Readers’ Best of Chico 2002

Goods & Services

Best gift shop

1. Bird in Hand

2. Calico Goose

3. Phoenix Building Gift Shop

Best nursery

1. Zamora Nurseries

2. Fostine’s Landscape Service & Nursery

3. The Home Depot

Best place to buy a new car

1. Wittmeier Auto Center

2. Chuck Patterson

3. Courtesy Motors

Best place to buy a used car

1. Wittmeier Auto Center

2. Chuck Patterson Used Car World

3. Putnam Mullholland Auto Co.

Best florist

1. Flower Mkt.

2. Christian & Johnson

3. Jan’s Custom Flowers

Best bike shop

1. Pullins Cyclery

2. Sports LTD

3. Campus Bicycles

Best record store

1. Tower Records, Video & Books

2. The Wherehouse

3. tie: The Underground and Melody Records

Best used-records store

1. The Underground

2. Melody Records

3. Tower Records, Video & Books

Best computer store

1. Best Buy

2. Circuit City

3. Computers Plus

Best thrift store

1. ARC Thrift Store

2. Salvation Army

3. Thrifty Bargain

Best second-hand clothing store

1. Lulu’s Fashion Lounge

2. ARC Thrift Store

3. Artifax

Best place to buy men’s clothing

1. The Men’s Wearhouse

2. The Gap

3. Old Navy

Best place to buy women’s clothing

1. Lulu’s Fashion Lounge

2. Gottschalks

3. Ross Dress for Less

Best place to buy shoes

1. GiGi’s

2. In Step Shoes

3. Payless

Best bookstore

1. Barnes & Noble

2. The Bookstore

3. A.S. Bookstore

Best place to buy groceries

1. WinCo

2. Safeway

3. S & S Produce

Best place to rent a video

1. Blockbuster

2. All the Best Video

3. Hollywood Video

Best hair salon/barber shop

1. Supercuts

2. Trends for Hair

3. tie: Crusty’s and Club 4 Hair

Best hardware store

1. Collier Hardware

2. The Home Depot

3. Lowe’s

Foods & Drink

Best sandwich

1. Spiteri’s Deli

2. Kona’s

3. tie: Bustolini’s and 32nd Street Subs

Best burger

1. Burger Hut

2. In-N-Out Burger

3. Nobby’s

Best burrito

1. Aca Taco

2. Tacos de Acapulco

3. Speedy Burrito

Best smoothie

1. Jamba Juice

2. Island Smoothies

3. Juice Whirled

Best dessert

1. Yummy’s Ice Cream

2. Upper Crust

3. Fifth Street Steakhouse

Best pizza

1. Left Coast Pizza

2. Celestino’s

3. Round Table Pizza

Best bakery

1. Upper Crust Bakery

2. Mim’s Bakery

3. French Gourmet Bakery & Deli

Best Mexican food

1. Tres Hombres

2. La Hacienda

3. tie: La Comida and Tacos de Acapulco

Best Asian food

1. Happy Garden

2. Rawbar

3. Hula’s

Best Italian food

1. Italian Cottage

2. Gina Marie’s

3. Olive Garden

Best vegetarian

1. Shade Tree

2. Kramore Inn

3. S&S Produce

Best breakfast

1. Morning Thunder Café

2. Sin of Cortez

3. Cory’s

Best lunch

1. Christian Michael’s

2. Morning Thunder Café

3. Black Crow

Best dinner

1. Fifth Street Steakhouse

2. Black Crow

3. Christian Michael’s

Best coffee

1. Starbucks

2. Bidwell Perk

3. Naked Lounge

Best new restaurant (within the last year)

1. Logan’s Roadhouse

2. Smokin’ Mo’s

3. Left Coast Pizza

Nightlife

Best bar

1. Duffy’s Tavern

2. LaSalles

3. Panama Bar & Cafe

Best place to dance

1. The Brick Works

2. Crazy Horse Saloon

3. Mr. Lucky

Best place for an intimate conversation

1. Bidwell Park

2. Naked Lounge

3. Barnes & Noble

Best place to hear live music

1. LaSalles

2. Concerts in the Park

3. The Brick Works

Best happy hour

1. Team Players

2. Riley’s

3. LaSalles

Best sports bar

1. The Graduate

2. Team Players

3. Duffy’s Tavern

Recreation

Best health club

1. In Motion Fitness

2. Chico Sports Club

3. Fit One

Best playground

1. Caper Acres

2. Hooker Oak Recreation Area

3. Bidwell Park

Best swimming hole

1. Bear Hole

2. Salmon Hole

3. Brown’s Hole

Best community race

1. Wildflower Century

2. Bidwell Classic

3. Almond Blossom

Miscellaneous

Best radio station

1. KLRS 92.7

2. Z-ROCK 106.7

3. The Point 107.5

Best local scandal

1. Steve Bertagna’s “Jew” comment

2. Meghdadi’s tree cutting

3. Halloween

Best community event

1. Saturday Farmers’ Market

2. Thursday Night Market

3. Friday Night Concerts in the Park

Best local band

1. Mystic Roots

2. Sally & the Boys

3. Pub Scouts

Best local personality

1. Anthony Watts

2. Terry Jones (KHSL morning DJ)

3. Moriss Taylor

Best art gallery

1. 1078

2. COBA

3. Moxie’s Cafe & Gallery

Best theater company

1. The Blue Room

2. Chico State

3. Chico Cabaret

Best movie theater

1. Tinseltown

2. Pageant Theater

3. El Rey United Artist Theater

Best thing about Chico

1. The people

2. Trees

3. Bidwell Park