Wildwood Kitchen & Bar

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Sacramento Staple Built on Seasons and Craft

Open since 2016, Wildwood Kitchen & Bar has earned its place as a fixture in Sacramento's dining scene. The restaurant was conceived by brothers Matt Haines and Chef Fred Haines — the team behind 33rd Street Bistro, ROC&SOL Diner, and Suzie Burger — with a clear intent: deliver a genuine neighborhood restaurant where the food, the drinks, and the setting all pull their weight.

The art-filled bistro is anchored in farm-to-table New American cuisine, drawing from the freshest local California ingredients and shifting its menu with the seasons. Chef Victor Cruz now runs the kitchen, having spent two decades working through the Haines brothers' restaurants. He trained under Chef Fred Haines starting in 2004 and has made Wildwood's hyper-seasonal menus his own, crafting every plate with what the restaurant calls "an unwavering commitment to delicious creativity." Chef de Cuisine Oscar Gabriel, with over 20 years in the industry, brings additional depth to the kitchen.

What's on the Plate and in the Glass

The menu spans brunch, lunch, happy hour, dinner, and desserts, with new specials each week. Creative small plates include house-made buttered naan from a tandoor oven and mushroom bruschetta made with locally grown assorted mushrooms, shallots, herbs, goat cheese, and parmesan crostinis. For mains, the herb rotisserie chicken — roasted in a wood-burning rotisserie — is a signature. Desserts run to key lime pie, warm chocolate cake, and crème brûlée.

The drinks program is a serious undertaking. An impressive whiskey wall featuring more than 50 domestic and international whiskeys greets guests at the entrance. Beyond that, the bar offers seasonal craft cocktails, 12 rotating taps pouring regional brews, and a wine list that earned Wildwood Kitchen & Bar a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. That list holds more than 1,200 bottles in-house across 38-plus varietals, ranging from Old World classics to newer California expressions. Assistant Bar Manager Bevan Atkins oversees the cocktail program, bringing a focused approach to mixology that keeps the bar program evolving.

The Space and the People Behind It

The main dining room opens onto a spacious outdoor patio complete with communal dining areas and fire pits. From May through October, the patio doubles as a live performance venue, hosting local artists on a dedicated stage. Regional Manager and Acting General Manager Sikha Das has been central to Wildwood's operations since 2018, having built her career through the Haines brothers' restaurant group since 2007.

The result is a New American restaurant that balances genuine hospitality, serious cooking, and a bar program worthy of recognition — all in a setting that works just as well for a weekday lunch as it does for a Saturday evening under the California sky.