Why Biba Restaurant Is Out Of Date, And Why It's Wonderful

Whenever my friend and I walk into Biba, a high-end Italian restaurant in Sacramento, we feel like a couple of the youngest - if not the youngest - people in the place.  And we often feel a whole lot less, uh, "economically fortunate".  We dress nicely, as most of the diners do here, but it's easy to tell that money isn't as much of a problem for many of the guests here, even among some of the younger folks - again, of which there are only few.

But that feeling of having saved up just to eat here quickly subsides as everyone in the restaurant welcomes you.

The decor is less than trendy.  It's not trendy at all.  There's a live piano player in the lobby/bar area that looks like a cocktail lounge from a movie.  The main dining room is bright with a few cushioned benches in the middle with vertically-striped upholstery, wall-to-wall decorative carpet, and a ceiling rife with molded beams.  It is certainly no time machine; I've been in places that have a much older vibe, but one step into Biba and you can tell that it is a place of class that isn't really found much anymore.

Biba's main dining room.

Most higher-end restaurants have a streamlined look; the hardwood floors, an emphasis on simple-yet-stylish furniture, maybe something just a little odd, like in the case of Ella's window shutter ceiling - something that is just a little unexpected that contrasts with the otherwise clean look.  The lighting is often a little dim - "mood lighting", I believe it's called, yes?

But I'm okay with Biba not being a trendy-looking place.  And it's not just because the food is outstanding (it is.  Never had a bad meal there, and worth every penny).  Something about the look, the vibe, is just very... pleasant.

When you walk up, it looks like a German tavern.  That's because it used to be one.  Biba is housed in the Old Tavern Building, and they never changed the exterior.

And then you enter.

In the hubbub of our frantic, action-oriented, noisy life, it's nice to be able to go to a restaurant that isn't frantic, action-oriented, and noisy.  Not that Biba is a library, but the atmosphere is much more relaxed, much more formal, and therefore has a much quieter environment than many of the more trendy places to eat.  When you enter Biba, you exit real life and step into an environment where you seem... elevated.  Important.  Catered to.  It would be pampering if they gave you foot rubs in rose water (not in a restaurant, please).  I mean, they crumb your table with spoons.  Who does that anymore?  It seems like a luxury to be there.  That's the type of environment it is.

I like that.  I like that the place isn't really contemporary.  If Biba Restaurant became more trendy, it just wouldn't feel different from the rest.  It wouldn't feel special.  There's a dated charm that comes with the restaurant, but in a good way.

I'm not sure when Biba last had an interior makeover, or even a freshening-up.  But it is one of the few restaurants where class meets quiet and upscale meets happiness.

Now if only people wouldn't show up in printed T-shirts, it'd be even better.

Biba Restaurant

2801 Capitol Avenue

Sacramento, CA 95816

916-455-0542

www.biba-restaurant.com