Indulge your appetite for diverse dining in Redding, a city with enough good taste to embrace cutting-edge coffee roasters, retro burger stands, hip breweries, artisan bistros, and mom-and-pop food trucks. Whether it's date-night dining or drive-in burgers and shakes, this Northern California city serves a tempting range of options.
Sip craft beer
Redding is dense with breweries and taprooms, so it takes a few days to thoroughly scope out the brew scene. Start with the 20-plus beers on tap at Final Draft Brewing Company, where exposed brick walls and shiny brew tanks set an industrial-chic stage for the brewery's fruited session ales, single and double IPAs, and porters. A robust menu of burgers, steaks, and meal-sized salads and a dog-friendly patio make this a downtown favorite.
Less than a block away, family-run Cedar Crest Brewing serves up small-batch beers—lagers, Belgian ales, barrel-aged stouts, and a seasonal watermelon wheat—accompanied by live music on weekend nights.
Also downtown, Woody's Brewing Company offers its own take on craft libations, including its hop-centric Hopzerker, a fruity apricot wheat ale, and Pray for Powder, a dark and rich porter. They're offered alongside a big menu of pub bites ranging from tater tots to burgers served on pretzel buns.
Also sample the elixirs at Fall River Brewing Company or Fall River Taphouse, two gathering spots that pour hazy IPAs, hard seltzers, an Irish coffee stout, and a hard-to-find triple rye IPA. Food trucks dish up meals to pair with your brew.
Sample artisan coffee
Theory Coffee Roasters occupies a prime spot in Redding's coffee culture. Lauded by Fresh Cup and Food & Wine magazines as one of North America's top roasters, Theory conjures its aromatic roasts from single-origin beans purchased from small-holder farms.
On the east side of I-5, Stirring Coffeehouse preaches the religion of coffee from the interior of a church. Attend a service on Sunday with a pour-over in hand, or get an oat-milk mocha to go any day of the week. Freelancers can sit and work all day in Stirring's tranquil, light-filled space.
If you're a fan of flavored lattés—lavender, pumpkin, amaretto, you name it—head to Caffé Pagato inside the Caltrans building, where friendly baristas whip up artfully decorated drinks. To balance out the sweetness, add a breakfast burrito or egg sandwich to your order.
Dine around the globe
Name your favorite international cuisine, and you can probably find it in Redding. If you're yearning for Paris, sample the savory and sweet crepes at Le Testimony Organic Bistro. When you're craving falafels and tabouli, Xander’s Greek Gyro has you covered. Priya Indian Cuisine delivers flavorful tandoori and biryani made with lamb, goat, or shrimp. Champa Garden serves soul-warming Thai favorites like panang talay and pumpkin curry. And Taqueria Los Gordos makes tacos, burritos, and quesadillas that can whisk your taste buds to the streets of Jalisco.
Eat American classics
Redding has plenty of home-grown American fare, too. Jack's Bar and Grill is an old-school spot that's been searing steaks since 1938, so they know their way around a New York strip. For an authentic diner-style breakfast, slide onto one of the red counter stools at Trendy's and dig into country-fried steak or buttery griddle cakes. Craving comfort food? Order buttermilk fried chicken and waffles at Chicken Shack or an old-fashioned malt at Bartels Giant Burger, an iconic burger stop from the swinging 1970s.
Sometimes it's fun to turn lunch into a half-day affair. The 21-and-older crowd will enjoy a drive out to Moseley Family Cellars. Taste the family-owned winery's Syrah, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon, then linger over a Sunday picnic on the lawn. Or zip over to The Park, Redding's downtown food truck hub. Order food from local vendors while you make new friends by the firepits, watch the kids play lawn games, or listen to live music.
