The plates that define Sacramento: what they are, where they came from, and where to eat the canonical version.
Signature dishes
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Hangtown Fry ★ 4.7
A Gold Rush omelette of eggs, bacon and oysters fried together, made famous in the 1850s and named for Placerville, which was then known as Hangtown.
Hangtown fry is an omelette made famous during the California Gold Rush in the 1850s; the most common version fries bacon and oysters together with eggs. It was invented in Placerville, then known as Hangtown. By most accounts a prospector who had struck it rich walked into the Cary House Hotel and asked for the most expensive dish the kitchen could make: eggs, which had to be carried carefully to the mining town, bacon shipped from the East Coast, and oysters brought on ice from San Francisco. Tadich Grill in San Francisco later popularized the dish.
Watch out for: Egg, Shellfish
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Sacramento Delta Crawfish Boil ★ 4.4
Crawdads boiled tomato red and sold by the pound, the signature of Isleton, the Sacramento River Delta town whose Crawdad Festival dates to 1985.
Isleton, a small city about 30 miles from Sacramento along Highway 160, held its Crawdad Festival from 1985, a defining event for the town until the late 2000s, and the festival returned to Main Street in June 2023 for the first time in 14 years, over the weekend that included Father's Day. At that edition the boiled crawdads, tomato red and sold by the pound, came from Louisiana, the way the cook preferred them, though crawdads are prevalent throughout California waters. Isleton is the sister city of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana.
Watch out for: Shellfish
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Stockton Boulevard Pho ★ 4.5
Vietnamese beef noodle soup from Stockton Boulevard, where a stretch from Florin Road to Fruitridge Road was named Little Saigon in 2010, served with rare steak and other cuts.
Where to try it: Pho Bac Hoa Viet South Sac, Pho Momma
Vietnamese refugees began settling in Sacramento in the 1980s, and in February 2010 a stretch of Stockton Boulevard from Florin Road to Fruitridge Road was officially named Little Saigon; the strip has a great number of Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants. Pho Bac Hoa Viet, at 6645 Stockton Boulevard, lists pho with rare steak on its own or with tendon, tripe, well-done flank or fat brisket. Away from the boulevard, Pho Momma on Folsom Boulevard holds a Bib Gourmand, and the Michelin Guide says its pho comes in chicken or beef broth, both long-simmered, with toppings up to house-made pork wontons.
Watch out for: Wheat, Soy
Book food experiences in Sacramento
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Frank Fat's Banana Cream Pie ★ 4.6
Banana cream pie from Frank Fat's on L Street, the restaurant Frank Fat opened in 1939, which takes pre-orders for whole pies and finished its 2026 Dine Downtown menu with one.
Where to try it: Frank Fat's
Frank Fat opened his namesake restaurant in 1939, and it came to be filled with notable politicians as well as people from all walks of life. In 2019 the Fat Family Restaurant Group celebrated 80 years as the oldest restaurant in Sacramento owned exclusively by one family, and in March 2013 Frank Fat's received the James Beard Foundation America's Classics Award. The restaurant, at 806 L Street, takes pre-orders for whole banana cream pies, and its three-course menu for Dine Downtown 2026 finished with banana cream pie.
Watch out for: Egg, Dairy, Gluten
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Tri-tip ★ 4.5
The triangular cut from the bottom sirloin, a roast popular in California's Central Valley and on the Central Coast; in Sacramento it comes as a tri-tip dip and in tacos.
Where to try it: Selland's Market-Cafe Broadway, Selland's Market-Cafe East Sacramento, Capitol Garage
The tri-tip is a triangular cut of beef from the bottom sirloin, and the term is especially popular in California. It became a local specialty in Santa Maria in the late 1950s, seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic and grilled over red oak, and sometimes labelled Santa Maria steak, the roast is popular in the Central Valley and on the Central Coast. In Sacramento, Selland's Market-Cafe serves a roasted tri-tip dip with caramelized onion, roasted garlic aioli and jus on a toasted hoagie roll, and Capitol Garage downtown makes tacos of slow-roasted pulled tri-tip.
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Stockton Boulevard Banh Mi ★ 4.4
The Vietnamese baguette sandwich of grilled pork, pate, pickled daikon and carrot, cilantro and jalapeno, sold on Stockton Boulevard, the stretch named Little Saigon in 2010.
Where to try it: Pho Bac Hoa Viet South Sac, Pho Saigon Stockton Boulevard
Vietnamese refugees began settling in Sacramento in the 1980s, and in February 2010 a stretch of Stockton Boulevard from Florin Road to Fruitridge Road was officially named Little Saigon, a strip with a great number of Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants. SF Supermarket stands at 65th Street and Stockton Boulevard. On the boulevard, Pho Bac Hoa Viet at 6645 lists a Vietnamese baguette, or banh mi, beside its pho, and Pho Saigon at 5304 sells a Vietnamese sandwich.
Watch out for: Wheat, Soy, Egg
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Stockton Boulevard Pho Ga ★ 4.4
Vietnamese chicken pho, the lighter partner of beef pho, served on Stockton Boulevard, where a stretch was named Little Saigon in 2010, and at Pho Momma on Folsom Boulevard.
Where to try it: Pho Momma, Pho Bac Hoa Viet South Sac
Vietnamese refugees began settling in Sacramento in the 1980s, and in February 2010 a stretch of Stockton Boulevard from Florin Road to Fruitridge Road was officially named Little Saigon. Pho Bac Hoa Viet, at 6645 Stockton Boulevard, lists a chicken pho of broth, tender chicken and fresh herbs. Pho Momma on Folsom Boulevard holds a Bib Gourmand, and the Michelin Guide says its pho comes in either chicken or beef broth, both long-simmered and deeply flavorful.
Watch out for: Wheat, Soy
Signature Dishes in Sacramento, FAQ
What food is Sacramento known for?
Sacramento's signature dishes include Hangtown Fry, Sacramento Delta Crawfish Boil, Stockton Boulevard Pho, Frank Fat's Banana Cream Pie, Tri-tip. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.