Best of the City

Best of the City 2025

Best of the City 2025

Global culinary tours with regional culinary stars, a buzzy bus-festooned diner patio, a fly new book about birds of the Delta, a decadent hot chocolate rimmed with a pillow of marshmallow, an NFL Man of the Year who gives as good as he gets, a cheesy pizza slice to scarf in a New York minute—and many, many more. We enthusiastically present our list of the dozens of local people, places and things that have made us balloon with hometown pride this year.
Hillary Louise Johnson, Elyssa Lee, Sean Timm,
Shortys Gelato Bakery

Best of the City 2025:
Best Over-the-Top Hot Chocolate

Brewed with Belgian Callebaut chocolate, topped with scratch-made marshmallow fluff and chocolate mousse, then brûléed to perfection, this tasty treat is among the dozens of people, places and things that have added a dollop of delight to this year. Here's one of our picks for Best of the City 2025.
Sean Timm,
Deftones

Best of the City 2025:
Best Rockers for the Ages

Selling out venues across the country and launching their 10th studio album, this Sacramento-born rock group is keeping the music going, earning them a place among the dozens of people, places and things that have rocked this year. Here's one of our picks for Best of the City 2025.
Sean Timm,
Felicia Leo Kemp overlooking a cliff

Best of the City 2025:
Best Inclusive Trail Angel

Co-author of Moon Travel Guide’s new Northern California Hiking  guidebook, this attorney-turned-writer, and inclusive-hiking champion, is one of the dozens of local people, places and things that have made us balloon with hometown pride this year. Here is just one of our picks for Best of the City 2025.
Hillary Louise Johnson,
Ecojoyous

Best Maker of Sustainable Joy

Upcycled and planet-friendly delight is right at home on our annual list of the dozens of the local people, places and things that are just our type. Here's one of our picks for Best of the City 2024.
Sean Timm,
Cal Expo Water Tank

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 lunchboxes, 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.
Hillary Louise Johnson, Elyssa Lee, Sean Timm, Rob Turner,
The Best of the City 2022

Best of the City 2022

From Old Sacramento’s new incandescent signage to luminescent lanterns hand-assembled in Newcastle to a just-opened microcinema in midtown and merciful cyclists with big hearts, we present our highly subjective, small-batch, 100% locally made list of our favorite people, places and things right now. We know it’s been a rough couple of years—here are 22 bright spots that are lighting up our town in 2022.
Elyssa Lee, Sean Timm, Rob Turner,