:: Restaurant Guide ::
 What makes a good restaurant guide? Telling you what frickin' awesome places there are to eat, not wasting your time with ones that suck. So if an eatery is on the list below than you, your taste buds, and stomach can be assured that the food there is good grubbin'! MMM MMM GOOD!
Stockton I Manteca I Lodi I Tracy I Modesto I Sacramento
Stockton
Brookside Café
3499 Brookside Rd #A (209) 472-1250
A life savior for those living on the west side of Stockton, the Brookside Café satisfies those who are on the go or want to take a break and relax. From wonderful baked goods like scones and muffins to tasty sandwiches and soups, and of course a wealth of coffee drink choices, you're set from the moment you walk in.
Colina de Oro Mexican Food
3499 Brookside Road #C (209) 956-6358
Features both Mexican and American dishes. The quesadillas are pleasing both to the belly and the eye. Very friendly staff!
Drivers Soul Food And Barbeque
28 S. California St. (209) 948-4247
The decor isn't much, but you cannot say the same for the food. BBQ beef, chicken, porchops, ribs, catfish, black eyed peas, greens, yams, sweet potato pie, bread pudding, and much more. The lunch specials are sweet and economical, but the dinner meals are the heart of Drivers. One dinner meal will serve you for two nights!
Fat's Bar and Grill
6252 Pacific Avenue (209) 473-3281
Pizza. Burgers. Hot Sandwiches. Steak. Ribs. In other words, food perfectly in line with the name on the door. Live entertainment throughout the week and friendly staff. Fat's is one of those "well whatabout Fat's?" restaurants. As in during one of those mind numbing discussion of where to eat, what about Fat's?
Garlic Brothers Restaurant
6629 Embarcadero Drive (209) 474-6585
Great view. Delicious food. Bad breath. A Stockton favorite that tiptoes precipitously between quality and snooty. Gets crowded, but you can't miss with any of the Italian dishes.
Ghingiss Khan
2233 Grand Canal Blvd.
Deal a meal Baby! And we're not talking Richard Simmons. For under eight bucks at this Mongolian BBQ, you get all you can eat (at dinnertime) noodles with meat, vegetable, and sauce accompaniments, sweet and sour soup, and Chinese crispy biscuit (Dam you Costco! Stock Chinese crispy biscuits!). Even more fun is watching the two chefs walking around their giant round stove cooking your noodles to perfection.
La Pinata De California
2222 Grand Canal Blvd. #1-B (209) 476-0928
An unassuming little restaurant almost hidden off the beaten path, La Pinata De California offers some of the best Mexican Food dining in Stockton. Mexican Food places are a dime a dozen in these parts, but this one is definately in a class of its own.
Le Bistro
3121 W. Benjamin Holt Ave. (209) 320-3830
Le Bistro is considered the classiest place in town. Aside from the fact it's situated between a gas station and 24 Hour Fitness, that perception is true. You'll have to have some deep ass pockets, but it'll be worth it with the tantalizing five star menu. The atmosphere is very refined and the staff extremely attentive. When you want to impress your date, you take them HERE.
Michael's Pizza
2300 W. Alpine #A (209) 462-6668
The best pizza in Stockton! 'Nuff said.
Sushi 2 Me
3499 Brookside Road (209) 473-8746
Owned by the same guys who brought you you Shi Ra Soni and Shi Ra Soni 2 (Shi Ra Soni 3 - Return of the Wasabe opens next summer). A tasty and economical selection of all your Japanese favorites: sushi, sashimi, teriyaki, tempura. Funky sushi selections include the Bad Boy roll containing shrimp tempura, japanese omelet egg, avocado AND cream cheese!
Sutter Street Cafe
111 S. Sutter Street (209) 469-4781
A new member in the Downtown revitalization, the Sutter Street Cafe offers breakfast, lunch, pastries, desserts, and assorted beverages to an area previously lacking in a good cafe. This place is the primo spot for Downtown workers to take a break and relax.
Tandoori Nights
8102 Kelley Drive #B (209) 952-2200
Of the few Indian restaurants in San Joaquin, this is by far the best. Their lunch buffet is a tasty and economical choice. Plus, it's fun to say Chicken Tikka Kebab.
VIP Pizza
3499 Brookside Road #D (209) 952-1500
Killer pizza (the sourdough crust is a meal in itself), pasta, sandwiches, and a bar. What more could you want?
The Waterloo
10447 E. Waterloo Road (209) 931-4019
This is the kind of restaurant where even if you've have to wait a while (and you will if you come at a peak time like Friday or Saturday night), you won't care because the food is THAT GOOD. The funkily decorated Waterloo spotlights ribs, chicken, steak, seafood, and sandwiches. If you pick a dish that features their famous BBQ sauce, you will experience sheer taste bud titillation. Also, the fettuccine side is so good you'll sometimes just want that for your whole meal!
Manteca
Burgess Baking Company
273 W Louise Ave (209) 824-5390
Real deal homemade "from scratch" bakery with pies even your mom will love. Check out the fresh fruit scones in varieties from blueberry to marmalade generously drizzled with a sugar glaze. Watch out, because they go quickly...so get them early, or call Jimmy (it's a gal) and she'll special order for you and have it ready when you come in. Give her a day or so notice for special orders.
New China Restaurant
1457 W Yosemite Ave (209) 825-1517
Their name makes you wonder if they were originally called "Old China Restaurant", but no matter. This is a tasty Chinese restaurant with the most over the top "Chinese Restaurant" decorum you'll find this side of a Shaw Brothers film. New China also makes for a good meal right after watching a flick at the Marketplace Stadium 10 Cinema a few doors sway. Taqueria Manteca
275 W Louise Ave (209) 239-2713
Wonderful mexican food with enormous portion sizes and a fresh salsa bar. Highly recommend the Super Nachos with meat. Slathered with guacamole, sour cream, cheeses, and salsa are crisp flavorful corn chips, refried beans and a sheddred meat of your choice. Heaven, sheer heaven.
Lodi
Cottage
Bakery Cafe/Rotisserie
203 S. School Street (209) 334-2595
Enjoy a quick meal of sandwiches, etc in
their cafe or a more elegant meal in the adjacent restaurant.
Any of the rotisserie-cooked meats are a sure thing! This
location is also a full-service bakery with lots of tempting delicacies.
Tracy
The Great Plate
714 Central Avenue (209) 833-0862
A favorite from the land of the Dry Bean - the Great Plate offers Surf & Turf, pizza, pasta, appetizers galore and much, much more! Along with a full service bar. live entertainment, and various festivities, this restaurant is the hot spot in Tracy. Modesto
The Barnwood Restaurant
338 E. Main Street, RIPON (209) 599-4324
The Stanislaus equivalent of The Waterloo in that it's an eccentrically decorated eatery with a great menu that has people coming back night after night. It actually has a much larger menu than the Waterloo, and its almost impossible for someone NOT to find something they like.
El Palomar
3105 McHenry Avenue (209) 236-1544
Very authentic-tasting Mexican food (according to this lily-white-girl). In the building that used to be The Big Yellow House.
Sacramento
Huki Lau Island Grill
1501 16th Street (916) 444-5850
"Hawaiian-themed" menu; indoor and outdoor seating; lunch prices generally under $10; if you order a mixed drink, you get a shell necklace.
Rick's Dessert Diner
2322 K Street (916) 444-0969
An entire restaurant for desserts, and they're open until 1 am on the weekends. A culinary dream and diabetic nightmare come true.
Tower Café
1518 Broadway (916) 441-0222
Located right next to the hip Tower Theatre, the Tower Café is a perfect choice for a good meal before or after a flick. A soothing and enjoyable internationally decorated interior complemented by an equally wonderful dining patio, the restaurant offers customers a wide variety of cuisine choices- and in nice sized portions too.
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