Centro Cocina Mexicana, a Sacramento staple, turns 20 this week and the restaurant is celebrating with a week of specials. Starting today and continuing through Sunday, August 17th, Centro will feature a commemorative anniversary menu and table-side guacamole preparation.
In addition to satisfying your appetite, no birthday celebration would be complete without some special drinks. Centro will feature $6 Anniversary Infusion Margaritas and $5 Centro Margaritas—which just so happened to be the price in 1994. You can also catch former Centro bartenders who will be returning on Tuesday and Wednesday to celebrate.
Born out of the desire to bring a new kind of Mexican cuisine to Sacramento, PRG Executive Chef Kurt Spataro and partner Randy Paragary opened Centro after an extensive culinary tour of Mexico. The Midtown restaurant, located on the corner of 28th and J Street, is known for its moles made from scratch, fresh corn tortillas, festive atmosphere, and fabulous Tequila infusions.
If you’ve never had the chance to make it to Centro, or if you’re due for a visit, be sure to swing by this week and wish them a Happy Birthday!
Centro Cocina Mexicana
2730 J St.
Sacramento, CA 95816
(916) 442-2552
Cinco de Mayo Events in Sacramento
Sacramento will be bustling with Cinco de Mayo events – from tequila festivals to a tamale party or a hilarious night of comedy – there will be something to satisfy every taste. To ensure you get the most out of your Cinco de Mayo weekend, check out our guide to the best of Sacramento’s Cinco de Mayo festivities!
Drink Up!
If you love margaritas, tequila or are simply in search of a good party, attend one of these events to quench your tequila thirst and take your Cinco de Mayo celebration to a new level of fun.
- Cinco De Mayo Celebrations at Zocalo: Zocalo Midtown’s 6th Annual Tequila Festival will take place tonight! Enjoy appetizers and sample tequila from eight different distilleries and savor a cigar from the cigar bar by Fat Man Cigars from 6 – 9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online for $20 here, or at the door for $25. On Friday and Saturday (May 3 – 4), midtown will be serenaded with live mariachi music. On Sunday, May 5, both Zocalo locations will open their doors at 11 a.m. for a full day of Cinco de Mayo Fiestas – enjoy balet folklorico, drink specials, live mariachi, street tacos, face painting and pig roast!
Zocalo
1801 Capitol Ave, Sacramento, CA 95811
1182 Roseville Pkwy, Roseville, CA 95678
- Tequila Week at Grange Restaurant & Bar: Grange has unofficially named May 1 – 5 TEQUILA WEEK featuring a signature blend of Herradura Double Barrel Reposado blended by the Grange team on a trip to Mexico last year. Their special menu will be available during Happy Hour from 3 – 6 p.m. Cocktails are $8 / Bites are $5.
Grange Restaurant and Bar
926 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
- Cinco de Mayo at Mayahuel: For the ultimate tequila experience, celebrate Cinco de Mayo at Mayahuel’s two-day fiesta starting on Friday at 4 p.m. If you prefer beer, there will be a beer garden and Aztec dancers at the party.
Tequila Museo Mayahuel
1200 K Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
- Cinco de Old Sacto: Old Sacramento will come alive on Cinco de Mayo weekend with a variety of food, drink specials, live music, comedy, karaoke and dancing. Bars included in this year’s Cinco de Old Sacto party will include: River City Saloon, Fanny Ann’s, O’Mally’s Pub, The Other Office, Vega’s, Sports’ Corner, Laughs Unlimited, Coconut Grove, and La Terraza. The party beings at 6 p.m. and goes until 2 a.m.
Old Sacramento
1002 2nd Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Party, Deliciously
To eat, or not to eat? That’s never the question on Cinco de Mayo. Prepare your taste buds and come with a big appetite to make the most of your Cinco de Mayo menu!
- Cinco de Mayo with Farm Fresh To You: Bring your whole family to the 2nd Annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration with Farm Fresh to You this Saturday, May 4, from 5 p.m. – 11 p.m. at the Farm Location: 23800 State Highway 16, Capay, CA 95607. Enjoy a full evening of tractor-tram farm tours, kids’ arts and crafts, tortilla-making demonstrations, tomato planting, strawberry harvesting, soccer games and dancing to live mariachi music. Tickets prices are $15 per person through Friday, May 3, or $20 per person at the farm on event day. Kids 12 and under get free admission. All event proceeds benefit The Kathleen Barsotti Non-Profit for Sustainable Agriculture. Tickets are available here.
- Tamale Party: Food Co-op’s Community Learning Center & Cooking School is hosting a Tamale Party tonight from 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Students are invited to join Chef Dio for a hands-on workshop, where they’ll learn to make delicious tamales in their home kitchen. Prices are $49 for the public and $40 for co-op owners. For more information, click here.
Community Learning Center & Cooking School
1914 Alhambra Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95816
- Fiesta at Centro Cocina Mexicana: Centro will be partying all weekend-long, opening early on both Saturday and Sunday. The two-day fiesta will include drink and food specials, an extended patio, no cover, an outdoor bar, music, and a piñata giveaway!
Centro Cocina Mexicana
2730 J St.
Sacramento, CA 95816
Laugh Out Loud
- Sacramento Cinco de Mayo Festival: Enjoy a night of endless laughter at the Sleep Train Arena, where Latin Stars of Comedy: Paul Rodriguez, Carlos Mencia, Johnny Sanchez, Juan Villareal and many others will make your Cinco de Mayo the funniest it’s ever been. Tickets range from $27.50 – $102. For more information, click here.
Sleep Train Arena
1 Sports Parkway
Sacramento, CA 95834
What are your plans for Cinco de Mayo weekend?
Wordless Wednesday: Tequila Primavera at Centro
Primavera is the Spanish word for spring, making this yerba mate-infused tequila cocktail at Centro a fitting rite. Agave and orange juice round out the south-of-the-border flare, while $8 won’t break the bank. Available now.
Centro Cocina Mexicana
2730 J St.
Sacramento, CA 95816
(916) 442-2552