The Waterboy is a fine-dining restaurant in Midtown, Sacramento.
Rick Mahan's Northern Italian and Southern French Capitol Avenue room opened November 1996, Sacramento's long-running farm-to-fork midtown bistro.
Must order: Spaghetti alla carbonara, red-wine braised beef short ribs, the steak tartare
Tip: Lunch Tuesday to Friday, dinner Tuesday to Saturday. The bar takes walk-ins.
Address: 2000 Capitol Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95811
Patrick Mulvaney's daily-changing California farm-to-fork room on 19th Street in midtown Sacramento, set in an 1893 firehouse with original brick walls and soaring ceilings.
Order: Whatever Twin Peaks Orchards delivered that morning, plus the daily-changing pasta
Tip: Menu changes every day with the markets. Reservations recommended for the dining room; the courtyard takes walk-ins.
Patrick Mulvaney's daily-changing California farm-to-fork room on 19th Street in midtown Sacramento, set in an 1893 firehouse with original brick walls and soaring ceilings.
Order: Whatever Twin Peaks Orchards delivered that morning, plus the daily-changing pasta
Tip: Menu changes every day with the markets. Reservations recommended for the dining room; the courtyard takes walk-ins.
Hawks Restaurant in Granite Bay is the Sacramento fine-dining suburban anchor, refined French Italian technique with the region's deepest Cabernet list.
Order: The Chef's Tasting Menu, the Wagyu and the Cabernet pairing
Tip: Monday to Thursday 17:00 to 21:00, Friday to Saturday 17:00 to 22:00. Book on Resy.
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.
Allora on Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento is a Michelin Recommended modern-Italian room with a Wine Spectator award list and weekly pasta tastings.
Order: The handmade pasta tasting, Wagyu carpaccio, the Brunello flight
Tip: Dinner only Tuesday to Saturday. The chef's counter takes the wine pairings; book the dining room for date night.
Brad Cecchi's Canon in East Sacramento earned its sixth Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2025, the city's chef-driven small-plates room with seasonal cocktails.
Order: The fried chicken, smashed cucumbers, seasonal small-plate tasting
Tip: Open 7 days a week 17:00 to 21:00. Book a week ahead for prime Friday and Saturday seats.
