juju kitchen & cocktails — Restaurant in Sacramento

Lovely place for delicious food and drink. If you're gluten free, this place has options that are as good or better than the wheat originals (I am an omnivore and can attest.) As a local I'm always looking for great food at a fair price, interesting happy hour stuff, and the charm and convenience of downtown. This was a pleasant surprise! Yes, it used to be called the "Hotel Bar" and technically it is; however, the menu rocks, and they even have a generous Happy Hour (that at the time of this writing, was even offered on Saturday!) Food notes: Apps- Falafel- herbaceous, tender inside with crisp exterior. Brilliant. Nice sauce to go with it too. The squash aranccini, while delicious in their own right could have used some sort of sauce. They were served dry and tasted fantastic but just lacked a little something that a married sauce could have offered. Tacos: tender and savory. Generally quite delicious; however, could have been a bit better with some salsa or pickled veg. (Don't get me wrong, I would order them again, but they could be some of the best street tacos in town if they just had a little salsa and more cilantro) Main Dishes: No one in my party had one, but I saw them delivered and they looked scrumptious. If they tasted anywhere near as good as the appetizers you're in good shape! Street Signage: NO street signage on 15th or L st, so If you're driving down you might not even see it. This is partly because the beginning of Capitol Park is immediately kitty corner too this restaurant, and catches the eye..... But, also due to a large, well-patroned, competitor across the street. To this point, I recommend prominent signage in the windows of Juju's that span L st AND 15th st. The decor has a mid '80s feel that most of my party enjoyed. I personally thought the chairs were a little uncomfortable at the tables, but my party disagreed and quite liked them. Restrooms: Located in the lobby of the hotel. The walk is not short, but they are spacious and clean. We engaged with four different staff members. Our prominent server was a tad meh, but the other three were polite and attentive. TAG LINE: Rad Happy Hour for GF and...

The staff, space and ambiance are spot on! The drink selection is unique and I would love to have each and every one of them.

The only issue I had was with the tapas menu. I ordered the Hummus w/Pita, Blue Cheese Stuffed Pear and Meatballs and Marinara.

The Hummus had the consistency of melted ice cream, it was bland. The only redeeming component was the pita bread

I was quite excited about the Blue Cheese Stuffed Pear with a salad. It would have been nice had the pear been warm and the cheese not smashed, it neither resembled or tasted like blue cheese. Eating a cold pear w cold blue cheese was off.

Finally, the Meatballs in Marinara was not good. The golf ball sized meatballs were crunchy on the outside yet moist inside. They were most likely frozen or they made a batch a few days ago and popped in an air fryer. The marinara was non existent, it was canned tomato sauce. No parmesean just frozen meatballs and tomatoe sauce.

Now will I return? YES! The bartenders are great and so were the drinks. Next time,...

While on a solo work trip to Sac, I conjured up the emotional capital to not order room service and made my way to a solo dinner at Juju. It was so well worth it. The bartender immediately acknowledged me and made me feel welcomed and less awkward. While enjoying a glass of the house Malbec, I admired the simple and warm decor. I enjoyed the flavorful and delicious grilled shrimp with garlic scampi sauce. I had the non-traditional Caesar salad. My brain went into a panic when I saw the Caesar topped with tomatoes and cucumbers in place of croutons, but my waistline and tastebuds were overjoyed. While sipping the Malbec, I also observed the staff be angels.

A man on a wheelchair rolled in to the Juju. He appeared to be homeless and a few of the other guests had unwelcoming reactions to the man in the wheelchair. The Juju staff treated the man with respect and kindness and filled his water bottle and he went along his way. On top of a full belly of delicious food, dining at the Juju reminded me that...