Experience Butte County’s Diverse Food Scene: From Farm-to-Fork Delights to Unique Local Flavors

Chico’s agri­cul­tur­al­ly mind­ed com­mu­ni­ty and col­lege-town ener­gy make for some of California’s best eat­ing. With the city’s close prox­im­i­ty to farm­land and an abun­dance of stu­dents attend­ing Chico State to learn about agri­cul­ture, you’re sure to find some new favorite restau­rants with­in the city lim­its. Restau­rants with a farm-to-fork method­ol­o­gy include Grana, for wood-fired and sea­son­al food; Drunk­en Dumpling, a self-pro­claimed slow-food restau­rant spe­cial­iz­ing in hand­made, local­ly sourced Asian bao and dumplings; and the all-organ­ic Farm Star Piz­za, with its wide vari­ety of ele­vat­ed piz­za options.

Already known for long-time local favorites like Tong Fong Low, an authen­tic Chi­nese restau­rant first opened in 1912, Oroville’s ongo­ing entre­pre­neur­ial revival means there are excit­ing new restau­rants join­ing already-estab­lished venues, mak­ing the city an unex­pect­ed­ly excit­ing stop on any foodie’s jour­ney. Down­town Oroville is home to Pro­vi­sions, a full-ser­vice restau­rant and bar with a gor­geous patio for out­door din­ing, and Union, which pro­vides sump­tu­ous New Amer­i­can feasts and reg­u­lar live enter­tain­ment on its expan­sive patio above the foun­da­tions of the city’s his­toric Union Hotel.

For food with a local flair, Par­adise is a per­fect stop. Nes­tled in the pic­turesque coun­try­side of the Sier­ra Neva­da foothills, there are options as var­ied as Authen­tic Thai Cui­sine of Par­adise (which lives up to its name), the sweet and savory deli­cious­ness of Lynn’s Cof­fee & Crepes, or the sim­ple-yet-ele­vat­ed deli-style menu at Nic’s, which is also a hub of local mee­tups and activ­i­ty. And for a one-of-a-kind Par­adise expe­ri­ence, head to Mee­hos Mex­i­can Restau­rant for a spatch­cock chick­en grilled right in front of the restaurant!

If you’re real­ly look­ing for some­thing spe­cial to try, Gridley’s Casa Lupe is a Butte Coun­ty stand­out you won’t want to miss. The restau­rant fea­tures excep­tion­al Mex­i­can cui­sine that cel­e­brates the state’s cul­tur­al her­itage in all of its fla­vors. Not to be left out, Big­gs fea­tures Piz­za Roundup, with a huge menu of clas­sic Amer­i­cana fla­vors, includ­ing spe­cial­ty pies, burg­ers, and sandwiches.

For those look­ing for a good brew or glass of wine, there are many great eater­ies that pro­vide local liba­tions, from Chico’s Sier­ra Neva­da Tap­room & Restau­rant, which grows much of its own food on-site, to Durham’s Almen­dra Win­ery & Dis­tillery, where you can enjoy an ele­vat­ed din­ing expe­ri­ence at its on-site steak­house along with wine and spir­its tastings.

If cof­fee is more your speed, there are also top-class cafés with remark­able food offer­ings, such as Sto­ble Cof­fee, Bellachino’s Café, and Day­camp Cof­fee in Chico, as well as Mug Shots Cof­fee House in Oroville.

And if you’re look­ing to take advan­tage of the beau­ti­ful Cal­i­for­nia weath­er, Butte Coun­ty has plen­ty of out­door din­ing and dog-friend­ly estab­lish­ments to enjoy year-round.

No mat­ter where you go in Butte Coun­ty, you’ll find fan­tas­tic food and drink to please any palate. If you’re look­ing for an under­rat­ed food des­ti­na­tion full of sur­pris­es, make sure Butte Coun­ty is your next stop.