In a city teeming with taquerias, there’s a high bar for Mexican fare in a formal setting, but Nixtaco, situated in a Roseville strip mall just off the shoulder of Interstate 80, has proven its ability to deliver homey flavors in a full-service restaurant setting. As dietary inclusivity becomes the norm, this Michelin-recognized “farm to taco” outpost, as co-owners Patricio Wise and Cinthia Martinez describe on their website, takes that obligation a step further on its menu with six vegan tacos (go for the fried avocado taco with chipotle-peanut aioli and micro arugula, or the meaty cremini mushroom), as well as corn and flour tortillas, both made in-house. 

It’s not exactly difficult to find solid Mexican food in Sacramento, but it’s not often you can consistently taste the pride and love that went into making it. Taqueria Rincón Alteño has been operating in Natomas for nearly 20 years and is often mentioned fondly by Sacramento natives who don’t even live in the capital anymore. That’s because the restaurant nails the basics: The rice maintains a starchy chew, whether tucked into a Super Burrito or served with beans alongside a pair of melty cheese enchiladas; salsas are made fresh and packed with depth of flavor; and pozole, when it’s available, offers a perfect textural harmony between crunchy hominy and rich shreds of pork. 

Established in 2019, Dubplate has been quietly providing Sacramento with the layered, heat-packing flavors of Jamaican cuisine. The menu is simple but contains all the most popular dishes: Plump and impeccably spiced jerk chicken and rich, savory curry goat come over a bed of fluffy rice and peas, an array of seasonal vegetables, and fried plantains, with edges caramelized and crispy and insides soft. Though the entree servings are generous, you’d be remiss to skip out on a beef patty. If you don’t normally find yourself in Sacramento’s Arden Arcade neighborhood to get your fix, you might have luck at the various downtown nightclubs where Dubplate pitches a tent to serve hungry dancers once the lights have turned on and it’s time to head home.

If your cool auntie — the one who let you stay up past your bedtime and later introduced you to bourbon — were to open a diner, it might look and feel like N’Gina Guyton’s Jim-Denny’s. The former owner of the beloved (and now-closed) South, Guyton breathed new life into this historic, decades-old burger joint, honoring its traditional spirit of stick-to-your-ribs comfort food and fusing it with the fun-loving energy of downtown Sacramento. Guyton injects an unabashed sumptuousness into the food: The Southern Daddy burger stars a rich chuck patty accompanied by a hot link, onion ring, cheddar, and Memphis barbecue-style coleslaw; the Caesar salad, typically a conservative choice, is studded with Guyton’s famous fried chicken; and the breakfast menu features cornbread-battered sausage blanketed in sage-sausage gravy over scrambled eggs. When dining inside at the counter, expect to be bumped to nearby stools at the server’s request to make room for other guests.

There’s an effortless cool to Mother’s menu: chunks of baby beets glossed in lavender oil and sprinkled with pistachios, carrots prepared jerk-style with sweet plantains and garlic, chile verde starring starchy white beans and hominy rather than the standard pork. The all-vegetarian restaurant is enjoying its second incarnation; chef Michael Thiemann reopened at a different location last summer, and it hasn’t taken long for the restaurant to resume its special place in diners’ hearts. The fun approach and vibrant fare make Mother a reliable option for a midweek dinner, solo or otherwise. For a more elevated experience, check out the 10-course tasting menu.

To understand Pizza Supreme Being owner Ben Roberts’s commitment to disrupting long-held food opinions, consider his pizza shop’s take on the already-controversial Hawaiian pie: Along with including the usual suspects of jalapenos and pineapple, Roberts swapped ham for Spam. He also uses a sourdough crust for his pies. All of those decisions have been received with ravenous fervor since he started slinging pizza in 2015. The recently expanded parlor has been souped up with cheery blue walls and high ceilings, perfect for daydreaming over a slice on a lunch break or riding the sound waves of a happy hour crowd buzzed on Pizza Grease, the shop’s house natural orange wine. 

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Although securing one of the five seats at Kru’s omakase bar, known for its once-a-week, three-hour-long service curated by executive chef Billy Ngo can be a challenge, it’s worth keeping tabs on Resy for a shot at one of the best meals in the city. In the meantime, their daily dinner is not to be missed: the menu is filled with fusion dishes and sushi made with inventive toppings, like fried leeks, spicy garlic sauce, and soy-flavored rice crackers piled atop some of the freshest fish in town. While you could opt for a sake pairing, their Japanese-inspired cocktails steal the show, from the Sesame Gimlet made with sesame gin and a cucumber-yuzu shrub to the Kat Daddy 4.0, made with green tea Japanese rice whiskey and peach bitters.

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As its onomatopoeic name suggests, Bawk! by Urban Roots is known for its hot chicken and should be the primary choice to satisfy any cravings, whether that means crispy wings piled atop a cornmeal waffle or served alongside whipped yams, red beans and rice, or mac and cheese. But Bawk! also delivers a grown-and-sexy ambience that makes it just as appropriate for date night as it is for a gossipy Sunday brunch with the crew. Both occasions benefit from a revolving drink menu (the American River “bawktail” is a heady mix of rye, cacao, amaro, and peach bitters) and vibrating jams. If you can, stop by when Bawk! invites a DJ to spin sultry tunes and elevate the dining experience.

Bound by a desire to showcase the expansiveness of Japanese cuisine, Binchoyaki co-owners Tokiko Sawada and Craig Takehara have occupied the sweet spot at the intersection of creativity, sophistication, and approachability since they opened this izakaya-style restaurant in 2016. Located in Sacramento’s historic — and revitalized — Japantown, Binchoyaki’s menu hints at the rigorous culinary backgrounds of Sawada and Takehara, who met at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena. Small-plate lovers will delight in wide-ranging options, including bluefin tuna carpaccio dressed in a smoked vinaigrette and a hand roll stuffed with arabiki sausage and spiked with hot mustard. 

When Andy Nguyen Restaurant opened its doors in Sacramento in 1984, its menu reflected the culinary habits of a newly emigrated Vietnamese family still under the influence of French colonial rule. The restaurant offered coq au vin, duck a l’orange, and seafood bouillabaisse alongside fresh spring rolls and pho. Over time, though, customers came to prefer the latter set of dishes, and the owners listened, veering away from French-inspired Vietnamese food and leaning into the ones they grew up eating in Saigon. Fast-forward a few more years to an inspiring trip to India and conversion to Buddhism, and the Nguyen family pivoted again to an entirely vegetarian menu. Mushrooms abound at Andy Nguyen’s Vegetarian Restaurant: Tempura blue oysters crusted in sesame seeds and served with a creamy Sriracha dipping sauce are a filling small plate with layers of crunch; for a subtler interpretation, try the shiitakes cooked down with shredded tofu and tossed with vegetables, brown rice bi, and creamy coconut vinaigrette. 

If there’s a Sacramento restaurant that serves as a reminder of the beauty and importance of taking one’s time, it’s Shoki’s Ramen, Gyoza & Koji. Chef Yasushi Ueyama makes each item on the menu by hand, from the popular tantanmen, which takes seven hours to prepare, to the delicately breaded chicken breast fritters. This is Ueyama’s third, and final, iteration of Shoki’s, a fact that’s imbued Ueyama with an even greater determination to keep every detail under his control; in doing so, he subtly holds guests to account to enjoy their meals just as intentionally. As you stare into a cavernous bowl of steaming ramen, make sure to drink the soup after the noodles and other toppings are gone. The slice of sourdough bread smeared with garlic spread may look peculiar, but trust Ueyama on that; the fermentation beautifully complements the umami richness of the broth.

With two locations, one in Midtown Sacramento and the other in Elk Grove, there are now multiple ways to begin your journey toward this award-winning restaurant. Naturally, dumplings are the crown jewel of the menu. Guests are encouraged to sneak a slice of ginger inside punctured soup dumplings, allowing the heat from the steamy broth inside to enhance the ginger’s aroma. Plant-based options include Impossible dumplings and a vegetable-filled number folded in a bright green wrapper made with spinach. Porridge, rice, and a tangle of noodle dishes accompany the dumplings, begging for Journey to the Dumpling to be enjoyed in a group so everyone can get a little bit of everything. 

No longer constrained by the endless string of chain restaurants that typically encircle suburban food landscapes, Elk Grove, located just south of Sacramento proper, has exploded as a local destination for small businesses with swag. Enter West Coast Taco Bar, a roving food truck and permanent restaurant that bills itself as “Mexican inspired with a Golden State of mind.” Experimentation is encouraged at this taco stand, where a trio of tacos could include a Dirty Diana, or beef birria tucked inside a tortilla tinged with house-made mole and lots of melty cheese; a bulgogi-style pork taco with crisp daikon; and a roasted sweet potato and soy chorizo creation.