When you can list President Bill Clinton, Moesha and the Jamie Foxx Show, Cedric the Entertainer, and Steve Harvey as your clientele as a chef, you’ve earned the right to name your restaurant after your name and birthday. Chef Q Bennett and his team have been whipping up California-inspired modern comfort food in Roseville since 2019, and it didn’t take long for word of his chicken fried lobster bites to spread. Come for those, but make sure to settle in with the toasted orzo pasta salad made with spring peas, mushrooms, asparagus, and artichokes and dressed in mint pea pesto. Or go for the pan seared scallops piled atop crab hash cakes and spinach and beurre blanc. If you’ve got room for dessert, make sure to sample one of the port wines offered — perhaps with a seasonal fruit cobbler or Bourbon St. bread pudding?

Venture out to a Roseville stripmall to find some of the greater Sacramento area’s most interesting tacos. This Michelin-recognized restaurant wraps everything from pork belly to al pastor to deep fried avocado in housemade 4.5-inch blue corn tortillas, though you can also order a quesadilla or burrito if you’re not in the taco mood. Round out the experience with a cold cerveza or Cadillac margarita on the buzzy front patio, often filled with regulars from near and far.  

While it’s not particularly hard to find solid Mexican food in Sacramento, it’s not often that you can consistently taste the pride and love that went into it. Taqueria Rincon Alteño has been operating in Natomas for nearly 20 years and is still mentioned fondly by Sacramento natives who don’t even live in the capital anymore. It’s because they nail the basics: the rice maintains a starchy chew whether tucked into a super burrito or served with beans alongside a pair of melty cheese enchiladas; the salsas are made fresh and packed with depth of flavor; and the pozole, when it’s available, offers a perfect textural harmony between crunch hominy and rich shreds of pork. 

Sometimes you just want to eat your way to a food coma by way of deep fried Southern food: no frills, just deeply flavored plates that taste like a hug from your favorite relative. For such moments, Skip’s Fish and Chicken has you covered. The three locations (in Natomas, South Sacramento, and on Watt Avenue) mean you’re never too far from a combo basket of fried chicken, catfish, oysters, shrimp, cod, snapper — or even crab and lobster when it’s available. Take the indulgence up another notch with a po’boy and loaded fries topped with popcorn chicken and mac and cheese, and drizzled with buffalo sauce and ranch dressing. And if you’re still standing after that, might as well take a slice of red velvet to go, because at that point, why not? 

Situated at the border of the Arden and Del Paso neighborhoods, this sushi spot has proven its staying power with rolls and nigiri the establishment describes as “unique, beautiful, sometimes weird – but always exquisite.” Lou Valente, who used to run the now-closed Lou’s Sushi in Midtown, revived his playful ethos at SouthPaw: the Woodlake roll is a mouthful of tempura yam, avocado, seared tuna, Brussels sprouts, and sweet garlic and ginger ponzu; the vegan version swaps tuna for eggplant. And there are plenty of ways to wash it down, including draft and Japanese beers, wines, and plenty of sake brewed as far away as Akita and as close as Berkeley.  

Located in a former Tower Records location and named after Tower Records founder Russ Solomon, the restaurant previously known as Solomon’s Delicatessen now focuses on globally-inspired dishes like a “Sapporo” fried chicken sandwich with sunomono. Jewish deli favorites, including some of the best pastrami in town, remain from its original iteration as a deli. Look for the outdoor “disco brunch” on weekends with DJs in the mix and plenty of patio dining.

If you find yourself downtown craving something comforting, Kodaiko serves one of the city’s best bowls of ramen on K Street. Though it’s a small space, the restaurant gets a boost from its pedigree (owner Billy Ngo is also behind hit sushi spot Kru) and earns respect for its housemade broths, including a rich three-day pork paitan. In addition to both traditional and contemporary takes on ramen — there’s a reuben-inspired mazeman for those looking for something fresh — sushi, donburi, and sandwiches round out the options.

If you’ve lived in Sacramento for any measurable amount of time then it’s likely you’ve eaten a crunchy, greasy, and curiously Parmesan cheese-dusted taco from Jimboys. Well, Bambi Vegan Tacos, a former food truck that rolled into a sunny brick-and-mortar space near downtown last year, does a vegan version starring “beef” made from crimini mushrooms that honestly might be even better than the original. The fully vegan menu also offers creamy queso and bean dip; a Taco Bell-esque crunchy taco that comes wrapped in a refried bean-lined fresh flour tortilla; and the Melty Melt, an artichoke-filled riff on a vegan tuna melt. Plant-based eaters, get wild.

Splurge on some of Sacramento’s most artfully executed and flavorful Japanese food at this elegant East Sacramento spot. Chef Billy Ngo and his team are producing precision-sliced nigiri and sashimi, plus small plates such as tea-smoked duck kushiyaki and grilled corn with miso butter. The restaurant is open for dine-in, but act fast and early if you want to snag a reservation, which can be made online.

Aesthetically speaking, this Michelin-recognized outpost in the heart of Midtown is a millennial’s dream: the exposed brick, high ceilings, natural light, and pink and green interior design lend an airy feel to the space and create an ideal setting for Instagramming. There’s no wrong time to visit, but Beast + Bounty’s brunch menu is where its approach to cool Californian cuisine really shines. The Benedict pizza is a successful melding of favorites without being over the top: delicately sliced potatoes mingle with bacon, over easy eggs, and cheese, all topped with a Hollandaise drizzle. Even the avocado toast is given a hearty treatment, topped with charred broccoli, peas, and pea tendrils, and finished off with za’atar and smoky Maldon salt. 

It’s clear that in addition to bringing mouth-watering, plant-based comfort food to East Sacramento, the owners of Pure Soul were also inspired by pop culture. The BLT-Pain made with Sweet Earth smoky bacon promises it can be finished “all by yourself,” while the Bohemian Wrapsody, with housemade falafel, hummus, cucumber, lettuce, onion, kalamata olives, and tzatziki, is very much real life and not a fantasy. Then there’s the ever-popular Return of the Mac, which stuns dairy-eaters so frequently that the owners have taken to posting their reactions on social media. There are no wrong choices here.

Come to this garden oasis for a piece of Sacramento history; located next to the historic Tower Theater, Tower Cafe has long been a favorite spot for breakfast and brunch — drawing fans as much for its menu of French toast and omelets as for its eclectic decor and lush patio, shaded by reaching trees and strung with lanterns and lights. 

Having operated in downtown Sacramento for nearly 15 years, Queen Sheba has been serving vegetarian- and vegan-friendly, gluten-free, and meat-forward options long before it was cool. That’s what Ethiopian food naturally is, and that variety is just one of the things that’s turned the restaurant into a go-to for anyone in the area craving chicken, lamb, beef, fish, or tofu tibbs cooked in a rich, spice-filled sauce; or red or yellow lentil wot spiked with ginger, turmeric, and of course, berbere — all served atop tangy, spongy injera. Queen Sheba also hosts a rare weekday vegetarian and vegan all-you-can-eat brunch buffet. (Yes, you read that correctly.)

Head to this Franklin Boulevard spot for an excellent burger and impressive selection of beers. The food sticks mostly to tavern staples like nachos, wings, and a fried chicken sandwich, all of which pairs well with any of the local and international brews available by the bottle or on tap. Let this be your jumping off point for a Sacramento brewery tour or end your night here before popping over to local ice cream favorite Gunther’s for a scoop of something sweet.

The closure of South has reignited the debate for the best fried chicken in Sacramento, and Fixins, the Oak Park soul food restaurant opened by former NBA player and Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, has consistently made a strong case for itself. Come through with a drawstring waistband so you can enjoy that consistently succulent fried chicken, sinfully sweet candied yams, and smoky collard greens comfortably. Bottom line: Fixins is a crowd-pleaser thanks to those flaky biscuits that come with a side of pink strawberry butter and playful selection of Kool Aid-infused cocktails. 

For a slice of old-school Sacramento, it’s tough to beat Luigi’s. This Stockton Boulevard landmark has crafted pies since 1953, with much of that time under the Brida family’s ownership. That changed in 2019 with a new ownership group that includes the proprietors of the Shack, but this pizzeria’s time-honored recipes endure. The “Luigi’s Special” remains one of Sacramento’s signature pizzas with its mouthful of olives, salami, mushrooms, and sausage on a crispy New York-style crust.

A good place to start any trek through the Sacramento area’s spectrum of international flavors is the aptly named Journey to the Dumpling, a Shanghai-styled cafe located in the southern suburb of Elk Grove. The xiao long bao is the star of the show here: The delicately wrapped dumplings, which include versions made with ground pork or seafood, are flavor bombs filled with savory soup. Also look for such specials as mushroom stuffed baos and vegan dumplings.

As Sacramento’s Afghan community continues to grow (there were an estimated 30,000 Afghan and Afghan Americans in the capitol region as of 2021), so, too, does the Persian food scene. Enter Rumi’s Oasis, a bakery, market, and restaurant serving Central Asian and Middle Eastern food. Cardamom-packed chai and chocolate- and pistachio-dipped baklava are sweet pick-me-ups, while the variety of meat kebabs — including chicken, lamb chops, and rib-eye — makes for a satisfying lunch or dinner. The steamed dumplings are a must-order, filled with a mixture of beef, onion, and cilantro and topped with a chunky lentil sauce (mantu), or a veggie-friendly option stuffed with leeks and drizzled with aromatic tomato and garlic sauces (ashak).