City Cruises Sacramento: Cocktail River Cruise
Enjoy a cocktail cruise along the Sacramento River as you sip on delicious drinks. Cruise under the Tower Bridge and soak in the views of the city skyline on an unforg...
What to order at Empress Tavern
- Must order
- Whatever the current rotating chef is serving; the cocktail menu shifts weekly
- Signature dishes
- Rotating chef pop-ups, Cocktails
- Editor tip
- Thursday to Saturday 16:00-23:00. Happy hour runs 16:00-18:00 and 22:00-23:00.
Signature dishes: Rotating chef pop-ups, Cocktails
Must 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.
Book food experiences in Sacramento
Sacramento: Rainbow Pasta Making Class With a Local Chef
Join Chef Maggie in Sacramento for a hands-on pasta-making class. Learn to make colorful pasta from scratch using natural ingredients and enjoy a homemade marinara sauce.
Sacramento: Fun Sushi Making Class With Local Chef
Learn how to make two classic sushi rolls from scratch in this cooking class with Chef Birdie!
Location
Address: 1013 K Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Also in downtown
Cafeteria 15L ★ 4.4
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.
More casual dining in Sacramento
Cafeteria 15L ★ 4.4
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.
Tank House BBQ and Bar ★ 4.3
Tank House on J Street, midtown Sacramento, is the smoked-meat counter backing the 1881 water tank house, brisket and craft beer on tap rows.
Signature: Smoked brisket, Dirty tots
Order: Smoked brisket, the ribs, dirty mac and the dirty tots
Tip: Patio under the historic tank house. Full menu to 22:00 then late-night menu to midnight. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives stop.
Burgers and Brew R Street ★ 4.1
Burgers and Brew on R Street, midtown Sacramento, is the Niman Ranch half-pound burger counter with over 50 craft beer taps, five-location chain.
Signature: Niman Ranch burger, Craft beer flights
Order: The signature half-pound Niman Ranch burger; the bacon jalapeno cheeseburger; a craft tap flight
Tip: Patio for warm weather. 50+ taps rotate. Sister locations in Davis, West Sacramento, Chico and Folsom.
Squeeze Burger Power Inn ★ 4.5
Squeeze Burger on Power Inn Road, Sacramento, is the long-running counter where a third-pound patty is buried in cheese that fries into a crisp skirt.
Signature: Squeezeburger with cheese skirt, Hand-cut fries
Order: The signature Squeezeburger with the cheese skirt; double Squeeze for the hungry; hand-cut fries
Tip: Counter ordering. Cash and card. Sacramento's original Squeeze Inn counter, on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
Mikuni Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar Midtown ★ 4.5
Mikuni on J Street, midtown Sacramento, is the Taro Arai Mikuni group flagship sushi room, the Northern California chain downtown branch outpost.
Signature: Incredible Roll, Lover Roll
Order: The Incredible Roll, the Lover Roll, the omakase nigiri course
Tip: Closed Monday. Happy hour at the bar. Sister locations in Folsom, Roseville and Fountains at Roseville.
Chando's Tacos Arden Way ★ 4.3
Chando's Tacos on Arden Way is Lisandro Madrigal's 2010 original storefront, the family street-taco counter that relaunched in late 2025 after a pause.
Signature: Street tacos, NorCal burrito
Order: Street tacos with fifteen meats to choose from; the NorCal burrito with fries inside; mini tortas
Tip: Counter ordering. House stone-ground tortillas. Patio seating for warm weather. Family-friendly.