Acclaimed downtown Sacramento ‘wellness’ cafe shuts down for good
.JPG "The Chicken Power Bowl at Backbone Café has free-range chicken in mahogany sauce, topped with organic mint and feta cheese over white rice and organic roasted vegetables.")
Downtown Sacramento wellness restaurant Backbone Cafe has permanently closed, co-owner Joey Woolston confirmed Wednesday.
Opened by the Wollston brothers at 729 J St. in December 2017, Backbone exclusively served free-range or wild meats and organic produce. Soy, refined sugar, MSG, peanuts and canola oil were absent in all meals.
Seemingly anyone with an alternative diet — paleo, vegan, gluten-free, whatever — could find something to eat on Backbone’s menu, with shelves of wellness books to further educate them on holistic care. All-day breakfast service led into a bone broth bar, burgers, salads and build-your-own bowls and tacos.
Joey Woolston conceived of Backbone’s name and menu as he spent a year in a back brace, immobilized after a 30-foot fall during Burning Man. He and Tomas grew up working at his parents’ restaurants Matteo’s Pizza & Bistro and Supper Club inside the downtown art museum, and Matt and Yvette Woolston invested in their sons’ project.
Bee dining critic Kate Washington awarded the cafe three stars in an April 2018 review, calling it “the place to meet for lunch with your friend who tries a new eating plan every few months and your other friend who has serious health restrictions around his or her diet.”
The restaurant’s interior has been gutted, including the removal of all furniture and appliances as well as the counter where customers once ordered. Backbone’s Facebook page has been deleted and its phone line disconnected.
Backbone Cafe sat three blocks from Golden 1 Center, which has been devoid of its usual crowds since the Kings’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans was canceled on March 11.