Jim Denny's American Diner

The 25 Best Sacramento Restaurants

"If your cool auntie — the one who let you stay up past your bedtime and later introduced you to bourbon — were to open a diner, it might look and feel like N’Gina Guyton’s Jim-Denny’s. The former owner of the beloved (and now-closed) South, Guyton breathed new life into this historic, decades-old burger joint, honoring its traditional spirit of stick-to-your-ribs comfort food and fusing it with the fun-loving energy of downtown Sacramento. Guyton injects an unabashed sumptuousness into the food. The Southern Daddy burger stars a rich chuck patty accompanied by a hot link, onion ring, cheddar, and Memphis barbecue-style coleslaw; the Caesar salad, typically a conservative choice, is topped with Guyton’s famous fried chicken; and the breakfast menu features cornbread-battered sausage blanketed in sage-sausage gravy over scrambled eggs. When dining inside at the counter, expect to be bumped to nearby stools at the server’s request to make room for other guests." - Tamerra Griffin