are easy to share and more befitting a bistro than a bowling alley. California cheesesteaks are the best-selling item, made with shaved rib-eye, pepper jack cheese, peppers, onions and mushrooms on Philadelphia-baked sourdough buns.

Franquette

965 Bridge St., Suite 100

A French-inspired, all-day cafe next to the stadium parking lot, Franquette offers a refined setting while keeping all food prices below $20. The sister concept to Canon in East Sacramento, it’s a lovely place to sip a pregame glass of wine or coffee while enjoying standout food neatly plated on dishware made by Alma Design Studio north of Downtown Sacramento.

Slices of airy quiche are the flagship dish, currently filled with broccoli and caramelized onions, though quiche Lorraine is available on weekends as well. A stunning spring tartine sees herb-leek farmers cheese spread across a slice of ACME Bread Co. toast, with roasted asparagus, pickled shallots and spiced nuts contrasting throughout. And while it might not seem like ballpark food, the thick Earl Grey crème brûlée dotted with vanilla bean specks may be West Sacramento’s best dessert.

Tree House Cafe

630 Third St.

There’s history in the food at Tree House Cafe, a converted house north of the ballpark. The mixed-race Ulatan family bought the property in 1943, but racist neighbors ran them off their land, forcing them to rent it out while residing in Delta farmworker housing. After moving back in during the 1970s, patriarch Bonifacio Ulatan planted fruit trees on the property, which continue booming to this day.

The backyard-to-fork menu changes with the fruit that’s available and what customers gift owner Jeff “Fro” Davis — a couple of weeks ago, it featured sticky muffins made with oranges plucked from overhead branches. But you can always enjoy a beer or coffee with a sandwich such as the Flying Dutchman (chicken, pickled onions, melted provolone and jammy barbecue sauce on a telera roll). For lighter fare, try the vegan rainbow wrap bursting with cherry tomatoes, cucumber and carrots inside a pesto-lathered spinach wrap.

Birdie’s Social Club

805 Riverfront St., Suite 100

The closest restaurant to Sutter Health Park’s gates, Birdie’s Social Club’s two outdoor patios offer A+ people-watching before games. Inside, it’s deep green booths and a well-lit bar spinning creative drinks on the right, and Trackman golf bays ($60/hour for your group) to the left. Cocktails, bites and shot-and-beer combos are just $8 during happy hour from 4-6 p.m.

If visiting during that time, don’t miss chef Raphael Kendall’s Birdie wings, a juicy quartet dusted with salt and pepper and served with buffalo sauce and dill-forward ranch. Satisfy the kids’ In-N-Out Burger or Taco Bell cravings with Thousand Island-laden smash burgers or potato tacos. For a larger shareable, herby falafel is the star of a Mediterranean veggie spread over red pepper hummus.

The Midway

330 Third St.

A slept-on dive bar with significant happy hour deals from 3-7 p.m., The Midway is an ideal low-key place to fill your stomach or up your BAC before a game. Regular customers dot the dimly lit bar no matter what, but ballpark attendees will want to bask on the patio.

It’s relaxed, it’s fun, it’s unserious, but there’s some noticeably solid Asian fusion fare coming out of the kitchen. Tacos feature a sweet chili sauce, bulgogi covers loaded fries and a house specialty sandwich combines bánh mì fixings with braised brisket, bone marrow aioli and rye bread. Fill up on beef phở, which simmers for 16 hours before hitting tables, or house some discounted garlic noodles and balsamic-glazed Brussels sprouts during happy hour.

Drake’s: The Barn

985 Riverfront St.

Seven years after San Leandro-based Drake’s Brewing Co. opened its two-acre West Sacramento outpost, Drake’s: The Barn remains The Bridge District’s biggest fish. Dozens of housemade beers on tap, plus plenty of space for kids to run around, made Drake’s arguably West Sacramento’s most popular restaurant addition of the past decade.

It’s also the region’s only restaurant dedicated to serving New Haven-style “apizza,” thin, chewy and lightly charred on the bottom. Try the spicy-sweet mortadelicious pie, with hot honey, arugula, pickled fennel and sheets of mortadella. If you’re only here for a beer and a small bite, share the pickup sticks (cheesy breadsticks teeming with roasted garlic) with the table. Just be sure to get there early: It’s perhaps the most popular pregame spot on this list.

Sacramento

Fanny Ann’s Burger Saloon

1023 Second St.

Old Sacramento’s five-story fever dream since 1973, Fanny Ann’s Burger Saloon is filled floor-to-ceiling with every sort of busted-up knickknack imaginable — old books, taxidermic animal heads, bowling pins, even a cannon from the original Fanny Ann’s steamboat, which brought Sacramento supplies during the Gold Rush. The top-floor pinball machines are fully functioning, though, and the bar has a wholly modern tap list, with game-day drink specials as low as $5 and 20% off draft beers and burgers with a same-day ticket.

Those aforementioned burgers dominate a cartoonish menu, with kooky options such as the open-faced Thunder Humper smothered in housemade chili or the Jiffy burger, an unavoidable mess defined by its peanut butter sauce. Whatever your entree (veggie patties can be subbed for black angus beef), upgrade your side to the gadzooks zuchs, oblong zucchini chips with thin shells and plenty of moisture inside.

Bear & Crown

1022 Second St.

Need to kill a little time with a group? Head to Bear & Crown, which boasts patio cornhole, pool tables ($2/game or three for $5) and a private dining section available for reservations. U.K. native Joe Wilson’s British pub took over the historic Orleans Hotel building in 2023 and got to work pouring stouts and lagers along with cocktails such as the London Boy (cucumber-mint vodka, elderflower liqueur, lime and simple syrup).

There are classics such as buttery fish and chips with triple-cooked fries and a zingy tartar sauce, and a sweets coronation chicken salad sandwich made with Major Grey’s chutney. Chef James Williams also reimagines a French dip sandwich with lamb (a Welsh dip, if you will) and fries pork or vegetarian bangers to go with mash and peas. Splurge on almond-crusted trout or peppercorn steak if you saved on tickets.

Bali Kitchen

1100 Front St., Suite 150

You’ll have to sneak into Bali Kitchen for an early dinner or day game lunch, as the Sacramento region’s lone Indonesian restaurant shuts down at 6 p.m. Most people eschew the cramped dining room for wooden tables and benches on the deck, which faces Tower Bridge and Sutter Health Park. On balmy summer days, it’s a pleasant place to slurp a sweet drink such as cendol, a mix of coconut milk and pandan-dyed jelly over ice.

Jakarta native Tessa Lie Scaief is a one-woman show behind the counter and in the kitchen, so service runs slow. But if the first pitch is still a ways away, it’s worth stopping in for dishes such as rendang, a fantastic beef dry curry with initial notes of makrut lime and lemongrass that soon give way to chilis. Even familiar dishes have some regional differences: The juicy fried chicken is dyed yellow with turmeric and served with a side of sambal for some extra heat, while nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice) has the unmistakable addition of sweet soy sauce along with fried garlic, mixed veggies and your choice of protein.

Honey and the Trapcat

1023 Front St., Suite A

A basement bar with pool tables leads out to a brick-lined patio at Honey and The Trapcat, founded by Brian Mathews in 2019. Classic cocktails such as the Gold Rush (bourbon, lemon juice and honey syrup) are just $10, and burgers, sandwiches and fried bar bites own the food menu.

Asada fries make for an easy-to-love California shareable, the citrus-marinated steak nicely complementing pico de gallo, melted cheese and sour cream streaks. Skip a Sutter Health Park hot dog in favor of the ballpark banger overflowing with diced onions, pickled jalapeños, pinto beans and more on a bed of fries. This also works for a post-game bite, even after extra innings: Honey and the Trapcat’s kitchen keeps firing until 2 a.m.

House Kitchen & Bar

555 Capitol Mall

House Kitchen & Bar is a lunchtime favorite for Downtown bankers and lobbyists but thins out as Capitol Mall empties at the end of the workday. “The best French dip in Sacramento,” though, remains on chef/owner Chris Nestor’s menu through dinner. Stacked with shaved prime rib, Swiss cheese, crunchy fried onions and a thin layer of horseradish mayo, it’s served with fries and a savory jus, with a turkey option available for those seeking something leaner.

Diners under the patio’s orange umbrellas or dining room’s giant overhead whisk also dig into salads, including a particularly fresh one with grilled chicken, date slivers, avocado slices, golden-fried cornbread crouton squares and a goat cheese puck. A trio of sweet tamale cakes stuffed with pepper jack cheese and surrounded by tomatillo and corn salsas are listed as an appetizer, but also work well as a slightly savory dessert. Look for pregame beer and Athletics-green lemonade specials as the season gets underway, but note that House is closed on weekends.

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.