SoCal's Favorite Mendocino Farms is Opening in Midtown Sacramento
December 4, 2018

SoCal’s Favorite Mendocino Farms is Opening in Midtown Sacramento

Mendocino Farms is a chef-driven, farm-to-table restaurant chain serving a delicious array of sandwiches and salads. Since 2005, the restaurant has been a favorite in Southern California, and has since expanded to Northern California with four new locations in the Bay Area — and will eventually extend to the Houston area in 2019.

Most recently, Mendocino Farms (or “Mendo,” as loyal fans call it) is opening a new location on December 6 at the Ice Blocks, a vibrant mixed-use retail/residential space in Midtown Sacramento. This is a particularly exciting opening for the Mendocino Farms team, as co-founder Mario Del Pero grew up in the Sacramento area, originally hailing from Yuba City. This feels like a homecoming for Del Pero, who attributes the inspiration for the restaurant concept to the farm-to-fork atmosphere of the Sacramento region.

Mendocino Farms Sacramento, CA

Mendocino Farms Sacramento, CA

Photos Courtesy of Mendocino Farms

Mendocino Farms offers a unique, chef-driven approach to creating sandwiches and salads made with premium, locally sourced ingredients. Every location serves as a playful yet polished neighborhood gathering place for the community. While this chain is rapidly growing across the country, each installment is intentionally designed to reflect the local culture and agriculture by sourcing from local farms and purveyors.

Del Pero reflects on his childhood and young adult years spent in Sacramento, which eventually inspired his vision for Mendocino Farms. He frequented David Berkley Fine Wines & Specialty Foods and followed the example of the legendary David Berkley, which Del Pero says had a direct impact on his success today.

“David Berkley was famous for his addictive peanut noodles and my family used to eat them by the pint,” Del Pero said. “His genius, however, was more than just providing great food. He was filling a need for the community, providing a home meal replacement or supplement for busy families with good taste. He was a huge inspiration for the way we do things at Mendocino Farms, and our secret hope is that he’ll become a regular at our new Sacramento restaurant.”

Mendocino Farms Sacramento, CA

Mendocino Farms Sacramento, CA

Photos Courtesy of Mendocino Farms

This provided exposure to the concept of sustainable agriculture and the Slow Food movement, which was just taking off in the early 2000s. Del Pero and his wife, Ellen Chen founded Mendocino Farms’ diverse menu on strong relationships with the best local farms and food artisans, providing guests with the tastiest food from the freshest ingredients.

On December 6, the newest location of Mendocino Farms will open at the Ice Blocks, debuting their iconic farm-fresh, seasonal menu that they are known for. Their Save Drake Farm’s Salad is named for the small goat dairy farm that the restaurant helped save from bankruptcy by featuring their incredible chevre. The salad also includes field greens delivered daily from Scarborough Farms, free-range chicken from Pitman Farms, and other fresh ingredients.

The menu at Mendocino Farms changes regularly in order to highlight the best of the season’s harvest. The new location in Midtown will open with the new winter menu, which includes favorites such as the Turkey Pesto Tartine Melt, the Santorini Salad, and the Braised Beef Burgundy Melt. Complement your meal with a selection of approximately 10 wines and beers on tap, including Matchbook Rose of Tempranillo from Yolo County.

Mendocino Farms Sacramento, CA

Mendocino Farms Sacramento, CA

Photos Courtesy of Mendocino Farms

The spacious 2,645-square foot restaurant will feature rustic and industrial accents, such as reclaimed wood, living walls, a rope chandelier, and intricate tiling. A hand-painted graphic mural depicting “Mendo’s Food Journey” adorns the dining room wall, which details the restaurants early days, farm and artisan partnerships, and continued community growth. Plus, hanging string lights adorn the covered wrap-around patio with lots of outdoor seating. The kids’ corner features a chalkboard wall, a pint-sized communal table, and cornhole and foosball games.

Mendocino Farms will be open for lunch and dinner every day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Stop by to experience this exciting restaurant with a hyper-local focus! And welcome owner Mario Del Pero back to Sacramento.

 

Looking for another restaurant to try at the Ice Blocks?

Beast + Bounty is a gorgeous new restaurant serving a variety of options for meat-lovers and vegetarians alike. Learn more about Beast + Bounty here!

Category Neighborhood Guides, Sacramento

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