Restaurants in Citrus Heights

The sun hangs like a ruby behind Mehfil Indian Restaurant's sheer pink drapes. Natural light announces its presence through the curtain openings, outfitting metal buffet basins with opulent silver highlights. Below large chandeliers, crisp white tablecloths populate with health-conscious entrees of chickpea-laden masala and Punjabi curry in lamb or chicken. While sipping on a sweet-mango lassi, guests can sop up a clay-oven tandoori dish in four all-natural spice levels of mild, medium, hot, and "doesn't know it's hot"––which makes it, like, so much hotter.

For more than five decades, Manuel treated his fellow Los Angelenos to from-scratch Mexican specialties at the original El Tepeyac Cafe. Today, his son Marcos follows in his culinary footsteps at Panchito's, where he nabs fresh veggies for the restaurant's piquant sauces and impromptu still-life paintings. He honors his family's generations-old recipes by spotlighting his dad's signature burritos, machaca (shredded beef), and towering tostadas on his own menu, and he maintains each dish's flavor and integrity by preparing everything fresh daily from the best ingredients available.

At Bombay Bistro, each bite of curry-doused chicken, fish, and lamb evokes the rich culture of India. The menu showcases a diversity of traditional entrees, including four biryani plates, five vindaloo dishes, and 16 vegetable-curry varieties. A clay oven adds a golden finish to fresh-baked naan, which is perfect for scooping up savory yellow lentils after they’re poured over a baseball coach’s head.

Inside Strikes Unlimited's cavernous entertainment complex, players send bowling balls hurtling down 50 gleaming lanes. Whether they're competing in a league or just enjoying the night with friends, bowlers can watch exciting plays on the center's bounty of flat-screen TVs and massive projection screens equipped with a cutting-edge sound system. Three nights a week, the lights dim, the black lights glimmer, and a DJ starts pumping beats for Glow Bowl, an event that blends the challenge of bowling with the excitement of the club.

Just around the corner from the crack of bowling pins, Halftime Bar and Grill fuels bowling and arcade games with juicy burgers made from certified Hereford-beef patties and frosty draft beers. Eight flat-screen TVs broadcast the big game, and pool tables offer a diversion from the bowling lanes. The dance floor pulses on Friday and Saturday nights, as live music ushers in a late-night menu. Trivia night and acoustic music are among other weekly attractions.