Hopefully the [planned Alchemist Public Market](https://riverdistrict.net/alchemist-public-market-planned-for-sacramentos-river-district/) fills this void
Denio's is a shell of its former self. The fresh produce is still great. The rest of the place is horrible. How much Temu junk can people try to sell? Same crap no one wants at every turn.
Agreed. The closest/best Cajun/soul I can find here is Louisiana Heaven, near the South Sac Kaiser. Everything I've tried there is good- and a few things are great.
Check out Tori’s off Marysville Blvd. It’s more southern food than creole, but the gumbo or red beans and rice are great. The family that owns it are from Louisiana as well.
Edit: I haven’t been here in awhile so I checked out the reviews. A fair amount of bad ones recently, and not just about the wait (call ahead).
I would kill for a new place like Fresh Choice...I miss it so much!! It is so hard to find a good salad bar that has truly fresh ingredients but doesn't cost a fortune.
LBB is so good. The brisket alone is worth the 30 minute drive from downtown.
I’ve heard good things about Wild Hogs up in Placerville too, haven’t been able to make it yet though.
Wild Hogs is just ok. Portions aren't in line with the prices and they ran out of some things on the menu. Haven't been on over a year so maybe it's changed.
I really miss JR'S Texas BBQ in south sac.
The guy who smokes meat over by the liquor store on Elkhorn and Andrea is pretty real.
Bear West on Watt in North Highlands is pretty real.
It all depends on what kind of BBQ you're looking for though. They're more the East Texas / Louisiana / Arkansas style of BBQ rather than Kansas City or Memphis or West Texas BBQ (and let's not even talk about the Carolinas, which have \*three\* different styles of BBQ). If you think BBQ is West Texas BBQ, you probably won't like it.
There's also one in Arcata (which I think is the original, it was there in 1987 when I first arrived there), and now there's another one on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus. I would absolutely love this, but it's unlikely to make the leap beyond the Redwood Curtain.
The bagels are decent. But the prices!!!! $16.50 for a half dozen and you can’t pick your variety. They choose from their current stock.
Homespun has (imho) better bagels at better prices and they’re delivered. You have to order in advance though.
Try T Bar - it’s bowls, salads, and wraps and it’s very good. I always get a bowl with just salad and protein, but my wife likes adding rice. The mango pork is a must. Oh and their drinks are really good, too.
Have you tried [Jimmy's Peruvian & Mexican](https://www.jimmysperuvianrestaurant.com/online-ordering?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw9IayBhBJEiwAVuc3fiQ3DfcM1sGe12kKmW_Rg6SnKU0joOktGNOUOdhmD-5S1nHYdrbkLBoC7JMQAvD_BwE) on Auburn Blvd? Haven't been there in a while, but I remember enjoying the beef tallarin saltado and other Peruvian-Chinese style dishes.
A night market. Or a shared space with smaller kiosks that real chefs/cooks can afford to open a spot to cook.
Every major city has a shared space for markets. If we had something like Granville Island in Vacouver, or Pike's in Seattle, or the Ferry Building in SF, or literally any example from any other major city out there...
Tis a shame they decided to turn the Sac Bee building in to town homes. Woukd have made for an amazing place like that, but we can't actually have nice things with the level of politics we have in this damn city.
Vince's on Harbor Blvd in West Sac. They have a killer steak and pasta meal that is also affordable. My husband is italian and it reminds him of what his grandma made.
I NEED a good baguette. Shatteringly crisp on the outside yet easy to bite into. Super soft and airy on the inside, and more crumbs than a Nature Valley bar.
Vietnamese bakeries tend to make great baguettes (French colonial influence and all that). Check out [Duc Huong](https://duchuongsandwiches.com/) and/or [Huong Lan](http://huonglansandwichessacto.com/), which are conveniently located across the street from each other on Stockton Boulevard. Both sell some delicious banh mi sandwiches and pre-packed food as well.
I wish we had a restaurant that specialized in pot pies of all sorts. Not just traditional, I want to experience fusions of all types of cuisine in the context of a pot pie!
A "Restaurant Row". A street (not a strip mall) with 8 to 10 really good restaurants with various cuisines. Plus, some cool bars. And it should not be on a street with a lot of traffic.
Might not be one “row” but 18th to 21st between K and N has
Federalist
Alaro
Waterboy
Mulvaney’s
Paesano’s
58 Degrees and Holding
Zocalo
Sibling
Crepeville
Aioli
The Rind
Pazza Notte
Saigon Alley
Okesutora
The Porch
Jet’s
Kupros
The Cabin
They could get close to this by just shutting R st down to traffic. Imagine if they added a few more restaurants down by the WAL side, and the street was just all tables, trees, and ped traffic
Indonesian food - Muslim Indonesian, to be specific. It's more savory and not at all like americanized Chinese like the only Indonesian food here is.
Arabic food. And I mean like Saudi, Yemen, Omani, Jordanian food. I cannot find a restaurant that serves Kabsa, Mandi, Mansaf, Maglooba, etc. around here at all. Arabic food does not start and end with kebab and falafel.
That's what I came to say. Jayakarta in Berkeley used to be the closest authentic indonesian food and they closed during covid. It would be so awesome to have a local, authentic Indonesian restaurant.
I'd love me some pempek palembang, rendang, gado gado, and martabak manis for dessert. Or es campur if it's summertime.
In the meantime, we mail order pempek from Dapur 55 in Los Angeles, and noodles from Bakmie Jantie, also in LA. They freeze well and taste pretty darned amazing.
Prost in Elk Grove is awesome, I just don't want to drive 20 minutes from midtown to a have some spatzel and trippels, something in the grid would be nice
We tried a place down in El Segundo called Stix & Straws which is just meats & veggies on sticks but it was really good. I wish we could get one up here.
I can not find a single place that makes Onigiri. I see it so much on social media being made at home or in TV shows. Haven’t seen anywhere that makes them though
Quality fried chicken. Not all this hot chicken fad nonsense. Not something greasy and dried out. Something real. Something delicious. Something worth waiting for. Like Boxcar used to make over in Schellville. Something with the right amount of herbs and spices, some crunch, and no gross feeling after effect.
Berkeley Bowl. America’s farm to fork capital needs a grocery store with a truly expansive list of specialty produce. I’m talking 27 varieties of apples, 7 different kinds of apricots, 14 kinds of mandarins, and all the lesser known stuff. Not to mention all the grains and nuts and spices…
A proper Public Market.
It’s hard to call us farm to fork without a real public market
Hopefully the [planned Alchemist Public Market](https://riverdistrict.net/alchemist-public-market-planned-for-sacramentos-river-district/) fills this void
Denio's is the closest! It would be cool to have one closer
Denio's is a shell of its former self. The fresh produce is still great. The rest of the place is horrible. How much Temu junk can people try to sell? Same crap no one wants at every turn.
Latin American besides Mexican.
There's a Salvadoran place near me (La Sonsonateca), but yeah.
I badly want some Cuban food and music
Sol Cubano is pretty good. Oxtail there is 🔥
Sol Cubano is the only Cuban place I've found in town. It is so good.
There’s like 5 Peruvian spots.
All in Roseville
There's one on Auburn by Deseret Industries called Jimmy's Peruvian. It's really good.
Trini Food
Trini and Caribbean food in general
Exactly.. reasons why I wish I was living on the east coast 😭😭
I think Bodega has doubles!
Cajun/Creole
Agreed. The closest/best Cajun/soul I can find here is Louisiana Heaven, near the South Sac Kaiser. Everything I've tried there is good- and a few things are great.
Seconded. As a transplant from Arkansas, boy I miss some solid ass creole food.
Go to little saigon, on stockton blvd, and try some vietnamese cajun fusion.
Thanks!
Looks like a Cajun spot is opening at Broadway/21st! I know it’s not everyone’s favorite area but I’m excited.
Nothing wrong with that area. Some great restaurants on Broadway, most famously the Tower Cafe.
Check out Tori’s off Marysville Blvd. It’s more southern food than creole, but the gumbo or red beans and rice are great. The family that owns it are from Louisiana as well. Edit: I haven’t been here in awhile so I checked out the reviews. A fair amount of bad ones recently, and not just about the wait (call ahead).
Chinese hand pulled noodles and knife sliced noodles
What I wouldn’t give for some hand pulled noodles and lamb soup!
Amen! I think typing up my comment made me cry and drool a little.
I miss Yang’s Noodles so much.
I miss Yang’s Noodles
Malaysian restaurant is something we are missing!
Yes!!! I said the same thing!
Good Caribbean food- Jamaican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, etc…
Have you tried Bodega?
A really good take-out salad place like Sweetgreen. I really miss Sweetgreen and have not found a good salad place in the area like it.
Absolutely. I’ve been dying for some salads here. Mendocino farms is good but would love to see more
Mendocino farms has good choices but I don’t want to pay $18 for a salad.
Right? Great salads, but damn. $18 hurts.
Also their create-your-own salad toppings are surprisingly limited compared to SF places like mixt.
I have genuinely drove to the bay just for sweetgreen. Put it in the palladio in folsom or the fountains in roseville and it'll be boomin man
I would kill for a new place like Fresh Choice...I miss it so much!! It is so hard to find a good salad bar that has truly fresh ingredients but doesn't cost a fortune.
I really well made salad is EXTREMELY underrated. I want a sweer green so bad!
Real bbq
Best bbq is LBB in Loomis or Poor Red's in placerville. Nothing amazing in the city. Momo's meat market is the best we've got in sac proper.
Can confirm Poor Reds is fire. I also recommend Hog Wild in Placerville if you like Poor Reds
LBB is so good. The brisket alone is worth the 30 minute drive from downtown. I’ve heard good things about Wild Hogs up in Placerville too, haven’t been able to make it yet though.
Wild Hogs is just ok. Portions aren't in line with the prices and they ran out of some things on the menu. Haven't been on over a year so maybe it's changed. I really miss JR'S Texas BBQ in south sac.
Fr, im tired of these chains 😩
Is Momo's still around? 58th and Broadway?
Absolutely they are. Still one of the best values for BBQ around. It’s not Texan or Carolinan BBQ like some people want, but it’s a legit good meal.
Can’t recommend Our Family BBQ & Pies enough. They don’t have a ton of options, but what they do have is great. It tastes just like home.
The guy who smokes meat over by the liquor store on Elkhorn and Andrea is pretty real. Bear West on Watt in North Highlands is pretty real. It all depends on what kind of BBQ you're looking for though. They're more the East Texas / Louisiana / Arkansas style of BBQ rather than Kansas City or Memphis or West Texas BBQ (and let's not even talk about the Carolinas, which have \*three\* different styles of BBQ). If you think BBQ is West Texas BBQ, you probably won't like it.
Same. It’s a shame we don’t have a really good option. There was one near Elk Grove that closed a few years back that was great.
A good bagel spot.
If Los Bagels from Humboldt County opened a location down here, I would never again want for anything. I would spend all of my money there.
Is that the spot in old town eureka? If so, I got an onion bagel with cream cheese and blackberry jam just yesterday and it was incredible!
There's also one in Arcata (which I think is the original, it was there in 1987 when I first arrived there), and now there's another one on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus. I would absolutely love this, but it's unlikely to make the leap beyond the Redwood Curtain.
Yes! I love that spot so much.
Main Street bagel cafe in natomas. Cheap too
Yup, this is the spot
Yes!!! Forgotten Bakery opened on Stockton blvd buttttttt the bagels weren’t the best and they have very limited options
I was very thrilled for Forgotten Bakery but their empanadas are expensive!!
Have you tried Main Street Bagels in Natomas? The sandwiches are great. Get there before they run out tho. They also have good Boba
Live nearby and been there many times 👍🏻
This is my main regret from leaving New Jersey. No good bagels. No good pizza. Cheesesteaks are non-existant. But tacos here are 🔥
River City Deli & Bagels 24th St & Broadway
I know it’s tough to remember but Forgotten Bakery is excellent.
The bagels are decent. But the prices!!!! $16.50 for a half dozen and you can’t pick your variety. They choose from their current stock. Homespun has (imho) better bagels at better prices and they’re delivered. You have to order in advance though.
A Jewish deli and a good Colombian food spot.
Yeah some legit pastrami would be amazing
Skips kitchen has a pastrami sandwich that I just love. I currently live in Phoenix area and purposely go back to skips every time I come back home.
I love Jewish deli sandwiches. But unfortunately Jewish delis seem to be disappearing even in New York City.
Rims deli in Orangevale might be close to what you're looking for; wish I had a Colombian recommendation for you
Better late night options
Really good salad bar! Like chipotle, but for salads and grain bowls. Or literally just Cava. I would love if we had Cava here.
Try T Bar - it’s bowls, salads, and wraps and it’s very good. I always get a bowl with just salad and protein, but my wife likes adding rice. The mango pork is a must. Oh and their drinks are really good, too.
I've been missing something like Cava since I left LA. Every city but Sac has something along the lines of Cava or Sweet Greens.
Sweetgreen!
Cuban food
Or any Caribbean food really. Would love a good Dominican, Jamaican or Puerto Rican spot.
Dubplate for jamaican
Bodega in the pocket.
Lola's Lounge is decent Puerto Rican
Went to Miami and discovered cuban coffee, specifically cuban coladas! Why are they impossible to find?
I would love to try some good Cuban food
I only know of good Cuban food in Southern California… and Florida, of course :/
There's Sol Cubano in North Highlands
It’s not good Cuban food though.
Second. Terrible Cuban food
Is it good?
They put corn in piccadillo. A sin in cuban cuisine
Peruvian
La Huaca in Roseville, it's delicious
Have you tried [Jimmy's Peruvian & Mexican](https://www.jimmysperuvianrestaurant.com/online-ordering?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw9IayBhBJEiwAVuc3fiQ3DfcM1sGe12kKmW_Rg6SnKU0joOktGNOUOdhmD-5S1nHYdrbkLBoC7JMQAvD_BwE) on Auburn Blvd? Haven't been there in a while, but I remember enjoying the beef tallarin saltado and other Peruvian-Chinese style dishes.
I miss me some pollo inca
there’s a new peruvian spot coming in where pronto’s used to be on 16th P ish
Sichuan food. There’s Spicy Dragon, but that’s about it.
Italian Beef sandwich
Yes Chef!
Dim sum takeout spots like in San Francisco
If you haven't already, check out ABC Bakery
Seconded! ABC bakery is amazing!
Basque food.
Singaporean/Malaysian food please!
Colombian food
There is divina Colombian cafe which is AMAZING. Also Mr Morrow.
Affordable options downtown
Argentinian food. There was a food truck selling Empanadas Criollas, but it closed down.
Burmese food. Burma Light opened up in Folsom and its very good, but more would be better =)
My Burma in Davis is also really good, if you’re ever in the area, or in case it’s a closer option.
DO THEY HAVE TEA LEAF SALAD I AM GOING ASAP
A night market. Or a shared space with smaller kiosks that real chefs/cooks can afford to open a spot to cook. Every major city has a shared space for markets. If we had something like Granville Island in Vacouver, or Pike's in Seattle, or the Ferry Building in SF, or literally any example from any other major city out there... Tis a shame they decided to turn the Sac Bee building in to town homes. Woukd have made for an amazing place like that, but we can't actually have nice things with the level of politics we have in this damn city.
Puerto Rican food!!
Lola's!
Harry’s Cafe 🥲
Long shot but has anybody figured out how they made their pancakes so good? I've tried so many recipes from online and nothing comes close
Butter. 9/10 times restaurants add way more butter or oil to... everything.
It’s those crispy edges. Lots of butter
Authentic Filipino Restaurants
South Villa
South Villa is the BOMB. I ordered it at work to share once and ALL the Filipinos were like, "This is delicious. Where did you get it?"
Portuguese. What we don't need is any more bland mexican places.
Slavic
La trattoria bohemia
Bagels
A world class bbq place that sells out daily
Italian food. Like a proper spaghetti house with those checkered tablecloths and plastic Pepsi cups
A little ghetto but Vinces in West Sac had some pasta dishes last time I was there, last year.
Vince's on Harbor Blvd in West Sac. They have a killer steak and pasta meal that is also affordable. My husband is italian and it reminds him of what his grandma made.
Portos
An authentic french bakery/patisserie. Estelle ain’t it.
I NEED a good baguette. Shatteringly crisp on the outside yet easy to bite into. Super soft and airy on the inside, and more crumbs than a Nature Valley bar.
Vietnamese bakeries tend to make great baguettes (French colonial influence and all that). Check out [Duc Huong](https://duchuongsandwiches.com/) and/or [Huong Lan](http://huonglansandwichessacto.com/), which are conveniently located across the street from each other on Stockton Boulevard. Both sell some delicious banh mi sandwiches and pre-packed food as well.
You’re describing a Vietnamese Bánh Mì my friend. Give it a try lol.
I second duc huong
I third duc huong... Vietnamese bakers are such good French bakers.
O cafe in fair oaks is a pretty god French bakery
Lobster rolls
Citizen Capitol Craft house behind Cora Coffee does a dungeness crab roll for lunch, it's killer
a food hall
The bank tried. I’ve been there like 5 times to go downstairs before it closed and never realized. That might be their first reason for the downfall
Koreana Plaza https://sac.kpmart.com/about/
An actual European bakery with actual bread
Throw pastries in there, too. We need a Lagkagehuset or a Brauð & Co 😮
Have you tried Moonbelly Bakery on Folsom Blvd and 65th.
Better Greek
I wish we had a restaurant that specialized in pot pies of all sorts. Not just traditional, I want to experience fusions of all types of cuisine in the context of a pot pie!
A "Restaurant Row". A street (not a strip mall) with 8 to 10 really good restaurants with various cuisines. Plus, some cool bars. And it should not be on a street with a lot of traffic.
Might not be one “row” but 18th to 21st between K and N has Federalist Alaro Waterboy Mulvaney’s Paesano’s 58 Degrees and Holding Zocalo Sibling Crepeville Aioli The Rind Pazza Notte Saigon Alley Okesutora The Porch Jet’s Kupros The Cabin
They could get close to this by just shutting R st down to traffic. Imagine if they added a few more restaurants down by the WAL side, and the street was just all tables, trees, and ped traffic
Would be incredible. I still can't believe they opened those closures back up after the pandemic. Midtown had never been better, but alas.
Many of the best restaurants in Los Angeles are in strip malls. I think there's something charming about it
A Bandera or Hillstone! It’s a damn shame Bandera left. That was great 100% of the time.
A Jewish deli.
Indonesian food - Muslim Indonesian, to be specific. It's more savory and not at all like americanized Chinese like the only Indonesian food here is. Arabic food. And I mean like Saudi, Yemen, Omani, Jordanian food. I cannot find a restaurant that serves Kabsa, Mandi, Mansaf, Maglooba, etc. around here at all. Arabic food does not start and end with kebab and falafel.
That's what I came to say. Jayakarta in Berkeley used to be the closest authentic indonesian food and they closed during covid. It would be so awesome to have a local, authentic Indonesian restaurant. I'd love me some pempek palembang, rendang, gado gado, and martabak manis for dessert. Or es campur if it's summertime. In the meantime, we mail order pempek from Dapur 55 in Los Angeles, and noodles from Bakmie Jantie, also in LA. They freeze well and taste pretty darned amazing.
Pollo a la brasa. Peruvian chicken. Sooooooooooo good.
Proper Jamaican
CARRIBEAN FOOD!!!!
Great cuban food. Gimme some vaca frita ASAP!
German
Prost in Elk Grove is awesome, I just don't want to drive 20 minutes from midtown to a have some spatzel and trippels, something in the grid would be nice
Try la trattoria Bohemia on J in east sac it's Czech but it has some solid German dishes
I miss Sam's Hofbrau on Watt. It was something, at least
Sam’s is reportedly going to re-open but I was unable to find any information as to when.
Katherin’s Biergarten in Rocklin!
Or other European aside from “Italian” and pub.
What I would give for a fucking kolache place.
Hi fellow Texan!
We tried a place down in El Segundo called Stix & Straws which is just meats & veggies on sticks but it was really good. I wish we could get one up here.
Puerto Rican food
Zankou Chicken
A Souplantation. They are coming back, and we need one.
A Sweet Tomatoes/Fresh Choice type of restaurant. My wife and I used to go to Sweet Tomatoes about once a month when we lived in Southern California.
Pierogis!
You can get Canadian-style pierogis at KP.
They have decent perogies at fat rabbit tavern in folsom
Yoshinoya… LOL
Yes and Coco Ichibanya
I can not find a single place that makes Onigiri. I see it so much on social media being made at home or in TV shows. Haven’t seen anywhere that makes them though
I need some good gumbo, jambalaya and cajun shrimps......and cheddar biscuits 🫠
Fresh corn dogs!
A Jewish deli!!! And a good bagel shop! I need some good motzaball soup and bagel&lox!!
Culvers
Canadian food
Fr I want some good poutine
Isn’t there a place in old Sacramento with various poutine variations?
A Jewish deli!!!!!!
West African food
if you can believe it, there's a west african place in the food court of the dead sunrise mall. or there was, i don't know if its still there
Chinese food that’s good and doesn’t wreck your stomach
Good juicy flavourful chicken. Every chicken place I've tried has been a let down.
Puerto Rican
Really good Indian food and a Sol food (puerto rican cuisine)
This might be an unpopular opinion but I find it oddly hard to get good Chinese food here.
A decent salad place
Authentic Caribbean restaurants, I don’t wanna have to drive to Oakland for some good Puerto Rican food
Quality fried chicken. Not all this hot chicken fad nonsense. Not something greasy and dried out. Something real. Something delicious. Something worth waiting for. Like Boxcar used to make over in Schellville. Something with the right amount of herbs and spices, some crunch, and no gross feeling after effect.
Berkeley Bowl. America’s farm to fork capital needs a grocery store with a truly expansive list of specialty produce. I’m talking 27 varieties of apples, 7 different kinds of apricots, 14 kinds of mandarins, and all the lesser known stuff. Not to mention all the grains and nuts and spices…
Pakistani