Greg Sabin

Eight years ago, Allora was a new thing. Deneb Williams and Elizabeth-Rose Mandalou put together a fine-dining concept in a town where fine dining was thin. In the years since, Allora stayed true to its roots and found a restrained and beautiful approach to everything it does.

At Allora, every element feels special and curated. Every glass, every plate, every ingredient, every bottle of wine, every interaction. A night at Allora is a special thing not to be missed.

Like many fine-dining restaurants, Allora has a tasting menu where diners select three, four or five courses. I love the four-course option with appetizer, pasta, main and dessert paired with a novel European wine.

hu Mai, the new restaurant by Chef Billy Ngo, excites on every level. The space pops, the dishes wow. With casual dining and take-out dominating restaurant openings these days, this elegant spot stands out. 

Ngo is a force with three award-winning Japanese restaurants: KRU Contemporary, Kodaiko Ramen & Bar and Fish Face Poke Bar. Ngo’s lineage, however, is Vietnamese and Chinese. Chu Mai celebrates that lineage. It celebrates Ngo’s mother and the Asian American culinary experience.

Two recent coffee additions serve more than coffee. Zoe Coffee & Tacos pairs excellent dishes from Mexico and El Salvador with traditional coffee shop fare. The Coco Cafe draws on its Thai roots. Both expand what coffee shops can be.

Zoe Coffee & Tacos, opened in June 2024, is a fantastic little shop tucked into a corner of Poverty Ridge in Midtown.

A stone’s throw from the construction site where The Sacramento Bee stood, this tiny spot makes the most of its footprint. Once, it was part of the Bee’s delivery truck garage.

Owner and chef Josue Acosta recalls his Salvadoran roots to make excellent pupusas, tacos and more.

Opening a new restaurant called Stepdad’s on Father’s Day is cheeky. It’s also fun. And fun is what Stepdad’s owner Tyler Williams is all about.

“Getting the doors open on any new project is a lot of work, takes a lot of people and requires a lot of compromises,” he tells me. “But once you get the doors open, it’s time to have fun. And that’s my favorite part.”

Williams, his wife Melissa Williams and chef Oliver Ridgeway are the ownership team at Stepdad’s in Land Park.

You may know Oliver Ridgeway from his Michelin-recognized restaurant, Camden Spit & Larder. His reputation is sterling, and his ability to highlight local farm-to-fork bounty while staying true to his English roots says everything about his ability as a chef.