For people who want to grab a bite before a concert, ball game or other event, restaurants located in convenient proximity to big stadiums can be a boon, especially when servers and kitchen staff know how to hustle. Golden 1 Center, located smack in the middle of downtown, is the home court for the purple-beaming NBA team, the Sacramento Kings. The arena’s adjacent plaza, Downtown Commons (DOCO), has a number of restaurants to serve event-goers. Across the Tower Bridge in West Sacramento, Sutter Health Park is home to Sacramento’s Triple-A baseball team, the River Cats, and where the Oakland A’s will play starting in 2025 as they wait for their Las Vegas stadium to be built.
Feature photo: @DrakesTheBarn on Facebook
Near Golden 1 Center
500 J St, Sacramento
916.619.8939
Steps away from Golden 1 Center, Sacramento’s downtown arena, Echo & Rig—in the Kimpton Sawyer hotel—is a steakhouse with a good selection of beef, lamb, pork, chicken, fish and vegetarian options. One of the more upscale restaurants in DOCO, it’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and servers always move things along so ticket-holders can get to their events on time.
555 Capitol Mall, Sacramento
916.498.9924
It’s only open weekdays for lunch and dinner, and its location a couple of blocks from Golden 1 Center makes it convenient for a late lunch/early dinner before a weeknight event. The menu has appetizers that could be a meal (mac and cheese, for example), big salads (blackened salmon, Thai chicken), sandwiches (including a French dip piled high with shaved prime rib) and a number of entrées that’ll keep show-goers full for the duration.
615 David J Stern Walk, Sacramento
916.551.1500
Cookies, tarts and pastries make up a large part of Estelle’s menu, but locals flock here for French toast, quiche, sandwiches (yes, a Croque Monsieur awaits), tartines, soups and salads. Estelle’s ricotta cheese, fig jam and pistachio “open toast” works well for breakfast or lunch, and like all the restaurants in DOCO, service is friendly and brisk, designed to get people fed before they need to be in their seats at Golden 1 Center across the commons.
Near Sutter Health Park
985 Riverfront St, West Sacramento
510.423.0971
Another Sacramento institution, Vic’s Ice Cream has been around since 1947, serving its regular collection of ice creams, cookie sandwiches, shakes and sundaes — as well as diner fare. Every January, locals look forward to Vic’s special Jik Jak ice cream, a rich blend of chocolate, almonds, malt and cinnamon. At the holidays, Vic’s Nutcracker Crunch celebrates the Sacramento Ballet’s seasonal performances that star many local children. In springtime, people line up for a brilliant lemon chiffon.
965 Bridge St, West Sacramento
916.572.0046
This French-inspired café and wine bar in West Sac’s Bridge District — near Sutter Health baseball park — is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, walk-in only, and a delicious stop before a game. It’s got a smallish lunch/dinner menu of delightful dishes, including duck liver mousse, raclette potatoes, toasted sandwich au jambon (ham), sandwich aux rillettes (duck) and a warm frisée and lardons salad. Also on the menu: a carefully curated selection of French wines and sparklings.
317 Third St, West Sacramento
916.572.0909
In the Washington Fire Department building, one of Burgers and Brew’s three area locations (others are on R Street and in Davis) sits less than a mile from Sutter Health ballpark, and is open for lunch and dinner. Half-pound burgers (beef, lamb, turkey, bison, garden, Impossible, mushroom) come with an array of cheese choices and toppings, plus piles of fries (crinkle, garlic, curly, sweet) or onion rings. Salads, soups, sandwiches and other specialties also are available, as is plenty of craft beer, with some 50 on tap.
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Meet our always-hungry team of foodies who compiled this list.
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