10 Places to Drink in Sacramento, CA
Is it weird to write a blog post about your hometown? The other day I was helping out a local photographer by modeling for him and playing the role as a tourist in my own hometown. It was interesting to wander the streets of my town that I know so well and seeing people who have never visited many of the sites of Sacramento.
As someone who lives in Midtown Sacramento, often times I get a lot of questions on where to eat or where to drink in Sacramento from my friends but also from people visiting in many of the groups I am involved in on Facebook. Here’s my chance to give my suggestions, and why not write a post about some of my favorites in Sacramento. However, Sacramentonians will probably argue with me because there are honestly so many great places in Sacramento and I am proud to live in such a diverse area with so many options and lucky to be able to be around so many local businesses that are thriving. However, these are my favorite places to drink at in Sacramento that are not breweries at the moment and this list is constantly changing as I explore more new places.
RELATED: Things to do in Sacramento
Places to drink in Sacramento
1. Der Biergarten
Der Biergarten is probably my favorite Spring/Summer spots to drink in. It is casual with an outdoor seating area for drinking. They have great beers on tap and during the summer you can get a Grapefruit Hefe tops with a Pomegranate Slush on top for those hot summer days. It is a great place to get pub food like pretzels and sausages, along with bringing your dog and playing a game of cornhole.
2. Coin-Op
This is perfect for those who love the nostalgic classics of Arcade Games and beer! This is a great location for that first Tinder date to get those awkward things out of the way! LOL. It is a great way to play video games, break the ice, get some good drinks and show your competitive side. Some of their finger foods are great and I recommend the Pretzels with Cheese or the Pizza. Get your game play on!
3. Jungle Bird
If you love tiki bars, this is a fairly new place in Sacramento offering all your favorite tiki drinks. They have beautiful glasses for each of the drinks, one that requires you have 6 people in order to finish one of their drink bowls. Beware though, these drinks are dangerously sweet.
4. Iron Horse
Now if you love Brunch, I highly recommend this place along with of course Tower Cafe. However, this place is AMAZING! They have a great selection of food and is a great way to get sloshed on some bottomless mimosas. They are also great for lunch and dinner with tons of great food options. Some of my favorites are their eggs benedict (mostly because of the hashbrowns placed in a waffle iron), their flatbread pizzas, ahi tuna poke nachos, and their bao bun tacos. There are many other places close by to drink at such as Shady Lady’s, R15 and Burgers and Brew.
5. Firestone Public House
Firestone is run under the same place at Iron Horse but is great for sporting events. They have great happy hour deals for food and drinks with a great atmosphere is watching local sports on the TVs around the bar. If you love Sunday Football, be sure to get there early, since it is also a great place for Brunch!
6. University of Beer
The University of Beer is one of the top choices for beer lovers to visit. They have about 100 beers on tap or more and if you can’t find a choice of beer to drink here then I don’t know what to tell you. This is a relaxing place to enjoy an ice cold beer (their nitro beer on tap are a must try) and play some board games with your friends or family.
7. Tank House
They have great BBQ and great drinks! Their list of drinks is usually listed on their chalkboard wall with their menu of BBQ options. This place always smells delicious as you walk by.
8. Lowbrau
Many of the people in Sacramento may call this the place for craft beers and craft drinks. It seems to always be packed, close to all the gay bars and clubs, and sometimes have live music. They have great dirty duck fries to be paired with your drink of choice.
9. The Mercantile “Merc”
If you are looking for a great place to get cheap strong drinks, the Merc (as we call it) is a great place to go. This is a gay bar part of Lavender Heights that offers cheap strong drinks, but make sure to bring cash as this is a cash bar only! They have pool tables, outdoor patio area and a jukebox which lots of people love to sing to.
10. Old Tavern
Old Tavern is a great bar with a dive bar feel. It has pool tables and outdoor patio seating. This is a chill bar with pitchers of beer great for those just wanting to chat with their friends, drinks some beer and enjoy the company. This was probably my bar of choice during my college days as sometimes you just needed a place to wind down and relax.
And there you have it, these are some of my favorite places to drink in Sacramento. What are some of your favorite places to drink at and why?
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