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