Silver Dragon

 InfoInfo MapMap
Search:    

SilverDragon.JPG

Location
335 F Street
Hours
Mon-Thurs 11:30am-9:30pm
Fri-Sat 11:30am-10:00pm
Sun 12:00pm-9:30pm
Phone
(530)758-1318

koi.jpgA beautiful koi fish tank sits in the waiting area at Silver Dragon

Despite its diner/truckstop appearance, Silver Dragon is, in fact, a Chinese restaurant that offers dishes typical of Chinese food restaurants in Davis. While renowned by some for its General Chicken, Silver Dragon has been criticized for a higher-than-usual rate of inedible or unsanitary objects in the food (such as hair and bugs).

Others, however, claim enjoying meals without incident and find the food affordable and of comparable quality. For example, the restaurant was ranked third best Asian cuisine in the California Aggie's "Best of Davis 2007" list.

Suggested alternatives include Great Wall for a buffet, Orange Hut for better food, and Noodle Express for better atmosphere.

Comments:

Note: You must be logged in to add comments

If you want to feel like you're at a truck stop, eat at Silver Dragon. - Users/JeremyAbramson

I've been to this place a couple times, and I had pretty good food. It sort of is a diner, so I don't think the look really matters. Sure, I wouldn't take a girl there on a date, but it's not awful or anything. Personally, my favorite Chinese place in town is Hunan. I would suspect a lot of people like Silver Dragon because the place always has a lot of customers? - PhilipNeustrom

The sad thing is that arguably the most authentic Chinese food in Davis can be gotten at Old Teahouse, in terms of selection and serving food without sweet sauces, although this says little about quality. For those who truly love authentic Chinese cuisine, it's hard to do much better than New Canton. Its Chinese name is something like "Towards the Wind," just to be random, and it is located on Broadway & 26th in Sacramento. Chef Tony Su, used to be Executive Chef at ABC in Milpitas, the best Chinese restaurant in the northern half of California (sharing this honor with Hong Kong Flower Lounge in Millbrae). - jr

There is a bit of Davis history available here if you look for it; take a close look at the decor the next time you go in. Look for the steers with the capitol T on their foreheads. The tables and chairs have the logo of the restaurant that was there before Silver Dragon. Their lunch offerings are good. - JasonAller

The food here is the best Chinese food I've found in Davis so far, and the prices are pretty good. Main course, rice, soup, and egg roll for about $6.00. Food is good quality Americanized Chinese. Service is really, really terrible, but it is bearable because the food is good. Definitely try the Generals Chicken steamed rice plate. —JacobOrenberg

I dont recommend it. While some of my friends rave about it, I think the food is gross and unsanitary. Last time I ate there I found pieces of metal (perhaps foil?) inside my eggrolls, and a loonngggg piece of hair in my General Chicken. EWWWW. Needless to say I have not been back since. - AshleyOrsaba

I went to this place with a group of friends. We ordered several dishes to share. The food was pretty good until we found a lengthy black hair near the bottom of our chowmain dish. As if the discovery of the repulsive hair was not tramatic enough, when my friends and I reported the problem to our waitress, she actually suggested that the hair might be one of OURS. After that I swore I would never return to Silver Dragon. —SiennaGrass

2005-07-05 16:09:52   Some of my friends love this place, but I think it's gross. I know someone who found a huge beetle (I'd hate to say cockroach without knowing for certain, but...) in his food, and the guy who owns/runs the restaurant creeps me out. —SummerSong

2005-07-06 18:40:02   I think alot of the claims against Silver Dragon are nonesense. the food is delicious, the Employees are always there to help you with anything (once i spilled a glass of water on the floor, and the waiter jumped up with a smile to tell me it was okay and that he would get it) and in regards to the food, it may not be authentic as far as chinese goes, but then again, think what chinese restaurant in davis is? —StevoDragun

2005-07-08 21:27:47   Fine. Enjoy your hairy chowmain. —SiennaGrass *This comment made me laugh out loud. Rocksanddirt

2005-07-08 23:37:52   I thought it was pretty weird that when you order the mu-shu pork, the guy actually comes to your table, wraps it up, and throws it on your plate for you. Not a one time thing, he does it all the time. I end up grabbing the spoon for the sauce as soon as its on the table so that I can start before he does. Maybe it's the fact that he uses his bare hands, ich. I used to eat here a lot before I went on to other Chinese places, the food was always decent. Not good, sometimes weird, but thankfully never any beetles or hair. Service isn't god awful but it's definitly mediocre. —ES

2005-08-13 11:10:48   The Wor Wonton soup is inexpensive, huge, and tasty. —AlexPomeranz

2005-08-14 18:54:45   If you want Americanized chinese junkfood, eat at Silver Dragon. If you want good food and qualty service try Shangra La over E. 8th Street. —WesOne

My parents and I enjoy eating at Silver Dragon. The price isn't that bad and the food is great. I recommend the Hot and Sour soup. —SimonFung

2005-08-27 15:32:15   I like this place because it's good for takeout. Eating in you get to experience different groups of people (who are mature, immature, etc) and different levels of service. I don't really reccomend eating there alone; their individual portions are not really up to par. But I'm not sure their food is any better or worse than say, Hunan, where the atmosphere is better. —SS

2005-10-15 20:30:17   I think Silver Dragon is an excellent restaurant with very good food. The staff is very nice. —MaggieBlank

2005-11-12 00:36:40   My husband and I have two favorite Chinese Food places in town, and this is one of them. The silver dragon is great because the waiters don't bother you every 5 minutes with food in your mouth. The food is plentiful and quite delicious, as well as cheap. The setting may not be as "atmospheric" as a lot of people would like, but who really cares? I go there for good food, not to stare at wallpaper. —TarynHornen

2005-11-19 15:04:19   I really wish they didn't spill more water on the table then they pour into your cup. They pour it so fast from filled pitchers that it drips and splashes everywhere. If you place your cup away from the tables edge, you'll even get water in your plate. Every single time nomatter who the server is for the last 2 or 3 years. Part of why I said the service is mediocre at best. Oh, and before I said the guy does the moo-shu wrap stuff for you - last time I tried to do it myself he actually half-yelled at me to stop. But I think the food is alright for the price, so we still go. Just don't tip much. —ES

2006-01-11 16:05:28   Well I have been going to Silver Dragon for 13yrs now and have never found an unwelcome thig/stuff in my food. The walnut shrimp and cheese wontons are GREAT. If you ever have a cold I highly recommend the Hot & Soup soup. All of the food is pretty cheap and pretty good. —MichiePal

2006-02-14 15:30:13   Pretty bad. I guess it's edible though. Of course, I can't help but think of the smell of the alley right next to the front door. It's one of those smells that makes you throw up a little in your mouth. YUM! —RyanLeverenz

2006-02-24 09:39:35   I like this place. The lunch specials really fill my belly for less than $6. I've eaten here a dozen times or more and haven't seen a hair or a bug in my food. —SteveGreen

2006-03-17 19:56:49   F**KEN PISSED!!! I understand that it was a busy hour. But how come they pack for others but not my table? I guess it's becasue people at my table looked young... We called them for bills and packing, and I swear to god that they were ignoring us to serve others first. For freaken 15mins!!! Even though we asked for service first!! When paying the bill, they asked us to go to the front and pay whereas they takecare of other people's bill and bring it to their table. I mean, their food has always sucked, but I went back once a while because of the proximity. But with this kind of treatment? F**K NO!! Also, You want to try Monglian Beef "Soup"? Go here... (Never seen Monglian Beef with so much water!!) =_=; —JoyJoy

2006-03-20 01:10:19   What sort of "chinese" joint has a stash of chopsticks in plain view but doesn't even offer the Chinese customers chopsticks? The food was not horribly salty but the meats were strangely fried and somewhat gooey. I wasn't feeling very good after eating dinner there the other day. As for atmosphere, for much of the time we were there, a middle aged guy(manager, perhaps) seemed to be ranting at the waitress. They were pretty nice to the customers for the most part but told a guy who's been at UCD for a few years to "get a job." —MarieHuynh

2006-05-08 23:55:52   I have always had great food at Silver Dragon. Their orange chicken rice plate is my favorite. With the exception of one brusk waiter, the staff is extremely friendly. —EliseKane

2006-05-25 22:32:32   P.S. Once found a hair in the food, but c'mon, that's very hard to prevent. I mean, hairs get in things. It's not going to hurt you. Unless it was a rat hair (which most likely won't hurt somebody either), I think it wasn't a big deal. I've gone to Silver Dragon several times and even took my parents there once when they visited Davis. The portions have been huge; you get more than you pay for. The owner is amiable and jokes around, but is not intrusive. A good ol' family restaurant. —EliseKane

2006-05-26 00:00:32   I found the following entry at found.com amusing.. [WWW]http://www.foundmagazine.com/index.php?fuseaction=finds.view&fid=267 —CaptainRush

2006-06-10 14:30:30   I have tried both Hunans and Silver Dragon and by far I feel Silver Dragon suprassed my expectations. I have been eating Chinese food since I was little in the Bay Area and this one is the better of the two. —CarmenCastillo

2006-07-14 06:56:43   The food that they serve is not really Chinese food. What they serve is American's perception and a twisted deception of Chinese food. —KillerBobo

2006-07-14 08:39:45   I'm an American and this is not my perception of Chinese food. —CarlMcCabe

2006-08-07 18:37:10   I must say, the cashew chicken is amazing. Highly recommended. —EliseKane

2006-09-16 13:53:47   Best service in Davis. The food is tasty and the wait-staff is awesome, unlike many other Chinese places in davis (*cough* Hunan *Cough*). —DennisMuldoon

2006-10-15 16:51:26   Someone recently raved to me about this place and I finally decided to check it out. The food (I've tried it twice) is not great. I won't be back. Not to mention the place is dirty and cruddy to boot. —AnnieSirrah

2006-11-28 22:01:49   this place is terrible. been there once, will never go back there EVER AGAIN. they put msg in EVERYTHING. —KitLau

2006-12-18 19:45:34   I like americanized chinese food more than authentic chinese food! So, go figure... And as far as silver dragon is concerned, I went there recently and my food was quite tasty (nice and MSG-ed). All these stories about hair and bugs are kinda gross though - I hope they aren't true. —DanielWorthington

2007-01-16 05:28:45   I just recently went here for the dinner specialty and everything was sanitary as well as delicious. I had the generals chicken which is basically Orange chicken with a different sauce and it was fine. Overall pretty good place —JasonKong

2007-01-22 02:38:51   Chalk another one up to enjoying meals without incident for as long as I can remember. I love the hot and sour soup and the boss hooks it up more or less now that I'm a semi reg. I like getting a number J for lunch, you should to —StevenDaubert

2007-03-02 14:06:26   Silver Dragon was recommended by one of my husband's professors at UCD. It's great! We've never had any problems there at all. I think the food is very good and inexpensive. We have always had great service there. It's a low-key family place. My favorite dishes are the Sweet n Sour Pork, and a pea dish they have, name escapes me at the moment. Give it a try! —PatrickRogers

2007-04-24 12:03:06   If you get there after 8 pm, the owner's favorite joke is to pretend that it's too late and that he's about to close his restaurant. And he does this to 4 out of 5 customers who approach. It's very amusing to watch. He's a very happy, loud, friendly guy who will tell you to enjoy your "Spaghetti" as he puts down your plate of beef with broccolli.

2007-04-29 18:44:04   Silver Dragon has the best Hot and Sour Soup around these here parts. I think it's the best Hot and Sour soup I've ever had. The place is totally affordable and the customer service is really good there, as I've had very jovial experiences with some of the waiters and the owner. I once complimented one of the waiters on his shirt, as it was a different color from everyone else's and he said it was his work shirt when he used to work at a casino! :) —ArielaHaro

2007-05-02 12:49:42   the food is average but not the best chinese food i've had. its good location can rack in customers but the quality of the food is enjoyable. service is good also. —trambajuice

2007-05-27 15:14:58   Good food and good service. Order the Letter J lunch special. —dancohen

2007-07-11 17:09:43   Terrific Service and the absolute best Chow Mein Ive had in my entire life. Their Rice plates are so-so. —JoeLow

2007-07-13 23:44:58   Great hot braised bean curd...but if you don't eat animals AND have a hankering for Chinese I would definitely check out Ding How and their wonderful "vegetarian meat" menu. —K.C.

2007-09-04 05:56:48   Good "Americanized" Chinese food, but their hot and sour soup will satisfy any craving no matter what the weather is like outside —DCWine

2007-10-14 03:51:01   Davis Cops love this place. Must be the diner atmosphere. —JeffShaw

2007-11-21 21:09:19   Silver Dragon's cuisine is certainly Americanized (though outside of SF, LA or the rare place in Sac, whose isn't?), but it's pretty tasty, our service was very fast and polite, and the portions were quite good. Did I say good? I meant to say utterly absurd (in a good way). We got the Family Dinner for two and were served enough food for 5—soup, egg rolls, wantons, chow mein, sweet and sour chicken and cashew chicken. Any of the last three could have fed my wife and myself on their own. Admittedly, none of it was exceptional, but it was all good enough to look forward to the week or so of leftovers that we took away from it. —RyanSandler

2007-11-21 23:05:50   As Jason notes, it looks like a diner because it WAS a diner, long before it was Silver Dragon. I've been eating there for decades. Good food, reasonable prices, friendly service, very consistent over the years. Great Hot and Sour Soup. A pleasant place to take visitors. (I have never had a problem with anything unsanitary, and frankly I'm beginning to disbelieve all the stories about these things that show up on restaurant comments all over the Davis Wiki.) —DonShor

2007-12-19 20:38:33   The food is fairly good, particularly the Mongolian beef and General chicken. Sometimes the staff tries to crack jokes that aren't funny, but other than that, it's not a bad place to try. —thelonepiper555

2007-12-21 00:08:05   Pretty good Chinese food for Davis, although not comparable to mommy's homecooking...although few things are. I'll definitely come back here again. —kthrnngo

2008-01-27 01:05:36   This is my favorite Chinese food place in Davis. The food is pretty good and the waiters are generally funny and nice. They recognize me and my group of friends that come often, and last time they gave us free soup! Mmm... I like the feel of a place, so I really like this one. —ChristyMarsden

2008-02-17 19:03:04   Why does everyone like this place? It seems like any regular Chinese fast food. It's bit better than the other places in Davis, but it's still not that great. The food is too salty. —feichu-huya

2008-03-19 13:28:57   Great Americanized Chinese food. Service, price, and food quality was pretty good. A great place to go out with your friends for dinner now and then. It also has a very nice family atmosphere. —VTang

2008-04-15 18:43:29   The sesame chicken was delicious until we uncovered the giant bug, but that might have been what made it delicious. edit: I forgot to add, he didn't comp the check, they just took half off and offered to replace the sesame chicken. —SamanthaA

2008-05-03 10:02:33   I have eaten at Silver Dragon many times over the past few years while in Davis - sometimes as many as four times per month. My friends and I always looked forward to being served by 'Sam' who is friendly and outgoing so it wasn't always the food that brought us back. The food has always been good and tasty and remarkably inexpensive.

During the past year, however, I have noted a disappointing change in attitude by the owners. I challenged the bill one time as it seemed way too high even for a party of four (they write your order in chinese and just put a total on the bill rather than itemizing items as in most restaurants) When I had him ring up each item seperately on the register, it turned out that our server (not 'Sam') had tacked on an extra five bucks. Begrudgingly he adjusted the bill. No tip that day!

Things went well for a while and we even added the tip we didn't leave before to Sam's tip since he treats us so well. Then we ate there around noon one day and I ordered General Chicken, my usual. To my dismay it was cooked poorly (practically raw inside and gummy outside)and I just ate the chow mein which is always very good. I told the manager who rang us up that I wasn't pleased (I would have sent it back but the non Sam server never even came back to the table and we were in a hurry) and his reaction was "we can't please everyone".

This past week however was an even worse experience and our last straw. My friend and I had stopped in around 3pm for a late lunch and found the place practically deserted. The staff was all seated around a large circular table eating so we just seated ourselves. Eventually some guy must have finished eating and came over and dropped two menus on the table. We ordered when the owner finally came by. A totally different person came by and practically dropped the plate on the table and walked away without a word.

The mood of the staff was somber and grim and not at all cheerful (where were you Sam!) There was only one other customer eating alone and soon left. We ate quickly and I went to the counter to pay since they never seem to bring your check around to the table anymore. The owner took my cash and gave me change. I asked him what was up and he basically said if I didn't like the service then go eat somewhere else!

OK, we will! From what I saw and experienced, I would'nt be surprised to see them closing their doors soon. Maybe the economic downturn is affecting them.

Now we meet at Hunan where the food is always excellent and the service fine. The food is more expensive but the atmosphere is worth it.

Good luck to you Sam! Thanks for all your funny banter!

2008-05-29 12:55:33   I eat here every few weeks, usually with one other person. We get a combo meal and it always amounts to about two meals worth of food for us, which is great! —Loccster

2008-07-29 01:41:07   Terribly expensive for the General Chicken+Chow Mein+Rice for one person its automatically $14. I tried ordering just the chicken and chow mein and it was still $14, I just about died. I hate going here but damn I do love their General Chicken. —csmith

2008-09-21 03:18:22   Number 1 Rule of Chinese Dining....

If there's no asian people eating at an asian restaurant.. THEN IT"S NOT GOOD. —2point0student

2008-09-25 07:14:08   Using that logic, if no Germans or Polish people are eating at Hotdogger, then it must suck. Faulty logic. Plus, on a more basic level, Asians do eat there. So, argument null and void. —DCWine

2008-11-08 15:29:56   I've always had an okay experience at Silver Dragon until today. Today I ate the hot and sour soup, and when I was done, I removed the bowl so that I could use the small plate for sauce. Underneath my cup were four very alive squirmy baby roaches. I was appalled and disgusted, and when I complained, they quickly took the bowl away and apologized. However, they charged me for my meal, even though I ate less than half of it because I lost my appetite! I will never return here again. —DiLane

2008-11-13 13:13:01   I ate at Silver Dragon for dinner with a friend. We got their $9 dinner special, which consisted of wonton soup, fried egg rolls, chicken chow mein, sweet/sour pork, and a chicken dish. The portions were huge (more than enough for 2 people) and the food was okay. The total bill came to a $11 split, not exactly affordable but considering you are getting a soup, appetizer, and 3 dishes, plus some extras for take home, it ain't bad. —justinhu

2009-02-20 17:07:22   If people had a legitimate claim of unsanitary conditions why didn't they report them to the Health Department? It is not that hard! =) Once a request has been made the inspector of restaurants will make a surprise visit. —Ericka

2009-03-09 13:29:19   RACIST..... The food is o.k. at best its a hit and miss.. you get good food about every third time.. but heres a good one. i worked my butt off the other day so decided there was enough room in this place to take my friends family and mine to this place and i had been snubbed here before having Asians seated before me and the same Waiter did it again and gave our booth to people that came in way after us .. again of Asian decent ..to all those who have ever been effected by racism i now know how you feel .. we walked out and after going here off and on for ten years .i will never go there again EVER ..I have been in the food business for 22 years and have never done this to anyone .reading someone elses comments about cockroaches on the cups does not surprise me . hardworkingdad —hardworkingdad

2009-03-15 18:54:41   Silver Dragon is definitely hit or miss. I love the authentic taste and the authentic service (Which is also hit or miss; the service I experienced in Beijing was about the same). The location is pretty prime, and it's a really solid place to hit if you're just roaming around downtown aimlessly. I've tried pretty much all the Chinese restaurants in Davis in my 6 years here so far, and Silver Dragon is a perennial favorite. I'm not sure about these claims about roaches and unsanitary stuff, aside from the fact that sometimes when soup's being served, the server touches his thumb to the soup. No big deal if his hands are washed regularly. —Aggieanthony

2009-03-21 10:47:42   Been to this place several times with my family. The price is really good for the amount of food that you get. Service is pretty decent. Food comes out really fast. I think it was the owner....but one day he made really funny comments about some guy out the window with a fancy bike and a 4cm thick chain used to lock it up. Hilarious. Can't go wrong with this place. —Ruby777

2009-05-15 20:15:44   food is pretty good. service is great. they're all super nice. —julpham

2009-07-22 21:27:22   We went today and had the spicy chow mien and mandarin chicken rice plate dish. At first, looks were kinda suspicious, but we received excellent service and great food, especially the chow mien, all for a decent price. They were also good portions. Our waters were refilled twice without asking. One of the plates came with soup, but the worker gave the hot & sour soup to both of us so we overall had a pleasant experience and would definitely come back. —MichVan

2009-08-17 13:34:37   After living in Davis for 4 years, I decided that this restaurant has the best customer service out of all the restaurants in Davis. The servers are always genuinely nice and cheery. Never ever annoyed or bored looking. Food is typical of any chinese restaurant in Davis so if you had a choice, go here for the service. —julpham

2009-09-11 20:25:06   Not always the most authentic Chinese cuisine, but it is consistently outstandingly tasty! —arynkoo

2009-09-17 01:26:49   Lunch Combo J. boom. —tneeley

2009-11-09 18:33:46   If you want pretty good chinese food at a decent price, this is the place to go. It's your stereotypical chinese restaurant, but the soups are better than most of the other places in Davis. Good lunch specials. —KCcomix

This is a Wiki Spot wiki. Wiki Spot is a non-profit organization that helps communities collaborate via wikis.