Parkside Bar coming to K Street — here’s what will be new in Malt and Mash spot

A new national park-themed bar will open this fall in downtown Sacramento, replacing the long-standing Malt and Mash Irish Pub near Golden 1 Center.

Longtime capital region bar owner Bob Simpson said the new business, called Parkside Bar, will open at 715 K St. and bring the successful concept from his Davis location to Sacramento’s newly approved entertainment zone near Golden 1 Center and the Downtown Commons — with a few tweaks.

“Malt and Mash has been here for a decade and had a great run,” Simpson said. “I thought it would be a really great opportunity to once again be the cornerstone of the new entertainment zone.”

Simpson, who also owns Townie across the street at 710 K St., said the decision to rebrand had been in progress but gained momentum after Sacramento City Council approved special entertainment districts allowing to-go alcohol sales during select events.

“It kind of just made me realize, ‘OK, let’s do something fresh, fun and exciting that’s really going to complement the neighborhood’,” Simpson said. “I think this is the perfect fit for it.”

Parkside Bar is expected to open in mid-September, ahead of a downtown concert featuring Croatian DJ Matroda on Sept. 27 at Ali Youssefi Square.

The new bar will include food service through a menu curated by Chando’s Tacos, which is slated to open across the street. Simpson said the offerings will also include burgers, wings and bar bites.

Construction is underway to remodel both the interior and patio, including a large swingset and themed decor inspired by all 63 U.S. national parks.

“It’ll be a fun new look,” Simpson said. “We’re really going to enhance and really make the patio spectacular.”

Unlike the Davis Parkside, which is a sports bar, the Sacramento version will focus on music and nightlife.

Describing his expectations for Parkside downtown, Simpson said the new venue is going to be “very high energy, a lot of fun, rotating DJs, music inside and out”.

“It should be a pretty special place for 7th and K, which is a tremendous entertainment district in our city,” he said.