Day-by-day eating plans for Sacramento. weekend classics, family routes, vegan plans, on-a-budget editions.

Day-by-day plans

Stockton Boulevard Vietnamese day ★ 4.4

Vietnamese-food lover, half-day to one day1 day

A day along Sacramento's Stockton Boulevard Vietnamese commercial corridor between Florin and 65th. Pho for breakfast, banh mi for lunch, Vietnamese coffee in the afternoon, dim sum or pho ga for dinner.

  1. Day 1: Stockton Boulevard from breakfast to dinner

    Morning
    Beef pho for breakfast at Pho Bac Hoa Viet, 6645 Stockton Boulevard, opens 10:00. The Sacramento corridor's heaviest pho with rare slice, meatball and house wontons.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Pho Saigon at 5304 Stockton Boulevard for a chicken pho ga or banh mi. Then south to SF Supermarket at 65th Street for the live seafood case and groceries.
    Evening
    Dinner at Yue Huang in Natomas for the Cantonese dim sum and live-seafood dinner room, the Michelin Bib Gourmand room that takes in the Vietnamese corridor's evening shift.

Apple Hill autumn day-trip ★ 4.5

Family or autumn-leaf seeker, one day1 day

An October day-trip 45 minutes east of Sacramento to the Apple Hill orchards on the Camino-Placerville road. Apple cider donuts, farm cider, lunch in Placerville and pie home to Sacramento.

  1. Day 1: Sacramento to Apple Hill and back

    Morning
    Leave Sacramento on US-50 east at 09:00 and follow Apple Hill Camino-Placerville Road for cider donuts and the fresh-pressed apple cider, the October-weekend tradition across 50-plus growers in the El Dorado County foothills.
    Afternoon
    Lunch in Placerville on Main Street for the Hangtown Fry, the Gold Rush dish invented in this town. Then south on US-50 back to Sacramento, with a Selland's Broadway pickup for dinner pies and rotisserie chicken.
    Evening
    Dinner at Tower Cafe in Land Park, 1518 Broadway, for the famous French toast brunch-for-dinner or the Jamaican jerk chicken from the global menu, the palms-and-patio Sacramento institution.

Sacramento coffee and bakery day ★ 4.4

Coffee and bakery enthusiast, one day1 day

A day on Sacramento's third-wave coffee corridor and the midtown bakery and patisserie scene: Temple Coffee morning, Estelle and Ginger Elizabeth midday, late espresso at Old Soul.

  1. Day 1: Temple to Estelle to Old Soul

    Morning
    Open at Temple Coffee Roasters 9th Street at 08:00 for a single-origin pour-over and a Freeport Bakery danish. Walk midtown.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Magpie on 16th Street. Pastry stop at Estelle Bakery and Patisserie on R Street, then chocolates at Ginger Elizabeth on Q Street.
    Evening
    Close at Old Soul Weatherstone in midtown for a late espresso and a cellar-coffee pour, then a glass at Allora Wine Bar.

Sacramento craft beer and cider day ★ 4.3

Craft beer drinker, one day1 day

A day across Sacramento's craft brewery and cider taprooms: New Helvetia in midtown, New Glory in South Sacramento, Two Rivers Cider and a closer at Ruhstaller Farm.

  1. Day 1: Midtown taproom to Ruhstaller Farm closer

    Morning
    Brunch at Fox & Goose Public House on R Street: the British breakfast and a half pint of the house draft.
    Afternoon
    Drive south to New Glory Craft Brewery taproom (8251 Alpine Ave) for a hazy IPA flight. Then Two Rivers Cider Co for a dry cider flight.
    Evening
    Drive west to Ruhstaller Farm in Dixon for a beer and a tour of the hop fields, ideally on a Saturday for the open-farm format.

Sacramento Farm to Fork Weekend ★ 4.7

First-time visitor, two days2 days

A weekend built around Sacramento's Farm to Fork identity. Saturday at the Midtown Farmers Market and Localis. Sunday at Bacon & Butter and The Kitchen.

  1. Day 1: Saturday: market morning, midtown lunch, Localis tasting menu

    Morning
    Midtown Farmers Market at 1050 20th Street from 09:00. Walk the five-block grid for prepared food and produce. Coffee at Temple K Street or Pachamama 20th Street.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Mother on K Street, the city's vegetarian counter. Then a walk to Magpie on 16th Street for a midtown wine break.
    Evening
    Dinner at Localis on S Street, Chris Barnum-Dann's Michelin-starred farm-to-fork tasting menu. Book three weeks ahead via Resy.

  2. Day 2: Sunday: brunch in Land Park, East Sac afternoon, The Kitchen evening

    Morning
    Brunch at Bacon & Butter on Broadway, the Michelin Recommended California farm-to-fork brunch counter. Expect a queue after 10:00.
    Afternoon
    Coffee and pastry at Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates in midtown, then a walk through East Sacramento to Canon for a small-plates lunch.
    Evening
    Dinner at The Kitchen on Broadway, Kelly McCown's Michelin-starred chef's-counter six-course tasting. Book 90 days ahead via Exploretock.
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