How Sacramento rose to become a major food destination in 2025
When it comes to food, Sacramento’s star has been rising for years — 2025 was the year it went supernova.
All year long, eyes continually turned to the capital region as a major food destination.
The Los Angeles Times name-checked six Sacramento-area restaurants as part of its 101 Best Restaurants in California, including the city’s Magpie and Kru, as well as Nixtaco in Roseville and Noroc in Carmichael.
In July, Food & Wine made Sacramento the first mention in its compendium of America’s Next Great Food Cities. The magazine said it is “a haven for talented chefs drawn by unparalleled access to the state’s farm-fresh ingredients and substantially lower operating costs”
A month later, WalletHub ranked Sacramento ninth in its Best Foodie Cities in America list, citing the dining scene’s diversity, accessibility and quality.
In September, Eater updated its list of the 25 Best Sacramento Restaurants, a roster of the best places to get a taste of what makes it one of California’s most exciting food cities.
“I think we will see more restaurants that are unique and creative, and are introducing something more,” said Ernesto Delgado of Ernest Delgado Hospitality. “We all love to go get an amazing burger, but sometimes we want to learn about something. I think the concepts that are truly going to succeed are smaller concepts that are more manageable, very creative, that you get an experience outside of what you’re paying for.”
Here is a rundown of the year in Sacramento food and a taste of what’s to come in 2026:
Sacramento restaurants retain Michelin stars, three get new accolades
The Michelin Guide came to Sacramento in June to announce the current year’s winners of its esteemed star ranking system.
Sacramento’s two established star-ranked restaurants, The Kitchen and Localis, each retained its single Michelin Star. In addition, Localis’ Chris Barnum-Dann received the Michelin Sommelier Award for his expert wine pairings.
The guide added 13 new restaurants statewide, including three in Sacramento: midtown’s Kin Thai Street Eatery and Majka Pizzeria and Bakery, and La Riviera Vietnamese spot Pho Momma.
Pho Momma joined Canon and Nixtaco in the Bib Gourmand distinction, given to restaurants that serve exceptional food at a great value. In all, 15 Sacramento restaurants are now recognized in the Michelin Guide.
Terra Madre Americas puts Sacramento on global stage
Another event that put Sacramento on the map for the year was Terra Madre Americas during the last weekend of September.
Slow Food International’s collaboration with Visit Sacramento drew up to 165,000 people to SAFE Convention Center for three days of insightful panels, food and drink tastings and live music.
The event drew attendees and presenters from across the country, as well as Europe and South America. It is set to return to Sacramento in 2027, and again every other year through 2033.
Local restaurateurs took big swings
This year, many major restaurant groups stepped up and opened significant new concepts around the city.
Buu “Billy” Ngo of Kru Restaurant added a new jewel to his crown of restaurants, opening contemporary Asian spot Chu Mai in Richmond Grove’s ARY Place apartments. A love letter to Ngo’s mother’s cooking, Chu Mai fuses the flavors of China and Vietnam into something altogether new.
Serial restaurateur Ernesto Delgado launched his regional Mexican eatery, Oaxaca, early this year, bringing the food of Mexico’s most storied cuisine — and its iconic spirit, mezcal — to North Oak Park.
The Urban Roots empire took over the former Beast & Bounty space in the Ice Blocks complex, opening Good Neighbor in October. The restaurant leverages the existing kitchen to turn out wood-fired pizzas and elevated takes on classic American fare.
Chef Oliver Ridgeway of Camden Spit & Larder and Tyler and Melissa Williams of The Jungle Bird and Tank House BBQ joined forces to breathe new life into the former Dad’s in Land Park, opening Stepdad’s on Father’s Day after an extensive remodel. The space offers retro diner decor with updated fare.
Sacramento’s food scene grew more global
Sacramento has long been recognized as one of the most diverse cities in the country, and that bears out in its food offerings. The year saw the emergence of a few cuisines in and around the grid.
Two years ago there was no Peruvian cuisine the grid. Today there are three, with this year’s opening of Paititi Peruvian Bistro on J Street. Paititi stands apart for its pollo a la brasa.
Two West African concepts popped up, the Nigerian Naija Cuisine and Liberian spot AfroEatz, both serving differing takes on iconic dishes like jollof rice and egusi with fufu.
In March, Burmese restaurant Chef Burma brought its signature tea leaf salad and curries to downtown. Chef Burma is sister restaurant to Davis’ My Burma.
The city’s Caribbean scene expanded with the Calabash Caribbean in Old North Sacramento serving refined versions of classics like curry goat and oxtail.
Beer declined, coffee rose
This was a particularly challenging year for Sacramento’s beer scene, with three significant breweries closing shop.
Device Brewing Co. shut down all three of its Sacramento taprooms in April, following landlord lawsuits over unpaid rent. Track 7 Brewing Co. abruptly closed its Curtis Park and Natomas locations in late May after 13 years, citing financial reasons.
Most recently, Mraz Brewing Co. announced its closure at the end of 2025, facing ongoing business challenges.
However, coffee shops and cafes seemed to be growing.
Offbeat Coffee permanently opened in its Land Park space in January, serving their signature hojicha lattes. Most recently, the team at Midtown’s Cantina Alley opened Abuela’s Midtown, serving sweet, spiced cafe de olla.
The Yemeni coffee trend continued to expand, with chains Sana’a Cafe, Haraz Coffee House and Matari Coffee all opening or planning new locations around the region.
Remembering the restaurants we lost in 2025
Every restaurant closure leaves a gap, but some cause bigger ripples than others. These are the departures that left Sacramento too soon.
In July 2024, the owner of Roseville Mexican restaurant Nixtaco, Patricio Wise, and East Sacramento restaurant Canon’s owners Brad Cecchi and Clay Nutting combined forces to open a new concept, Cantina Pedregal, in Folsom. Less than a year later, it didn’t seem to resonate with the local audience, so it scaled back operations, rebranding as a second location of Nixtaco.
Iconic downtown diner Jim Denny’s served its last patty melt on July 2, after being served an eviction notice. The diner had been an institution for 85 years until it closed in 2020.
It was brought back to life in 2023 by N’Gina Guyton, whose popular restaurant South closed the previous year. She is carrying the brand and the food on at New Helvetia Brewery in Land Park Wednesday through Saturday.
Shortly after North Oak Park’s Slim & Husky’s Pizza Beeria closed in 2024, adjacent business Faria Bakery swooped in, developing a new concept, Solimar. It leveraged the former pizzeria’s kitchen to turn out innovative pizzas with seasonal ingredients, as well as other farm-fresh mains.
However, running a full-service restaurant proved too high overhead, and Faria reabsorbed the concept and its dishes, narrowing its focus to lunch service. On the upside, it lowered prices on many of the dishes by up to $5.
In November, after three years in Greenhaven, Bodega Kitchen & Cocktails served its last daiquiris and cubanos, citing rising costs and declining sales. The closure left Sacramento without a similar pan-Caribbean concept.
Chando’s rises from the ashes
In July, locals were stunned when popular Mexican chain Chando’s abruptly shuttered its remaining three locations. Immediately after, owner Lisandro “Chando” Madrigal appeared in court to plead not guilty to domestic violence and battery charges. A subsequent jury trial date has been set for Jan. 20.
Madrigal shrugged off the scandal, reopening the locations in the fall. His son Carlos partnered with Jorge Aguirre, owner of Hollywood Park Mexican restaurant Zazon del Mar, to open joint concept Chando’s Cantina Zazon del Mar at 730 K St. in late November.
What’s next for Sacramento’s food scene
Who better to cast a prognostication on the future of food in Sacramento than our very own chefs and restaurateurs? A few of the industry’s luminaries shared their thoughts on what’s to come.
“I think Sacramento’s food and drink scene will continue to mature in a confident, grounded way. The next phase isn’t about chasing trends, but about depth, consistency, and building restaurants that last.”
“Low ABV and no ABV options are becoming fully normalized, not an afterthought, as guests look for balance without losing the social experience. Cocktail programs feel like they’re swinging back toward simplicity and classic technique, while wine lists continue to favor smaller producers with a sense of place.”
— Oliver Ridgeway, Camden Spit & Larder and Stepdad’s
“I think we will look at what is new in sustainability, what is new in local and how can we support that better. Sacramento always lives in that world, but now I think there’s a unique sense of civic pride in the restaurant community about really showcasing what we do here and how we do it.”
— Brad Cecchi, Canon and Franquette
“For the new upcoming year, I would like to see more contemporary or elevated Asian cuisines. We have plenty of great restaurants in town, but you’re seeing across the nation over the last few years all these different types of Asian cuisines that are not fusion, but a modern take. Like one of the hottest restaurants right now in San Francisco, Happy Crane, is elevated Chinese food, and Kingfisher in San Diego is elevated Vietnamese. So I’m hoping to see more of that.”
— Billy Ngo, Kru Restaurant
“I think that with the state of the economy, I think people are just looking for straightforward simplicity, value and consistency. People are always voting with their dollars, but people are voting a little bit more intentionally. So I think people are just looking for quality food, drink and just hospitality, something that, when they go somewhere, they can take their friends, they can call their third space. And I think also people are looking for things that are familiar and remind them of home.”
— Greg Desmangles, Urban Roots
