Southside Park4.7(755)
Ninety years of used-book magic, now sharing its R Street home with Kicksville Vinyl.
Midtown4.8(675)
The Midtown comic shop that burned down in 2016 and rose again on the strength of its community.
East Sac4.7(2,622)
The 1947 gourmet grocer whose newsletter helped spark America's fine-food revolution.
Land Park4.7(2,629)
Three generations of the Oto family behind Sacramento's beloved Japanese market and bento counter.
Hollywood Park4.8(243)
A crate-digger's dream since 2010, curated with the care of the great record stores of old.
Land Park4.6(401)
The corner butcher and grocer that has fed Land Park since 1962, now with a kitchen next door.
Oak Park4.5(319)
Oak Park's woman-owned urban nursery, stocked with organic edibles and unusual ornamentals.
Midtown4.5(152)
Midtown's rare-book haunt since 1981, with author readings and a crate of obscure vinyl.
Franklin Blvd4.5(2,360)
Jose Davalos turned a boarded-up burger stand into a Franklin Blvd Mexican institution in 1970, and his son still runs the dining room today.
Downtown4.5(1,196)
The oldest restaurant in Sacramento, where Capitol deals have been sealed over banana cream pie since 1939 and the Fat family still runs the room.
Land Park4.6(1,242)
The Goetzeler family's neighborhood bakery has been the default Sacramento birthday cake for almost four decades, with croissants worth the morning line.
Curtis Park4.8(4,699)
Neon Jugglin' Joe has watched over Franklin Blvd since 1940, and the ice cream is still made on site with lines out the door all summer.
Broadway/SoBro4.5(988)
A no-sign green awning on Broadway hides a 40-year-old railroad-worker bar where the prime rib and garlic steak sandwich do all the advertising.
Franklin Blvd
The Plasencia family's one-stop panaderia, market, and deli has anchored Franklin Blvd since 1969, and regulars swear by the conchas and tres leches.
Land Park4.8(1,110)
A no-frills family donut counter on Freeport Blvd where the apple fritters and maple bars have been made the same old-school way for over 60 years.
Southside Park4.6(631)
Sacramento's last handmade mochi kitchen and a Japantown landmark since 1963, with a cash-only summer window slinging pillowy shave ice.
Downtown4.7
An old-world Italian deli where the Sampino family builds meatball sandwiches from scratch and the butcher case still matters.
Del Paso Heights4.4(625)
A little blue house in Del Paso Heights where Tori and her daughter ladle out gumbo, fried chicken, and hot water cornbread like family is visiting.
Midtown4.5(3,099)
Three sisters from Chihuahua built Midtown's go-to spot for northern Mexican comfort, and the mole and margaritas have kept families coming back for 30 years.
Land Park4.5(644)
A 1947 soda fountain where generations of Land Park kids got their first scoop, back open in 2026 with the counter and the classic flavors intact.
Downtown4.6(1,200)
Named for the city flower, this R Street roastery pairs stellar in-house beans with one of the best cafe breakfasts in town.
East Sac4.6(573)
Husband and wife Kiwi transplants brought New Zealand espresso culture to East Sac and racked up national roasting awards.
East Sac4.5(744)
Sacramento's oldest specialty roaster, family owned and pouring on Folsom Blvd since 1982.
Downtown4.5(760)
An immigrant-founded roastery inside an 1861 Victorian, named for the founder's great-grandmother and loved for its no-tax no-tip pricing.
Midtown4.5(1,199)
Alley roastery and bakery that grew into a beloved local family of cafes, including the historic Weatherstone and 40 Acres in Oak Park.
Midtown4.4(344)
A Sacramento-based cooperative 100 percent owned by the coffee farmers themselves, with every profit dollar flowing back to the growers.
Midtown4.4(2,503)
The homegrown roaster that put Sacramento specialty coffee on the map, still locally owned two decades in.
Midtown4.6(414)
A family-run neighborhood roasting and tea studio with a garden patio that feels like Midtown's living room.
East Sac4.6(321)
East Sac's cozy corner pub, named for the owner's wife Bonnie, with cask ales and a fireplace-warm regulars crowd.
Midtown4.4(288)
A 1953 neon-lit dive institution where the drinks are strong, the prices are small, and the bartender will listen.
Downtown4.4(3,669)
Fifty years of pints, open mics, and proper English breakfasts inside a 1913 paint factory on R Street.
Southside Park4.5(207)
Holder of Sacramento's first post-Prohibition liquor license and still hosting bands 92 years later.
Midtown4.4(784)
The midtown corner bar that does it all, patio brunch by day and a packed back-bar dance floor by night.
Midtown4.4(1,592)
Sacramento's own tiki hideaway on J Street, all bamboo, flaming mugs, and a hundred-dollar punch bowl.
Downtown4.5(1,802)
The 1920s-styled saloon that kicked off Sacramento's craft cocktail era and still ranks among its best rooms.
Downtown4.5(584)
Family-run since 1969 and pouring since 1934, this is Northern California's beloved home for live blues six nights a week.
Hollywood Park4.8(485)
Thirty years of Apple Hill cider, skee ball, and food trucks at the region's only cider-exclusive taproom.
Southside Park4.6(1,467)
Hometown brewers Rob Archie and Peter Hoey pair award-winning beer with slow-smoked barbecue near Southside Park.
Downtown4.6(183)
A family-run downtown tattoo institution since 1991, still owned by the founder's widow and known for covering up hate symbols for free-spirited Sacramentans.
Midtown4.5(337)
The Midtown staple that made old-school barbering cool again and helped shape the neighborhood around it.
Land Park4.6(541)
The family music store where generations of Sacramento kids got their first instrument and their first lesson, since 1963.
Southside Park
A two-chair shop from 1950 that is the last surviving business of Sacramento's original Japantown, still run by the founder's grandson.
Midtown4.4(167)
The oldest running tattoo shop in Sacramento, inking the city from the same X Street building since 1991.
Downtown4.9(103)
Downtown's master cobbler since 1980, a man of few words who can build a pair of shoes from scratch.
Land Park4.5(150)
Sacramento's friendly independent bike shop across from McClatchy High, keeping commuters and tourers rolling since 1972.
Downtown4.6(1,793)
Sacramento's art deco movie palace, all neon and rose colored light, still running film and live shows under the same 1949 marquee.
Old Sacramento4.7(813)
Three floors of costumes, gags, and glorious weirdness in a Gold Rush building, a rite of passage for every Sacramento Halloween since 1974.
Old Sacramento4.4(111)
A five store maze of movie props, Disney treasures, and 40,000 pop culture oddities that grew from a 500 square foot gift shop in 1991.
