Readers’ picks

Goods & Services

Best gift store

Bird in Hand

2. Zucchini & Vine

3. Calico Goose

Best nursery/ garden store

Zamora’s

2. Lowe’s

3. Fostine’s

Best hardware store

Collier

2. Home Depot

3. Lowe’s

Best place to buy a new/used car

Wittmeier

2. New Auto Inc.

3. Courtesy Motors

Best new/ used record store

Tower

2. The Underground

3. Melody Records

Best computer store

Best Buy

2. Computers Plus

3. PCI Computer Services

Best florist

Christian & Johnson

2. San Francisco Flowers

3. Jan’s Custom Flowers

Best bike shop

Pullins Cyclery

2. Sports LTD

3. Campus Bikes

Best thrift store

ARC

2. Salvation Army

3. Thrifty Bargain

Best home furnishings

Austin’s Home Furnishings

2. Pier 1

3. McMahan’s

Best place to buy a tie

Men’s Wearhouse

2. Corwin & Sons

3. Gottschalks

Best place to buy women’s jeans

Lulu’s Fashion Lounge

2. Old Navy

3. Mervyn’s

Best place to buy shoes

Gigi

2. Heel and Sole

3. Payless Shoe Source

Best bookstore

Barnes & Noble

2. The Bookstore

3. A.S. Bookstore

Best video selection

All the Best

2. Blockbuster

3. Hollywood Video

Best place to buy specialty foods

S&S Produce

2. Chico Natural Foods

3. Cost Plus Foods

Best hair salon/ barbershop

Supercuts

2. BLISS

3. Trends 4 Hair

Best motel

Oxford Suites

2. Holiday Inn

3. Matador

Best place to buy fishing gear

Wal-Mart

2. Fisherman’s Cove

3. The Tackle Box

Best place to buy tires

Les Schwab

2. Costco

3. America’s Tire

Food & Drink

Best takeout

Hula’s

2. Provisions Catering

3. Windy’s

Best burger

Burger Hut

2. Nobby’s

3. In-n-Out

Best dessert

Yummy’s

2. Upper Crust

3. Jon & Bon’s

Best pizza

Celestino’s

2. Left Coast Pizza

3. Woodstock’s

Best bakery

Upper Crust

2. Great Harvest

3. Mim’s

Best buffet

Hometown Buffet

2. Hula’s

3. China Star

Best Mexican food

La Hacienda

2. Casa Ramos

3. Aca Taco

Best Asian food

Happy Garden

2. Rawbar

3. Turandot

Best Italian food

Sicilian Café

2. Italian Cottage

3. Olive Garden

Best vegetarian food

Grilla Bites

2. Shadetree (now closed)

3. Kramore Inn

Best breakfast

Morning Thunder Café

2. Sin of Cortez

3. Cory’s

Best lunch

Black Crow

2. Cory’s

3. Jasco’s

Best fine dining

5th Street Steak House

2. Black Crow

3. Red Tavern

Best coffee house

Naked Lounge and Bidwell Perk (tie)

2. Peet’s

3. Moxie’s

Best new restaurant (within last year)

Grilla Bites

2. Thai House

3. The Bean Scene

Best cheap eats

La Comida

2. Aca Taco

3. Taco Bell

Nightlife

Best bar

Duffy’s

2. LaSalles

3. Joe’s Bar

Best place to dance

LaSalles

2. Mr. Lucky

3. Crazy Horse

Best place to hear live music

LaSalles

2. The Brick Works

3. Riff Raff

Best bartender

Jeremy Cass (LaSalles)

2. Troy Mischell (Black Crow)

3. Mike Stearns

Best place to play pool

Team Players

2. The Graduate

3. The Brick Works

Recreation

Best place to get a workout

In Motion Fitness

2. Fit One

3. Chico Sports Club

Best playground

Caper Acres

2. Hooker Oak

3. Wildwood Park

Best swimming hole

Bear Hole

2. One Mile (Sycamore Pool)

3. Salmon Hole

Best sporting event

Chico Rooks games

2. Almond Bowl

3. Wildflower Century bike race

Miscellaneous

Best neighborhood

The Avenues

2. Chapman

3. California Park

Best radio station

KZFR 90.1

2. Club 96.7

3. 107.5

Best rumor

Trader Joe’s is coming

2. Krispy Kreme is coming

3. Macy’s is coming

Best local band

Thirst

2. Greg Scott and Brownhouse (tie)

3. Goldmine

Best local personality

Rob Blair

2. Coleen Jarvis, Tim Buckmore and John Shea (tie)

3. Moriss Taylor

Best art gallery

Moxie’s

2. Dovetail

3. 1078 Gallery and Thomas Kinkade Gallery (tie)

Best theater company

Blue Room

2. Tinseltown

3. Chico Caberet and Shakespeare in the Park (tie)

Best thing about Chico

Bidwell Park

2. The people

3. The trees