Our House

Location

808 2nd Street (Next to Village Bakery)

Phone

(530) 757-1232

Hours

Open Mon-Friday 11-Late Late Night Menu Thurs-Sat 10-12p

Saturday 430-Late and Sunday 430-9

Happy Hour

7 Days a Week! 3-7 pm, Thursday-Saturday 10 p.m. - Close

Owners

Charlie Swanson and Jon Sanchez

Email

<jon AT ourhousedavis DOT com>

Website

Facebook page

http://www.ourhousedavis.com/

Payment Methods

cash and credit cards accepted

Our House is a recently arrived restaurant that uses the space formerly occupied by Aioli Bodega Española. The owners, Charlie Swanson (who also owns The Graduate and is married to City Councilwoman Rochelle Swanson), and Jon Sanchez (a Davis real estate agent, and former chef at California Fat's and The Tower Cafe), are working to bring Davis great food, the best cocktails, an awesome wine list, and a place where you can go to always be with friends. They opened on June 15, 2011.

One person initially checked out their menu and was very disappointed to find zero vegetarian entrees. However there is now a vegetarian gnocchi entree, as well as corn on the cob and grilled artichoke appetizers. The menu still skews toward meat eaters, but an insider tip: the hostess said there is one option not on the menu - ratatouille. When the restaurant is up and running full speed, there will be more vegetarian options added, along with their gluten free items.

Happy Hour is $1 off on cocktails and beer, $2 off on Martinis and all wines by the glass. Wines range from the $6/glass range to significantly more (not including $2 off during happy hour). Their wine list is expanding in their early days of operation as they get their initial shipments in from various wineries.

Comments:

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2011-06-15 22:18:38   Went to the open house yesterday, and I can't wait to go back. We enjoyed a Sidecar, Lemon Drop, Cary's Cosmo (gluten free and lots of cranberry) and Mojito, along with fabulous appetizers (the amazing Salmon Poke BETTER be on the menu!) and deserts. It's the kind of comfort food restaurant Davis will love. —Davidlm

2011-06-16 12:51:10   Wow, what a cool new place. Haven't tried the food yet but it sounds amazing. Went in for drinks last night and lounged on the couches, very chill atmosphere. My only complaint is that they charged $11 for a small glass of wine. Holy hell that's a lot! This is Davis, not NYC! But the well drinks and other cocktails were very reasonably priced, so we'll be back (just not for the wine). Hope they have happy hour specials coming! —cerise

2011-06-21 23:11:34   Ceris- We have added many great wines starting at $6 a glass plus they are $2 off on happy hour stop by and check out our updated list. We are adding to the wine list daily as the wineries deliver. —charlieswanson

2011-06-27 23:07:27   Ate at Our House a few nights ago and it was amazing, very relaxed, you can go for an evening out and dress up or stay casual and relax. Great service, ask for Daniel, he was great. As for the food, Ribs are a little tough, but otherwise everything is worth the price, by far the best food in Davis. Make sure you try the Five Onion Soup and Tequila Lime beef. —Mike95616

2011-06-30 16:33:11   I can't wait to go! I'm looking forward to having a menu posted here. —ashleyinthemist

2011-07-01 14:52:03   I recently went to Our House for lunch. It has a relaxed yet sophisticated interior with jazz music playing which made the dining experience more enjoyable. The food I ordered, the five spice chicken salad, was good although I felt that it could of used a little more spice (however I enjoyed that it didn't taste "heavy" like many restaurants make their salads by adding lots of sugar, fat, and salt). I felt the food was a little overpriced for what was given- should probably drop the price by a dollar or so. I am definitely interested in visiting again for drinks as I enjoyed the atmosphere (and AC!) and will probably give another food item on the menu a shot. —bordiga

2011-07-02 01:11:38   VERY over priced. Food was ok, but the service was TERRIBLE! Found a hair in my $10 drink as well. Very noisy. Uncomfortable chairs. BAD layout. Couldn't even get a water refill after dropping over $150 for our table. Miss the old tapas place that used to be there. Would not go again. —Antoinette

2011-07-03 08:44:19   I have been wanting to see what Our House had to offer for about a week and I went here the other night with a couple of friends. First impression was that the decor was pretty cool, with some couches and raised wood tables to sit at. The music didn't fit at all with the vibe I think they were trying to create, as they were playing some classic rock which is normally not a bad thing. We didn't try the food but had a round of drinks. The drinks were bad, I mean bad, and it took over 5 minutes to get 3 relatively simple drinks.
I'll wait until they iron some things out before I try this place again. —moonmonkey18

2011-07-05 21:31:22   The salmon and the smore desert are very, very good. The filet and the cheesecake? Amazing. —MarkSanger

2011-07-13 10:26:51   I was disappointed in the decor. Looked kind of common to me. Found the wine to be overpriced as well as the beer. Pork sliders were good. Service was okay. Sort of disappointed. If they don't lower food and wine prices, they're going to go out of business. Give good value and service. That's the key. —dianamuprhy

2011-07-13 11:48:51   I had lunch here yesterday with a group of 6. I had the Five onion soup and Ceaser salad with chipotle glazed chicken both were delicous! Others in my group had the grilled chicken sandwich and the Walnut curry chicken sandwich they thought it was very good. The service was excellent! —agerould

2011-07-14 11:48:51   I'd love to see some more vegetarian choices on the menu. Options are very limited for vegetarians. —SDAK

2011-07-14 10:47:55   I went here last night, and my beer was tasty (Xingu Black). But I also I ordered the five spice chicken salad and it was terrible. I could have gotten something better out of a plastic bag at the grocery store. So...go there, get drunk, and then eat someplace else. —Sorrel

2011-07-15 11:44:07   I have been here for lunch and loved it. My friend had a salad that she enjoyed. The chicken curry sandwich is awesome! I would not however want to go if I had a limited time for lunch. It was a very long lunch. I am going tonight with my family for dinner. I can't wait!;>) —ashleyinthemist

2011-07-18 21:21:08   Husband and I stopped by tonight and were so impressed! Our House is elegant yet cozy, and the menu is creative and reasonably priced. Can't wait to go back! —EmilyGardner

2011-07-19 10:29:02   Went there for dinner with a friend. Love the new decor. I had the Filet Steak Au Poivre, which was flavorful, but on the tough side. My friend had the Salmon and it was perfectly cooked and had a nice balance of flavors. We had amazing service as well. I am going back for lunch tomorrow. —LokiAbbi

2011-07-22 20:05:01   We had an early dinner here tonight (Friday). Staff was very friendly and service was excellent. Very quick, very well timed. Appetizers came out within probably 6 or 7 minutes of ordering, and he brought out our entrees as soon as he cleared the appetizer plates. It was impressive for such a new place.

The food was a mixed bag. Our appetizers were excellent. I got the tequila lime beef with lime ginger dipping sauce and it was absolutely fantastic. You can't really tell from the menu, but it's done up as little wraps in fresh tortillas with some sauteed peppers and onions. The dipping sauce was delicious, steak was tender and wonderful. One of the better appetizers I've come across. My wife had a Mediterranean caprese salad that was a slight twist on the traditional - fresh heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, and smoked mozzarella; the basil was finely chopped over the top. The smokiness of the mozzarella was pretty mild and very pleasant, and the eggplant was deliciously salty. All extremely well balanced.

The entrees were a little more iffy. I got one of their specials, a hamburger that had bacon ground into the patty, with some kind of aioli and whatnot. It really wasn't that interesting. A bit on the dry side (hard to do with bacon in the patty) and just not that much going on. It honestly didn't have anything on a Gradburger, and it fell short of something from Sudwerk or Burgers and Brew. It came with some very fresh, house-made potato chips that were reasonably tasty. Very mild, slightly salty. A pleasant but not particularly exciting side.

My wife had the lemon ricotta gnocchi with pancetta. The gnocchi were pretty good. Largish, not too heavy. The sauce was quite a bit heavier—very creamy, very strong lemon flavor. It was interesting. If you're not a big fan of lemon, I wouldn't recommend it, but we both liked it well enough.

Drinks were... pricey. I got a Hop Ottin from Anderson Valley (mislabeled as "Hop Ottin Boonville IPA" ... that's where the brewery's located, but it's not the brewery's name) and my wife had a Boont. I believe they were $5 each (we got there during happy hour, so got a dollar off)... for bottles. Oddly, the menu doesn't identify them as bottles, or indicate what might be on tap vs. what's not. I'd expect that price for pints if they were on tap, but that's pretty hefty for 12 oz. off the supermarket shelf.¹ My understanding is that a 200-300% markup is pretty typical, but this was in the 400-500% range. The cheapest wine I recall was $7 for a glass, and a lot of them weren't all that exceptional. They had some cocktails in the $5-6 range, but others, in the "martinis etc." category (including a sidecar), were up around $9-10. I'm really not sure why.

Anyway, all in all, it was a decent experience. I enjoyed the service and the appetizers were excellent. I don't know if I'd do a full meal again, but it's a nice place to stop in for something light. The alcohol isn't worth it. —TomGarberson

2011-08-12 22:43:11   Ate here for dinner on a Friday night, and the food was great! Ordered the Rootbeer BBQ Pork sliders, and chicken corn chowder, and they were DELISH. The wait staff was very eager to serve us, and couldn't have been nicer. Overall, the atmosphere was 'chic' and I really enjoyed the experience. —katietakara

2011-08-16 23:39:26   This place is amazing. The service took a little long and there were only a total of 6 people in there, including myself and a friend....but the food is worth the wait. the presentation is amazing and the atmosphere can fit any occasion: casual, romantic, fun night out with friends. The food is a TAD pricey, but it is a specialty restaurant, that is expected. overall, one of my FAVORITE restaurants in Davis. —Shelle

2011-08-27 23:20:50   Went for dinner and was very excited to try this new place out, but the food was just ok and the service was pretty bad. Drinks were fun (jalapeno margherita). We ordered 2 appetizers, a salad and one entree to share between the two of us. They brought out three dishes at once (salad + 2 appetizers) and the very apologetic waitress said the entree was about to come out too! So we ate as fast as we could to make room on our tiny table for the entree ... which didn't actually come for another 15 minutes. :-( The Ahi Poke was good, but most of the other things were just ok and the entree (BBQ salmon) was dry. I might go back when things are more under control, but maybe not. I'll go to Tucos for a guaranteed good meal + good service at the same relative price. —RobynW

2011-09-06 12:51:57   Did not like the decor. Trying to go for a classy place but the blinding light from the Televisions really took away. It was kind of a pub mixed with find dining with the fine dinging prices. The wine was overpriced as well as the rest of the menu considering the service we received. We pushed through and ordered our meals. It took almost 45 minutes then the waiter asked if we need some bread to tie us over and when we said yes he came back with the food and said the bread was too long to cut(They didn't have bread obviously). When we when into the steaks it was terrible. I mean if I was paying 10 dollars for the steak I would be happy but 30 dollars was terrible. The steaks were dry and terrible unflavorable. The waiter came out and appoligized saying they steaks should have been rubbed down in oil. It was ovious it was but there was NO spice. We got the pork sliders instead of our steaks which were okay but I could have made just as good on a camping trip. It was obvious the buns were from safeway. DO NOT GO HERE! —LucasSiegfried

2011-10-23 22:44:14   As a fine dinning server, I can say that this place is great. The service was warm and inviting, despite the fact that I am a college student—which sometimes leads to bad service—and the food is delicious. I love the filet; I will always make sure that someone in my party orders it. This is where I go when I want to have a nice meal in Davis. They seem to be attracting the same clientele as Bistro 33 and I would say it's WAY better. —CourtneyMullarkey

2011-11-11 22:04:21   I have been to our house twice now when King Hall hosted it's "bar review" there. I liked the atmosphere. The drinks seem to be slightly higher priced than other bars in town. Luckily they had drink specials both times. On the first occasion one of the bartenders did not get the memo on the drink specials and I was overcharged by about five dollars, but when I pointed this out the next day, they were super courteous and gave me a refund for the difference in cash. I will definitely be coming back. —ChrisDietrich

2011-11-21 09:36:22   A group of us went here for the first time a few weeks back and we were sadly disappointed upon leaving. Our House is so overpriced it's almost insulting to people who know the restaurant/bar scene. First, there is no beer on tap, who opens a bar without beer on tap?, and they charge $5 for a bottle of beer (seriously...$5 for a Corona) unless you want a domestic and they charge $4 for that (If it's beer your looking for go to the Davis Beer Shop). Their cocktail's are overpriced for Davis, and when we did order one it was nothing to write home about. We went here thinking it was going to be a nicer environment given the prices and the decor, which it was until we soon found out that around 9:30-10:00 this place turns into just another Davis college bar packed full of college kids taking shots and lurking over you waiting for your seat. If you do go here, I would go for lunch when the menu is more reasonably priced and your not dealing with the Happy Hour crowd, unless that's what your looking for. —seanjones

2011-11-28 14:17:28   I went here with a couple of friends and was expecting quality not crap. I mean seriously I don't know what kind of standards they have there. The Gm I think his name is Jon was rude to us while waiting for our food. We waited for an 1hr to get some simple food. I assumed when they talk local but they really buy sysco or non local farms.But if they buy any produce from the farmers market you can just look at there menu and know they didn't even think about what the farmers grow at this time of the year Aspargus All year arounds. My only other complaint was the Salmon I was sick for all night long and when i called to let the restaurant know they told me that it was something else i ate but thats not possible. I wan't even asking for a free meal just sharing what happen; who ever took that call is just straight up rude. If you want a great drink in davis go to our house for Food However steer clear. If you read other reviews on yelp the same thing is happening to a couple of people..

—RachelleO

2011-12-15 13:54:26   I like this restaurant a lot.

What I like:

- Good veggie options
- Tomato soup is soooo tasty
- Happy hour and late night happy hour for a glass of wine
- Classy/casual atmosphere
- Good service

What I could do without:

- Expensive

—rachington11

2012-02-02 08:28:31   I've been here twice now, and I have to admit that I'm very disappointed. I was initially rather excited about the prospects of this place based on their early statements about what they were looking to do with the restaurant, but I don't think they've achieved any of them. My heart sank the moment I took a glance at their cocktail menu for the first time. For a place that was aiming to be one of the best cocktail locations in Davis, the list is incredibly bland. But even if I wasn't going to be impressed with the bar, there was always a chance that the restaurant was worth it. Unfortunately, no. The service both times was unacceptable at their price point. (side note: why does the Davis/Sac area have such a hard time providing decent service unless you're at an expensive restaurant??) Service was *incredibly* slow between each course. We rarely saw our server, and they didn't seem very informed about the dishes. We actually had to ask another server for our check on one visit because we hadn't seen our server in so long.
On top of that, the food was just average. I had a tomato bisque that reminded me far too much of Campbell's. A caesar salad hadn't had enough water shaken off the lettuce. The gnocchi were ok. The best thing I had was the sourdough bruschetta, sadly. Nothing else was memorable. And I will second another reviewer's comment that it was very weird to see blatantly out-of-season produce on the menu of a 'nicer' restaurant in Davis. I think I counted 3 entrees with asparagus in December?
In all, I won't return unless I hear something has changed. They're selling at Seasons prices, but the food and the service aren't nearly as good. —MattCzarnowski

2012-02-19 20:07:43   Had dinner here on Friday. The tequila lime beef was fine, ravioli under-salted, and the steak overcooked ("medium-rare" came out crispy, dry, and brown in the middle). We waited a truly ridiculous amount of time for someone to take our order, bring the appetizer, then the entrees, then the bill. Dinner overall took 2 hours in a restaurant that was barely half full. I cook better, cheaper, faster, and can do it all without getting out of my jammies to go to a "nice" restaurant. Would not recommend! —KatherineChiu

2012-03-25 11:20:14   We went here for Valentine's Day and I have to say I was pretty disappointed. My gnocchi was rubbery, and it took nearly 45 minutes to get to our table. For the price, this restaurant was not worth it for us, and next time we'll go somewhere else. I miss Aioli! —sjmcdonnel

• My rule of thumb: never judge a restaurant by Valentine's Day. Corollary: Don't eat out on Valentine's Day. Restaurants are never at their best on that day. I haven't been to this restaurant, so I can't say whether your experience was typical, but I would suggest that you give them another try. —CovertProfessor
  

• With the ut-most respect for all the edits that C.P. does I've held my tongue for a long time about this establishment, #1: It's not fine dining, it's super expensive dining, if you pay $30 for an entree and $5 for soup and $5 for the salad no matter what day it is, it should be spectacular, note: This is not including alcohol or tips. Fine dining to me; carpet not concrete, mellow interior not Gettysburg green, nice ceiling panels, not smelly old ceiling panels, and almost got knocked out by the swinging kitchen door on my way to the bathroom and on my way back. If you ever mention the Fats family name you should always be on your game because i've eaten at their establishments for over 4 decades. And this is just my opinion—Theangrydiner
  

• You haven't disagreed with anything I said. —CovertProfessor
  

2012-04-11 22:57:01   I haven't been here for dinner, but our business group meets here every week in the banquet room, and the staff has been very accommodating and the food great! If you knew what we went through to find a meeting space in Davis with catering that a) didn't charge $200 for the privilege of using an ancient fluorescent-lit convention space for an hour, and b) had food of a quality that we would all WANT to eat each week... We've all been super happy with the food, particularly the pork sliders, the chicken corn chowder, and the wedge salad. I could write a term paper about how good the bleu cheese dressing is! My advice? Stick to lunch if you're unsure, and feel the place out before taking the more expensive dinner plunge. —LilyS