Ethnic/Other Food Recommendations--East Sac/Downtown/Midtown/Arden (Sacramento, Stockton: house, neighborhoods)

[sanfrancis]

How about a fun question? We're moving to Sacramento from a much larger, more urban city. We'll probably be living in East Sac, perhaps Arden/Sierra Oaks or Downtown/Midtown.

I'd love to hear your favorite choices in the above neighborhoods for any of the following (and that are not part of a large chain). BONUS POINTS if any of them DELIVER!

--Best Indian

--Best Thai

--Best Chinese

--Best Italian

--Best Mexican

--Best (house-made) Mac & Cheese (this practically qualifies as an actual food group where we live ; many of the best restaurants have it, and it's always a bonus with kids-- no KRAFT please!)

Thanks in advance!

[wburg]

Indian: Bombay Grill on 21st and Capitol. They deliver.
Thai: Chada Thai or Taste of Thai, Broadway and 16th. They don't deliver. Thai Basil on J and 25th delivers and is very good indeed.
Chinese: Too many Chinese restaurants to list in this city, although most focus on Cantonese. Not many deliver outside the Grid, and only a couple do--Tea Cup Cafe on 21st and P does, and they have great dim sum.
Italian: Hot Italian on 16th and Q, Pizza Rock on 10th and K (both deliver), Biba on 28th & Capitol if you want to spend lots of money (does not deliver), Espanol on Folsom and 59th for old-school, checkered-tablecloth, glass grapes, family size bowl of minestrone type southern Italian cooking (there are a lot of northern Italians in Sacramento.) OneSpeed on Folsom close to 48th isn't technically an Italian restaurant but serves a mean pizza and pasta. I'll include Devine Gelateria on 19th and Capitol even though it isn't a restaurant because they serve excellent fresh-made Italian gelato (and by "fresh," I mean they make it on-site and dump what they don't sell at the end of the day.)
Mexican: Chando's on Arden Way in North Sacramento or Lalo's on 24th Street and 26th Avenue in Hollywood Park, if you're looking for cheap, authentic eats of the "the sketchier the neighborhood, the better the food" variety. Fancier Mexican food can be had at Tres Hermanas on K and 24th or Mayahuel on K and 12th.
Mac & Cheese: Shady Lady Saloon, 14th & R, Magpie Cafe, 14th & R (deliver), Sandra Dee's BBQ, 15th & F.

A lot of restaurants that don't have in-house delivery use a service called Edible Pedal to deliver, but generally only within the central city and nearby, because it's a bike-based delivery network:

Edible Pedal Food Delivery by Bicycle, Custom Built and Used Bikes, Bicycle Repair

Sacramento has a lot of Japanese restaurants, including some great old-school Japanese bakeries for things like mochi, a recent wave of ramen shops, and more sushi than you can shake a raw fish at. Not too many deliver--in general, we don't have many restaurants that deliver, especially out in the suburbs where everything is so geographically distant, other than your standard pizza delivery. We're also an amazingly good city for hamburgers--if there is a Sacramento "regional dish" it's the hamburger. Standouts include Jim-Denny's, Burgers & Brew, Squeeze Inn, Nationwide Freezer Meats, Dad's Kitchen and Fanny Ann's.

But this barely scratches the surface--aside from Biba, none of Sacramento's fine-dining places are in any of those categories. Mulvaney's, Grange, Thir13en, Hook & Ladder, Ten22, Tuli Bistro, Waterboy, Kru, The Broiler, Magpie...

[ryuns]

I think that covers it, but I think folks' recommendations change a little based on the neighborhood. Chando's is awesome Mexican but there are so many almost-as-awesome places within walking or easy biking distance from my house that I never head up there. (Plus, their food truck makes the rounds to some of the spots I frequent.) You'll quickly find your own favorite spots wherever you decide to move.

I think Sac is a great city for food. Fact is, it will never have the number of upscale or high profile spots that a bigger city has, but it certainly has more good food than most people of upper middle class means and reasonable tastes can ever get tired of, all at much more approachable prices than bigger cities. Combine that with the fact that it's a good place to be home cook (great and affordable local produce, good gardening) and there's no excuse not to eat well.

[eureka1]

I know it's not on your list but don't forget Cafe Rolle in East Sac. It's French, perfect for picnics or take out and you'll go back again and again. Welcome to Sac!

[calnbs]

I go to Stockton Blvd for Asian food, especially Chinese and Vietnamese food. I enjoy buying Mexican food from those food trucks. What I hate most are water-down food.

[mr bolo]

KAMDESH KABOB HOUSE [Afghan food]

729 J St
Sacramento, CA 95814
Neighborhood: Downtown
(916) 444-9044

[sanfrancis]

Originally Posted by wburg

Indian: Bombay Grill on 21st and Capitol. They deliver.
Thai: Chada Thai or Taste of Thai, Broadway and 16th. They don't deliver. Thai Basil on J and 25th delivers and is very good indeed.
Chinese: Too many Chinese restaurants to list in this city, although most focus on Cantonese. Not many deliver outside the Grid, and only a couple do--Tea Cup Cafe on 21st and P does, and they have great dim sum.
Italian: Hot Italian on 16th and Q, Pizza Rock on 10th and K (both deliver), Biba on 28th & Capitol if you want to spend lots of money (does not deliver), Espanol on Folsom and 59th for old-school, checkered-tablecloth, glass grapes, family size bowl of minestrone type southern Italian cooking (there are a lot of northern Italians in Sacramento.) OneSpeed on Folsom close to 48th isn't technically an Italian restaurant but serves a mean pizza and pasta. I'll include Devine Gelateria on 19th and Capitol even though it isn't a restaurant because they serve excellent fresh-made Italian gelato (and by "fresh," I mean they make it on-site and dump what they don't sell at the end of the day.)
Mexican: Chando's on Arden Way in North Sacramento or Lalo's on 24th Street and 26th Avenue in Hollywood Park, if you're looking for cheap, authentic eats of the "the sketchier the neighborhood, the better the food" variety. Fancier Mexican food can be had at Tres Hermanas on K and 24th or Mayahuel on K and 12th.
Mac & Cheese: Shady Lady Saloon, 14th & R, Magpie Cafe, 14th & R (deliver), Sandra Dee's BBQ, 15th & F.

A lot of restaurants that don't have in-house delivery use a service called Edible Pedal to deliver, but generally only within the central city and nearby, because it's a bike-based delivery network:

Edible Pedal Food Delivery by Bicycle, Custom Built and Used Bikes, Bicycle Repair

Sacramento has a lot of Japanese restaurants, including some great old-school Japanese bakeries for things like mochi, a recent wave of ramen shops, and more sushi than you can shake a raw fish at. Not too many deliver--in general, we don't have many restaurants that deliver, especially out in the suburbs where everything is so geographically distant, other than your standard pizza delivery. We're also an amazingly good city for hamburgers--if there is a Sacramento "regional dish" it's the hamburger. Standouts include Jim-Denny's, Burgers & Brew, Squeeze Inn, Nationwide Freezer Meats, Dad's Kitchen and Fanny Ann's.

But this barely scratches the surface--aside from Biba, none of Sacramento's fine-dining places are in any of those categories. Mulvaney's, Grange, Thir13en, Hook & Ladder, Ten22, Tuli Bistro, Waterboy, Kru, The Broiler, Magpie...

OMG, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! This is exactly the type of list I wanted to compile. You're AMAZING. I'm printing this out when we get there. Thanks for the extras, too-- definitely love Japanese, burgers, etc.! And so excited about delivery! As an aside, I *have* been to Biba about a year ago, and it was great.

Thanks also to the rest of you! I will be printing out all your recommendations as well and sticking them on our fridge!

[abercrombiedudelosangeles]

there are no good japanese food in this area, all the 'japanese' places or 'sushi' places are called MIKUNI for some reason and they serve these 'sushi' that are named 'caterpillar', 'dynamite' , 'california roll', and 'capitol rolls'... WTH ??? i guessthey have to cater to the rednexxx(TM) populace of these mountains, and they serve it with authentic rednexxx schweet sauces(TM) wth?

and no good korean food either

and no good thai food either

maybe some decent chinese food and there are good indian food (there are a lot of indians in the area, punjabi most of them)

no brazillian churrascaria

BUT FOR SOME REASON there are a lot of NEPALI/HIMALAYan restaurant and EThiopian ?????

and they have this hybrid Korean-Eastern European/SOVIETSKI supermarket that sells stuff from these two regions, strange combo if you ask me, it's called international market or somth, in rancho cordova,,,, but most stuff there are past expiration date ..check it out.. but careful, don't get botulism

[wburg]

No Brazilian, we don't really have the Brazilian population. If you're only finding Mikuni you're not looking hard enough for decent sushi in Sacramento. (Not Rocklin. Not Roseville. Not Citrus Heights. Sacramento.) The good Korean food is supposedly in Rancho Cordova but you'd probably be scared to park your expensive car in those places.

And Ethiopian food is awesome. Queen Sheba on Broadway is excellent, and it's right next to two great Thai places (with a pretty good Japanese place down the road. Broadway is an amazing food street--soul food, Chinese, Mexican, Japanese, pizza, burgers, Indian, a Vietnamese vegan restaurant, and the inimitable Pancake Circus.)

Which reminds me, we have a lot of good Vietnamese food too, and other Southeast Asian culinary specialities--Sacramento became a large magnet for "boat people" after the era of Vietnam/Cambodia wars in the 1970s, there is a "Little Saigon" neighborhood in south Sacramento and some darn fine pho and banh mi to be had.

[ryuns]

Originally Posted by wburg

And Ethiopian food is awesome. Queen Sheba on Broadway is excellent, and it's right next to two great Thai places (with a pretty good Japanese place down the road. Broadway is an amazing food street--soul food, Chinese, Mexican, Japanese, pizza, burgers, Indian, a Vietnamese vegan restaurant, and the inimitable Pancake Circus.)

Visitors to my house seem to find Broadway as wonderfully bizarre in that regard. An anomalously unattractive street, given some of the lovely residential neighborhoods nearby, but great, cheap, and diverse food. And now that you can order your take out and have it with local beers at New Helvetia, all the better.