Eating Cheap Before Going Into Golden 1 Center
Events at Golden 1 Center are great but the food prices inside just aren’t reasonable. However, with a downtown arena, there are plenty of food options outside to choose from.
After one year since the grand opening of the Golden 1 Center, Sacramento has taken great advantage of the state-of-the-art arena by having concerts starring popular performers, notable events such as the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament and 82 regular season Kings basketball games. This type of entertainment has brought a lot of excitement to a downtown Sacramento that is undergoing a lot of positive changes that has become noticeable with all of the construction happening around the arena.
The construction is on the older buildings from Fifth to Seventh and J to L streets being renovated so investors can put new businesses into the downtown scene. These new businesses include restaurants that have the potential to attract a lot of these people attending these entrainment events at the Golden 1. Most of these events start early in the evening so grabbing a bite to eat will most likely be included in the overall experience, whether it is before or after the event.
“I park close to the arena and I’ve heard about the new restaurants that are coming in,” said Dan Turner, another Kings season ticket holder. “This excites me because I like to grab a bite to eat before going into the arena.”
There is a lot of enthusiasm from people who have waited for something such as the Golden 1 Center to get built in Sacramento for a long time and there is still a cheerful buzz about how commendable the interior of this arena. However, the downside to this hub for events is the pricing that can extend beyond just purchasing a $50 to $70 ticket. There is parking, transportation and eating. After all, dining out when going to events such as concerts or a sports game adds a positive environment to the overall experience whether it is before or after.
“People who’ve been here a long time know that was pretty much a vast wasteland a long time before the arena was built,” said Kings season ticket holder Tim Reardon. “It’s becoming the hub of the city.”
If you’re not willing to spend more than $15, then eating inside Golden 1 is not an option. Sure, 90 percent of the food sold inside gets their ingredients from a 150-mile radius, but just as any stadium or arena, the food comes with a high price. If you are running late to the event, some notable local eats for options inside is Smokehouse BBQ, Petra Greek, Lowbrau Bierhall and Café Bernard. Nonetheless, pricey options inside the Golden 1 Center doesn’t mean that the restaurants around the area are necessarily cheap.
The closest restaurant to the arena is Sauced BBQ & Spirits (two-minute walk) and just between their sandwiches, hot dogs and hamburgers, the average price of a meal is $16.66 not including tax and gratuity. The expensive pricing is understandable since this establishment is the closest option to the Golden 1 Center and has a reputation of getting filled up pretty quick anytime there is an event. In spite of the price and capacity, there still is a manageable measure to eating cheap at Sauced if you are familiar with their menu and portion size.
“Sauced is my favorite because even if you’re not too hungry, the starters are good prices and you can share them,” Reardon said. “I recommend it to the people who want to eat before the game but it’s also great on the weekends for people who want to eat after since they stay open later.”
Sauced has six chicken wings for $10 and three sliders served with cheddar (pork or sliced brisket, mix & match OK) for $11. If you are eating your own meal or you can split “runt size” chicken Rednexican Nachos for $12.50 and Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese for $12. These prices still might be out of some or many event goer’s price range but there are other options for a dine-in experience.
Malt & Mash, a three-minute walk from the Golden 1 Center across 7th Street, has all appetizers such as pretzels, fries and pastrami potato cakes for $11, all of which come in sharable portions. The restaurant is also known for having good happy hour (weekdays 4–6 p.m.) specials with $3 beers and $5 mini pretzels
“Malt & Mash can get crowded pretty quick before a game but I love going for the happy hour specials and the appetizers go well with the drink options,” Kings fan Ryne Bullock said about El Rey.
Right next door to Malt & Mash is El Rey, a Mexican restaurant owned by former Kings player Kenny Thomas. The prices aren’t the cheapest since their main entrées are the taco plates for $13 but the $16 chicken or carnitas nachos are shareable and you can unlimited tortilla chips with a medium-sized bowl of guacamole for $12. The happy hour specials from 3–6 p.m. are also some of the best deals in the area with four different taco options for $2.50, house wine for $4 and $5 beer options with Coronita & tequila, chelda and michelada. Also, Tuesdays are the restaurants best deals with $2 tacos all day, $4 shots of tequila or Tecate on tap and for $5 taco and Tecate on tap.
Sauced, Malt & Mash and El Rey are currently the three closest restaurants for dine-in options before or after an event. Other businesses such as Solomon’s Delicatessen and Kru Sushi are currently being constructed around K Street close to the arena and are expected to be completed at the latest by early 2018.
The food culture around the Golden 1 Center has more to offer than just three restaurants, which some may argue only have fairly priced starters for a pregame snack/meal. Within a ten minute walk, there are options such as Round Table, Foundation Restaurant & Bar and Pregame Burgers & Beer. All three of these places have decent small meals for a reasonable price such as the $7.50 personal pizza from Round Table, $9 fish tacos or meatballs from Foundation and an $11 traditional burger from Pregame Burgers & Beer.
“Pregame (Burgers & Beer) has a bit of walk from the stadium (Golden 1), but has great dinners and it’s one of the few places that stays open well after the game,” Bullock said.
The options for food don’t stop there. If you are in a rush or don’t feel like waiting 15 to 20 minutes for a meal then there are options for fast food close to Golden 1. There is Subway just one block away that offers a different foot long sandwich depending the day of the week. Cilantro’s Mexican Restaurant, a three-minute walk, has all of their menu selections for under $10. A few blocks up J Street, 8th Street Pizza sells slices of cheese pizza for $2.75 and pepperoni for $3. Also just a seven-minute walk up K Street is Burger Inn that sells cheeseburger and sandwich combos (fries and drink) for just under $8. The restaurant’s reasonable prices and their uptick in business with 20 percent more foot traffic since Golden 1 opened got the restaurant mentioned in a story written by Carla Meyer of the Sacramento Bee Newspaper.
“With the location and all the places around Golden 1, even season ticket holders can find somewhere new to eat every time they go there. I don’t go to every game and I don’t eat every time I go but I when I do like to try new places,” Reardon said.
