Crêpes, chaat and chicken: 14 restaurants that opened around Sacramento in October

Need a good bagel in Roseville? How about funnel cake fries from a drive-thru in Citrus Heights, or a wine bar before a Kings game?

From downtown Sacramento to Granite Bay, at 14 area restaurants opened during the month of October.

The list includes three Indian restaurants and two Chinese, plus Middle Eastern, Japanese and New American food. Four new restaurants opened in Placer County in October after seven did so last month, a ripple effect from cities such as Roseville’s furious population growth.

These restaurants opened in October 2021:

▪ Falafel Corner (4001 Freeport Blvd., Suite 106, Sacramento): Sajad Shakoor’s local Middle Eastern fusion chain brought items like the Badmash Burger (two patties, beef bacon, sauteed onions and mushrooms, fried egg and house sauce) to a shopping center across from William Land Park.

▪ Flames Eat Drink Chill (8250 Calvine Rd., Suite A, Sacramento): Find Indian-American fusion such as “Flames Frankies,” naan burritos stuffed with buffalo chicken or paneer tikka, at this restaurant and beer bar with sister locations in Auburn and Galt.

▪ Himalaya MoMo (4740 Natomas Blvd., Suite 150, Sacramento): There’s lamb vindaloo and chicken karahi, yes, but this north Natomas eatery wants to be known for its Nepalese dumplings called momos.

▪ Joy House (2164 Sunset Blvd., Suite 200, Rocklin): You’ll find Taiwanese and Sichuan dishes such as san bei ji (three-cup chicken) and yuxiang shredded pork among this Chinese restaurant’s offerings.

▪ Lucky Jade (7007 S. Land Park Dr., Sacramento): Lucky Jade is Su An Liu’s rebrand of Holiday Villa, a dim sum restaurant and banquet hall that shut down for about a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

▪ Mumbaiker (8121 Madison Ave., Suite G4, Fair Oaks): This all-vegetarian restaurant specializes in Mumbai-style chaat like misal pav (bean sprout curry with rolls) and kothimbir vadi (savory cakes made from coriander leaves, gram flour and peanuts).

▪ Nash & Tender (2770 E. Bidwell St. Suite 400, Folsom): Nash & Tender’s fried chicken ranges from “Country” (no heat) to “Stupid Hot” (customers are required to sign a waiver before eating), just as it does at the restaurant’s Stockton and Lodi locations.

▪ Oak Leaf Cafe (5540 Douglas Blvd., Suite 110, Granite Bay): Oak Leaf’s lengthy menu includes whole categories of takes on brunch staples like avocado toast, omelets, crêpes and benedicts, plus sandwiches, salads and lunch entrees.

▪ Pete’s Restaurant & Brewhouse (2100 Arden Way, Suite 123, Sacramento): This two-story restaurant in the Howe Bout Arden shopping center is Pete’s largest location yet. Other brewpub outposts include Natomas, Roseville, downtown Sacramento, Folsom, Granite Bay, Elk Grove and Woodland.

▪ Rally’s (7911 Auburn Blvd., Citrus Heights): This Tampa-based drive-thru chain opened at last in mid-October, giving many Citrus Heights customers their first taste of baconzilla burgers, monsterella stix and funnel cake fries.

▪ Red’s Pizzeria & Taphouse (6696 Lonetree Blvd., Suite 100, Rocklin): Described by owner William Johnson as Napoli-style with a touch of New York, Red’s wood-fired pizzas include the Cowboy Combo (boar/bison sausage, house meatball crumble, jalapeños, bell peppers, pickled red onions, potato slices, mozzarella and red sauce) and 3x Mushroom Pie (fresh mushrooms, roasted mushrooms, mushroom powder, ricotta, Parmesan, smoked mozzarella and white sauce).

▪ Rose Café & Bagel (4070 Baseline Rd., Suite 140, Roseville): This west Roseville bakery pairs Pachamama Coffee with housemade organic bagels and breads, plus pizza dough kits available for take-home cooking.

▪ Shabu Shack (7419 Laguna Blvd., Suite 220, Elk Grove): Customers cook their own meats and veggies at this new hot pot restaurant, modeled after the owners’ preexisting San Jose restaurant by the same name.

▪ Vine + Grain (414 K St., Suite 125, Sacramento): Downtown Commons marks the second location for Anthony and Alyssa Roost’s wine bar and seasonal small plates restaurant, which first opened in Brentwood in 2015.

This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 5:00 AM.