11 new capital region eateries brought global tastes to Sacramento in August

In August, new Sacramento-area restaurants went from pop-up to brick-and-mortar spots while others rose from the ashes as the summer came to a close. The capital region received at least 11 new eateries throughout the month, spanning a broad range of global cuisines — from the Caribbean islands to the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Five of the newly launched restaurants are in the city of Sacramento, with one each in the adjacent Arden Arcade and south Sacramento unincorporated areas. West Sacramento, Elk Grove, Granite Bay and Roseville also received one new eatery each in August.

11 restaurants launched across the capital region in August

• Birdies Social Club (805 Riverfront St., West Sacramento): An aptly named golf-centered bar and lounge opened east of Sutter Health Park on August 20. Large indoor golf simulators take center stage at the club, with burgers, tacos and brunch drinks fueling guests perfecting their swing.
• Brick Cafe (3311 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento): The Amiri family, owners of Brickland in East Sacramento, opened a new cafe venture inside their restaurant on August 31. Afghan-inspired flavors perfume matcha and coffee drinks, made with Temple coffee beans, as well as a line of sweet desserts.

• Buckos N Mares (3443 Laguna Blvd., Suite 150, Elk Grove): The Alley, a bowling alley and entertainment venue in Elk Grove, is encouraging folks to swap their bowling kicks for cowboy boots with its new speakeasy bar. However, a few short weeks after opening, Sacramento County reined in the Western-themed speakeasy after the health department found it did not have proper permits to operate, according to the Sacramento Business Journal. The Sacramento County Environmental Management Department and The Alley did not respond to a Bee reporter’s request for comment Monday.
• Cane Corner (6825 Stockton Blvd., Suite 230, south Sacramento): Some of the sweetest drinks can be found at the sugarcane juice cafe that opened its second capital region outpost on Aug. 24. Cane Corner’s Elk Grove and south Sacramento cafes serve Vietnamese coffee, colorful flavored sugarcane beverages and other sweet treats.
• Captain Buffet (1000 Howe Ave., Arden Arcade): A former Cracker Barrel restaurant now houses the Asian fusion buffet, which opened Aug. 4. Captain Buffet’s photo gallery features images of plates filled with a variety of stuffed sushi rolls and long buffet tables with heaping trays of popular meat and vegetable dishes including orange chicken and egg rolls.
• Caribbean Fire Grill (8109 Fruitridge Road, Sacramento): The Haitian restaurant moved from a rental space in the Sactown Eats commercial kitchen to a standalone restaurant on the corner of Fruitridge and Power Inn Roads on Aug. 29. Caribbean Fire Grill brings an authentic taste of the island to Sacramento, slinging combo plates with beef, pork and red snapper entrees as well as snapper sandwiches and traditional soups and stews.
• Kiku Japanese Cuisine (5550 Douglas Blvd., Suite 200, Granite Bay): One of the area’s newest sushi restaurants offers upscale omakase and sukiyaki experiences. Wagyu beef and truffle shavings top dishes as part of the $135 prix fixe “chef’s choice” dinner, only available Friday through Sunday evenings by reservation.
• Le Tesh Wine Lounge (219 Vernon St., Roseville): Certified sommelier Amitesh Diyal opened a wine lounge in downtown Roseville in the closing days of August, uncorking niche bottles of wines from across the globe. Diyal offers two wine club memberships — curating a set of four wines monthly or quarterly for $100-$120 — and scheduled wine tastings once per month.
• Maria’s Paella (701 16th St., Sacramento): Maria Perez took her successful paella business from a farmer’s market pop-up spot to a brick-and-mortar storefront in less than five years, all while raising her children as a single mother, The Bee previously reported. As part of opening Maria’s Paella, Perez also purchased Lulu’s Commercial Kitchen and now runs the rental kitchen supporting more than 50 small food businesses.

• The Porch Restaurant & Bar (1815 K St., Sacramento): Less than two months after a July fire forced the Southern food restaurant to temporarily shut down, damages were repaired and The Porch was able to reopen for service on Aug. 29. The midtown restaurant celebrated with a reopening event and launching a Sunday night dinner service, according to previous Sacramento Bee reporting.
• Wushiland Boba (2018 Sutterville Road., Suite 116, Sacramento): Taiwan-based bubble tea chain Wu-Shih-Lan opened the first Northern Californian branch of its Wushiland Boba brand in Sacramento on Aug. 2. The boba shop serves a classic range of milk and fruit teas and a unique line of ice cream boba drinks. Wushiland has 17 California outposts and one shop each in Texas and Pennsylvania.

Hawaiian and Cajun restaurants exited the Sacramento market

Three food facilities bowed out of the Sacramento area in August, including two restaurants and one grocery store. While the two restaurants were based in Sacramento, the major grocery chain was located in Rancho Cordova.

• Colo’s Southern Cafe (2326 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento): The Cora Lorraine’s soul food restaurant shut its doors in Old North Sacramento at the start of August after five years sharing a slice of New Orleans with the city. Despite the closure, the restaurant’s owners have continued posting on Facebook indicating they are hoping to launch a new venture in the coming months.
• Kau Kau (855 57th St., Suite C, Sacramento): Owner Lynn Fu closed the Hawaiian restaurant she purchased in June after realizing the business was not working out in the East Sacramento shopping center it was located in, The Bee previously reported. Fu expects to open a new Japanese restaurant, called Genki Kitchen, in the former Kau Kau unit in September.

• Grocery Outlet (2801 Zinfandel Drive, Rancho Cordova): After more than three decades serving the Rancho Cordova community, Grocery Outlet closed one of its two locations on Aug. 23, with its 2280 Sunrise Blvd. store remaining open. The grocery giant held a liquidation sale in its final 20 days of operation, with 20%-30% discounts offered on a majority of its goods.

Camila Pedrosa

The Sacramento Bee

Camila Pedrosa is the California Diversions Reporter at The Sacramento Bee. She previously worked on The Bee’s service journalism team and was a summer reporting intern for The Bee in 2024. She graduated from Arizona State University with a master’s degree in mass communication.