Kathmandu Kitchen. 728 Broadway. 1 916-441-2172. ost dishes hover around $10-12. ttp://www.kathmandukitchen.com/sacramento/. Serves excellent Indian and Nepalese food - the Mismas Tarkari thali is delicious.
Plum Blossom. 830 J St. 1 916-443-8882. -W 6am-midnight, Th-Sat 6am-2am, Sun 10am-9pm. 8-$15 per person. Awesome Asian restaurant and bakery located in Midtown. Best crab rangoon ever! Open late.
Tapa the World. 115 J St. 1 916-442-4353. 1:30AM-midnite daily. ttp://www.tapatheworld.com. An old favorite serving up tasty Spanish tapas and delicious sangria. Live music on most nights, and open late.
Tower Cafe. 518 Broadway. 1 916-441-0222. u-Th 8AM-11PM, F-Sa 8AM-midnite. ttp://www.towercafe.com. A great breakfast spot, busy at any time of day. There's sometimes a line, but absolutely worth it.
Zocalo. 801 Capitol Ave. 1 916-441-0303. -W 11AM-10PM, Th 11AM-11PM, F 11AM-midnite, Sa 9AM-midnite, Su 9AM-10PM. ttp://www.zocalosacramento.com. A newer Mexican restaurant affiliated with the legendary Ernesto's, the food's great and it's usually busy.
Splurge
Lomo Argentine Grill. 107 Front St.. 1 916-442-5666.
Biba Ristorante Italiano. 801 Capitol Avenue. 1 916-455-2422. Started by Biba Caggiano, the famous chef, author, and television host. It has been selected as the best restaurant in Sacramento on multiple occasions. Reservations are strongly recommended.
Morton's Steakhouse. 21 L St.. 1 916-442-5091. ttp://www.mortons.com. High-scale restaurant that is perfect for taking that special someone or take the whole family to celebrate any occasion. They pride themselves on cooking the most tender steak, but don't count out their seafood portion of the menu! Delicious food with excellent dessert! Fun fact: they don't use menus...the waiter brings out a tray of all the raw meat and fish (even crab that is still alive) and explains in detail what the meat or fish is and what the dish comes with.
Ella Dining Room & Bar. 131 K St.. 1 916-443-3772. ttp://www.elladiningroomandbar.com. Ella serves its fabulous food, family-style and encourages diners to share. Their great bar serves fantastic concoctions like home made gin & tonics and "limeade", making for a perfect place for foodies, friends and family alike. The fabulous interior was created by award winning design firm, UXUS.
Drink
Nightlife in Sacramento is vibrant if you know where to look. Simple rule, stay Downtown or in Midtown. Generally speaking this is where most tourists are anyways. The upscale clubs and lounges tend to be on or near J Street. Directly across from the Capitol grounds is the Park which is the premiere Sacramento nightclub. But the dress code and cover charges tend to be stiff. Just around the corner is the Capitol Garage which typically has guest DJ's on Saturday and a $5 cover in a laid back atmosphere. On K st. mall you'll find Marilyn's which is a really cool underground bar in the heart of downtown which showcases local live music talent. Nearby is the Crest Theater, an independent historic movie theater that boasts art deco design. In the summer you can catch the French Film Festival here as well as the Trash Film Orgy, an all-night spectacle of old B movie flicks where locals gather in their cheesiest costumes. On most days of the year however the Crest is the place to catch foreign and independent films as well as traveling stand-up comedy and music acts. On 16th and R st. you'll find the popular bar R15. This is a trendy bar/restaurant (Cafe Bernardo is attached) that has an urban industrial feel. Despite being trendy the prices are very affordable with $2 Pabst on tap and $1 pool tables. They also boast couches and big screens where you can play x-box for free with a couple friends. Next door is the club Empire. Stiff cover charges and a dress code. Empire attracts a younger crowd as it's 18 and up most nights. Another popular club is Avalon. Stiff cover charges and dress code as well but Avalon attracts an older crowd than Empire and less pretentious crowd than the Park. On 10th and S st. you'll find the popular indie-rock venue Old Ironsides. Local and traveling indie-rock talent showcase their music here. Every Tuesday you can catch Lipstick, a popular indie-rock dance party where you'll find mostly hip Midtown locals. Every first Saturday of the month you can catch After Dark which is like Lipstick only on a Saturday so it attracts a more varied metropolitan crowd. The Press Club on 21st and P is popular with the college crowd with its $5 cover charges and cheap $3 24oz. of Pabst. It's known for playing 80's dance music and the best nights to go are Wednesday's or Thursday's as it's a small club and on weekends gets unbearably overcrowded.
The Depot. orner of K and 20th downtown.. Gay video bar, two coin-op pool tables, covered smoking area.
Faces. orner of K and 20th. Faces is a popular gay club. Recently renovated Faces has now doubled in size with an upstairs and a pool in the back! Plays R&B on video floor and House on other dance floor.
The Merc. 0th & L street. Usually the place to go to get your night started - cheap, big, strong drinks! Recently remodeled and is now considered a destination bar which competes with the Depot.
Club 21. n 21st, between K and L streets. 18+ Wednesday nights, which happens to be the only gay male night. Same owner as Faces, however generally plays upbeat, dance tunes that you can sing too. Beware of the trolls fishing for young men on Wednesdays. Other nights are predominantly lesbian nights.
Sac Badlands. orner of K and 20th downtown.. This new club is an offshoot of Badlands in San Francisco. It boasts three stories and an outdoor patio facing all the action on K st. in the Lavender District.
Sleep
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'''Best Western Expo Inn''', 1413 Howe Avenue, (916) 922-9833, Toll-free: (800) 643-4422, Fax: (916) 922-3384, [http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=05564].
'''Ramada Plaza Sacramento''', 1250 Halyard Drive,(916) 371-2100, Toll-free: (800) 371-2101, Fax: (916) 373-1507, [http://www.ramadaplazasacramento.com]
'''Best Western John Jay Inn''', 15 Massie Ct, (916) 689-4425, Fax: (916) 689-8045, [http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=05555].
'''Best Western Sandman Motel''', 236 Jibboom Street, (916) 443-6515, Fax: (916) 443-8346, [http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=05240].
'''Best Western Sutter House''', 1100 H Street, (916) 441-1314, Fax: (916) 441-5961, [http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=05227].
'''Courtyard Sacramento Airport Natomas''', 2101 River Plaza Drive, (916) 922-1120, Fax: (916) 922-1872, [http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/SACCH].
'''Courtyard Sacramento Midtown''', 4422 Y Street, (916) 455-6800, Fax: (916) 669-1031, [http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/SACCY].
'''Days Inn''', 228 Jibboom Street, ''+1'' 916-443-4811, [http://www.daysinncalifornia.com/html/days-inn-hotels-downtown-sacramento-ca.asp].
'''Days Inn-N. Highlands''', 3425 Orange Grove Ave, ''+1'' 916-488-4100, [http://www.daysinncalifornia.com/html/days-inn-sacramento-ca-hotels.asp].
'''Days Inn Sutter Creek''', 271 Hanford Street, (209) 267-9177, [http://www.goldcountryhotel.com].
'''Fairfield Inn & Suites Sacramento Airport Natomas''', 2730 El Centro Road, (916) 923-7472, Fax: (916) 923-7482, [http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/SACWN].
'''Hawthorn Suites Sacramento''', 321 Bercut Drive, Tel: (916) 441-1200. [http://sacramentohawthorn.com].
'''Holiday Inn''', 300 J Street, (916) 446-0100, [http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/6c/1/en/hd/saccp].
'''Holiday Inn''', 5321 Date Ave, (916) 338-5800, [http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/6c/1/en/hd/sacne].
'''Holiday Inn Express''', 728 Sixteenth Street, (916) 444-4436, [http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/6c/1/en/hd/sacca].
'''Lions Gate Hotel and Conference Center''', 3410 Westover Street, 866-866-7100 [http://www.lionsgatehotel.com].
'''Motel 6 Sacamento South''', 7407 Elsie Avenue, (916) 689-6555, Fax: (916) 689-6495, [http://www.motel6.com/reservations/motel_detail.asp?MotelId=1043&state=CA&full=California&city=Sacramento].
'''Motel 6 Sacramento Central''', 7850 College Town Drive, (916) 383-8110, Fax: (916) 386-0971, [http://www.motel6.com/reservations/motel_detail.asp?MotelId=1005&state=CA&full=California&city=Sacramento].
'''Motel 6 Sacramento Downtown''', 1415 30th Street, (916) 457-0777, Fax: (916) 454-9814, [http://www.motel6.com/reservations/motel_detail.asp?MotelId=0013&state=CA&full=California&city=Sacramento].
'''Motel 6 Sacramento North''', 5110 Interstate Avenue, (916) 331-8100, Fax: (916) 339-2241, [http://www.motel6.com/reservations/motel_detail.asp?MotelId=1306&state=CA&full=California&city=Sacramento].
'''Motel 6 Sacramento Southwest''', 7780 Stockton Boulevard, (916) 689-9141, Fax: (916) 689-7340, [http://www.motel6.com/reservations/motel_detail.asp?MotelId=1027&state=CA&full=California&city=Sacramento].
'''Motel 6 Sacramento-Old Sacramento North''', 227 Jibboom Street, (916) 441-0733, Fax: (916) 446-5941, [http://www.motel6.com/reservations/motel_detail.asp?MotelId=1305&state=CA&full=California&city=Sacramento].
'''Old Town Vagabond Inn Executive Sacramento''', 909 Third Street, (916) 446-1481, [http://www.vagabondinn-sacramento-old-town-hotel.com].
'''Residence Inn Sacramento Airport Natomas''', 2410 West El Camino Avenue, (916) 649-1300, Fax: (916) 649-1395, [http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sacsn-residence-inn-sacramento-airport-natomas/].
'''Residence Inn Sacramento Cal Expo''', 1530 Howe Avenue, (916) 920-9111, Fax: (916) 921-5664, [http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/SACEX].
'''Sacremento Hostel (HI)''', 925 H Street (at 10th Street), ''+1 916'' 443-1691, [http://norcalhostels.org/sac]. Dormitory beds start at $23 for adults, $10 for children under 18. Private rooms start at $57.
'''SpringHill Suites Sacramento Airport Natomas''', 2555 Venture Oaks Way, (916) 925-2280, Fax: (916) 925-2290, [http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/SACSH].
Contact
Stay safe
Downtown has a lot of one-way streets which can be confusing and are not always well marked (hint: look at the direction in which cars are parked).
Sacramento is generally safe, but crime most definitely exists. Lone females should be cautious walking around at night in any area. Occasional assaults are reported along the bike paths that run next to the rivers. South Sacramento, Oak Park, Del Paso Heights and North Highlands have long been known as rougher neighborhoods, even though they've cleaned up a bit in recent years you may encounter serious problems.
Get out
Part of the beauty of Sacramento is its central location; within a couple hours by car:
Lake Tahoe, a gorgeous lake on the Nevada border, with gambling on the Nevada side
Reno, a little bit o' gambling just over the border in Nevada
Gold Country, The gold country encompasses several small towns in the Sierra Nevada foothills
San Francisco, does it need an introduction?
Napa Valley, gorgeous landscape and the most famous wine-tasting in the States