Openings: Lunch & Dinner daily
Features
THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED 524 Restaurant Restaurant Review:
Long before there was 1201 or Twenty-Eight, the 4th Street Grille or the 33rd Street Bistro, there was the wonderful little Mexican place called 524. And long after those other hot numbers fade away like so much forgotten algebra, were betting that 524 will still be adding up to an address you want to remember. Whether they call it Five-Two-Four or Five-Twenty-Four---theres a split among aficionados---Sacramentans have flocked to 524 for more decades than we can remember. A recent visit reminded us why. Its certainly not the location. In that respect, the easy-to-remember address is about the only thing 524 12th Street has going for it. The north end of 12th Street isnt Sacramentos best; on a recent moonless Friday night, 524 seemed to be the only open business for several blocks in either direction. A maze of traffic barriers and one-way streets makes it almost impossible to get there, and theres no parking on 12th Street once you do. But if you can overcome those obstacles, everything changes when you step inside. 524 has a veritable glow. The floor is orange, the wood-paneled walls are topped with red and gold flocked wallpaper, and strings of twinkling lights weave their way around a couple of huge pinatas hanging overhead. Theres nothing fancy going on here. Its just exactly how youd want it to be, and the same goes for the food. Dont come to 524 looking for fajitas, Mexican pizzas or margaritas in 27 different fruit flavors. 524 is the place to go for a cold beer, a big fat enchilada and salsa hot enough to knock the wind out of your huaraches. While all the combination dinners are at least adequate, make sure you try 524s chile relleno---quite possibly the best weve ever had.
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