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Sacramento history at it's best! Tower Cafe, resides next to the historic Tower Theatre in the Land Park district of Sacramento, and has been a go-to destination, and an iconic restaurant since they opened their doors, back in 1990. After living in the greater Sacramento area for nearly 20 years, we finally get to pay a visit to this quirky, wonderful restaurant...
Photo: Tower Cafe is located at the intersection of Broadway and Land Park, just south of downtown Sacramento. The restaurant is located next to the art-deco Tower Theatre, which opened it's doors back in 1938, and has been screening movies every since. Parking is not a problem, as there is a spacious parking lot located behind the theater complex.
Photo: The entrance to the Tower Cafe is on Broadway, adjacent to the historic theater. You're greeted with a couple of decorative propane heaters, and during busy hours, there is a greeter outside, to seat you. During weekends and other busy times, a line forms on the sidewalk, but on this late Monday morning, March 15, 2016, the restaurant was "only" filled about 80% of capacity. Tower Cafe is a very popular Sacramento dining spot!
Photo: The main dining room, as you walk in the restaurants. There are two smaller dining rooms, located off the main dining room. As you walk in, there is a lot of decor and "action" to take in.
Photo: The full-service bar is at the rear of the photo, but it's almost lost by the flowers, plants, and the pastry counter. At 11:00 on this Monday morning, the restaurant is very busy. Yes, the plants are real.
Photo: I am truly at a loss for a single word in how to describe the main dining room at the Tower Cafe. Similar to the restaurant's menu, the decor is a fusion of different cultures, including Thai, Egyptian, South Seas and Middle Eastern. The dining room is quirky, comfortable, interesting, busy, and spotlessly clean. I suppose one word to describe the decor would be AMAZING! All of the many plants and flowers are real... which is a botanist's dream come true.
Photo: If you like to dine outside, Tower Cafe has the most amazing patio dining that I've ever seen. It's like being in a park, as the patio dining is surrounded by a mini-park, fountains, bushes, flowers, and is shaded by a canopy of trees, to protect diners from the hot Sacramento summers. There are many propane heaters, but on this Monday morning in March, none of them were lit, and as the temperature was hovering around 50 degrees, Sharlene and I chose to dine inside. Despite the chilly temperature, there were quite a few diners enjoying breakfast outside on the beautiful patio.
Photo: Our friendly server, Charles, delivers our breakfast to our table.
Photo: Sharlene and I are ready to begin a memorable breakfast. We are sitting at a table for two, next to a glass wall, that separates the main dining room from the patio. Behind us, you can see through the glass at the folks enjoying breakfast on the beautiful patio. Tower Cafe's menu is quite interesting, as it is a fusion of Asian, Mexican, and American "comfort food." On weekdays, breakfast is served until 10:30, so we barely within the breakfast envelope. The breakfast menu features mostly "classic Americana" dishes, but there are a few Mexican and Asian dishes to choose from. I broke out of my Mexican mold, and went for a "comfort food" breakfast with a twist, that included a British banger sausage.
Photo: From Tower's breakfast menu, Sharlene and I both ordered the "All Week Special," but with an individual twist. Each breakfast comes with a either bacon or sausage, "Tower potatoes," and two eggs, cooked the way you like 'em. Sharlene ordered her eggs scrambled, and chicken apple sausage.
Photo: In my case, I ordered a British banger sausage, and my eggs cooked over easy, along with an order of "Tower potatoes." The potatoes are red potatoes, cooked with pepper and onion, and they are FANTASTIC! Sharlene and I both agreed that Tower Cafe lives up to it's hype, and serves a knockout breakfast! We "mixed and matched" our sausage, and both of us agreed the chicken apple sausage was the best, but we could find no fault in the British banger. Both sausages were perfectly cooked, and included grill marks. The sausages are "real," as when you cut them with a knife, they "snap," and juice ooozzes out... that's what sausage is all about. Sharlene's scrambled eggs, and my eggs over easy were cooked to order, and were perfect. The "Tower Potatoes" were cubed, fried to a golden brown on the outside, but the inside was chewy and tender, just the way we like them. If you love potatoes with onion and pepper, you'll love these potatoes, as the chef didn't skimp on the onion or pepper. I remarked to our waiter that the coffee was the best coffee that I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy. At $2.50 an order, it's a little on the pricey side, but you get endless refills of the best coffee on the planet, so sit back, drink it up, and enjoy... Sharlene and I enjoyed an outstanding breakfast at Tower Cafe. I don't know what more to say... We agree the Tower Cafe is everything that the critics rave about the restaurant, and it truly lives up to it's hype. The restaurant and the menu are quirky, varied and diversified, and the food and service are top-notch. If you're truly looking for a "taste of Sacramento," include a meal at Tower Cafe. You'll be glad you did! Tower Cafe Copyright(c) 2016 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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