Renowned Sacramento Chef Buu “Billy” Ngo debuted Chu Mai, a Chinese-Vietnamese restaurant in midtown in spring 2025. | Photo via @chumaisacramento
Looking for the next new restaurant hitting the River City’s food scene? Check out these buzzy places to eat and drink in Sacramento — plus, some spots coming soon. Keep tabs on this list to stay ahead of the cuisine curve. And don’t forget to bookmark it. Tram Cream Coffee | Coffee + banh mi | Need a lil’ pick-me-up? This San Jose-based Vietnamese coffee shop is now open in South Sacramento. The menu includes bold coffee drinks brewed the Vietnamese phin way, like the brand’s beloved Egg Cream Coffee, plus fruit teas, juices, and the Matchahaya topped with a buttery layer of matcha. Chu Mai | Contemporary Asian + Southeast Asian | Renowned Sacramento Chef Buu “Billy” Ngo’s new midtown venture has a lot of personality. He told “The Sacramento Bee” that the Chinese-Vietnamese restaurant is his love letter to his mother, from its name to its decor. In the dining room, patrons will find three portraits of Ngo’s mom at different life stages.
2025 California State Capitol Juneteenth | 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. | West Steps, California State Capitol | Free | Gather to celebrate Juneteenth with spoken word, music, food, and resource booths.
Movies Off the Wall | 7 p.m. | Crocker Art Museum | $16 | Enjoy a sundown screening of “Hairspray” in the courtyard projected against the Teel Family Pavilion’s architecture; get there early to buy snacks and enjoy DJ sets inspired by the film’s music.
Houston Astros vs. Athletics | 7:05 p.m. | Sutter Health Park | $17+ | Tonight’s game will celebrate two themes: Juneteenth and African American Heritage Night.
Friday, June 20
Model Train Show | Friday, June 20-Saturday, June 21 | Times vary | SAFE Credit Union Convention Center | $15+ | Railfans, this one’s for choo: Peruse model train layouts, displays, and merch, and let the kids join one of the make + take workshops.
Sacramento Juneteenth Festival | Friday, June 20-Saturday, June 21 | Times vary | William Land Park | Free | Celebrate Juneteenth with live music, a fashion show, a poetry showcase, and 80+ food and merch vendors.
Concerts in the Park: Winona Fighter | 6-9:30 p.m. | Cesar Chavez Plaza | Free | Come for pop rockers Winona Fighter, stay for performances by A Foreign Affair, Saint Juniper, and NESSS.
Everybody Say Love! SGMC Pride Show | Friday, June 20-Sunday, June 22 | Times vary | B Street Theatre | $40+ | The Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus will celebrate LGBTQ+ culture through timeless love anthems and songs inspired by iconic drag queens.
Sacramento French Film Festival | Friday, June 20-Sunday, June 22 | Times vary | The Tower Theatre | $16+ | This 24th annual fest features screenings of French films (always with English subtitles), plus several Q+A sessions.
Saturday, June 21
Woodland Pride Parade and Party | 10 a.m.-1 p.m. | Downtown Woodland | Free | Festivities kick off with a parade down Main Street and continue with a community celebration on 2nd Street filled with food trucks, live music, and giveaways.
Wednesday, June 25
“King James” | 7 p.m. | Capital Stage | $30+ | Catch the Sacramento premiere of this comedic play about friendship inspired by LeBron James’ legendary basketball career.
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Ambitious developer Roger Hume plans to spend $30 million to transform downtown Sacramento’s historic 1915 Capital National Bank Building into the city’s first five-star hotel. The project will include 95 guestrooms and turning existing bank vaults into a whiskey tasting room and speakeasy. (The Sacramento Bee)
Travel
Alaskan vacation, anyone? Alaska Air launched its first-ever nonstop flight from Sacramento International Airport to Anchorage, Alaska. The seasonal flight will operate through the summer — a great time to escape the local heat. By next month, SMF will offer nearly 200 daily nonstop flights across 12 carriers.
Open
4ESTea — a new boba, matcha shop, and bistro inspired by Filipino flavors — is open on Sunrise Boulevard in Rancho Cordova. The menu includes lumpia, cheese fries, silog bowls, halo-halo, specialty lattes made with Filipino custard, and lots of refreshing drinks. 4ESTea is open Wednesday-Sunday starting at 12 p.m.
Holiday
Juneteenth is today. Observe the day with the Juneteenth Art Walk at Celebration Arts, the Juneteenth Celebration at Ever After Wine Bar, or the Sacramento Juneteenth Festival tomorrow and Saturday, June 21 at William Land Park.
Concert
No rumours here. Fleetwood Mac icon and Grammy Award-winning singer Stevie Nicks will bring her latest tour to Golden 1 Center on Saturday, Oct. 4. General public tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m., or catch the presale through 10 p.m. tonight.
Try This
Starting this afternoon, 4-8 p.m., select small businesses along the Old Sacramento Waterfront will participate in Third Thursdays, live demos or activations showcasing what they do best. Sneak a peek behind the scenes of local businesses like Blueprint Coffee, Atrium 916, and Studio Marana at this monthly event. (Sacramento Press)
Closing
Texas-based home goods retailer At Home filed for bankruptcy and will shutter 26 “underperforming” stores across 12 states, including the location at the Delta Shores shopping center. The store opened in 2021 and is the only At Home location in Sacramento. (ABC10)
Civic
Ever wonder how local government works? Learn about it through Sac’s City Management Academy, a series of civic engagement sessions coming to City Hall every Wednesday, Sept. 3-Nov. 5, 6-9 p.m. This year’s curriculum includes presentations from 20+ city departments; apply to join by Friday, July 18.
Environment
The 20-year Sacramento Urban Forest Plan will be presented to the City Council on Tuesday, June 24. It outlines a vision for the growth, maintenance, and protection of urban trees in the City of Trees, including ways to help increase Sac’s urban tree canopy to 35% by 2045.
Traffic
Safety upgrades were added to the busy intersection of 49th Street and Broadway aimed at protecting pedestrians and improving visibility for drivers. The area — which is close to schools and businesses — now features protected left turn signals and Leading Pedestrian Interval, giving pedestrians a few extra seconds of crossing time.
Arts
Sacramento County leaders approved grant funding for 72 local nonprofit arts + culture organizations through 2027. Through the county’s longstanding Cultural Arts Awards Program, organizations like 916 Ink, ARTners, Capital Stage Company, and Department of Sound received funding. See the full list of recipients.
Sports
The San Francisco Giants made waves across Major League Baseball as they acquired superstar Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox in a monumental deal. Hear from the local experts on the San Francisco Giants with Locked On’s daily, team-focused podcasts.
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The fun doesn’t have to end here. After reading the newsletter, head over to our games page. Games refresh with new challenges every day at 6 a.m. from crossword puzzle to Sudoku to themed word search.
The changes continue over at Sacramento International Airport, so if you’re traveling this summer, take notes. The Terminal B rideshare pickup area moved earlier this week. Now, you go out door two at baggage claim, cross the street, and the new rideshare pickup area is right there.
To keep up with SMF’s ongoing improvement project, check out the SMFoward website.
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