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Top-Rated Restaurants With Private Dining in Sacramento

Sacramento keeps the wild west spirit very much alive. Its Old Sacramento district is replete with 19th-century wood buildings, sidewalks, and horse-drawn carriages. Sacramento’s colorful history lies at the center of the California Gold Rush and subsequent construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, which you can learn about at the California State Railroad Museum.

beautiful dinner table with wine glasses at a private dining room in Sacramento

Sacramento’s historic and cultural bounty also yields a fantastic restaurant scene to enjoy a fancy and delicious night on the town. There’s no better way to celebrate a special occasion or life event than by sharing a wonderful meal with loved ones in an intimate and festive setting.

If you’re looking to celebrate in Sacramento, you have plenty of options to dine as a private group while touring this historic town’s many attractions. Whether your celebration is big or small, you can find the best private dining in Sacramento on my eclectic list of classy and delicious restaurants. 


The Firehouse Restaurant

1112 2nd St, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-442-4772
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Located in the heart of Old Sacramento along the lovely Sacramento River waterfront, The Firehouse Restaurant has been a favorite restaurant for fine dining in Sacramento for the past 60 years. Its stunning location in an old brick building with a beautiful patio draped in greenery makes The Firehouse Restaurant a coveted spot for weddings, corporate events, and other group dining celebrations.

The Firehouse Restaurant has various multi-course menus and a great happy hour offering of discounted drinks and small plates from 4-6 pm daily. The cuisine consists of traditional American steakhouse fare, with the finest cuts of beef and fresh seafood. I enjoyed the seared day boat scallops with sunchoke puree, crispy pancetta, garlic aioli, and basil cream. 


Ella Dining Room & Bar

1131 K St, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-443-3772
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Ella Dining Room & Bar is a New American fine dining establishment in a beautiful contemporary dining room in downtown Sacramento, blocks from the State Capitol and theater district. Executive Chef Rob Lind brings his experience in sustainable cooking to create a farm-to-table menu of contemporary steak and seafood dishes.

Ella’s cocktail and wine menu are as creative and fresh as the dinner and lunch menus and an excellent way to start an extravagant and indulgent multi-course meal. Ella’s state-of-the-art kitchen revolves around a wood-fired grill, giving its steaks a superb flavor. I loved their wood-fired Tomahawk ribeye with watercress, black truffle butter, and bordelaise sauce.


Cafeteria 15L

1116 15th St, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-492-1960
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Overlooking the beautiful Capitol Park, Cafeteria 15L is a hip and festive comfort food restaurant, offering refined and elegant takes on traditional comfort food favorites. The quirky and inviting space at Cafeteria has two large outdoor patios and a dining room with old wood floors, mismatched antique chairs, and repurposed industrial light fixtures, making you feel like you’re in an old juke joint.

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Cafeteria 15L’s extensive menu has a wide array of creative comfort food creations, from French dip sandwiches to chicken and waffles. I went for the most comforting dish of all and ordered the meatloaf wrapped in applewood smoked bacon, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, and gravy.


Mulvaney’s B&L

1215 19th St, Sacramento, CA 95811
Phone: 916-441-6022
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Located in Midtown Sacramento, Mulvaney’s B&L is a sustainable, eco-friendly New American restaurant that uses 100% locally sourced, fresh, organic ingredients. It implements many eco-friendly projects like recycling and compost to fulfill its green promise. Owners Patrick and Bobbin Mulvaney strive to create healthy, delicious, and environmentally conscious meals in a colorful and inviting environment.

Mulvaney’s menu changes constantly and is entirely ingredient-driven, so your meal depends on which season you visit. Their list of natural wines from California’s Napa Valley and surrounding wineries is especially impressive. I loved their Oak-roasted chicken with frilled vegetable moussaka and corn relish.  


Ruth’s Chris Steak House

501 Pavilions Ln, Sacramento, CA 95825
Phone: 916-286-2702
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Ruth’s Chris Steak House has set the bar for excellent American steakhouses nationwide, and its Sierra Meadows location upholds the highest standard of culinary excellence and fine dining luxury. Originating in 1965 in New Orleans from the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit of owner Ruth Fertel, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse remains a national favorite.

Ruth’s Chris’s menu is as classic as steakhouse menus get with the finest cuts of USDA prime beef and the freshest seafood selections, not to mention all the best sides like creamed spinach, potatoes au gratin, and lobster mac and cheese. I recommend their signature surf and turf meal featuring a 6 oz filet and a buttery cold water lobster tail.  


Zinfandel Grille

2384 Fair Oaks Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95825
Phone: 916-485-7100
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Located in the Woodside neighborhood, Zinfandel Grille is a New American restaurant and craft cocktail bar specializing in Italian-inspired dishes from a wood-fired oven. Chefs at Zinfandel Grille utilize seasonal ingredients from local California farms and vendors to create scratch-made quality meals and expertly crafted cocktails.

All pasta is made in-house daily at Zinfandel Grille, and the wood-fired pizzas are the best example of authentic Neapolitan-style pizza. I recommend starting with their homemade focaccia bread with chili shrimp and Mexican chili. My favorite fresh pasta dish was the mushroom fettuccine with organic Shiitake, Maitake, Royal Trumpet, and Crimini in a spicy Cajun cream sauce.


Paragary’s

1401 28th St, Sacramento, CA 95816
Phone: 916-457-5737
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Paragary’s is Midtown Sacramento’s go-to spot for excellent alfresco dining in a beautiful Mediterranean meats California-style patio with a giant stone hearth, decades-old olive trees, and stunning waterfalls. Paragary’s has been a favorite neighborhood bistro since it opened in 1983, serving seasonal contemporary Italian cuisine that still wins the annual Diner’s Choice Awards.

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Paragary’s has a wonderful selection of small plates, pasta entrees, and pizzas, all grilled and baked to perfection in a wood-fired oven. I recommend starting with the wood oven-roasted mussels with pilsner, garlic, Fresno chiles, and toasted bread. Their Rigatoni and Pork Ragu with tomato, white wine, rosemary, Calabrian chile, and ricotta Salata is the best I’ve ever had.


Piatti

571 Pavilions Ln, Sacramento, CA 95825
Phone: 916-649-8885
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Piatti is a Woodside neighborhood Trattoria, serving authentic Italian cuisine in a friendly, elegant yet cozy atmosphere since 1987. Its intimate rustic-chic dining room and narrow outdoor patio lined with Christmas light-laden trees make Piatti a romantic and charming destination to savor some authentic Italian soul food.

Piatti is famous for its handmade pasta dishes, wood-fired pizza, and decadent main dishes. I loved their Bucatini pasta with prawns, garlic, arugula, Calabrian chili, parsley, white wine, and butter sauce. Vegetarians will love their Impossible Lasagna, using plant-based ground meat to make a delicious Bolognese sauce combined with layers of fresh pasta, mozzarella, and basil.  


Il Fornaio Sacramento

Wells Fargo Center, 400 Capitol Mall, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-446-4100
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Located in the Capitol Mall inside the beautiful Wells Fargo Center, Il Fornaio Sacramento is an elegant and refined traditional Italian bistro inside a picturesque dining room with wooden booths and antique gold trim. Executive Chef and Venetian Maurizio Mazzon uses his cultural background and Italian culinary training to create the most authentic Italian dishes in Sacramento.

Group dining is essential at Il Fornaio so that you can sample all the beautiful antipasti like fried calamari, fresh burrata with ciabatta, and my personal favorite, polenta with gorgonzola, porcini, shitake, button, and oyster mushroom sauce. Their house-made gnocchi is also a must-try, and you can choose the sauce from options like Bolognese, Pomodoro, and mushroom cream.  


Grange Restaurant & Bar

926 J St, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-447-2700
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Located in the historic 1920s building that houses The Citizen Hotel, Grange Restaurant and Bar is a classy, hip farm-to-table fine dining restaurant that has been a favorite spot for power lunches, corporate parties, and fashionable dining since 2008.

The stunning dining space is the perfect combination of old and new, assuming an industrial-chic décor that showcases the old building’s original design. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktails are all fabulous at Grange, so no matter what time you want to celebrate, you’ll have the best meal options available.

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All menus are seasonal and use the freshest locally sourced ingredients with the most beautiful presentation. I loved their decadent butternut squash soup with lobster, puffed wild rice, cognac cream, and brown butter.


Seasons 52

1689 Arden Way Suite 1065, Sacramento, CA 95815
Phone: 916-922-5252
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True to its name, Seasons is a seasonal grille and wine bar offering 52 varieties of wine by the glass in a modern, bustling atmosphere in the Swanston neighborhood of Sacramento. They create their wonderful New American dishes according to market-driven products, using a brick oven and wood-fired grill to roast, bake, and grill fresh fish, vegetables, and meat.

I love their incredibly fresh and colorful salads. I recommend the Maui Tuna Crunch salad with an order of wood-fired pesto chicken flatbread. Try the wood-grilled shrimp and grits if you’re looking for a heartier meal. 


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Written by Brian Nagele

Brian attended West Virginia University, then started his career in the IT industry before following his passion for marketing and hospitality. He has over 20 years experience in the restaurant and bar industry.

As a former restaurant owner, he knows about running a food business and loves to eat and enjoy cocktails on a regular basis. He constantly travels to new cities tasting and reviewing the most popular spots.

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