21 new Sacramento-area restaurants that opened in December
The end of the year saw new beginnings for 21 Sacramento-area restaurants, all of which opened during 2021’s final month.
Four restaurants opened in Elk Grove, plus three in Roseville and two in Citrus Heights. West Sacramento, Davis, El Dorado Hills, Rocklin and Cameron Park all added one apiece.
Four new restaurants claim fried chicken as their specialty, while two more offer Japanese dishes such as ramen and sushi. Other places of note include an all-vegetarian restaurant from a well-known brand, a Laotian spot near downtown and an expansive Elk Grove taproom.
▪ Amy’s Drive Thru (1119 Galleria Blvd., Roseville): Petaluma-based Amy’s Kitchen Inc. became a freezer aisle darling for its vegetarian burritos and power bowls; this new to-go window and patio outside Roseville Galleria has meat-free, mostly-organic burgers, salads and more.
▪ Buckhorn BBQ & Grill (4720 Freeport Blvd., Suite 160, Sacramento): Winters-based Buckhorn now prepares salads, tri-tip and burgers for South Land Park customers; a Rocklin Crossings location is expected to open soon.
▪ Crumbl Cookies (2155 Town Center Plaza, Suite E170, West Sacramento): One month after opening in south Sacramento’s Delta Shores shopping center, fast-growing Crumbl is already selling Kentucky butter, milk chocolate chip and pineapple whip cookies in West Sacramento.
▪ Dust Bowl Brewing (9676 Railroad St., Elk Grove): The Turlock-based brewery opened its 9,000-square foot Old Town Elk Grove taphouse and patio with 30 beer taps to enjoy alongside flatbreads, burgers and tacos.
▪ Flores Munchies (6827 Lonetree Blvd., Suite 106, Rocklin): This new antojito spot in Rocklin West shopping center specializes in Mexican ice cream, milkshakes and snacks such as elote or duro preparado.
▪ Hiso (524 12th St., Sacramento): Formerly known as Grub Thai, Hiso has remodeled and rebranded to focus more on Laotian dishes such as mee ka tee (pork curry noodle soup) and duck larb.
▪ Louisiana Famous Fried Chicken (8829 Sheldon Rd., Suite 100, Elk Grove): This fast food chain with preexisting locations in West Sacramento, south Sacramento, North Highlands and La Riviera was the subject of a 2017 Los Angeles Times article titled “How Cambodians became the kings of beloved South L.A. fried chicken chain.”
▪ Mom & Pop Chicken Shop (3000 Green Valley Rd., Cameron Park): This fried chicken spot is the sister restaurant of Nick Dedier and Alexa Hazelton’s original Mom & Pop, which the Milestone Restaurant & Cocktail Bar owners opened in El Dorado Hills Town Center last November.
▪ Mountain Mike’s Pizza (4720 Freeport Blvd., Suite 120, Sacramento): Franchisees (and brothers-in-law) Karan Bal and Jai Tiwana opened the Newport Beach-based pizza chain’s newest location in Land Park on Dec. 20.
▪ N’Joy Cafe (7520 Elk Grove Blvd., Suite 130, Elk Grove): You’ll find Cantonese dishes such as rice noodle rolls and congee as well as a range of boba teas and smoothies at this wood-floored restaurant.
▪ Nick the Greek (206 E St., Davis): The South Bay-based, fast-casual gyro and souvlaki house opened its second Sacramento-area location on Dec. 7, with further expansion planned around the region, its owners told the Sacramento Business Journal.
▪ Prelude Kitchen & Bar (1117 11th St., Sacramento): Zinfandel Grille owner Allen Kou hopes legislative staffs and lobbyists will go for oysters, steaks and dessert cocktails at his new high-end restaurant where Chops and The Diplomat once sat across from the Capitol.
▪ Raising Cane’s (7804 Greenback Ln., Citrus Heights): The ever-popular chicken finger chain opened its Citrus Heights location on Dec. 19, about a month after first entering the market with its downtown Davis restaurant.
▪ Ramen Q (8420 Elk Grove Florin Rd., Elk Grove): Previously the home of Ramen 101, this new restaurant kept some noodle soups and added Hawaiian-style barbecued chicken and beef plate lunches.
▪ Saigon Oi (6835 Stockton Blvd., Suite 450, Sacramento): This exposed-brick Vietnamese restaurant serves up dishes such as bánh can cua (crab soup with udon, fish cake and shrimp) or xôi thập cẩm (sticky rice with pork floss, Chinese sausage and quail egg) in modern dishware.
▪ See’s Candies (1710 R St., Suite 100, Sacramento): The beloved 100-year-old, San Francisco-based chocolate shop closed its J Street location but opened across midtown in the Ice Blocks development.
▪ Shawarma Stackz (1132 Galleria Blvd., Suite 100, Roseville): This sleek fast-casual halal restaurant opened Dec. 22 with falafel wraps, build-your-own basmati rice bowls, housemade cinnamon pita chips and more. It’s a spinoff of San Diego-based Tahini Authentic Middle Eastern Street Food.
▪ Smashburger (1541 Blue Oaks Blvd., Suite 120, Roseville): The flat burger chain’s Campus Oaks Town Center restaurant joined locations in Arden Arcade, Elk Grove and Citrus Heights on Dec. 29, with a Howe Bout Arden shopping center outpost to come in 2022.
▪ Sushi Star (7777 Sunrise Blvd., Suite 2000, Citrus Heights): Come to Sushi Star for hibachi, tempura and maki like the Citrus Heights Roll (soft-shell crab and crab salad on the inside, unagi and avocado on top, finished with unagi sauce, masago and green onions).
▪ Vons Chicken (6601 Folsom Blvd., Suite 100, Sacramento): A South Korea-based chain offering fried or baked chicken in a variety of sauces, Vons’ new East Sacramento location joins others in Arden Arcade, Folsom, Roseville and Carmichael.
▪ World Traveler Coffee Roasters (4364 Town Center Blvd., El Dorado Hills): A new El Dorado Hills Town Center cafe joins World Traveler’s other coffee shops in Folsom and Roseville, all of which sell paninis and baked goods.
This story was originally published January 3, 2022 at 8:29 AM.