Iron Horse Tavern – Sacramento Restaurants (part of an occasional series)

Description and review of Iron Horse Tavern, owned by the Wong Family.  Iron Horse Tavern is located at 15^th and R Streets in Midtown Sacramento.

It was a Friday evening, and a friend and I headed to the Iron House Tavern to meet a couple from Clarksburg who were spending the evening in town.

It was after 7:00 p.m. when we arrived.  The restaurant inside and out was packed!  We put our name in for a table and made our way towards the large comfy booths in the bar area.  There was no seating available at the time, but we staked out a spot in which to wait.  A bit later we were invited to join some folks we both knew who had been able to nab a booth when it was vacated.

There was no way we could get close to the bar to order a drink – but one of the waiters, with electronic device in hand,  was circulating the area and soon had taken our order.  With drinks in hand we chatted while waiting to receive the text message that our table was ready.

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Menu/Service Review

I did not look at the time to see when we were shown to our table – but it did not seem like an unreasonably long time given the crowd both inside and out.

We were seated at a table outside, and while it was a chilly evening the heaters on the patio, overhead and free-standing, kept us comfortable.  The outside patio area is quite large.

All of the staff at Iron Horse Tavern we came into contract with were friendly, and our waitress was attentive – checking back with us several times to see if we needed anything else.

Beverages

I was drinking wine (Bogle Essential Red Blend) ($8) while the other three in our party had opted for mixed drinks.  Once seated at our table two of us decided to order wine with dinner – only to be told that they had run out of the Bogle Essential Red Blend!  So it was back to the drawing board.  After looking over the wine list we each settled on a glass of the Rosenblum Zinfandel ($11).  While I don’t consider myself a wine “expert” I enjoyed both of the red wines.

Menu

I was not overly hungry, so a friend and I decided to share the Trio of Macs ($10).  We chose the Black Forest Ham, the Chicken Chorizo, and the Basil Pesto.  All three of them were good but the Black Forest Ham was the best, followed by the Chicken Chorizo.  My friend is a mac and cheese connoisseur and says hands down that the Esquire Grill mac and cheese is the best in town.

All of us shared the Tuna Poke Nachos (tuna, sweet onions, spicy soy, nori, avocado, wasabi cream, sriracha mayo, tomatoes, crisp wonton) ($12.95).  I only had a bite or two – but it was tasty.

All of the sandwiches come with the house-made potato chips, mixed greens or fries.  I have had the house-made potato chips on a previous occasion and really liked them – even though potato chips are not something I eat as a rule.

The Mushroom Banh Mi Sandwich (soy braised mushrooms, pickled vegetables, cilantro, Asian BBQ sauce, hoagie bun) ($10.95) was a disappointment.  The person who ordered it ended up wishing she had ordered something else.  I hate it when that happens to me!

When I inquired about the Pepperoni Pizza (tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, tomatoes) ($13.95) it was given a grade of 3.5 out of 5 stars.

By the time we left after dinner the crowd outside had thinned – but inside it remained busy.   Next time I would like to try brunch at the Iron Horse Tavern – the menu looks interesting.

See related blog posts:  Iron Horse Tavern Revisited and  Annual Sacramento Restaurant Reviews Recap (2017)

Comments on Iron Horse Tavern?

What has been your experience at Iron Horse Tavern?  Do you have a favorite dish you recommend?  Do you have a “best in town” mac and cheese recommendation?

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