Fat City Bar & Cafe

Just before Mother's Day, someone posted a question about what restaurants offer vegan options in Old Sacramento. I had to respond that, in my experience, Old Sacramento hasn't been particularly vegan-friendly. Ten22 usually has something vegan, although their current menu doesn't look very promising; Indo Café can substitute tofu for animal protein in a few of their dishes, but there's not much seating in the restaurant; and Rio City Café can cobble together something vegan if necessary. So while I may shop in Old Sacramento, I rarely eat there.


When I was looking for a restaurant to blog about this week, though, I decided to take another look at what Old Sacramento restaurants are serving these days. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Fat City Bar & Café has added several vegetarian options to their menu, and a few of them appear to be vegan.


My husband Phil and I headed over there Saturday night. I asked the server if the vegetable chow mein, vegetable stir fry, and crispy peanut tofu were all vegan. She was confident that the vegetable chow mein was, and I can't imagine that the vegetable stir fry wouldn't be vegan, but what I really wanted to try was the crispy peanut tofu. The server asked the chef, who gave his assurance that it was vegan. This tasty dish consisted of tofu stir-fried with sesame peanut sauce, bok choy, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, red bell peppers, and white onion, served on a bed of riced cauliflower and topped with green onions and cilantro. The things I liked best about it were the flavor of the tofu, and the decision to serve it over riced cauliflower instead of white rice, which made it lighter and more nutritious. It was a very satisfying entrée.

The Fat City menu also lists a porcini black bean burger that's described as vegan, although I doubt that the habanero aioli that accompanies it is vegan. If you decide to order the burger, it's probably best to ask a few questions.


Fat City Bar & Café is located at 1001 Front Street, and their phone number is 916-446-6768. Their website address is http://www.fatsrestaurants.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/fatcitybarandcafe/?fref=ts. The restaurant is open Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.