Capitol Mall, the K Street corridor, the Crest Theatre and the Sutter Brown government corridor. Ella Dining Room & Bar, The Kitchen, Empress Tavern and the Tower Bridge.
Mayahuel on K Street, downtown Sacramento, is Ernesto Delgado Mexican fine-dining and tequila museum, Gabriel Romo murals and an agave list.
Signature: Tequila and mezcal flights, Family-recipe Mexican plates
Order: A tequila or mezcal flight; the family-recipe pozole and mole
Tip: Patio for dinner. Live music selected nights. Walking distance from the Convention Center and Capitol.
Brasserie du Monde on K Street, downtown Sacramento, is the polished 1930s-styled French brasserie, world-cuisine menu drawn on French technique.
Signature: Croque monsieur, Boeuf bourguignon
Order: Croque monsieur at lunch, boeuf bourguignon at dinner, the filet mignon sauce diane
Tip: Lunch Monday to Friday from 11:00. Walking distance from Golden 1 Center. Wine cellar runs deep.
Aiona on K Street in downtown Sacramento opened April 2026 as a live-fire pan-Mediterranean room, an open-kitchen grill setup with a 3,000-bottle wine cellar.
Signature: Whole branzino, Lamb souvlaki
Order: Whole branzino from the fire, lamb souvlaki, the mezze hummus and eggplant dip
Tip: Closed Sunday. Coral banquettes and an art deco mural by Mike Willcox. Advanced Sommelier curates the cellar.
Ella is the Selland family's downtown Sacramento fine-dining anchor at 12th and K, a Michelin Recommended room of seafood, steaks and oysters.
Order: Pacific oysters at the bar, seasonal pasta, the steak with bone marrow
Tip: Book via OpenTable. Bar seating walks in. The caviar service is the special-occasion order.
Oliver Ridgeway's London-inspired brasserie on Capitol Mall, Sacramento, is a Michelin Recommended downtown room of spit-roasted meats and charcuterie.
Order: Spit-roasted half chicken, the charcuterie board, Welsh rarebit
Tip: Lunch and dinner Tuesday to Saturday. The bar takes walk-ins; private dining seats 24.
Grange in the Citizen Hotel on J Street, downtown Sacramento, opened 2008 and runs Erik Dandee's Michelin Recommended seasonal California dining room.
Order: The seasonal tasting plates, the wine pairing flight from Sierra Foothills
Tip: Hotel dining room; breakfast through dinner daily. Bar is the city's pre-theatre stop.
Fox & Goose on R Street, downtown Sacramento, opened 1975 as the city's English pub anchor, the long-running spot for British breakfast and live folk music.
Signature: British breakfast, Welsh rarebit
Order: The full British breakfast with squaw bread; Welsh rarebit at lunch
Tip: Breakfast daily 07:00-14:00. The bar runs into the evening with live music weeknights.
Frank Fat's on L Street, downtown Sacramento, is the Fat family's Chinese-American room that became the city's political-class watering hole.
Signature: Banana cream pie, Honey walnut prawns
Order: Banana cream pie at the end of the meal; honey walnut prawns
Tip: Booth seating is the photo op. Sister venues across the city under the Fat family banner.
Empress Tavern beneath the Crest Theatre on K Street, downtown Sacramento, is an Alchemist CDC culinary incubator with rotating chef takeovers and pop-ups.
Signature: Rotating chef pop-ups, Cocktails
Order: Whatever the current rotating chef is serving; the cocktail menu shifts weekly
Tip: Thursday to Saturday 16:00-23:00. Happy hour runs 16:00-18:00 and 22:00-23:00.
Cafeteria 15L on 15th Street, downtown Sacramento, opened 2010 as a comfort-food room, bacon-wrapped meatloaf and craft cocktails for brunch.
Signature: Bacon-wrapped meatloaf, Breakfast waffle sandwich
Order: Bacon-wrapped meatloaf, the breakfast waffle sandwich, a Bloody Mary at brunch
Tip: Weekend brunch from 09:00-16:00. Patio bar takes the spillover. Walking distance from Capitol.
Temple Coffee Roasters 9th Street is the downtown Sacramento outpost of the specialty roaster, a work-friendly corner cafe near Capitol Mall.
Signature drink: Burundi Turihamwe pour over
Old Soul on Capitol Mall is the downtown Sacramento office-tower cafe of the local roaster, the morning coffee anchor for the Capitol corridor work crowd.
Signature drink: Old Soul cold brew
Estelle at DOCO on David J Stern Walk, downtown Sacramento, is the patisserie Golden 1 Center outpost, croissant-and-coffee for the arena crowd.
Signature drink: House drip with a macaron
Estelle DOCO outpost on David J Stern Walk, downtown Sacramento, is the patisserie at Golden 1 Center with daily croissants and macarons in cases.
Worth the queue: Croissants and macarons
La Bou on 11th Street, downtown Sacramento, is the local bakery-cafe chain Capitol-side counter, croissants for the state government lunch crowd.
Worth the queue: Croissants and bistro sandwiches
Insight Coffee Roasters in La Cosecha on 9th Street, downtown Sacramento, is the city's veteran specialty roaster from 2011, downtown food-hall outpost.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica
How they serve: Espresso, Pour over, Filter
The Mill on I Street in downtown Sacramento roasts on-site and runs two cafes in the city, pulling rotating origins through espresso and filter.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Guatemala
How they serve: Espresso, Pour over, Filter, Whole bean retail
Betty on T Street in downtown Sacramento is Localis chef Chris Barnum-Dann wine bar and bistro in Southside Park, all-day bottle shop and bistro.
Signature pour: Natural wines from California growers
Wine focus: California natural wines, by-the-glass program
Food: Bistro breakfast, lunch and dinner
The Grand on the corner of 16th and L in downtown Sacramento is a 14-seat wine bar with hand-crafted cocktails, a block from the State Capitol.
Signature pour: California Pinot Noir flight
Wine focus: By-the-glass wines and craft cocktails
Food: Small plates and cheese boards
The bar at Camden Spit & Larder on Capitol Mall, downtown Sacramento, is Oliver Ridgeway's Michelin Recommended brasserie bar, a London-style spirits list.
Signature drink: Negroni service and British-style spirits
Food: Bar snacks and charcuterie
Empress Tavern beneath the Crest Theatre on K Street, downtown Sacramento, runs a rotating cocktail menu paired to the Alchemist CDC chef pop-up of the week.
Signature drink: Rotating chef-driven cocktail menu
Food: Pop-up bar snacks
Fox & Goose's bar on R Street, downtown Sacramento, opened 1975 as the city's English-pub anchor, with British ales and weeknight live folk music.
Signature drink: British ales on tap
Food: British pub menu
The Shady Lady Saloon on R Street, downtown Sacramento, runs a 1920s speakeasy aesthetic with craft cocktails, a kitchen and weeknight live music.
Signature drink: Classic and seasonal craft cocktails
Food: Gourmet pub-style kitchen
Bottle & Barlow on R Street, downtown Sacramento, is the long-running cocktail lounge in a 9,000 sqft mixed-use barbershop space, a distinctive concept.
Signature drink: Craft cocktails
Food: Bar snacks
MIX Downtown atop the Firestone Building on L Street, Sacramento, runs the city's premier rooftop bar with Capitol views, craft cocktails and DJ programming.
Signature drink: Craft cocktails, Capitol-view rooftop
Food: Small plates
The Torch Club on 15th Street, downtown Sacramento, opened 1934 and runs as the city's oldest blues bar with two live sets a night Wednesday through Sunday.
Signature drink: Beer and well drinks
Food: Bar snacks
Capitol Garage on K Street, downtown Sacramento, runs a cafe-by-day, bar-by-night format, the long-running Sacramento bottomless-mimosa weekend brunch spot.
Signature drink: Bottomless mimosa weekend brunch
Food: American brunch and dinner kitchen
Capitol Mall Farmers Market on the Capitol Mall greens, downtown Sacramento, runs Wednesdays late April through October, a state-workers lunch market.
Sacramento's signature food event: a long-table chef gala served on the Tower Bridge over the Sacramento River each September, Visit Sacramento's anchor.
Sacramento Farm to Fork Festival at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center, downtown Sacramento, runs each late September as the city's anchor farm-to-fork.
The Allspicery on 11th Street in downtown Sacramento runs hands-on spice classes from the retail counter: curry paste workshops, BBQ rub building and global spice blends.
Squeeze Burger on K Street, downtown Sacramento, serves the signature third-pound patty with a fried cheese skirt under $12, the local institution.
Try: Squeezeburger with cheese skirt
Fox & Goose on R Street, downtown Sacramento, has served British breakfast since 1975, the city's English-pub anchor for early morning fry-up and squaw bread.
Order: Full British breakfast with squaw bread; eggs Benedict
Cafeteria 15L on 15th Street, downtown Sacramento, runs weekend brunch with bacon-wrapped meatloaf and craft cocktails, downtown brunch anchor.
Order: Breakfast waffle sandwich; bacon-wrapped meatloaf at lunch; a Bloody Mary
Fox & Goose on R Street, downtown Sacramento, runs its bar until 23:00 on Friday and Saturday, the city's English-pub anchor for late-night ale and pub food.
Try: Welsh rarebit, British ales
Empress Tavern beneath the Crest Theatre, downtown Sacramento, runs until 23:00 Thursday to Saturday with a late happy hour from 22:00 and chef pop-ups.
Try: Rotating chef pop-up bar snacks
Halal Muncheez on K Street, downtown Sacramento, runs daily 10:30-03:30, the city's longest-running late-night halal stop, kebab, gyro and rice plates.
Try: Chicken kebab and rice platters, gyros
The Shady Lady Saloon on R Street, downtown Sacramento, runs late Thursday to Saturday until 02:00 with the kitchen open later than most cocktail bars.
Try: Craft cocktails and gourmet pub kitchen
MIX Downtown atop the Firestone Building, downtown Sacramento, runs Friday to Sunday until 01:30, the city's only rooftop-bar option after midnight.
Try: Small plates and rooftop cocktails
MIX Downtown atop the Firestone Building on L Street in downtown Sacramento is the city's premier rooftop nightclub, three rooms of cocktails and DJs with a Capitol-view terrace.
Tip: Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest. Kitchen runs to midnight Friday and Saturday. Bottle service and VIP available.
Ace of Spades on R Street in downtown Sacramento is the city's mid-size live concert venue, booking national rock, metal and hip-hop acts in the R Street Corridor.
Tip: Tickets via the operator site or Ticketmaster. Box office Tuesday to Friday 12:00-18:00 and Saturday 15:00-18:00.
The Torch Club on 15th Street in downtown Sacramento has booked live blues since 1934, two sets a night Wednesday through Sunday across the city's oldest blues room.
Tip: Two shows nightly Wednesday to Sunday. Cash bar; ATM on site. National blues acts pass through monthly.
MIX Downtown's rooftop on the Firestone Building, downtown Sacramento, is the only rooftop nightclub on K and 16th, with State Capitol views and outdoor cocktail seating.
Tip: The rooftop opens late and runs busy weekend evenings. Bottle service required for the rope-off areas.
Bottle & Barlow on R Street in downtown Sacramento is the long-running cocktail lounge attached to a working barbershop, all craft cocktails in a 9,000 sqft mixed-use space.
Tip: Barbershop sessions can be booked with cocktails alongside. The lounge takes walk-ins; weekends run busy.
The Shady Lady Saloon on R Street, downtown Sacramento, runs a 1920s speakeasy aesthetic with craft cocktails, gourmet food and weeknight live music in the R Street Corridor.
Tip: Kitchen runs 15:00-21:00 weekdays, longer on weekends. Live music most nights; check the calendar for headline acts.
The Torch Club on 15th Street, downtown Sacramento, runs late seven nights a week with live blues, the city's oldest blues bar going since 1934.
Tip: Two sets nightly Wednesday through Sunday. Last set typically winds down by 00:30 weekend nights.