Some popular eateries exited the Sacramento area in September while 10 opened

With hot weather on its way out and changing leaves on the horizon, the capital region’s restaurant industry faced its own changes and updates, from brand-new specialty bars launching and well-known chains closing down.

At least 10 new eateries opened their doors around the Sacramento area, including two Indian fusion pizza spots and themed nightlife experiences. The majority of the openings were within the bounds of Sacramento, though they also extended out to El Dorado County.

Six of the 10 new spots were in Sacramento, with one each in Placerville, Fair Oaks, Citrus Heights and Elk Grove.

Themed bars, international fare came to Sacramento in September

• Archive Nightclub (1022 K St., Sacramento): The Kay’s newest nightlife tenant plays off academic themes, inspired by the California State Archives situated less than a mile away. Experienced restaurateur Danny Shafazand debuted in the capital region with Archive on Sept. 19, hoping to mix an upscale cocktail lounge experience with a high-energy Las Vegas club.

• Indian Pizza and Bar (512 Main St., Placerville): Familiar American pizza toppings are available alongside the new pizza parlor’s signature Indian dish pies. Chilli paneer, chicken tikka masala and more are made into pizzas and eight- or 16-piece wing offerings.
• Paititi Peruvian Cuisine (2001 J St., Sacramento): Chef Alfredo Vega brings his Peruvian heritage and years working with world-renowned chefs in Peru to Sacramento with a street food-inspired menu, featuring classics like ceviche and lomo saltado. Vega added some twists to the beloved Latin American fare to cater to the Sacramentan palate, like making traditional dishes into pizzas.
• Parkside (715 K St., Sacramento): A National Parks-themed bar replaced the Malt and Mash Irish Pub in downtown Sacramento on Sept. 17, decorated with hand-painted deer insignia around the bar’s exterior. A sister bar to Parkside is located on the west side of the causeway, in downtown Davis.
• Sonic (5873 Antelope Road, Citrus Heights): The fast food chain known for its sweet slushies, hot dogs and burgers opened its fourth Sacramento-area restaurant in Citrus Heights on Sept. 15. Sonic has three other capital region restaurants, in Roseville, Woodland and in Sacramento’s Meadowview neighborhood.
• Tacos Chapala (7411 W. Stockton Blvd., Sacramento): A taco chain based in the San Joaquin Valley brought its popular tacos, burritos, bowls and more to the capital region in early September. Outside of Sacramento, Tacos Chapala can be found in Manteca and Stockton.
• Tai Pan (4400 Freeport Blvd., Suite 160, Sacramento): The new family-owned dim sum restaurant and bakery serves steamed, baked and fried dim sum classics in South Land Park to lines stretching out the door. On its first day open, Sept. 8, the restaurant sold out of every item it had, thanks to daughter Britney Chiu’s hard work documenting the restaurant’s opening process on social media.

• Tandoori Pizza (8234 Laguna Blvd., Suite 130, Elk Grove): A second Indian fusion pizzeria launched in the Sacramento area in September, with national chain Tandoori Pizza’s capital region debut. The restaurant’s menu features 18 pizzas with Indian flavors, double the number of classic American pizzas on its roster. A Downtown Commons outpost is planned to open in mid-October at 405 K St., Suite 240.
• Tequileros Taqueria (5323 Sunrise Blvd., Fair Oaks): Tequileros Taqueria opened its first of four planned restaurants in the Sacramento area on Sept. 28. The new Fair Oaks restaurant and an upcoming Roseville eatery are housed in units formerly filled by Chando’s Tacos — which shut down unexpectedly in July — with two other restaurants slated for Davis and Elk Grove.
• Twisted Track Station (1201 R St., Sacramento): Chef Fred Haines developed a modern American bar menu for his new downtown endeavor, in the former location of Shoki Ramen House. Twisted Track Station opened Sept. 16, but a grand opening event is planned for the evening of Friday, Oct. 3, according to its social media.

Big names left the Sacramento market in September

Six eateries closed their doors around the capital region in September, including a popular vegan fast food spot. As the Sacramento International Airport kicked off a comprehensive dining revamp, two spots closed in Terminal B at the end of the month.

• Burger Patch (2301 K St., Sacramento): Sacramento’s first fully vegan fast food chain closed its first — and final — outpost on Sept. 1, with customers spanning more than a street block waiting in line for one last taste of the chain’s non-dairy milkshakes and Beyond Burgers. The midtown restaurant had been offering a 25% discount on its meals for roughly four months prior to closing.

• Esquire Grill (6900 Airport Blvd. Terminal B, Sacramento): The American grill that welcomed weary visitors and homebound travelers to the airport’s newer terminal was on the chopping block on Sept. 30, with plans in place to open a Café Bernardo in its stead.
• Joneck’s (5619 H St., Sacramento): After just over a year in business in East Sacramento, Renee Jones’ wine bar shut down on Sept. 11 as it prepared to move to 2231 J St. Earlier this year, Jones announced plans to relocate the bar to midtown, saying she had been facing racist interactions with customers in the neighborhood nearly every day.
• Local Kitchens (2610 Arena Blvd., Suite 110, Sacramento): A ghost kitchen business in the Natomas Crossings neighborhood quietly closed down on Sept. 9. In an emailed statement, a representative for Local Kitchens said the Natomas location had relatively poor performance in the year it was open, according to previous Bee reporting. Other Local Kitchens locations are still open in Davis and Roseville.
• Peet’s Coffee (6900 Airport Blvd. Terminal B, Sacramento): The coffee chain was the second eatery slated to shut its doors at the Sacramento airport amid its dining changes, also closing Sept. 30. According to a social media post, the Peet’s location will be replaced by a Wendy’s fast food restaurant.
• Pieology (2030 Douglas Blvd., Suite 30, Roseville): Pieology, a national pizza chain, closed one of its four capital region locations in September when it quietly shut down its Roseville restaurant. California-based Spitz Mediterranean Street Food is planning to open its first Northern California restaurant in the former pizzeria’s unit in early 2026, The Bee previously reported.

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.