Popular midtown Sacramento restaurant and cocktail bar temporarily closes, hoping to reopen
The Red Rabbit Kitchen & Bar has closed in midtown Sacramento, but owners say it will eventually reopen an 11-year run for what was once among the city’s most popular cocktail bars.
A sign taped to the glass doors at 2718 J St. confirmed The Red Rabbit’s closure Wednesday. While the sign said that the restaurant and cocktail bar would be closed until further notice, staff had reportedly been told to find new jobs, according to a Reddit post.
Co-owner Jamal Khan said the closure would be temporary in an email to The Sacramento Bee on Thursday morning. Khan’s father had been managing The Red Rabbit, but a downturn in his health required the restaurant to close its doors for now.
The Red Rabbit plans to hire a general manager and reopen thereafter, Khan said.
John Bays and the late Matt Nurge founded The Red Rabbit in 2012, backed financially by Sonny Mayugba and Dave Pringle (Tiger Restaurant & Lounge, Solomon’s Vinyl Diner, Grateful Bread) as well as the late Randy Paragary (Paragary’s, Cafe Bernardo, Centro Cocina Mexicana).
The Red Rabbit could arguably be considered Sacramento’s coolest cocktail bar at its peak, with strong New American food options to match. Its high ceilings, brick walls and double patios took on Christmas decor every December, and hot buttered rum flowed into Santa Claus-themed mugs.
The former owners sold The Red Rabbit to Eclipse Holdings Group, fronted by Khan, in 2021. The restaurant has experienced significant staff turnover in the years since, according to former employees.
This story was originally published July 20, 2023 at 5:00 AM.