Handle District

Fun neighborhood.

This is has to be one of my favorite areas in Midtown. It has something for everyone here, along with great shaded sidewalks to sit and enjoy a bite to eat, at one of the many fantastic places to choose from. Or to just take a leisurely stroll down L Street and enjoy the views and people watch. I enjoyed my very first Unilocal event here, Unilocal’s «Farm to Handle» event. Which was wonderful, of course! The Handle District just happens to have some of my most fav places to go for either a coffee, Old Soul, or something sweet and chocolatey, Ginger Elizabeth’s! To cool places to grab a drink and some food, like The Rind, Capital Dime, or Crepeville just to name a few. And I have to add that every time I’m am here, I can’t help but gaze up longingly at the L Street Lofts, and imagine having an apartment there! Someday! But seriously, the Handle District is really great, to just hang out since the area really does have just about all your bases covered for a good time.

Lots of great restaurants in this district.

It was an amazing block party. There was plenty of parking stil available around the area. My favorite there was the mac n cheese at Rinds and the pull porked from buckhorn. There was free sampling from food/​wine to eyebrow wax/​massages/​henna designs (with tip). It was well worth the trip and donating $ 10 to a children or health foundation. Will def be coming back next year. Great job guys!

We came here to attend a Unilocal event, it was really nice to walk around and see the sights. The community is fun and there are plenty of places to park either on the street or in one of the plentiful parking garages and lots.
There is a wide range of restaurants to choose from. There is even some shopping, next time we are in town we will be sure to spend more time wandering around and checking out the sights.

Had a great time! Plenty of good food including tastings from 58 degrees, capitol dime, paesanos, buckhorn grill, wahoo tacos, and more! Plenty of wine and some stiff drinks from capitol dime really help us best the heat. If I was going to be picky about anything it would be that some of the lines could be a little long, but really can you complain about free food and drinks?! Hope to be back next year!

Went to the Handle Block Party last year and it was great. Looking forward to going this year. Great eats, drinks and people.

Props To «The Handle District» For Another Great Public Event!
SITREP
I’ve already done my reviews for the «events» such as «Too Hot To Handle», «Capitol Dime’s Unilocal Elite Event», and yesterday’s «Farm-​To-​Fork» Spectacular Community Event, as well as my underlying FIRST review for The Handle District.
In those, I radiate sunshine, sparkle glitter, and feed the unicorns in the positive fashion that they deserve. However, in this update, I’m going to take to task the negative-​nancys.
LAY OFF THE HUBRIS
I get sick of hearing about how «The Handle» just can’t compare to «San Raphael», «Bodego Bay», «Petaluma», etc. etc. etc. until the bullshit comes home. Well guess what? We’re not living there in San Raphael or Sausalito, or Bodego Bay or Carmel, or… where the hell the is Petaluma anyways?!
Let’s be BLUNT: Community development, social revolution, and demographic logistics all fall into play in how some Block Communities and District Hoods get to evolve or NOT to evolve. And «walls» such as curfews, municipal codes, and neighborhood groups play as much a factor in what kind of restaurants and bars and venues, etc., are allowed to get to come into community, and even more importantly how they are allowed to conduct business.
BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE
A great example of this are those so-​called arm-​chair critics who blast Ace of Spades for being a limited venue that closes by 11pm. Well you know what? Talk to the Sacramento City Council and the neighborhood associations that FORCE Ace of Spades to close by 11pm because of curfew codes. Honestly, people are barking up the wrong tree most of the time when they criticize businesses, venues, and neighborhood district associations about what they DO and can NOT do.
That being said, let’s move on…
FERRIS BUELLER & «MR. ROONEY»
I’d like to take this opportunity to give big props to Shawn Rooney (the «Mr. Rooney» to my rambunctious «Ferris»). From last year to this year, I’ve seen nothing but hard work from him & his team (oh god — that beautiful lady with the clipboard who was so stellar yesterday — why. can’t. I. remember. her. name — she’s Diane S’s cousin). They are dynamic in pulling the Handle District community of businesses and shops and restaurants and living spaces all together for a wonderful time.
THE LOWDOWN
Mad props for the hard work and the great accomplishments of the «The Handle District»! *waves his poms poms*

One of my favorite things to do on the grid is sit at 18^th and Capitol, eat a sandwich outside Mangia, and watch virtually everybody who crosses that intersection barely escape death. I am a huge fan of Natural Selection and this is where I go to restore my faith. There must be some kind of electromagnetic phenomenon occurring here that makes people lose all basic motor skills for the few seconds they are there; it is like the Bermuda Triangle for the human brain. Good restaurants, too; there are a few spots that are favorites of the locals and there is Zocalo also.

Sac has some awesome districts to walk around and explore. i have been to many of the resturants here over the years and have seen it grow and become a very interesting neighborhood. I am a snoop and i enjoy snooping around cool places. This is one of them. Greats eats, artsy people a fav haunt.

Wasn’t going to review my own neighborhood, but I feel obligated after the crappy review from Rick E (all 5,000 words of it). 10 to 1 that guy tries to put a book together someday, collection of his 5,000 word reviews. Brevity man.
Where else in Sacramento can you find 10 very good restaurants, not to mention four very good dessert places? I’ve been here 25 years now and we have a lot more options in Sacramento, but nothing with the concentration (and character) of Midtown.
The Handle District happened pretty organically from what I know. Good project here, good project there. Dozens (hundreds if you include the surrounding area in Midtown) of restauranteurs and shop owners gambling on downtown Sacramento becoming a place to be in the region. Is the Handle District a true five star? Close as it gets in Sacramento, but I’ll pull back a bit because I might be considered «biased.» Four and a half by comparison to the best Sacramento has to offer.
I remember sitting under the tree at 18^th and Capitol in the 80s when there wasn’t anywhere else to go. No Granite Bay, Roseville Galleria, Fountains, Eldo Hills, or any other suburban draw. Midtown (and the Handle) has come a long way from those days, competing year after year for Sacramento’s attention, give it credit…

This is my favorite area of midtown/​downtown Sacramento, even before the «Too Hot to Handle» event! Not only is it peaceful and quite compared to the busier areas of downtown, but everything is within walking distance of wherever you park!
No matter what mood you’re in, I’m sure you’ll find something great to eat in this area. I’ve tried multiple restaurants, and have been impressed by all of them. My favorite is Paesanos!
There’s also a few boutiques and shops around as well, which look great, but I haven’t gotten the chance to shop at any yet.
Whether you’re a Sacramento native, or you’re just visiting, be sure to check this area out. You won’t be disappointed!
Oh, and the $ 2 parking for weekends and after 4pm on weekdays at the East End Parking Garage doesn’t hurt either! Most other places charge $ 5 or $ 1.50 per half hour!

Before I forget; where is your business link Handle District? If I wanted to know something about you I would need a link.
I would like to give the Handle District a great big, enormous THANK YOU for everything they did to help make the recent « Unilocal Too Hot to Handle» event so successful.
Anyone reading my review can use the following link to help them understand what the Handle District is:

Great food and drinks! Cant wait to go to the restaurants that we sampled at the event!

This is a favorite neighborhood for me. With Zocalo, Paesanos, 58 Degrees, you can’t miss. Plus you can always sweep through Scout for the latest cool stuff.
Yesterday however Unilocal!hooked it up and threw an awesome party!
Great fun!

This area in Midtown holds my favorite restaurants. From Zocolos to Paesanos to Press Bistro. Yum!

Considering this section of town houses both my favorite restaurant (Press Bistro) AND my favorite gelato shop (Devine Geleteria), I would be crazy to give it anything less than 5 stars. You can walk around the block and enjoy everything from budget Chipotle burritos’ to gourmet cheese and wine.
The handle also has some great coffee shops, clothing boutiques and antique shops. You could literally dress yourself, furnish your home, and get an amazing meal all in one convenient location.
If I could possibly find a complaint, it would be the lack of parking coupled with one way streets that make parking even more challenging at times. I guess it should be expected considering the handle is home to several of the best restaurants and businesses in Sacramento. I suggest you ride a bike, take a cab, or just park a few blocks outside of this main strip.

An excellent designation for a much-​loved and popular area of the midtown Sacramento scene. This is the couple square blocks most people think of when they think of midtown. It’s beautiful, and contains an eclectic mix of traditional craftsman, handsome brick and sleek modern structures.
It makes perfect sense that the businesses here would unite to better manage what happens in their own backyard. Now 20+ of the city’s most popular restaurants have become one unifying force while still retaining their great individual traits.
True, it seems sort of silly to have another district, whether officially or unofficially titled, but this one makes a lot more sense since it has a unifying purpose.

This area of midtown offers something for nearly everyone — great restaurants and shops, numerous dessert places and just a great ambiance. It is particularly fun when the weather is nice (most of the spring, summer and fall) and all the patios are full of patrons enjoying the Handle District.

Woo, I live in the ‘Handle now! Time to grow out a moustache and petition to get it renamed to the Fondle District. Jeez. Who makes this stuff up? Sacramento is tiny enough as it is, diluting Midtown even further isn’t doing anyone any favors.