Federalist Public House & Beer Garden

Above and beyond! There’s a lot of great places to grab a beer in Sacramento but Federalist Public House takes it to the next level. The food is fantastic… pizza’s fit for the pickiest foodie without any pretention… c’mon its pizza… served with something cold from their extensive taps! Don’t even get me started on the ice cream sandwiches from the gods! Covered in dark chocolate pistachio goodness! Bring the kids, the mother in law, the whole fam!
Was fortunate enough to be a part of a beer tasting with Marvin, the man himself, for a truly amazing experience! Marvin literally shared his home with us, regaled us with food and drink, and great tales of local beer Heros. We felt truly at home sitting at the farmhouse table he made himself, down the hall from a picture of his family’s matriarch.
An evening for the books for sure.

Went here last night. Terrible service, food wait was waaaay toooo looong! And the food that arrived was bland and sparse on toppings. Save your money and go somewhere else. I should have refused to go but was with friends and they also swore never to return. Bad food and service cannot make up for the beer.

This is a cool spot for happy hour for good food and drinks. It’s inside a shipping container and basically a covered outdoor space. It can definitely get hot there in the warmer months, especially if it’s busy. They also have the bocce game for groups to play with on the side, which is pretty fun!
I came here for a casual happy hour with a big group, and the staff served us well. They mostly have beers that they serve in mason jars, but there’s also sangria and ciders. They served us a bunch of appetizers and thin-​crust pizzas, which were all really yummy! It’s a bit pricey but worth it. The Cannonballs (meatballs with bread), Margherita, and the Capitol were my favorites. My only complaint with the food was that the bread for the meatballs wasn’t cut so it was tough to split apart and share with other people. I would definitely come back here again for more good food and to try their other menu items!

Midtown sac, love this place. Good vibes and ambiance. All types of beers on tap and delicious pizza.
Came here with a few friends to wine down Sunday. Wood oven pizza just makes you drool.

Pretty expensive with that weird blind American pride vibe and really bizarre playlist, but awesome pizza and drinks.
I tried the Southside with a strong, sweet sangria. The total came to $ 26.
I am a pretty tiny person, but I am also a void. So I ate the whole thing. (It’s a pretty thin small/​medium-​sized pizza.)
Didn’t get a chance to play bocce ball: C
Will come back for their ice cream sandwich… 6:

Simple and satisfying.
My first impression of the Federalist was a shipping container billowing out the smell of smoked meat. Needless to say, this was plenty to persuade a Carolina girl to enter this California eatery.
The casual, outdoor atmosphere was surprising and the flavorful wood-​fired pizza was memorable. I will definitely return here for another meal on my next visit to Sacramento.

One of my favorite bars in Sacramento! Very cool place in the middle of an alley built of shipping crates. Love the ambiance and bright lighting. I LOVE the Sangria and they have a great selection of beers and other beverages. The pizza is just okay. They also have dessert which I haven’t had to try but I will next time. They also have bocce ball which can be really fun. Just check out the stuff where you order with your ID as collateral. I always have a fun time when we come here.

Cant hate! I won their bingo tournament and got a free shirt! I didnt want to play bingo and the guy just told me to play because it was free. So, I did… and won! Beginner’s luck.
Anyway, this place is indeed pricey as hell. And I hate that… because it really isn’t all that awesome. It seems more like a shack that serves beers and they put up some picnic tables. They have a decent selection of beers — but so does everyone else in and around midtown/​downtown. So what separates this place?
The peeps behind the counter were pretty standoffish… the folks walking around collecting glasses and doing other things were pretty cool… but unfortunately, I think this place sacrifices services for an atmosphere that isn’t exactly a «pricey» atmosphere but charges premium prices.
I wouldn’t stop myself from going back here… But I think they can do better.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE PIZZA SPOT IN GREATER SACRAMENTO. HANDS DOWN.
You know it’s serious when you have weekly cravings for a Federalist pizza. Not many pizza places has me locked down like that! My regular order is the Southside pizza (chorizo, chili oil, yukon gold potatos, and I add mushrooms to that!) with a cold Sangria on the side. I’ve also tried the Southside «Presidential» style, which is basically a smaller size but a much thicker crust (see photos). What exactly makes the pizza so great? The wood-​fired bread. I have tasted good bread, but man… Federalist has it nailed down to a T. Their bread is what makes me coming back for more and the freshness of a hot pizza coming right out of their woodfire oven never gets old. The salads are delicious as well — I tried my sister’s kale salad with apples and couldn’t stop eating it! Another idea? Add egg on your pizza. My dad ordered it and said that it may sound crazy, but the taste and experience will prove otherwise!
The vibes are chill in this intimate container… always great service, and the overall environment is welcoming. They have happy hour (which I have yet to try) which includes discounts on some pizzas from 2−6pm. They even have Bocce Ball for those who aren’t in a rush! Yummy beers on tap and walking distance from all of the bars. For those both new and old to Sacramento, this place is a must try!

Great outdoor seating, cool and inspiring container-​building. SO TRENDY~~~
The pizzas are inexpensive, and you can get any size of beer you prefer.
We always stop by for the beers when we’re walking around town.
Don’t pass up.

This was the second time visiting here. Granted my beer palate and knowledge stops usually at light beers, I do enjoy beer gardens. This place also prides itself on pizzas. They have a pretty good selection of beers on tap, probably 6 – 8 taps with bottled varieties as well. The first time I had their pizza here I was a little disappointed as the crust was a bit mushy. This time I ordered the Chavez which has pork carnitas which was pretty good and crust was crispier than last time. I had an 805 lager and some IPA that was pretty good as well. Surprisingly even during the rain this place got elbow to elbow busy.

I have been wanting to try this place for a long time, so I was very excited when our driver on the Sac Brew Bike tour suggested it. First stop on the tour and everyone was super psyched. We got here at about 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon and the place is busy — not packed, but busy. And there are loooooots of college kids. But also a good mix of over 30 crowd so you don’t feel like too much of a sore thumb.
We ordered a couple of beers but also wanted to get some small plates. I was expecting the beer to be good, but the food here was AWESOME! And then I am told the roof of this place actually holds their garden, in which they grow a lot of the produce and seasonings used in the restaurant. We ordered the polenta and meatball small plates. The polenta was well cooked (not mushy at all) and served on a bed of pesto-​like sauce with marinated bacon and mushrooms. BOMB. But the best was the meatballs… oh those hauntingly delicious meatballs. The sauce they were served in was fantastic and they even give you brick-​oven roasted bread to soak up all of the sauce with. Literally drooling a little as I type this.
We ended up taking off for the rest of our tour after about an hour, but we had such a good time here. I think we will be back for some of those meatballs in no time!

Stopped by here mostly for the ice cream sandwich, but decided to grab lunch too!
It’s a very unique place that’s inside of a shipping container, so automatic cool, hipster points.
During the day the sunlight (when you get it) streams in, and it’s very refreshing.
We got the kale + peppers pizza, the smoked chicken sandwich, and the seasonal small bite, which was roasted cauliflower at the time.
The Roasted Cauliflower: I’d give it 2 stars on it’s own. It was barely roasted, yet it was mushy and cold. We did not enjoy it at all.
The Kale + Peppers Pizza: 3 stars — I thought it was good, the crust was thin and crispy, and the flavor of the sauce was there, but just not one of the better pizzas I’ve had.
The Smoked Chicken Sandwich: 5 stars !!! I got it with the arugula salad and it was delicious! You can taste the smokiness throughout the chicken and everything in the sandwich was paired nicely. The dressing on the salad was fresh and definitely would recommend.
Ice Cream Sandwich: 4 stars! It was HUGE and very good. The only downside would be that it was rock solid when it got to us. I was basically scraping my teeth along it to eat it.
If I were to come back, I’d definitely get a sandwich over a pizza, and I would recommend you do to!

Eh. I won’t be back unless I’m with someone that really wants to go.
1) Sexist. What? Yes. All the men at our table were asked if they wanted a large or small beer. All the women were given small beers without being asked. At least three of us would have bought the large beer. Has the world not accepted we like beer as well?!
2) Food took a ridiculously long time to come out. And when it did it was disappointing. Salads were way too small. Pizzas did not have enough toppings. For these prices? Screw that.
3) I will say the one exception was the ice cream sandwich. People seemed happy with that.
4) Thursday looks like it has the best happy hour deal ($ 3 for the ‘women’s sized’ beers), so if you are going to go, go then.

LOL so hipster. It’s literally made of shipping containers. Inside are long wooden tables (some with benches, some without) and the beer comes in mason jars. I could have been in SF if the lights were Edison, everything was compacted 5x, and there was no parking lot.
Very disappointed by my pizza though. I ordered a capital pizza which is «crushed tomato, mozzerella, cremini mushrooms, pancetta, oregano» because of the deceptively enticing fire burning pizza oven within the restaurant. Unsure whether it was because they made the pizza and let it sit out 10 minutes before serving, or because they just didn’t cook it properly, but the whole thing came at a cool temperature with the cheese congealing and the crust & pancetta soggy. Mm mm mmm. Nothing tasted fresh, the ingredients lacked flavor, and the cheese of course came off in huge solid blobs.
There’s a good selection of local beers at reasonable prices.
Conclusion: Come to check it out & enjoy a local beer, but don’t eat here.

Went here recently with my coworkers after work and I like this place. You can easily miss this restaurant though. One of your first thoughts would be «where is this place?»
This place is unique in its own way in a good way. From the outside, you see three cargo crates. In the inside, it can get crowded and there’s a boche ball court. They also have a tv where you can watch the game. I ordered the smoked tri tip sandwich and arugula salad. The sandwich was good, but I’d like to try other items on the menu. I had a chance to try the pizzas. It is little pricey for the food. They serve their drinks in these mason jars. I felt quite hipster drinking my sangria out of this haha
Overall, I recommend this place for dinner with you and your group of friends before going out downtown. I would say this is a great place to go on a casual chill date, especially if your date likes checking out food spots.

Open air, friendly service, great selection of beer. The bocce court is a nice touch!
I didn’t realize it isn’t very ADA accessible, until we realized a friend on double crutches can’t land a seat on the picnic bench. Here’s to having some chairs out self-​service style for folks who may need them.
It’s one of the few midtown bars that has a parking lot!

We started our night by getting lost on our way to Rubicon, (I need to stop trusting Siri) we walk into Rubicon & it was PACKED! So we walked out, I checked out Unilocal to see what was close & to my surprise I found that Federalist (which I had bookmarked awhile ago) was about 20 feet away in the alley. We walked into what looks like a domed shipping container & immediately saw the menu! You order your drinks & food at the register by the entrance & receive your drink & number, then find a place to sit at one of the picnic tables placed in rows.
I ordered the smoked portobello sando w/​an arugula salad. DELICIOUS!!! The portobello was meaty & had a great smokey flavor to it! It had goat cheese (I love goat cheese), arugula, yellow bell peppers, pesto & the best bread that held all that yumminess place! The arugula salad had prosciutto, red onions, lemon Dijon vinaigrette & a Parmesan-​like cheese on top. Again, delicious, refreshing & accompanied the sandwich perfectly! Also ordered was the meatball sando w/​mixed green salad (super yummy… Hubby ate the whole thing), tri tip sando w/​kale sandwich (I was told it was great) & the Capitol pizza (fresh ingredients, thin crust, but you have to eat quick or it gets soggy). Everybody cleaned their plates & kept saying how great the food was!
They have a nice beer selection & I liked how they were served in mason jars! I also loved how their sandwiches were served w/​salad instead of the usual fries because I LOVE my salads! Not to mention that they were simple, fresh green salads (they also offer quinoa & cous cous).
The staff was very friendly, helpful w/​the menu & in good spirits! All in all, we had a great time & dining experience & look forward to coming back!

Went here on a Saturday as I was participating in the Sac Brew Bike SLICED event where you go to a number of pubs/​bars and you get a slice of pizza to try! Here at Federalist, it was our last stop, so I was super full already, but definitely had to try their ice cream sando everyone is always raving about. IT WAS DELICIOUS AND THE BEST ICE CREAM SANDO IVE HAD! it’s basically an out meal cookie covered in chocolate with pistachio with vanilla ice cream. It had the right amount of sweetness! I ordered the large, so I shared with two other friends.
For their pizza, I was so full from the 3 other pizza stops before this, but my friend insisted I try their pizza with arugula and prosciutto… Ok, I had one bite and it was AMAZING! I love thin crust pizza anything, but the mix of bacon, arugula and cheese made it for me. Definitely getting this next time!

pretty cool place. Came here on a Thursday night and had a sample of one of their sandwiches. Paid $ 6 for half a prosciutto sandwich with a side of greens. My friends had their sangria which they said was very good.
Overall cool place, definitely separating itself from other beer gardens nearby. It uses half a storage container which is super cool, kinda like Aether in SF.
Bad thing is that their bathrooms don’t lock which really made for an awkward moment when I walked in on someone.
Cool place to check out