Cocktail bardowntown
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
English pubdowntown
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
Cocktail bar with live musicdowntown
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
Speakeasy-style cocktail barmidtown
The Snug on 15th Street in midtown Sacramento is the city's best-known speakeasy-style cocktail bar, among the West Coast's strongest classic-cocktail rooms.
Signature drink: Classic cocktails, vintage spirits
Food: Bar snacks
Cocktail lounge with barbershopdowntown
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
Rooftop cocktail bar and nightclubdowntown
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