The Top Farmers Markets in Sacramento To Visit Now

Sacramento is surrounded by 1.5 million acres of farmland, offering farmers and purveyors an almost rock star-like status in the region—It’s called the farm-to-fork capital for a reason. While you’ll find local ingredients on menus all over town, the absolute best place to bask in the land’s bounty is at farmers markets in Sacramento. Enriching lunch and dinner tables throughout the city, these open-air treasure troves are a sight to behold; you’ll discover tote-donning caulilini hunters wandering alongside local and internationally renowned chefs sipping their morning lattes and noshing on takeaway from buzzworthy food vendors. Need inspiration for your next meal? These are the places to be.

Certified Farmers Markets in Sacramento

Sacramento Central Farmers Market

Location: 1689 Arden Way, Sacramento

Colloquially known as the Sunday Farmers Market in Sacramento or the Market Under the Freeway, this teeming, year-round gathering is held on Sunday mornings from 8 a.m. to early noon, featuring more than 100 vendors that sell everything. You heard us, this Sacramento farmers market is all about fresh produce, meats, dairy products, and greenery. Get there early and you’ll have the opportunity of rubbing shoulders with prominent names in the local culinary game—you’ll see them in the wild, loading up their carts with seasonal ingredients. Look up and you’ll spy an example of Sacramento’s thriving art scene via ‘Bright Underbelly,’ a 70,000 square foot mural by local artists Sofia Lacin and Hennessy Christophel.

Capitol Mall Farmers Market 

Location: Capitol Mall, 6th & Capitol, Sacramento

If farmers markets could win an award for best setting, Capitol Mall would go home a winner. Every Thursday from May through September, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., this open-air gem fills with hungry downtown dwellers nabbing on crispy chicken sandwiches from Nash and Proper and Connecticut rolls from Cousins Maine Lobster. Local shoppers never miss out on the opportunity to snatch a sourdough batard from Grateful Bread and pair it with lemon-drizzled avocado from one of the fresh produce vendors.

Oak Park Farmers Market Sacramento

Location: 3500 5th Avenue, Sacramento

Regulars always appreciate the small neighborhood feel of laid-back Oak Park Farmers Market in Sacramento—come May to October 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and you can feel like a regular too. Expect the usual; an assortment of fresh produce and flower vendors on top of prepared foods (delicious tamales from Yolanda’s are always a dream). But what sticks out about Oak Park is the array of food and non-food-related activities that’ll make you want to make a day out of your visit. There’s live music and kids activities almost every week, cooking demos and classes like urban beekeeping and ‘How to Take Care of Chickens”. All of these are presented by community members themselves via the market’s Skill Swap. And if you ever need a midday pick-me-up, a latte from Old Soul Coffee House is only two blocks away.

Cesar Chavez Plaza Farmers Market

Location: 910 Interstate Street, Sacramento

A farmers market in Downtown Sacramento? Our lunch options just skyrocketed. Open all throughout the summer, Cesar Chavez Plaza Farmers Market is held every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. A fleet of food trucks roll in boasting options such as bacon and ranch-laden chicken tacos from Drewski’s Twisted Taco and lamb and rice plates from the popular Gyro to Go. Plus, you’ll be able to join a chef-led tour of the market with Grange Restaurant and Bar, which basically culminates in a three-course lunch in their dining room across the street—this is a to-die-for foodie experience.

North Natomas Farmers Market

Location: 2501 New Market Drive, Sacramento

Situated within North Natomas Regional Park, this low-key neighborhood market offers plenty of relaxed options to load up on groceries for the coming week. Despite its cozy footprint, North Natomas Farmers Market flaunts a huge assortment of fresh produce, flowers, and dairy products—highlights include fresh eggs from The Natomas Farm, bread from Upper Crust Baking, and a rainbow of herbs and veggies from The ReFarmery. Open from June through September, this Sacramento farmers market welcomes visitors each Saturday from 8 a.m. to early noon.

Davis Farmers Market

Location: 301 C Street, Davis

Ever since its establishment in 1976, this Saturday farmers market near Sacramento (about a 20 minutes drive) has been garnering a slew of foodies. Browse dozens of apple and pear varieties from Patrick’s Garden in nearby Apple Hill, as well as juicy pomegranates and syrups from Good Humus, owned by UC Davis grads Jeff and Annie Main who helped found the Davis market. If you’re visiting on a warm day, slurp a handmade mango sticky rice popsicle and take your pick among the various food trucks dotting the area.

Sunday Farmers Markets Sacramento

The ultimate international taste experience, Sacramento is the best combination of old and new. The State Capital has an astounding collection of farmers markets—all are sponsored by the Certified Farmers Markets of Sacramento County, urging both foodies and flavor-daredevils to explore till their legs hurt. The one held at the intersection of West and 8th streets on Sundays (the Midtown Farmers Market of Sacramento) is the largest of its kind in the entire state; it cleverly utilizes the cool shade provided by a freeway overpass and is brimming with growers offering their bounties for public delight. 

Think of it as a taste experience that ranges from exotic to the familiar—fresh Thai lemongrass, black Spanish radishes, and Tokyo turnips sitting right next to fat tomatoes. You can also find juicy berries and takeaway foods like fresh pastries, golden waffles, and delectable seafood.

And while the certified farmers markets are Sacramento’s more classic takes on farm-to-table experiences, just three blocks away from Midtown there’s another—the Asian Farmers Market Sacramento—and it’s geared toward an entirely different purpose. Aiming to supply the city’s Asian community with the vegetables it needs for a traditional meal, the farmers market is filled with stir-fries, curries, napa cabbage, bok choy, daikon, murungai, soambu, long beans, and a variety of other ingredients. Come to 431 Broadway with plenty of small bills and get ready to peruse these charming stalls; you’ll leave with your bags full and your belly fuller.