Bodega brings island style to Sacramento.

When he takes a bite of any dish on his menu at Bodega Kitchen and Cocktails in Sacramento’s Pocket neighborhood, co-owner and manager Rafael Jimenez Rivera returns to a favorite childhood memory. “I’m transported back to Puerto Rico and my aunt’s backyard,” he says.

Puerto Rico can be found in the Caribbean, a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands, and the surrounding coasts. The 12 countries in all, each with its own unique traditions, are typically considered to share a similar style of cuisine lumped together as Caribbean food. Caribbean plates — a Cubano sandwich, mussels, and chorizo or purple sweet potatoes with plantains — stir up in Rivera an ages old nostalgia that feels comforting and warm. It seems natural that he’d want to share this feeling with others, considering his grandfather ran a restaurant in Puerto Rico and his father headed one up in New York City.

The coco bread — which is made with coconut milk — and the slow-roasted, marinated pork with cilantro and mint that comprise Bodega’s Cubano sandwich is Rivera’s take on the classic, but he wouldn’t call it “authentic.” “When it’s all said and done, it’s food — not surgery,” jokes Rivera.

“We’re not too hung up on ‘authentic.’ We’re staying true to flavors and capturing elements that are reminiscent of flavors remembered from home.”

Chris Sinclair, co-owner and bar program manager, agrees: “Your grandma and mine may have made the same dish, but it tastes very different. So, what is authentic?” It’s in this vein that Sinclair designed the bar menu. The deconstructed rum and coke, which doesn’t contain any Coca-Cola, is a favorite of Sinclair. The notion of accessible over authentic is one of the driving forces behind this restaurant. Sinclair says when he and Rivera first discussed the idea, they both agreed they wanted the menu to be approachable and the space, formerly a dark sports bar, to be inviting.

“What we’re trying to evoke is a feeling of liveliness, warmth, and hospitality,” shares Sinclair. This is achieved through the colorful artwork that adorns the walls and the themed days of the week, such as Mofongo Mondays. There are other restaurants throughout Sacramento with various Caribbean subcultures specific to a single region. But Bodega paints with broader strokes, encompassing the various styles of Carib food without limiting itself to any one of them.

“It’s Caribbean meets Californian,” says Matt Brown, executive chef and co-owner at Bodega.

“There’s a saying that goes, ‘Ital is vital,’ which means good food is good for you, so we use seasonal ingredients — toasted pepitas, fermented honey and garlic, butternut squash. We use the right ingredients to create the vibe.”

That vibe is something Sarah Saldana, Bodega’s sous chef, says was missing from the Pocket neighborhood until now. “I grew up here, and this neighborhood really needed something fresh and flavorful close by. Caribbean food here was limited, and not only does Bodega offer fresh, flavorful food, but people can shop here, too, and make the menu themselves.”

In the entryway is an actual bodega, which offers pastries, produce, and bottles of wine, as well as cigars. Whereas before this hosted a dart board, today it offers ingredients to fill up a charcuterie board. “We even bottle our own hot sauce, which we sell at the bodega,” Brown says.

Every component of the restaurant, from the menu to the art and décor to various offerings stem from Rivera’s roots in Puerto Rico. Though his parents moved to the United States in their 20s, Rivera and his family often returned to Puerto Rico for the summers. “I grew up in the kitchen; we had a catering company,” he remembers. “Food is an essential part of the culture there. If you visit family or friends, there’s a meal ready for you. Food is brought to every occasion.”

Though many people expect the food to be spicy, Rivera says the style of cooking really prioritizes complex, layered flavors. “We leave hot sauce on the table so you can add it yourself,” Rivera says. “A lot of people will ask us, ‘Is it spicy?’ They could think ketchup is spicy but love our jerk wings because they’re so flavorful.” 

Spices like turmeric, ginger, and lemongrass punctuate the natural warmth created by roasting and marinating pork, sausage, chicken, and beef. But meat isn’t the only star of the menu; found across traditional Caribbean cuisine, yucca is a prized ingredient, used in Bodega’s fries and as a fried cake. Reflecting on his childhood, Rivera says the carefree island lifestyle of his homeland is something he wants to recreate one meal at a time here at Bodega.