Visiting Sacramento for March Madness? Here’s where to eat, drink and play nearby
March Madness will descend on downtown Sacramento week. There’s action off the court, too.
Eight teams will duke it out at Golden 1 Center in the first and second rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament beginning Thursday, including UCLA and the University of Arizona.
Win or lose, visiting fans will want to make the most of their time around Downtown Commons, or DoCo, and the surrounding neighborhood. Here are my favorite spots to grab bites, drinks and good times around Golden 1 Center before or after a game.
Great food
Address: 718 K St.
Phone number: (916) 426-8863.
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-11 p.m. Friday, 12-11 p.m. Saturday, 12-9 p.m. Sunday.
What to know: It’s been an unusually wet winter around these parts, and I’ve made many pilgrimages to Kodaiko, the basement “Sac Ramen Kings” under The Hardin apartment complex. It’s not just the best ramen spot in downtown Sacramento, it’s one of the Sacramento area’s best restaurants, period. Chef/owner Takumi Abe’s specials board and cocktail list is always worth checking out, and while you can’t go wrong with a classic tonkotsu stewed for 72 hours, the citrus shio ramen is a bright twist on a typically rich soup. Vegetarians and vegans fear not: the mushroom paitan is maybe the best soup on the menu, a rich cashew cream broth made flavorful by white beech ‘shrooms.
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Address: 414 K St., Suite 240.
Phone number: (916) 536-7250.
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 11-1 a.m. Thursday, 11-2 a.m. Friday, 10-2 a.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday.
What to know: Polanco can turn a little clubby on weekend nights, but it’s a great option for Mexican food before a game — particularly if you can grab a patio table overlooking the rest of Downtown Commons. Owned by San Rafael-based Moana Restaurant Group, three-year-old Polanco has shown a commitment to sourcing quality ingredients such as Mary’s Chicken for Sinaloa-style wings or Rancho Gordo heirloom corn for pozole. My colleague Marcos Bretón raves about the beer-battered crispy avocado tacos, tucked into corn tortillas with pineapple salsa and chipotle crema.
Address: 555 Capitol Mall, Suite 100.
Phone number: (916) 619-8897.
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday, 5-9 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday.
What to know: A block south of Golden 1 Center on Sacramento’s Capitol Mall, Camden is one of the city’s best special occasion restaurants but lacks the kind of stuffy air that might turn off game-goers. Chef/owner Oliver Ridgeway, who previously helmed the kitchen at fellow downtown standout Grange, infuses flavors of his native London with fine dining techniques and exquisite sourcing. The result is dishes such as locally-produced caviar with crumpets, mushroom tikka masala with delicata squash fritters or spit-roasted chicken with sweet potato gnocchi. Pop by for “Winston’s Hour,” named for Camden’s scooter-riding boar mascot, between 2-6 p.m. for premium sausage rolls and discounted cocktails.
Drink up!
Address: 615 David J Stern Walk, Suite 105.
Phone number: (916) 573-3909.
Hours: 3-11 p.m. Monday, 3-9 p.m. Tuesday, 12-9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 12-10 p.m. Friday, 12-11 p.m. Saturday, 1-8 p.m. Sunday.
What to know: Did your team just win? Celebrate at Fizz, Raymond James Irwin’s Champagne and sparkling wine bar in Downtown Commons. Celebrations can range from $8-per-glass Grandial blanc de blanc to a $14,000, six-liter bottle of 1990 Louis Roderer Cristal, one of just 2,000 produced by the French winery. More realistic are flights of three different two-ounce pours, which range from $20-$99 and offer sparkling tastes at a range of prestiges.
Address: 629 J St.
Phone number: (916) 557-9910.
Hours: 4-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday.
What to know: Did your team just lose? Drown your sorrows at The Bank, a 30,000-square foot watering hole one block east of the arena. Formerly the D.O. Mills Bank Building, it was converted into a three-story food and drink hall with tons of natural light in 2018. There’s food such as burgers and poke, but most people come for the pay-per-ounce basement taproom, where more than 60 types of beer, wine and cider flow. The main level is home to a sportier bar, and a mezzanine bar specializes in higher-end cocktails.
Address: 712 K St.
Phone number: (916) 758-5715.
Hours: 4-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 1 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 1-10 p.m. Sunday.
What to know: Few bars can match the views of Darling Aviary, a new downtown hotspot owned by the folks behind The Flamingo House in midtown Sacramento. A neon-lit interior gives way to the no-reservations rooftop bar, which overlooks Golden 1 Center as well as the north end of K Street, downtown Sacramento’s main avenue. Cocktails range from refreshing (try the sandpiper pomegranate spritz: Vedrenne pomegranate liqueur, Chandon Brut sparkling wine, soda water and a lemon twist) to brooding (a Maker’s Mark old fashioned with smoked maple syrup, peach and orange peel) to cozy (El Tesoro reposado tequila mixed into Abuelita hot chocolate).
Fun times around downtown Sacramento
Address: 630 K St., Suite 120.
Phone number: (916) 872-0772.
Hours: 11 a.m-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11-2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
What to know: An indoor, basement-level mini golf course within spitting distance of Golden 1 Center, Flatstick Pub (also known as Tipsy Putt) is your place to prove that college basketball players aren’t the only athletes in Downtown Commons. Tap your golf ball through a replica of Sacramento’s golden Tower Bridge or a halved keg on the nine-hole course, or shoot your shot at duffleboard, a tabletop shuffleboard/mini golf game invented by the house. Local beer and other drinks flow from more than 20 taps, which go hand-in-hand with tacos coming from the kitchen window.. Games are $3 off until 6 p.m., and it’s 21+ after 5 p.m.
Address: 500 J St., Suite 100.
Phone number: (916) 925-5610.
Hours: 11-12 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 11-2 a.m. Friday, 10-2 a.m. Saturday, 10-12 a.m. Sunday.
What to know: There’s no shortage of entertainment options at Punch Bowl Social, just north of the arena in DoCo. The two-story, 25,000-square foot funhouse has rooms for bowling, billiards, darts, ping pong, arcade and board games, karaoke, giant Scrabble and more. There’s a kitchen focused on burgers and loaded fries, and a full bar with $4 select pints during March Madness games. As the name implies, though, four- or eight-person cocktail punch bowls are one of the more fun moves.
Address: 1020 O St.
Phone number: (916) 653-7524.
Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 12-5 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday.
What to know: The California Museum is the only attraction on this list further than two blocks from Golden 1 Center (half a mile away, by the Capitol), and it’s the only one without food and drinks. But the Golden State’s history museum is worth visiting if you’re an out-of-state visitor, or even a Californian who wants to know more about your homeland. Eye-catching and engaging, the California Museum paints a picture of the diverse, multifaceted state from its original Native inhabitants to today’s great innovators. It’s great for kids while also not shying away from ugly chapters of the state’s history such as Japanese Americans’ unjust incarceration during World War II, and the California Hall of Fame makes one appreciate just what an impact this state’s residents have had on the world.
This story was originally published March 15, 2023 at 5:00 AM.