Street tacos, live music, and brews—who could ask for a better combination on a warm, late summer evening?
Sandwiched between Sacramento’s Curtis and Land Park neighborhoods, Dad’s Kitchen located at 2968 Freeport Blvd is a place for vegan, vegetarian and carnivore alike.
“The Green Machine is by far the best vegetarian sandwich you can eat on the West coast,” says Kayla Simas, a regular patron.
New owners Julio Peix and Christine Collins bought the restaurant in January and opened up their doors in April, to share their vision with the world. Paying homage to the previous owner named Sam, they decided to call it Dad’s Kitchen since he played a major part in engineering some of the recipes currently on the menu associated with the original Dad’s Kitchen.
The concept is comfort food but ones made with quality ingredients. This comes from only using free-range chickens, grass-fed beef, and purchasing organic produce from a family-owned farm located in Del Rio, 30 minutes outside of Sacramento, according to Collins.
“Even though the idea of it is comfort food, we feel like the ingredients don’t have to suffer,” Collins says.
For City College students on a budget, Dad’s Kitchen offers happy hour Monday through Friday from 2 – 6 p.m., and all dayn Tuesday. During this time their street tacos are only a dollar and their quesadillas drop to $3.50. Dad’s featured happy hour sandwich is just $5.95.
Food isn’t the only thing discounted during happy hour—diners can enjoy one of their selected quality micro brews for $3 and pay only $2 for Pabst Blue Ribbon. Featuring beers from light to dark, the selection is always changing with brews such as Big Daddy IPA or the Eel River Acai Berry Wheat.
Another popular feature is the patio space in the back, which is perfect for grabbing a bite while studying. On a quiet afternoon, diners can watch baby squirrels running up and down the trees as well as a family of sparrows hoppingabout.On Monday nights, the quiet patio transforms into an explosion of fun, with live bands playing, free of charge.
“I like to come when I have a long break in between classes,” says Leonard Lopez, an American River and City College student. “It’s a nice place to have a beer and chill.”
The owners are involved in more than bringing food to the masses—they value and support their community as a whole by supporting local ultimate Frisbee teams.
“It’s a real open environment where people can come relax, have a good time, and feel community oriented at the same time,” Collins says.
