Old Sacramento's waterfront is getting a long-awaited facelift. A dilapidated deck, blamed for closing down a cornerstone restaurant, is finally getting repaired. 

Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty announced Monday in a social media post that work has begun on the deck.

The deck formerly housed part of the Rio City Café, which called Old Sacramento home for decades. Patrons could overlook the water as they celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and date nights – but those memories came to a screeching halt last year. 

The City of Sacramento shut down the deck in 2024 over safety concerns, cutting Rio City Café's seating in half.

Owners say that's what ultimately forced them to close. 

"The deck fell into disrepair, but we got $5 million in the state budget two years ago," McCarty said in his Monday announcement. "The exciting news is the work has begun. We're doing it all summer, it'll be finished by fall."

Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum said back in March that completing the project is key to restoring trust with local business owners. 

The city projects the new deck to be ready by October and says that an announcement about a new restaurant could come shortly after.