Pizza, pupusas and pan dulce: These 19 restaurants just opened around the Sacramento region
Neopolitan-style pizza in Folsom Historic District from a successful Placer County restaurateur. Horchatta lattes and pan dulce in Downtown Commons. All-you-can-eat sushi just off Highway 50 in Rancho Cordova.
These 19 restaurants opened around the Sacramento region in January 2025, greeting the new year with new customers. Eight of the 19 have at least some Mexican influence, from Sinaloan-style sushi to Oaxacan mole negro.
Roseville, Folsom and Rancho Cordova each added two new restaurants, while Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Penryn and Auburn all gained one apiece.
5 Tacos & Beers (1627 16th St., Sacramento): Three East Bay locations preceded 5 Tacos & Beers’ Jan. 5 debut in Hot Italian’s old midtown Sacramento digs, where cochinita pibil is stewed for five hours before serving and bottomless mimosas accompany a brunch buffet on weekend mornings.
Ai Bao Noodles & Tea (660 Auburn Folsom Road, Suite 101, Auburn): Customers began slurping Ai Bao’s noodle soups and munching dumplings on Jan. 26, often accompanied by milk teas and espresso drinks.
Azayaka Japanese Fusion (6726 Stanford Ranch Road, Suite 7, Roseville): First opened in La Riviera in 2022, Hiro Ip’s sushi spot with omakase service added its second location in Stanford Ranch Crossing where Raku Sushi previously was.
Con Azucar Cafe (630 K St., Suite 100, Sacramento): This Bay Area-based, Mexican-inspired cafe replaced Starbucks in Downtown Commons, with franchisee Alan Jiménez bringing horchatta lattes and pan dulce to its first regional location.
Fiori Italian Pizzeria (614 Sutter St., Suite C, Folsom): Folsom Historic District’s new Neopolitan-style pizzeria and pasta house, owned by Rose Park Bistro partners Bulent Ozel and Serkan Bikim, whips up housemade gnocchi and pies such as the Fantastico (bresaola, cherry tomatoes, red onions, arugula, San Marzano tomato sauce and mozzarella).
Fusion Bistro (10842 Bear Hollow Drive, Suite 104, Rancho Cordova): An Indian pizzeria with traditional pies in Stone Creek Village shopping center, Fusion Bistro’s cross-cultural approach can be seen in its achari gobi pizza, mango habanero wings and New Glory Craft Brewery beer on tap.
Greenhouse Penryn (3129 Penryn Road, Penryn): This small Placer County town’s first new restaurant in quite some time is a European-inspired breakfast-and-lunch cafe with baked chicken crepes, smoked salmon Benedicts and syrniki, ricotta pancakes topped with sour cherry spread, custard and pistachio crumbles.
Gregory’s Pizza (1805 Cirby Way, Suite 3, Roseville): Gena Gregory once worked at Cool River Pizza; now she and her husband Chris have their own brick oven pizzeria in that same Roseville space, spinning classic American pies onto housemade dough.
Helic International Bistro (1620 W El Camino Ave., Suite 130, Sacramento): French, Italian, American and Mexican flavors come together at Laura Garcia and Luis Zamora’s South Natomas restaurant, resulting in tables with chilaquiles next to Belgian waffles during breakfast and chipotle shrimp crepes aside fettucine Alfredo come dinnertime.
Indian Sizzle (4680 Natomas Blvd., Suite 130, Sacramento): Jan. 16 brought this fast-casual Indian restaurant’s rajma (kidney bean curry), chicken biryani and pastry case full of desserts to Park Place II shopping center in North Natomas.
Karai Sushi (5691 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento): Teriyaki, sushi rolls and kimchi noodles with seven levels of spice define this wood-covered, minimalist Japanese restaurant, which began its soft opening on Jan. 7 in south Sacramento’s Fruitridge Shopping Center.
Las Carretas Mexican & Salvadoran Food (7739 Fair Oaks Blvd., Carmichael): Patrons can pick up goat birria by the pound, red snapper tacos and seven choices of pupusas at this Mexican-Salvadoran restaurant.
Monarca Mexican Restaurant (2107 Fulton Ave., Sacramento): Tacos drizzled with chili de árbol salsa and plates of pollo serrano stand out at this butterfly-themed Mexican restaurant, open from 8 a.m.-9 p.m. seven days per week in Arden Arcade.
Narumi Sushi (12251 Folsom Blvd., Rancho Cordova): This all-you-can-eat Japanese restaurant ($25-$26 per adult during lunch and $35-$36 for dinner) with à la carte options replaced Samurai Sushi just off Highway 50.
Oaxaca (3400 Broadway, Suite 170, Sacramento): The newest restaurant and mezcaleria from Ernesto Delgado Hospitality Group (owner of Mayahuel, La Cosecha, Mesa Mercado and more) rolled out a soft opening menu in North Oak Park with squash blossom soup, chicken enchiladas in mole negro and sweet corn tamales.
Orale Cantina (3701 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento): Gabriella Sanchez’s mariscos concept opened Jan. 3 in West Tahoe Park, flashing its Japanese influence with Sinaloan sushi such as the Sibarachi roll (shrimp, cream cheese and avocado inside, topped with an imitation crab paste called salsa tampico).
Tacos Exxpress (8105 Madison Ave., Fair Oaks): Tacos are just $1 on Tuesdays and breakfast is served all day at this local Cali-Mex chain, which opened its 10th location after launching the ninth in Arden Arcade last month.
Tasty Dumpling (2070 Fair Oaks Blvd., Suite 170, Sacramento): Helen Zhang’s casual Chinese concept gained fans in Curtis Park after opening in 2021; the new location, which debuted Jan. 27 in Campus Commons’ Boulevard Center, has a larger dining room and menu.
The Oak T Sports Bar & Grill (9580 Oak Avenue Parkway, Suite 8, Folsom): Ting Hou opened The Oak T in Folsom Village shopping center on Jan. 21, offering classic sports bar fare as well as a few Chinese and Japanese dishes in the The Canyon Grill and Alehouse’s former 3,500-square foot building (and 7,000-square foot patio).