Want to eat like Sacramento Kings star De’Aaron Fox? Visit his favorite local restaurants

Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox made waves by playing a recent home game in shoes inspired by Banzito’s Tacos, then heading over to the taco truck for a post-game bite of carne asada.

But Banzito’s isn’t the only local food spot with a soft spot in Fox’s heart, as he told The Sacramento Bee in an email.

Born in New Orleans and raised outside of Houston, Fox and wife Recee Caldwell order food from Firehouse Crawfish multiple times per week when in Sacramento, he said.

Founded in 2011 by Minnie Nguyen and Trinh Le, the couple behind Station 16, Daikon Korean BBQ and Seoul St. Midtown, Firehouse Crawfish specializes in shellfish by the pound, tossed in plastic bags with seasonings and varying spice levels. It now has two south Sacramento locations, and is served out of Daikon’s North Natomas as well.

For other Southern comforts, Fox and Caldwell head to Fixins Soul Kitchen, owned by former NBA All-Star and Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson. The restaurant in North Oak Park’s Broadway Triangle is best known for its fried chicken, and is busy expanding to entertainment districts and historically Black neighborhoods around the country.

Mikuni is another Fox favorite. He crafted a signature roll for the regional sushi chain in October 2019, with imitation crab, spicy tuna, fried shrimp and multiple sauces. Mikuni donated $5 from each roll, priced at $19.85 to celebrate the year the Kings came to Sacramento, to the Fox Whole Family Foundation.

North Natomas fast food joint Monsoon Burger is Fox’s and Caldwell’s preferred spot for hamburgers. Pei Wang first opened his burger joint in Fairfield in 2001, then brought items such as the “Meat Freak” (cheeseburger topped with bacon and pastrami) to Park Place shopping center in 2016.

Fox’s most frequent haunt, though, is Dutch Bros. He, Caldwell and their infant son Reign make a pilgrimage to one of the drive-thru coffee shops “literally every night” when not traveling, he said.

On the road, Fox has previously named Portland one of the best NBA cities for food, telling House of Highlights earlier this year that he often goes for a seafood pasta of some sort in the Rose City. Boston ranked at the bottom of his list.

And what does Fox, a noted In-N-Out Burger detractor, think of Sacramento’s food scene compared to other NBA cities? Not bad, he said.

“In comparison I think the scene here in Sac is pretty good. We just miss our staples when we are on the road,” he wrote in an email.