New Asian gastro bar aims to bring a culinary experience and nightlife to Elk Grove

When you walk into Z-Town and take a peek around, you’ll notice the youthful appearance of the staffers.

That’s because the Elk Grove establishment is co-owned and run by eight friends all in their 20s: Erik Tran, 28; Alex Tran, 28; Thao Nguyen, 28; Tony Le, 27; Vince Tran, 25; Nghia Nguyen, 23; and two more silent partners.

Z-Town Asian Gastro Bar, a new hangout located at 8409 Elk Grove Florin Road near Calvine Road, provides a trifecta of entertainment — a restaurant, a bar and a club, all in one.

The “Z” in Z-Town stands for “generation Z,” and the “Town” represents everybody in the community together.

The new business, open 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Monday, welcomes people of all ages.

The owners searched and considered options in Sacramento’s downtown and midtown as well as south Sacramento, but those places ultimately didn’t meet their criteria.

Z-Town’s current location was previously occupied by a Chinese restaurant, Uncle’s Chinese Cuisine. The Z-Town group owners stumbled upon the Elk Grove site and spoke to the previous owners at Uncle’s who wanted to retire.

“There’s a lot of traffic going around this location and we felt like this is where we wanted to be at right now,” said co-owner Erik Tran, no relation to Alex Tran or Vince Tran. “Downtown, it just wasn’t for us. It just didn’t feel very safe.”

They went all-in, unafraid of the unknown. The Z-Town group owners agreed on a buyout deal and took over the lease, completely rebranded and opened their gathering spot on Halloween 2022.

Despite being open 15 months, Erik Tran said they are still in the soft opening stage. They plan to host their grand opening planned for Lunar New Year on Feb. 10, where they will roll out their full menu.

Tran said they are aiming for Z-Town to be “the newest hot spot” and leave an imprint on Elk Grove.

“To be an inspiration is one (goal) and also leave some sort of mark in Elk Grove, like either be the financial benefits for the city of Elk Grove and even Sacramento County, creating more jobs possibly for the younger generation,” Tran said.

“With the opening of Sky River we’re seeing there’s a lot of people coming down to Elk Grove and we thought, ‘Why just Sky River, why not Z-Town as well?’ We want to be one of the things that attract people to Sacramento County.”

Exceeding others’ expectations

Z-Town is the co-owners’ first business experience.

Alex Tran, the brains behind the model, worked for the state of California prior to Z-Town. He deejayed on the side, fueling a passion of his.

He wanted to do something that he enjoyed doing and wanted his friends to have a part of it.

“Hanging out one day I thought, ‘Why don’t we do something where we can still hang out and still have fun,’” Tran said. “People say don’t mix business with family, friends or a lot of people. I want to prove that wrong.”

They faced challenges having to come up with their interior designs. They came across plumbing issues that prolonged their opening. They had to figure it out on their own, but stayed resilient and continued to learn along the way.

“When this whole thing started, there was a lot of skepticism,” Erik Tran said. “There was a lot of negativity, people saying, ‘Oh, this is not going to go well. You guys won’t be this or you guys won’t be that.’”

Not only did they want to open a talk-of-the-town hangout, but Tran said they wanted to prove doubters wrong.

“They didn’t take us seriously.”

He added: “We just wanted to show our generation that if you get challenges, just face them head on...You don’t have to have experience right away, you learn as you do it.”

Their growing success has seen them gain attention on social media, with over 5,000 followers on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. They’ve had busy nights where they had to inform people that they were full.

Tran said their vision is to bring a Vegas-like vibe down to Elk Grove.

Elk Grove Vice Mayor Rod Brewer, who oversees District 2 where Z-Town is located, is ecstatic about the opportunities they look to bring to Elk Grove.

“As a community that loves its restaurants and variety of food options, I congratulate Z-Town Asian Gastro Bar on bringing their business to Elk Grove,” Brewer said. “It is my hope that more businesses will see what we are doing here to attract new restaurants and businesses and work with us to help make their vision a reality.”

The experience

Erik Tran said of Z-Town: “It’s hard to explain until you actually get to experience it.”

“It’s very hard to explain because we don’t want our word to be misinterpreted. The only way for you to experience that type of feeling, how unique it is, is for you to actually be here and see it with your own eyes.”

Some show up for the ambiance of a nightclub or lounge where they can hear the bass knock against the speakers the moment they enter the parking lot.

Some experience the best of both worlds that includes their food which features an Asian fusion menu consisting of specialty dishes inspired by traditional Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese and Hong Kong recipes, freshly prepared in-house daily by a chef. All eight co-owners come from a Vietnamese background.

They’re on social media viewing comments and posts. They talk to people who tell them, “there’s nothing in Sacramento like this.”

Connie Van, an Elk Grove real estate agent, decided she and some friends would get out one recent Friday evening to unwind from a long work week over a couple of drinks, some food and music.

That’s when she and her friends stumbled upon Z-Town.

“We’re actually trying it for the first place today,” Van said. “This used to be a Chinese restaurant. Sacramento (area) has always needed a hip place, and it looks like a club. And we’re just here for some appetizers and drinks with friends.”

Van yearned to try out a spot that she’d never been to before, somewhere new. She wasn’t disappointed.

“If you’re in Sacramento, come check it out,” Van said. “It’s delicious. (The) lychee soju is delicious. We tried the chicken cartilage and … the chicken skewers.”

Alex Tran addressed the elephant in the room: the price.

The appetizers such as fries, cheese osku, chicken cartilage and beef skewers range between $8 to $20. Entrees, which include fried rice, kimchi and hotpot, range from $18 to nearly $50. The cocktails are made with fresh fruits and, depending on a jug or tower order, can cost between $47 and $79.

“For most people, the first thing they look at are our prices,” Tran said. “(Z-Town) is for a group, not just one person.”

He said most people visit in groups of four or more to get the most of their experience.

“Our service is not the typical what you would see at other restaurants, other nightclubs,” Tran said. “As soon as customers come in, you’re family. We treat you like family, we drink with you like family, we sit and hang out with you like family, we talk to you like family.”

Tran wants to ensure everybody feels welcome at their place, no matter their age, race, gender or sexual orientation.

Tran said although Z-Town appears as your typical young, Southeast Asian hangout, it’s not their only target audience.

“We’ve got a lot of different ethnicities, backgrounds, (people) from a lot of different regions coming down and they all enjoy it,” Tran said. “It’s not just for the young…All the older people, the older crowds, they look at us and they’re impressed.”