But readers had a few additional suggestions, from longstanding loves to new gems. People wrote in these six appetizers at local restaurants, which they say shouldn\u2019t be missed.<\/p>\n
Urban fries from Jack\u2019s Urban Eats<\/p>\n
Multiple locations<\/p>\n
Jack\u2019s Urban Eats\u2019<\/a> easy-to-love salads and sandwiches have helped the brand spread to 12 area locations, plus outposts in Walnut Creek and Fresno. An ideal meal at any of them starts with a bowl of urban fries.<\/p>\n These crispy potato strips are laden with blue cheese dressing, splashed with chili oil and finished with chili flakes and parsley. Add chicken for another $5, and it\u2019s like having a buffalo wings in fry form. $6.50 small\/$8.25 large<\/p>\n Cauliflower fritters from Magpie Cafe<\/p>\n 1601 16th St.<\/p>\n These fried cauliflower bites aren\u2019t always on Magpie Cafe\u2019s<\/a> seasonal menu. But when they are, they\u2019re \u201cincredible,\u201d wrote one reader, who never thought they\u2019d say such a thing about cauliflower. <\/p>\n Chef Brian Hawley forms five breaded balls per order, deep-fries them to a crisp, then plates them over sumac yogurt at the midtown restaurant. They\u2019re finished with apple chutney and microgreens; get \u2019em while they last. $15<\/p>\n \t\tSign Up for the City of Treats Newsletter<\/p>\n Get the latest Sacramento food news from Benjy Egel in City of Treats \u2014 delivered every Tuesday.<\/p>\n Kalbi tacos from Fuji Sacramento<\/p>\n 1235 Broadway<\/p>\n Fuji Sacramento<\/a> opened at the end of 2023, and quickly adopted the Korean-Mexican fusion favorite made famous in Los Angeles.<\/a> Kevin Oto and Russell Okubo\u2019s Japanese restaurant plates trios of kalbi tacos for lunch and dinner, with a $3 discount during happy hours (3-6 p.m. daily, and all day on Wednesday and Sunday).<\/p>\n Flavors come from all over in these tacos: marinated beef short ribs, funky kimchi slaw and garlic miso sauce draped over the top. Corn tortillas shepherd these tacos toward the sweet chili dipping sauce, which is barely needed. $15<\/p>\n Pommes frites from Tower Cafe<\/p>\n 1518 Broadway<\/p>\n Just three blocks from Fuji, Tower Cafe<\/a> has welcomed families to its lush patio and worldly dining room for nearly 36 years. Countless meals have begun with a bowl of pommes frites, thick French-style fries cut in house and served steaming hot.<\/p>\n Each order comes with a trio of dips, all of them worth sampling: creamy Belgian frites sauce, punchy curry aioli and a savory red pepper-miso-chili blend. Ketchup and mustard are available as well. $9<\/p>\n Conceptualized tacos from Octopus Baja<\/p>\n 2731 K St.<\/p>\n Several of Ernesto Delgado\u2019s restaurants have crave-worthy starters, from Mayahuel<\/a> downtown to Oaxaca<\/a> in North Oak Park. Yet it\u2019s Octopus Baja<\/a>, opened in midtown last March, that captured this reader\u2019s attention with its conceptualized tacos.<\/p>\n Available on the happy hour menu (4-6 p.m. daily), these tacos feature pan-seared shrimp coated in aleppo pepper, diced mango, a glob of smashed avocado and a drizzle of chive oil, all tucked in blue corn tortillas. With three to an order, they\u2019re a shareable steal at their price. $9<\/p>\n Duck liver mousse from Hawks Public House<\/p>\n 1525 Alhambra Blvd.<\/p>\n The slightly-more-casual sister restaurant to Hawks<\/a> in Granite Bay, Hawks Public House<\/a> actually starts diners with items made at Provisions, its pint-sized kitchen next door. The duck liver mousse is one of those favorites, a spreadable blend of offal tempered with cognac and cream. Its gel\u00e9e cap rotates seasonally (it\u2019s currently made with apple cider), while Berkeley\u2019s Acme Bread Co.<\/a> always supplies the grilled sourdough. $18<\/p>\n![\"Magpie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_1565-1-768x1024.jpeg\")
Magpie Cafe\u2019s seasonal cauliflower fritters. (Courtesy of Magpie Cafe)<\/p>\n![\"Tacos\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/DSC04313-1024x575.jpg\")
Kalbi tacos at Fuji Sacramento. (Tyler Bastine)<\/p>\n![\"French](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/DSC04374-1024x683.jpg\")
Tower Cafe\u2019s pomme frites. (Tyler Bastine)<\/p>\n![\"Octopus](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/974c4471-5667-48b1-a0f4-bfa284e171df-1024x768.jpg\")
Octopus Baja\u2019s conceptualized tacos. (Benjy Egel)<\/p>\n