{"id":277892,"date":"2026-04-21T03:10:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T03:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/277892\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T03:10:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T03:10:18","slug":"aiona-opens-on-k-st-with-boisterous-mediterranean-flavors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/277892\/","title":{"rendered":"Aiona opens on K St. with boisterous Mediterranean flavors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today marks the opening of Aiona, a new Mediterranean concept on K Street<\/a>, occupying the space of the former Esquire Grill.<\/p>\n

Aiona is the new project from husband-wife team Deneb Williams and Elizabeth-Rose Mandalou, who also own and operate Allora in East Sacramento<\/a>. Allora serves three-, four- and five-course prix-fixe menus of upscale, refined Italian cuisine.<\/p>\n

Whereas Allora\u2019s dining room is quiet, serene, almost monastic, Aiona aims to be big, bright and boisterous.<\/p>\n

The space sports vaulted ceilings with wave-formation panels, a noise baffling device made attractive by designer Emily McCuiston. A Deco-inspired, Greek-themed mural graces a wall near the entrance.<\/p>\n

\"Aiona Aiona owners Elizabeth-Rose Mandalou and Chef Deneb Williams at Aiona on Wednesday, April 16, 2026 in Sacramento. JOS\u00c9 LUIS VILLEGAS jvillegas@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

The decor leans into \u201880s femininity, with tones of teal and dusty pink with gold finishes and curved motifs. Ample use of soft materials help with sound absorption in the vacuous space.<\/p>\n

The anchor of the restaurant is the open kitchen, which features an open-fire grill.<\/p>\n

Chef Williams is breaking out of his Italian cuisine roots to offer a broader, pan-Mediterranean palate with influences from Spain, Greece, West Asia and North Africa.<\/p>\n

\"The The image of Aiona on the wall at Aiona restaurant in Downtown Sacramento is inspired by Greek mythology and is connected to Aion, a figure associated with cyclical time, renewal, and rebirth. This theme reflects both the cuisine and the revitalization of the space, which opens on Monday, April 19, 2026, in Sacramento. JOS\u00c9 LUIS VILLEGAS jvillegas@sacbee.com \"Hummus, Hummus, sesame chili crisp and scratch-made pita at Aiona in Sacramento on Thursday, April 16, 2026. JOS\u00c9 LUIS VILLEGAS jvillegas@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

The menu features a smattering of mezze-style small plates, including cold carpaccio ($22) and hamachi crudo ($24); housemade pita, made in the fluffy, Greek style, accompanying hummus ($16) and an eggplant dip ($18); and a grilled lamb souvlaki ($20) on a bed of citrusy sumac labneh.<\/p>\n

\"Lamb Lamb Souvlaki, sumac tzatziki and salsa verd at Aiona on Thursday, April 16, 2026. JOS\u00c9 LUIS VILLEGAS jvillegas@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

Fire-roasted entrees anchor the menu, with a gamut of proteins from whole branzino ($48) to a half chicken ($34) to a hefty bistecca ($120), each dressed up with accessories from various parts of the Mediterranean. There\u2019s even a wood-roasted cauliflower ($32) for the vegetarians in the audience.<\/p>\n

The bar puts playful twists on classic cocktails, offering things like a tahini old fashioned ($20), complementing the cocktail\u2019s gentle sweetness with a nutty note.<\/p>\n

Mandalou is a sommelier, so the wine list is carefully curated, and surprisingly approachable. If you\u2019re struggling to decide, she\u2019s eager to assist.<\/p>\n

Aiona opens at 11:30 a.m. Monday for its inaugural lunch service. The restaurant is well positioned to become a new anchor in the downtown dining scene.<\/p>\n

Aiona<\/p>\n

Address: 1213 K St., downtown<\/p>\n

Hours: Lunch service 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and happy hour 3-6 p.m. Monday-Friday; dinner service 5-9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 5-10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Sundays.<\/p>\n

Phone: 916-790-3473<\/p>\n

Website: aionasacramento.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Vegetarian options: A decent selection throughout the menu<\/p>\n

Noise level: Loud but buffered<\/p>\n

This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 5:00 AM.<\/p>\n

Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Sean Timberlake<\/a><\/p>\n

The Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n

Sean Timberlake is the food and dining reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He has been writing professionally for nearly 30 years, and about food for 20. A variety of well-known outlets have published his work, including Food Network, Cooking Channel, CNN, Sunset Magazine and SF Weekly.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Today marks the opening of Aiona, a new Mediterranean concept on K Street, occupying the space of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":277893,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":["post-277892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=277892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277892\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/277893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=277892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=277892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=277892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}