Butcher and Barrel

Need To Pre-Game Before An Event Or A Movie? Come To BnB!SITREPAnd when I say BnB I DO mean Butcher & Barrel (not that OTHER BnB) ;)Located on "The Kay" (the ol' hometown term for the K Street Mall between 7th and 13th Streets), right around the corner from St. Rose of Lima Park (where the Downtown Ice Skating rink is setup during the Winter months across from 24 HR fitness on 7th St), BnB is a wonderful Bar and Steak House.THE SETUPBeing centrally located in Downtown SacTown, it becomes the perfect meetup spot for people coming from different directions into town.And if you come for the delicious drinks, chances are you'll also partake of their scrumptious food!LE MENUI'm always measuring an establishment I find myself at by my own personal litmus test: how well do they prepare an Old Fashioned w/Bourbon? I have to say that BnB did a very good job in this endeavor!My partner-in-crime got a "Snowy White Cosmo" and she was very happy with her choice.We also got a yummy "Winter Bruschetta" which was wonderful - full of various delicious elements: just enough *crunch & yum*! I only wish we had had the time before the movie to try some of their other dishes since they look wonderful as our servers were carrying them past our table towards other customers.THE LOWDOWNCome for the drinks! Stay for the food!

My friend and I were in town for a concert at Golden 1 arena and this place was convenient so we walked in. There were no tables so we seated ourselves in the bar. One of the servers provided menus then disappeared - guess she was off for the night.The decor is nice and the lounge chairs were comfortable, which was good because we did a lot of sitting and waiting. By the time we ordered the harried server told us it would take an hour before our food would be served. We nearly balked at that but decided to stick it out. My friend ordered the NY steak and I had the scallops. A shot of good bourbon for my friend and I tried ordering a virgin mojito. The drink menu is extensive but I don't drink so I'm no help there. My friend was happy with the bourbon but the virgin mojito was so sweet I could not drink it. I thought mojitos were made with ginger ale but this was pure simple syrup, a splash of tonic water and a sprig of mint... yuck. One sip and I pushed it aside. The server was right, it really did take an entire hour before our food came out. The good: presentation was nice, the steak was cooked properly and the mashed potatoes were yummy. The bad: everything was served barely lukewarm, veg with the steak consisted of two small carrots halved lengthwise and a nearly raw asparagus sprig. The scallops were served on a bed of smashed potatoes and were good but unevenly cooked and because they were nearly cold the buerre blanc sauce had congealed. By this time we were missing the opening act so we ate quickly and left for the show. Overpriced and underwhelming. I don't think I'll be back.

Gotta say that I had such high hopes for this place and was excited to try it out, but left disappointed with a much lighter wallet. Now the staff was great and cocktails were as well. However, the food was disappointing. Two in our party got the $48 scallops and risotto. While the scallops had good flavor, a couple were undercooked. The initial flavor of the risotto was good but then the spice kicked in and spoiled it. Gordon Ramsey charges $53 for this dish, with scallops twice the size and incredible risotto. This should be a $30 dish. Let's move on to the Short Rib. I typically don't order this because I don't like fatty meat, but saw pictures on Yelp that looked amazing. Now look at the two pictures I posted. One is of the person's sitting next to me. The one that looks like it was sat on was mine. Who would serve this when the first thing you see is fat, let alone side by side? To top it off, I get handed a $550 bill that already included a 4% tip for "Kitchen Equity." This must be a Sacramento thing. Either way. Sadly this will be a one and done.

While the food and service absolutely delivered, the atmosphere left me a little underwhelmed.The food was a solid 10/10. The scallops were perfectly cooked, the fish was light and creamy, and the pork with polenta was rich and flavorful. The only slight miss was the side of vegetables, which were a bit undercooked and could have used more salt.That said, the ambiance didn't quite match the price point. The restaurant is bright and loud, with TVs playing sports and a decor style that feels somewhat disjointed. Given the cost of the dishes, I expected a more refined setting, instead the overall vibe felt overly casual.On the plus side, the staff was incredibly friendly, which made the experience more enjoyable. If you're here purely for the food, you won't be disappointed--but if you're expecting a high-end dining experience, the atmosphere might not fully align with the price.

It was my first time trying out butcher and barrel and I went here solely for the dine downtown menu. We got here around 7 pm and it was packed due to it being a dinner rush and the king's game. Luckily we had reservation so were seated almost immediately. Our server was great and attentive. It was a bit loud inside, but everything looked clean and there was plenty of space. We opted to try the tuna tartare and the salad for variety. The tuna was better in my opinion and I would pass on the salad next time. There were barely any oyster in it. We both got the lamb as our entree and it was the best lamb I've had. I seriously could've ate 10 more pieces. We both finished our entree and then split the dessert. The lava cake was ok (dry), but the apple pie was great. I would come here again for the lamb and to try the other items on the menu.

Our second time here. This dine-in was for Sacramento's Dine Downtown 2025. Street parking wasn't a challenge this Friday afternoon before 5 pm.The place was empty when we got seated around 4:30. Definitely lit for dinner in a bar vibe. Told our host and server that we were there for Sac's DD and requested for the cocktail & drinks menu with the event's sheet menu.I opted for the wine pairing while my wife got her usual espresso based libation (Bourbon Creme Espresso).Our server (Nikki) got the gist that we would be getting all the choices for the pre-fixe 3-course.Course 1: Smoked Oyster Green Salad and Ahi Tuna Tartare. Paired with Chardonnay Course 2: Pernil Pork Cheeks and Pistachio Crusted Lamb.Paired with ChiantiCourse 3: Fried Apple Pie and S'more's Lava Cake. Paired with Port wine. Food was good and wife liked the cocktail. I thought the pairing could've been better. Service was topnotch. Our server was friendly and engaging. The management also checked on us every now and then which was nice.

Came to Butcher & Barrel to explore restaurant week and it more than met expectations! The vibe is casual upscale with two bars that show current sports games and a menu that features some elevated bar bites and dinner fare.We all went with the restaurant week special which was well worth its $45 price tag. I started with the ahi tuna tartare, had the pistachio crusted lamb for my main, and finished with the fried apple pie. We also added the bone marrow as a shareable for the table. That marrow was MASSIVE and almost comical, but featured a lot of that nice rich buttery goodness that you could scoop out on crostini. As for my menu, the lamb was an absolute show stopper. It was melt in your mouth tender, but had a really nice nuttiness from the pistachios and just enough char on the crust to give it different levels of texture and flavor. Two areas the meal could have improved upon was to drain off some oil on the fried wonton chips with the tuna and to deliver the fried apple pie actually crispy. Having said that, both were still tasty as is, but it could have been even better with those missing elements.Butcher and Barrel is a stone's throw from Golden 1 and we were definitely interested in coming back to try its real menu given the success of its pre-fixe. A neighboring table ordered the tomahawk special as we were leaving and that presentation definitely captivated multiple adjacent tables including ours.

Was recommended to go here for good steak. Ambiance was nice. It was mellow. Good mood. Good vibes. Staff was attentive. And let me say. The food did not disappoint. Long Beach iced tea was delicious. Strong. Sour. And light sweetness. Marrow was alright. First time trying. I didn't hate it. But didn't love it. I had it. It's just not my thing. 45 day dry age. Seared a perfect medium rare. Melts in your mouth. The compound butter was amazing as well. This was spectacular. Hands down best steak I've ever had. So why only 4 stars?It's because there's a 4% kitchen equity aka automatic gratuity. It's not a hidden fee. It's on the menu. So I'm aware. But when you put automatic gratuity on bill. What you essentially tell consumer is, we don't pay our staff well and we expect you to supplement their payment by charging you extra. I have no problem tipping good food and good service. I normally do tip. But that's an optional personal choice.

We went for Dine Downtown. Ultimately I was disappointed but my husband liked his choices. The lamb was pretty incredible. It was fork tender and had a delicious pistachio crust. I had the pork cheek and it was just meh. It felt like a pile of pulled pork in a bunch of broth. The oyster salad had one and a half super small oysters, and that was super disappointing. The lava cake for dessert was dry and without lava. Overall, I would go back for the lamb, but that is all. The service was poorly timed. We were very rushed through our courses. We were even asked if we were ready for the next course while taking the last bite of appetizer. We were hesitant to say yes, and the servers response was that he would just put our food under the warmer??? We were shocked.

We had a wonderful family dinner at Butcher and Barrel, with great service, delicious food and warm ambiance. The restaurant is a great location near the Golden One Center and downtown Sacramento. We look forward to coming back again soon!