Best Of The City
Best of the City 2023
Airy French puffs, comforting cupcakes that taste just like Grandma’s, sports legends who go the extra mile, hot hotels that breathe fresh life into historic buildings, rockin’ speakers made from retro lunch boxes, and a whole bunch more. What’s old is new and what’s new is newsworthy in our annual list of the local people, places and things that have caught our eyes and captured our imagination this year.
Best of the City 2021
If there’s one thing we’ve learned during the pandemic, it’s that the human spirit perseveres through the darkest times. The dozens of Sacramentans featured here—struggling like all of us over this past year and a half—have found ways to shine some much-needed light into our lives, whether with charmingly anachronistic TikTok videos or a winning French pastry made with Top Ramen or an eco boutique that’s trying to help save the planet one bottle-free shampoo bar at a time. They bring smiles to our faces, good food to our bellies and taps to our toes. And if you haven’t already met, we’re thrilled to introduce you.
Best of the City 2020
As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “In the midst of darkness, light persists.” Through the fog of 2020, here are 25 people, places and things around the region—from our heroic health care workers fighting on the front lines of COVID-19 to local artists painting the town with messages of strength and hope—that have managed to shine particularly bright this year.
Best of the City 2019
As they say, there must be something in the water here—Sacramento’s got it going on. From a cool moonlight hike to a cooling moo-less milkshake, from fiery hot street food to a fire-breathing street dragon, and from an Olympic-caliber butcheress to an Olympic-caliber aquatic center, here is our list of the places, people and things making big waves this year.
Best of the City 2018
A totally awesome ’80s cafe, a Delta cider that’s pear-rific, a Princely garden plant, an ice cream parlor with a deliciously dark secret, the first human-powered gym, the last typewriter repairman, groovy cherry blossom groves, teddy bear slumber parties, edible beer, imbibable cakes, and more. To borrow from Greta Gerwig’s description of her placemaking movie "Lady Bird"—which also made the list—here is our annual love letter to Sacramento and to the people, places and things that make it home.
Best of the City 2017
Elvis cinnamon rolls crowned with peanut butter and bacon, heavenly angel food cake French toast, a hidden tearoom to cozy up to, a steampunk bicycle repairium, a mobile boutique in full bloom, grape-clove shrub syrup for your homemade soda, a basketball tale that became a Cinderella story, and much more. Behold this year’s top crop of the people, places and things that make our hometown a home run—or a slam dunk—for everyone.
Best of the City 2014
Custard made with deconstructed craft beer, a hot dog made into a taco, a cool dog that’s setting the political world atwitter, cocktails from a barrel, coffee from a keg, mini pies on wheels, a 9-year-old advice guru, a 95-year-old paperboy, and more. For the sixth time, we present our annual guide to the finest places, people and things that Sacramento has to offer, proving once again that there’s no place like our hometown.
Best of the City 2012
Sweet potato popsicles, a peanut butter burger, a mobile boutique, nostalgic tees, a cool bike-powered coffee roaster, and more. Here is our fourth annual list of Sacramento’s finest—and funnest—people, places and things.
Best of the City 2011
Summer cocktails, lime-soda mocktails, mobile food trucks, jazzy Fridays, a sweet riverfront suite, a cupcakery that delivers, a King-sized rally, and a whole lot of purple. Here are a few (dozen) of our favorite things about this place we call home.
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