Downtown Sacramento

Loop Interactive Art

People-Powered Art

From Iowa City to Boston and beyond, interactive art installations are drawing crowds to experience art firsthand. Sacramento should get in on the action too.
Rob Turner,
Shelves of Chocolate at Cafe Xocolatl

Best New Global Chocolate Emporium

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. Here's a sneak peak at one of our picks for Best of the City 2023.
Rob Turner,
Orange Chairs set out in a striking design and an illustration of Julie Young's buildings

Younglandia

In an industry where women rarely take center stage, Julie Young has quietly become one of the most significant and thoughtful urban developers in the region—crafting exquisitely curated projects that bloom like defiant wildflowers in the concrete jungle. And now, through sheer tenacity and savvy scrappiness, she may just have unlocked the mystery to attainable housing that aspires to forward-thinking design as much as affordability. It’s a beautiful day in her neighborhood, indeed.
Hillary Louise Johnson,
The interior of willow and their cavolo campanelle

Chow Bella

Willow serves up love, Southern Italian style, with a side of colorful and texture-rich decor. After three tough pandemic-impacted years, the downtown restaurant scene is looking up.
Carla Meyer, Photos by Anna Wick,
Tapas style dishes from Juju Kitchen

Good Juju

The team behind The Press Bistro reassembles to open Juju Kitchen & Cocktails downtown, introducing new farm-fresh dishes and bringing back old favorites that we’ve missed. We’re reunited with chef-owner David English’s signature grilled calamari, and it feels—and tastes—so good.
Carla Meyer,
Local Bookstores and the Shops Around the Corner

The Shops Around the Corner

Talk about a Hollywood ending. Over two decades since Meg Ryan’s sweet little children’s bookshop lost the battle to Tom Hanks’ big bad Fox Books, it looks like indie bookstores around the country (and around town) may have won the retail war. We spotlight a dozen of our favorite local literary nooks in the Sacramento region. Trust us, this story is a real page-turner.
Hillary Louise Johnson, Sean Timm,
Quail Eggs on There and Back Again's Shire-cuterie board

A Shire Thing

At a new Lord of the Rings-inspired board game cafe, the owners welcome patrons—from midtown to Middle Earth— to “Speak, friend, and enter.”
Sean Timm,
7th Street Standard Chefs and Tikka Masala Lollipops

The Magnificent Seventh

East meets west for one of the best meals in town. Former Ella chef Ravin Patel draws from both his Indian heritage and French culinary background at downtown’s new 7th Street Standard restaurant. 
Leilani Marie Labong,