Last Stop Saloon hopes to attract business in Old Sacramento with drink and food

Scott Manley is taking a chance on Old Sacramento, opening his western themed Last Stop Saloon on Second Street, breathing new life into a space that has been a bar on and off since the 1860s.

Beer is already on tap starting at $6 along with signature cocktails at $10 and specialty margaritas at $12 and the food program will start later this month.

“There’s a lot of vacant real estate out here in Old Sac, but we’re betting on things turning around,” Manley said. “Right before COVID, Old Sac, like a lot of places in the country, in the world had big plans. And then everything kind of got put on the back burner.”

Manley and his business partner/wife Lauren Dalley purchased what was the River City Saloon late last year. River City at 916 Second St. had operated since 2009, the latest in a series of businesses that had occupied the space for more than 160 years.

In recent months, River City had operated mostly weekend hours in an historical area that has seen its share of business successes and failures.

After a several month shutdown for renovations, Manley and Dalley reopened under their new name, Last Stop Saloon on July 4. The name reflects Old Sacramento’s railroad heritage. A formal grand opening is slated for July 27.

Manley had worked as a bartender at the Gold Cane Cocktail Lounge in San Francisco for the last decade, the oldest bar in the Haight-Ashbury section, but had longed to own his own establishment.

The problem: Everything was too expensive in San Francisco. While he won’t say what he paid to own in Sacramento, Manley said the several hundred thousand dollars spent in ownership, liquor license and renovation costs, is half of what it would have cost in the Bay Area.

Manley said the saloon is a seven-minute walk to Golden 1 Center and he hopes to attract Kings fans before and after the game. He has also installed four flat-screen televisions along the 42-foot bar for fans who don’t have tickets.

“We have you set up if you can’t get into the game,” he said.

A food program is in the works that Manley and Dalley plan to implement by the grand opening. He said fresh hot and cold sandwiches, salads and Mexican food in the $9 to $14 price range will be offered.

Manley said Last Stop Saloon plans to offer food at lunch, dinner and late night. He said he has heard from workers at other Old Sac businesses that they would particularly like a lunch alternative in the area.

“People want options more than fried foods,” he said.

The alcohol menu includes eight beers on tap, signature cocktails like a Mezcal Mule and specialty margaritas including Watermelon, Pineapple and Spicy Jalapeno.

Address: 916 Second St. Sacramento

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Monday until July 27; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day after July 27

This story was originally published July 14, 2023 at 5:00 AM.