Downtown Sacramento is the place to go if you are tired of the chain restaurants.

For Mexican, Ernesto's - great outdoor seating, tasty margaritas and noisy inside.

Another Mexican place is Zocalo.  Not your traditional Mexican restaurant, Mexican with a flair, more gourmet, tasty, trendy, moderately pricey.

Cheap eats and delicious = Jack's Urban Eats.  GREAT salads and the Urban Fries are good too.  Fries with blue cheese dressing and hot oil w/ crushed red pepper.  Yum!

Pizza - Zelda's, you either love it or hate it.  Some people call it blender pizza. Not much on atmosphere but tasty pizza!

Waterboy, very nice for that special occasion.  Just kitty corner from Jack's.

Tower Cafe, mixed bag with the food, sometimes hit or miss but outdoor seating is very good.  Sometimes you just want to eat outdoors, you know?

And here's something good from the deli at the Co-Op.  It's a curry tofu sandwich.  You can get it made with any kind of bread, different kinds of mayo and fontina cheese.

Also like 33rd Street Bistro for sandwiches and other good food.  Once again you can eat outside here too.  They are owned by the same people who own Riverside Clubhouse over by the old cemetery downtown.  Great for Sunday morning breakfast.  Dinners are good too.  Once again, nice outdoor patio. 

UPDATES  2/2008

Some recent additions:

Fins - great casual dining, very lightly breaded fish and chips or shrimp and chips.  Good chowder.  Prawn tacos are great, like the coleslaw too.  There are several locations in Sacramento.

Crepeville-relaxed casual atmosphere.  Good food, like the potatoes.  Very popular with the locals.  Bring your paper or laptop and stay awhile.

Buckhorn Grill - great salads.  Stand in line and order your food.  Good chicken, salads.

Pronto - by the owners of Paesano's.  Again, stand in line and order your food.  Excellent salads, sandwiches.

Fox and Goose - 10th and R-good for breakfast.  Not fancy just comfortable.

Chicago Fire Pizza - for a little more atmosphere. 

Celestin's and their Voo Doo Lounge -cool place, Caribbean food.  Good creole, sandwiches.  Really good coconut pie, like a big macaroon.  Nice atmosphere.