THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED 524 Restaurant

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, we’re 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---there’s a split among aficionados---Sacramentans have flocked to 524 for more decades than we can remember. A recent visit reminded us why. It’s 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 isn’t Sacramento’s 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 there’s 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. There’s nothing fancy going on here. It’s just exactly how you’d want it to be, and the same goes for the food. Don’t 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 524’s chile relleno---quite possibly the best we’ve ever had.