Polanco Cantina at DOCO

Polanco Cantina is a Mexican restaurant right across from the Golden 1 Center. It occupies a prime location that features a gorgeous view of the arena. They feature a full bar as well as some very refined Mexican dishes. If you're looking for a place to spend a night on the town, Polanco Cantina would be a great choice!

Food -
The food is excellent at Polanco Cantina. Mexican food is great as is, but the chefs here really elevate it. Some of the heaviness that you might feel when having Mexican food has somehow been taken out, but all the amazing flavors remain.

The menu at Polanco Cantina is full of choices. I was in more of a snacking mood so I chose to order the Polanco nachos with a side dish of Mexican street corn. The nachos were packed with flavor and came with a relatively large portion. It could definitely act as a main course or a fun app to share between everyone at the table. I chose pork to top my nachos and it was a really good decision as the pork was very tender and flavorful. The green salsa on the nachos had a mild kick to it - nothing that would really burn you!

The street corn was tremendous. It came in a bowl and I was told to stir the ingredients together before eating. I dutifully did my job and had my first bite. Ohhhh, it was smooth and creamy. Typically this type of corn gets heavy really fast. That didn't happen with this dish. I kept going back for more and never felt weighed down.

Jenn had the 2 taco plate with rice and beans. She chose carne asada and gave me a taste. Again, there was just so much flavor there. Though tacos can be relatively small when it comes to an entree, the flavor really gave the tacos some oomph that help them to fill you up.

Service/Atmosphere - 
Our service at Polanco Cantina was slightly above average I'd say. It was a slower night and when we entered, there wasn't anyone at the hosts station. We had to poke our heads around the divider before anyone really got to us. It was a bit laster than usual for dinner, but there shouldn't that long of a wait.

As for the atmosphere, it's just plain awesome. The colors are vibrant and pop. The bar is beautiful and the entire restaurant gives its patrons a relaxing atmosphere to enjoy some great Mexican food.

Price -
For just the two of us, the bill was about fifty dollars before tip. Polanco Cantina is restaurant that does charge more than your typical Mexican restaurant.

Special Tips and Recommendations -
As with all restaurants at DOCO, be sure to park and get your slip validated. It's nice to get some free parking once in a while!

Bottom Line - 
Polanco Cantina is a restaurant that I'd love to come to over and over again. It has a beautiful atmosphere with delicious food. It may be best for special occasions as meals here aren't cheap!

Letter Grade

A

Enter through here!

The menu.

Cozy interior.

Excellent bar area to hang out in.

Polanco Nachos.

Street corn.

A great place for Mexican food!

Absolutely NO MEAT in these Burgers from The Burger Patch

Watching sports at the arena or ballpark used to mean having very few food options. Usually it was hotdogs and french fries with maybe some bbq if you were lucky (and willing to fork out a substantial amount of money). The Golden 1 Center is an area that has a huge selection of different foods, including these meatless burgers from the Burger Patch.

Food -
The Burger Patch offers meatless burgers and sausages. Today I had the opportunity to give the burger a try. The burger comes with the choice of either a single patty or a double patty. The person working at the front recommended that I get all the toppings on it - I was hesitant to get everything, because I wasn't really wanting onions, but I went with it anyways for the full experience.

The burger is medium sized - mostly because of the fluffy bun. Like some recent burgers I've had, it felt like just a bit too much bun. The patty to bun ratio was just off and there was just a little too much bread for my liking. Taken as a whole, the burger tasted pretty much like a burger, but that's because all the toppings like cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and sauce (like a 1000 island concoction) made it feel that way. The patty actually got a bit lost for me in the mix - and maybe that was the point? I just didn't get much of the full beef flavor I would want in a burger. I'd be very curious to what the patty tasted like by itself without any other masking agents.

All in all the burger was just fine and totally acceptable as a burger. Because the bun was a bit on the bigger side, the burger filled me up. Also filling were the chips that came on the side. Actually, these chips were rally good. They had tremendous crunch and were satisfying to eat. It was a nice side with the burger, but it would have been nice to have fries as an option.

I'm curious as to what the meatless sausage is like. That's something I'm going to have to give a try the next time I get the chance.

Service/Atmosphere - 
I found the ordering system at the concession stand to be a little clunky. There weren't many people in line and to order I had to make a 'pre-order' before heading to the register. This method of ordering confused some of the people wanting to get food so they actually left to go to a different place! I suppose that this system was put in place to get the orders going when the line is long, but for a short line it made the entire process of ordering confusing and tedious.

Being on the concourse of an arena can be hectic, so be prepared for that when coming to this concession stand. The Burger Patch is one of the smaller stands, so it can be easy to miss if you're not looking for it.

Price -
Being at an arena automatically means prices will be higher than they should be. My burger and chip combo was twelve dollars. A double patty burger was sixteen. This is definitely a lot more than you would expect to pay for the amount of food you get - but sadly on par with arena pricing.

Special Tips and Recommendations -
My biggest recommendation would be to make sure to get all the condiments on the burger. I feel that without them, you're taste experience will be much more bland than you'd want it to be.

Bottom Line - 
It's pretty awesome that people have the option to get a meatless burger or hot dog at the Golden 1 Center. It's probably not for everybody, but I'm a fan of the fact that there are so many choices to eat at this arena.

Letter Grade

B-

The 'burger' comes with a big handful of chips!

A nice alternative for those who don't want to have meat at the game.

Fast Pizza at the Pizza Press

If you're in a hurry and have a craving for pizza, you can check out The Pizza Press at the DOCO area of Sacramento. These fast fired pizzas have been very popular in recent years and The Pizza Press is another addition to these restaurants popping up everywhere you look. I guess their claim to fame is that one of their famous locations is right next to the Disneyland resort area. Big whoop.

Food -
I love pizza, and the fast fired variety is nice to have... on occasion. These pizzas are usually smaller and lighter tasting than a regular pizza. The crust is usually pretty thin and crispy due to the method by which these pizzas are cooked. It's certainly its own genre of pizza that is out there for the world to enjoy. I, for one, prefer a standard pizza than one of these, but I certainly will not complain if I'm in the mood for pizza and I want one as fast as possible.

Like all the other restaurants like this, you get to select whatever ingredients you want on your pizza or you can choose a menu item with toppings already suggested. I always go with the choose-your-own variety as I like to craft the pizza myself. I'm not sure if it was just the worker who was making my pizza this day, but she put A LOT of cheese on my pizza. I'd say the cheese to crust ratio was 1:1! It was a bit much for me as these places tend to skimp a bit on the cheese.

Overall, I'd say the toppings offered at The Pizza Press are of a slightly higher quality than places like Blaze or Mod Pizza. The meat selection especially looked more authentic. I'm usually not very impressed with the sausage and pepperoni they have at fast fired places, but the selection here looked fairly appetizing.

The most surprising thing about the pizza here is actually the crust. I found the crust to be quite a bit softer than I thought it would be. There was some chew to it that made it a little hardier and filling.

There isn't much else other than the pizza to eat. You can order breadsticks, a salad, or some sweet treat offerings, but if you're coming to The Pizza Press, you're coming for the pizzas!

Service/Atmosphere - 
I found the servers during my visit to The Pizza Press to be friendly enough. Since this restaurant is basically a Chipotle for pizza, you don't really interact with the workers too much other than the initial pizza order and paying for the food down the line at the register.

As for the atmosphere, the restaurant is well furnished and fun to eat at. There are both booths and long tables to choose from, and the dining room area is quite large. The decor around The Pizza Press is all newspaper themed so you see lots of black and white pictures as well as even an old typewriter on display.

Price -
Fast fired pizzas are known to be less expensive than their pizza brethren. You'll be spending about ten bucks for a pizza. I'd say that The Pizza Press' prices are slightly above other fast fired restaurants. Is it worth the little extra? I suppose so... but only for the nice vibe and slightly better ingredients.

Special Tips and Recommendations -
Since this restaurant is at the DOCO, make sure you park in the retail only parking lots and get a validation for your ticket.

When ordering pizza, don't be afraid to ask the workers to make whatever pizza you like. I often have half the pizza red sauce and the other half white sauce. There are all sorts of combinations you can put together in different portions of the pizza - so get creative and get exactly the tastes you want to get!

My rule of thumb is always to be moderate when making a pizza. Piling everything you can on top will not necessarily make the pizza better.

Bottom Line - 
The Pizza Press is a nice pizza option if you're at the DOCO for some shopping or to visit the Golden One Center. If you're really craving pizza, this is really the only spot to be at for a reasonable price. The ingredients are of good quality and the choice to put whatever you want on it is always nice!

Letter Grade

B-

I always go for a pretty traditional style of pizza.

Each pizza is made right in front of you.

This typewriter really goes with the newspaper theme of the restaurant.

You can finish off the pizza creation with a drizzle of sauce.

Fast fired pizzas tend to have pretty thin crusts - these were surprisingly softer though.

Nostalgic vibes are all around this restaurant.

Burger Lounge at DOCO

Situated at the new DOCO shopping area in the heart of Sacramento is the Burger Lounge. The Burger Lounge is a trendy hamburger restaurant that serves up grass fed hamburgers amongst other high quality items on the menu. 

Food -
The food at Burger Lounge is of a higher quality that your general burger place. You can tell that greater care is put into each item. The menu is relatively small so it makes it easier really get things right.

For their burgers, you can select between 1/3 lb and 1/4 lb sizes. I have found that the 1/3 lb burger is substantially larger than the 1/4 lb one, and the 1/3 lb one really isn't that large either, so if you're coming here go for the 1/3 lb patty. Their 'lounge' style burger comes with 1000 island dressing on it - which I absolutely adore as a Big Mac lover - so I recommend that one if you're the same as me. Otherwise, get the classic burger - it's really the traditional style we all know and love. There's also chicken (both crispy or grilled) and fish burgers options on the menu. Both of them sound great... but if you're going to a place called Burger Lounge... I'd just go for the burger!

For sides you can get a salad, fries, or onion rings. And I would say ANY of these choices are great. The salad is actually surprisingly substantial and filled with delicious ingredients. My wife chose the salad and it was one of the best side salads I'd seen at a burger restaurant. It definitely isn't the handful of mix greens with a slop of dressing some places put on. This salad was well-dressed and well-made. In terms of fries and onion rings - the choice is yours on which you prefer, but Burger Lounge does let you get both for an up-charge on their meal combo. It's well worth it as both the fries and onion rings are excellent here.

The fountain drinks are not something I'd generally talk about at a restaurant, but the ones at Burger Lounge are worth mentioning. Each of the offerings here (besides Diet Coke of all things) are unique sodas, iced teas, and lemonades. They have Shirley Temple on tap! What?!?!?! This is the very first time I've seen that offered like this. The drinks come in unique combinations of flavors and will surprise you with their one of a kind tastes.

Service/Atmosphere - 
Being new, Burger Lounge has a very modern and clean atmosphere. I love the wood tones mixed with the green plants and color scheme. It's a nice restaurant to eat in. As for service, the cashiers at the front were very welcoming as we walked up to order food.

The wait time for the food is a little longer than you'd expect. It wasn't terrible, but I did feel that the time was creeping up as I was waiting. I'm not sure if it is the prep time of the food or because the restaurant is busy that the food took a bit longer - but make sure you expect a little time before you get to eat. This happened both times I came here... so if you're in a big rush... you may want to consider other options.

Price -
This is no McDonalds or In n' Out. The prices here are a good deal higher than most burger restaurants. My combo meal with burger, side, and drink was well over ten dollars. I guess their grass fed beef isn't cheap so they have to make their prices reflect that. Also, don't expect to get stuffed to the gills either with the food. You're paying this price for a satisfying meal, but you might feel the need for a little extra afterwards.

Special Tips and Recommendations -
You may be hesitant to come to Burger Lounge or the DOCO area because of parking, but DOCO makes it really easy for anyone who comes as they have a nice parking lot for patrons right next to it. The parking is only for those who are going to the mall area and not for events at the Golden 1 Center. The best thing is that you can get parking validation when you eat at Burger Lounge so don't worry about the cost of parking. It's on them!

Bottom Line - 
I would come here any day of the week to have one of their 1/3 lb lounge burgers. They are just that good! Just make sure you are willing to pay around $15 for the meal. It's a premium burger joint so they charge premium prices. But I guess you get what you pay for!

Letter Grade

A

Eat in and the food comes on fancy white plates.

The half and half fries and onion rings.

Close up of the 1/3 lb burger.