Sophia's Thai Kitchen

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sophias_courtyard.jpgSophia's courtyard area. sophias.jpgStreet view of the bar.

Location
129 E Street, around the corner from Mishka's
Restaurant Hours
Lunch: Mon-Sat 11:30am-2pm, Sun noon-2:30pm
Dinner: Sun-Thurs 5pm-9pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-10pm
Bar Hours
Monday-Friday 4pm-2am (Happy Hour 4pm-6pm)
Saturday & Sunday 5pm-2am
Phone
(530) 758-4333
Email
<mail AT sophiasthaikitchen DOT com>
Website
[WWW]SophiasThaiKitchen.com
[WWW]Event calendar
MySpace
[WWW]http://www.myspace.com/sophiasthaikitchen

Sophia's Thai Kitchen was the first Thai restaurant in Davis and many consider it to be the best food stop in the entire town. At the same time, some consider their food to be the most mediocre of the city's five Thai restaurants. While these polarizing opinions exist and are hotly debated, there can be no argument to the popularity of the establishment, where wait times on any given night can stretch to 45 minutes or more. There isn't a waiting area, per se, but patrons either spill out into the adjacent courtyard or venture up to the bar next door. To marshal the wait, hosts hand out candybar-sized beepers that buzz/flash when your table is ready. The wait-list is on a first come, first served basis, they will not take your name over the phone, and they do not accept reservations, all "due to limited seating."

The restaurant has a laid back atmosphere with both indoor and outdoor seating. The inside decor is warm and romantic, particularly the "Thai Room", where patrons slip off their shoes and sit eating on cushions on the floor. When it is not tented during the cold months, the outdoor courtyard is the ideal seating option during a warm evening, where the tables reside under the canopy of a giant walnut tree. The food is reasonably priced and conservatively spiced relative to its competition. Most dishes include a choice between chicken, beef, or tofu, and they offer shrimp and duck for an additional charge. As noted on the Vegetarian Options page, you should request all curries without fish sauce if you are vegetarian. It should be noted that unlike the other Thai restaurants in town, which charge for rice, most of Sophia's menu selections include refillable rice. Also, most famously, Sophia's gives refills on the cuisine's staple beverage: the Thai Iced Tea.

thaiiceatea.jpgSophia's gives free refills on Thai Iced Tea. The originator of this photo needs to get out more often...

Dimly lit, cozy, and complete with tropical fish tank, the adjacent bar is also extremely popular. During dinner, they offer appetizers and drinks while you wait for a table. If you're lucky enough to catch a seat at the bar itself and want to skip the wait, they offer the full restaurant menu from which you can order. The drink menu, while a bit pricey, is extensive and exotic, and they offer a wide array of Belgian beers, small-batch Bourbons, and fine single-malt Scotches, many of which you won't find anywhere else in town. Their frozen drinks are as good as ever, but the bar is really known for its Mojitos, their signature drink, and the one which they introduced to the Davis drinking scene when they first opened in 2001.

mojito.jpgThe Mojito. They usually come full, and with an unsqueezed lime.

If you want to run into a TA on a Friday night, this is probably a good place to look. The crowd is usually comprised of a mix of grad students, undergrads looking to escape the usual bar crowds, international students, and young professionals. The Law and Business schools usually dominate on Thursday nights. In the past, Wednesday night's used to have an entirely different feel because of $1 drink night, drawing out lots of bros in search of T&A (which they'd usually find here), but Sophia's has since discontinued the event.

From April to October, the bar hosts its live music season at night on the deck. Their [WWW]calendar is very eclectic, ranging from bluegrass to folk to indie rock/pop, so the programming promises something for everybody. The concert series has garnered Sophia's accolades from the editors of the Sacramento News & Review, calling them "The Best Music Venue Off The Grid" in 2006. There is usually a small cover charge, all of which goes to the artists.

Beginning in June of 2007, Sophia's began a weekly underground electronic night every Thursday (Wednesday during the summer) hosted by Resident DJ Ian Lesperance. The night features a long-form mix of non-commercial music, primarily of the downtempo, trip-hop, acid jazz, hip-hop, soulful drum and bass, and deep house varieties.

Tuesday nights feature Sophia's very popular Trivia Night, where teams convene, put their heads together, and answer 40 questions ranging from geography to 80's music to The Big Lebowski. While trivia nights are nothing new, no bar had hosted one in Davis until Sophia's began their quiz in 2005, surprising given the number of students and Geeks in this college town. Prizes are given out in the form of gift certificates ($60 for 1st place) or free rounds of drinks. Also, every week the team with the best team name gets a round of free shots. Occasionally the Quizmaster (usually the owner, KevinWan) will arbitrarily dole out bonus prizes for random things like "most incorrect answer", "last place" or an extra $10 if you can beat Canadian Softwood. There is no cover charge, but there is a one drink minimum. There are also rules to the game.

Sophia's happy hour is Monday through Friday from 4pm to 6pm. All draft beers and well drinks are $3 and specialty drinks off their menu are $5 (this includes Mojitos). At the bar on Mondays after 9pm is Service Industry Night, where anybody who works at a restaurant/bar/hotel/cafe gets a deep discount. Beers and well drinks are $2, call brands are $3, and wine by the glass is $3. Employment is verified by a recent paystub which the bouncers check at the door.

Photos

dollardrinks.jpg$1 Drink Night on Wednesdays

sophias_inside.jpgInside bar area. sophias_couch.jpgThe makeout corner. sophias_liquor.jpgSophia's Wall Of Liquor.

Media


Reviews and comments

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2008-01-10 03:36:57   We were so pleased they could make the Pad Thai vegan by leaving the fish sauce & eggs out. They even asked if we preferred our tofu steamed instead of going into the fryer. I always add the sweet-spicy sauce to the Pad Thai to add some moisture & kick to the noodles. I agree you should avoid ordering the tofu satay. It is not really satay, as they didn't brush it with coconut milk & curry. It is just plain tofu, & it wasn't good steamed or fried (no 'lil cucumber salad to accompany it either which usually comes with tofu satay). We were advised that the curries cannot be made vegan, but they did make a version of the Spicy Eggplant stir fry for us which was a delicious alternative. **(On our last visit 6/15/08, the manager let us know the Spicy Eggplant could NOT be made vegan , & the server who had advised us otherwise was misinformed. Vegans/vegetarians, do not order anything they offer with curry sauce- they all contain shrimp paste.)** Another time I had the Coconut Vegetable Soup with tofu, & they were able to hold the fish sauce— also excellent. Both dishes came with a huge portion of jasmine rice on the side for no extra charge. Skip the Pad Kee Mao. It is normally one of my favs, but their version has no kick or flavor. My sweet-spicy sauce couldn't even save the dish. The waitress saw we weren't able to eat it & comped it for us, a very nice gesture.
Now, the bar at Sophia's is my favorite in town. I am aiming to try out most of their specialty martinis, as every one that I've had has been yummy. Their mango mojitos are the best. The bartenders are fast & friendly, & have great taste in music, I must add. —AprilAries

2008-01-18 10:51:53   I was in Sophia's for lunch with a couple of friends during my lunch hour from work, yesterday on Jan 17th. Normally, I have always had a great meal there, but everything went wrong with my experience yesterday. It started off with the hostess not writing down our pager number, so it took us forever to get seated. And then it turned out that that hostess was our server, which she did not greet us or take drink orders from us until we had been sitting there for quite a long time. By the time we got our food, it was almost time to head back to work. But my biggest problem, was that I had ordered a dish with fried tofu, because meat makes me sick and I'm a vegetarian, but I ended up with chicken in my dish. When I told her that it had chicken in it, and that this was not what I ordered, she acted as if it was and I finally got her to take it back, because I would NEVER order something with chicken. It was taking forever to get my meal out to me, and as I sat there watching my friends eat, while I had water, I had to finally just ask her to put my order in a to go box because I was already 20 min late to work. I finally got my order, and it was steamed tofu instead of fried. I don't like steamed tofu and would never order, so I asked to speak to a manager which she argued with me about and said there wasn't one on staff even though it was in the middle of the lunch rush. I didn't want to pay for my meal, because I have just waisted an hour and a half (of which I had to work over time to make up for the half hour she made me late) and I still didnt get the correct order. I went ahead and took it to go, because I was starving, but couldn't eat the steamed tofu, because I don't like it. My friend was kind of to pay for the 9 dollar bowl of coconut vegetable soup, that is just sitting in my fridge. I would like to get her money back and I can bring the food back if need be. Our server was very argumentive and apathetic to whole ordeal and your staff should be taught a lesson in customer service. I would have been happy if she would at least apologize for getting everything wrong, but instead she acted as if that was what I ordered and argued with me.

2008-01-30 16:27:01   I left a comment complaining about the lunch experience I had and I emailed it to the manager as well. I have to say that the manager did a great job difusing the situation and making me feel better by just apologizing and letting me know what actions were taken so that it doesn't happen again. I really appreciated it and was pleased with how he handled it. Thank you. —Miranda

2008-02-03 09:49:51   I used to come to Sophia's and capitalize on the free Thai iced tea refills. My favorite dish here, BY FAR, is the Boss' curry. I used to order the green apple snapper, but one time it came out super soggy. I guess the waiters/waitresses couldn't get it out in time. I went to trivia night once...it was a lot of fun. I can see how Sophia's is a staple entertainment and dining establishment, but I wouldn't come here on a weekly basis for its food or service. —EmilyTung

2008-02-07 11:27:36   i must say i've never had a blander massaman curry in my life. it had chunks of dole-style canned pineapple chunks in it, peanuts, carrot slices, and onions swimming around in a watery broth. the host was rather brusque. i wouldn't normally give a final "no" to a restaurant based on one dish, but due to the popularity (i.e. excessive crowdedness) of this restaurant i'll be sticking to the other thai restaurants in davis. kudos to the owner though for using those buzz waiting things that buzz you when your table is ready. i think they're super cool. —MiranPark

2008-02-17 22:00:06   Nice restaurant, but the food isn't that great. I've had better Thai food in Davis. I think their only okay dish here is their silver noodles. Service is slow. Prices are average. Not over the top. I'd give it a 1.5/5 stars for poor service, price, and taste/quality of the dishes. —BigRedGum

2008-02-26 00:14:55   I love the bar! I was disappointed that they changed their Riesling. Sophia's used to have this wonderful Riesling (refreshing and not overly sweet), but I was informed that they changed brands. The new brand is okay, but what they had before was far superior. —CurlyGirl26

2008-02-28 09:35:45   I went here for lunch with a friend and both of us were underwhelmed by the food. I ordered a coconut soup with tofu and veggies and it had this really strange sour taste (i think it was supposed to be tangy, but it ended up tasting rancid), while she ordered a red curry noodle dish that seriously just looked like they dumped noodles into their regular red curry. Oh, it was pricey too. I don't think I'll be coming back. —AmberHMa

2008-03-11 16:58:30   I've eaten at 2K Thai and Thai Nakorn so I've had my decent share of Thai food in Davis. Sophia's Thai Kitchen has a lovely ambiance whether it's sitting inside, our outside mild evening. The service is super friendly, and we got our food amazingly quick. I came here with my dad and ordered Red Curry, Three Spice Fish, Pad Thai, and the garlic mushroom appetizer. The prices are all very fair and about the same as other locations, but the biggest waste of money and dissapointment was the garlic mushroom appetizer. You would think with a name like that you'd get grilled mushrooms or lightly fried mushrooms seasoned with garlic. Instead, it was $5.50 for a small bowl of mushroom soup. I had no problem paying for any of their other things, but that was the most ridiculous appetizer of all time. Their Pad Thai was mainly forgettable, it didn't produce any intricate flavors or have any kind of zing. The Red Curry was very delicious and tasty. The Three Spice Fish, although flavorful, was kind of cheap feeling. In any case, I would love to come back and try different things. —CoreyPham

2008-03-28 09:55:46   When it comes to the restaurant and not the bar, my friends and I only go to Sophia's for the enticing free refills. That's right boys! Time to binge and fill er'up. The food is pretty good. Portions have recently begun to get noticeably smaller but the service has always been consistently decent the 50 or so times I've been there. If you're worried about getting full order a dish that comes with rice and stuff your heart out. They haven't begun charging for rice, yet. For those with a more demanding palate I recommend walking a short distance over to Thai Bistro for a more authentic taste. That is, if you don't mind the occasional fly or no-refill Thai iced tea.

They have three different seating "settings" to choose from all of which should match the type of dining experience you go for. Their new canopy is fantastic. Avoid sitting in the part of the restaurant near the entrance with the long tables, its heat lamps are sufficiently hot enough to kill you and the traffic will surely guarantee to interrupt your meal.

Overall, I'd say Sophia's is a Davis Top 5 Restaurant. Top 5 meaning, whenever my parents come visit me at college its one of the five decent restaurants to take them. —senioritis

2008-04-03 21:33:21   Nothing special about the food. In fact, the food is a bit too overpriced. I like the free refills of Thai tea though! —BenLee

2008-04-20 21:14:16   Good food, but not authentic in any way. I enjoy going here for the Thai tea mainly. I say its a fun place to go with friends, but if you're really intent on eating some good stir fry then i suggest going elsewhere. I wish the space wasn't so crowded, going to the bathroom is awkward because its so close to the kitchen, and waiters are always moving back and forth in that area. Still, not so bad to a point where i wouldnt go back (obviously, since ive been there several times now). —ASQWIK

2008-04-23 16:03:28   The food is usually pretty good. I like to get the take out, but I should have learned my lesson by now. We almost never get what we order, so make sure you check your boxes before you leave! Usually I like the ambiance, but last time we dined at Sophia's we sat next to a couple that must know the owner. The owner was at their table every 2 minutes asking them how their food was and going on and on about how rich he is. It almost made me toss my yellow curry. I have never been so glad to leave a restaurant after a meal! —AmLin

2008-04-26 18:39:50   This place gets a 'thumbs-down' for picnic day beer prices...full price for an 8 ounce plastic cup of beer? —jasonm

~ re: I actually thought that too at first and was really disappointed that the drinks were the same price for less ounces. BUT the bartender poured both our drink and beer into other glasses to show us it was the usual ounces being served (at least the cups they were using at around 3 in the afternoon or so). It seems it was more an optical illusion because of the thick glass the regular glasses are made of. Just to say- at least they don't serve they're drinks in plastic cups all the time like another bar I know... -AP

2008-05-22 00:42:30   Definitely one of my favorite places to eat in davis. I personally think that their food is pretty good, and the prices are extremely affordable. Regular dishes top out at 9 dollars, and seafood around 12 or 13 depending. The service is usually pretty spot on and excellent, however there is a blond male server who is actually pretty bad. He seems to neglect certain tables and just seems slower than the other servers. Other than this, everything at Sophia's is excellent. Free Refills on your Thai Iced Tea! Nothing beats that. —film

2008-06-02 09:53:30   We eat here often, consistently very good Thai food. Love the red curry dishes. —ACA

2008-07-21 19:35:56   small portions. padt thai is good. that's about all. —llee10789

2008-08-17 21:48:57   I got the Thai Fried Rice (the equivalence to Kao Pad at 2K Thai) and although I prefer the Kao Pad at 2K, the Thai Fried Rice was satisfying, though it may have been my hunger. My friend had the chicken Laap, and it was very tasty and would probably try it my next visit. Love the ambiance and the bottomless refills of Thai iced tea. :) —kmpulido

2008-08-17 22:46:11   I got the Thai Fried Rice (the equivalence to Kao Pad at 2K Thai) and although I prefer the Kao Pad at 2K, the Thai Fried Rice was satisfying, though it may have been my hunger. My friend had the chicken Laap, and it was very tasty and would probably try it my next visit. Love the ambiance and the bottomless refills of Thai iced tea. :) —kmpulido

2008-08-21 16:10:13   Sophia's is me and my boyfriend's FAVORITE place to eat. It isn't too expensive and it really fills you up. The waiters/waitresses are generally really nice. The only thing is, I don't like sitting outside because flies are always landing on you and the food. Besides that, I LOVE THIS PLACE! —renee415

2008-09-20 18:50:09   I've heard some good things about this place, so I was really looking forward to coming, especially for the thai ice tea, but I was pretty disappointed for the following reasons:

The service was very slow, but thats not so bad because it was crowded. The waitress seemed slightly agitated when we wanted refills on our drinks. The pad thai was mushy; came apart as you ate it, and did not come with the ordinary toppings that you usually get at the average thai restaurant (fresh, uncooked bean sprouts, ect). It did come with a side of peanuts you could put on it at least. Moreover, it seemed pretty bland without much sauce at all (although I ordered it medium, that may have something to do with it). It was a pretty icky experience over all, and I don't think I'll be going back for the food. —AnnaF

2008-10-23 19:42:02   Lovely mojitos, decent thai food - service is kinda mean... —Stina

2008-10-24 09:40:56   I read all the time about authentic Thai, which is the best Thai in Davis etc. Well, I prefer two restraunts in Davis, Sophia's and 2K, both are different enough that I can't compare item by item. That said, I had an exchange student from Bangkok and we took him to the Thai restaurants in Davis. His favorite hands down, was Sophia's. I was actually surprised.

I have always had a great meal and service at Sophia's and almost always take home a part of my meal because the portions are so big. The unlimited Thai ice tea is a plus too! —LokiAbbi

2008-11-03 18:06:43   The food here is very good (tofu curries), so is the ambiance. The bar is my favorite in Davis. —IgnatPrintsev

2008-11-07 22:55:41   The food is amazing and plentiful, but the service doesn't measure up. The waiters are slow and forget/mistake their orders way too often. Last time we were there a couple of waiters kept on running into the legs of our chairs and never apologized. I want to be charitable and think that they are being overworked, but still... The food is great though, so I think we will do takeouts from now. —Xenophon

2008-11-09 21:23:09   Their ambiance is nice, even if it can be a bit crowded and stuffy at times. I love their chicken glass noodles and bottomless Thai tea. I always leave with a full stomach and leftovers...will definitely come back again and again. :) —kthrnngo

2008-11-10 22:41:55   OMG! I got T-10, the Spicy Eggplant Stir Fry with fried tofu the first time I went to Sophia's with my co-workers and it was AMAZING. The tofu is something heavenly...it's texture is out of this world, words do not do it justice. The thai iced tea has nothing on Thai 2k (or 2k thai...whatever), and I missed the tap. pearls a lot. I spent A LOT less here on dinner than I did at 2k, which is a MAJOR PLUS. The one drawback is that they made us wait for our entire party before seating us...which means we had to wait for all our friends to show up (about a 15-20 min wait). Make sure your whole group is there before you go in to be seated. Aree rating: 8/10. —ArianeMetz

2008-12-06 02:36:14   The best restauraunt/bar in town. No idiots,serious drunks or trouble makers stay at Sophias very long.That is why I enjoy the atmosphere of mature people along with sensible college students who frequent this establishment.Very friendly staff along with the nice,giant fishbowl and lighting inside with the great patio makes for a nice environment. Additionally their curry dishes are graet if you enjoy spicy Thai food. —redbone

2009-01-11 21:30:49   The food has grown on me, but I still don't seek it out. The bar, on the other hand, is my favorite in Davis. —ChristyMarsden

2009-02-07 23:42:24   Have to correct my earlier comment - I went here again very recently and the service was quite excellent. Maybe the management has revamped the crew. —Xenophon

2009-02-11 16:49:35   I loved the Pad Thai with chicken, though it was a little pricey. Service was great, and we didn't have to wait long at all. I'd definitely come back again. —fszeto

2009-02-20 01:28:46   Nice cocktails, I love the Moulin Rouge. One of the Best place in Davis.... —alexdavis

2009-03-19 23:02:42   I can honestly say that I missed hanging out at Sophia's (bar) while I was away for a few months. Awesome staff & the drinks are scrumptious. —AprilAries

2009-03-25 19:21:41   We ordered the green curry and I can honestly say it was the worst green curry I had ever eaten. It wasn't creamy, it was soupy and salty!!! Pretty bad. This green curry was unlike any green curry I have ever had. Even I can make better green curry at home. —Kehaar

2009-04-05 14:27:34   Is Sophia's gluten-free friendly? —nataliesadler Yea, there are only a couple of breaded appitizers, 1 noodle dish, and maybe a few others that have gluten in them. And soy sauce is rarely used in thai cuisine.

2009-04-05 17:00:45   I really love this restaurant. They have a great dining area where you can sit on a pillow on the floor. The food is amazing and pretty affordable. The drinks tend to be a bit expensive. —JanethN.

2009-04-14 11:00:28   Was here with "My Partner" again last night. I forgot just how good those little veggie thingy's are. I used to order them all the time, but, damn, they really do hit the spot. —CurlyGirl26

2009-04-16 21:52:23   If you try the Chicken Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Gai) you will never want to eat here again.

Like previous comments have stated, it tastes like sour rancid coconut milk is used in the broth. The first time my girlfriend and I tried it, we got sick and it tasted terrible, but we assumed it was a fluke and decided to give the restaurant another chance months later. When we came back it still tasted terrible, exactly the same as before, and we informed the waitress. She looked shocked that we could say such a thing, but apparently lots of people on here have the same opinion of it. A total waste of 10$ twice, which by the way, is much more expensive than the Tom Kha Gai at every other Thai restaurant in town.

Since Tom Kha Gai is our favorite Thai dish, we will definitely never come here again.

We also ordered what sounded like chicken curry off the lunch specials menu, which turned out to be just plain chicken with some vegetables with no sauce... lame. —OrofinJackson

2009-06-01 15:05:49   They have the best happy hour with all of their drinks being half off. Overall it's a great place to hang out. I love the peanut sauce with chicken and spinach. hhhmm. —nkristis

2009-06-08 15:46:20   I have to disagree with OrofinJackson, the Tom Kha Gai is the best I have had (from San Jose, SF, San Deigo...not just in town) and one of my regular dishes, along with the Green Curry. Thai Bistro's tom kah is disgraceful compared to Sophias. The veggies are always fresh and the chicken is always tender, never oily or chewy. The wait staff can be a bit slow or rude, but the bar staff rock and are always great. If you want to have great food and avoid the wait staff, grab a seat at the bar and eat there. Take out is also an option, and I have never gotten an order wrong despite changing ingredients in my green curry from bell peppers to asparagus. Trivia is also one of the highlights of my week- its fun and a great way to blow off some steam. —CGall

2009-07-03 22:55:14   I come here infrequently, not because the food isn't good, but because my preference for Thai Food in Davis is KetMoRee. However, Sophia's is always a nice change. I enjoy their great variety of dishes that are all tofu-friendly (as a vegetarian, this is incredibly welcome). And, I enjoy the service - it has always been quick, regardless of how crowded the restaurant is. My only qualms are small - (1) I was sitting outside, so I had to constantly swat away flies, but I had chosen to sit outside and should have been aware of the impending flies - READ: not Sophia's fault. And (2), no server was present for some time when I wanted to refill my drink.

Other than that, I recommend Sophia's! —irregularadverb

2009-07-22 00:23:56   Great place to grab some good food or a drink at anytime in the day (lunch time on of course). —longboardlover

2009-07-22 21:59:46   The serving was quite fancy. They have quick service and delicious dishes. I ordered the Pepper Stir Fry during lunch. It was perfectly spicy. —MichVan

2009-07-24 02:43:57   It's all about the Thai Fried Rice and peanut sauce, baby!! —sm0729

2009-07-29 12:29:53   I stood dumbfounded in front of Sophia’s Thai Bar and came quickly to the realization (from the help of a directory) that Sophia’s Thai Kitchen is behind Sophia’s Thai Bar. Daviswikians take note that there is no bridge between the two, which I thought. I was hoping for an afternoon Mojito on the patio while I people-watch but since it was closed, I opted to tackle the famous Thai Iced Tea, made famous, well, frankly because it’s bottomless and Thai is tacked on to the name. Wikians take note that the Bar doesn’t open until 4:00 pm Monday – Friday and 5:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Happy Hour is from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm if you want to strategically plan your evening.

I hastily make my way down the steps and make a hard right with a familiar sight – good old Davis Noodle City. I wonder to myself why it never occurred to me to investigate anything beyond Davis Noodle City whenever I ate there. I am greeted with a host who seemed rather surprised to see me. I am promptly asked if I would like to sit inside our outside (in their courtyard area). After another quick glance around and up, I notice rain clouds forming and turn to look at him with a wry but well-intentioned smile and reply with a bit of enthusiasm, “inside sounds nice”.

Inside was fairly dark presumably to incite the “spirit, all compact of fire”. I could imagine a different scene during our warm summer nights where mellow tea lights resembling fireflies accompany the absence of sunlight and young star-crossed lovers gaze into each other’s eyes while exchanging bites of their dinner. Instead, there was a father who was taking his daughter out for lunch after a soccer match I presume, since she was in uniform, and an older couple who just looked like they wanted to have Thai for lunch and outside rain clouds were forming, which is unusual for a Summers afternoon in Davis. Its charm is perhaps not at its zenith during lunch, this is perhaps where former 2k Thai, Thai Nakorn, and Thai Bistro have been able to outperform Sophia’s but I am hoping at this point that the food and most importantly the tea, would redeem the fact that I’ve visited Sophia’s at the wrong time of the day. Sophia’s in the afternoon reminds of an old tavern out of a Tolkien novel: its charm stripped away during daylight hours and miraculously coming to life at night with festivities and merry songs. Despite the fact that rain clouds were forming, it seemed as if sunlight would be struggling to make its way into the dining area regardless. I realize that I am at a romantic restaurant mid-afternoon without a date, so when asked where I would like to sit inside, I naturally pointed to the “Thai Room”, designed to be intimate but much like an arena for couples to square off (there were four tables designed for four couples, one table for each couple, on each side of room). Now I’ve really set myself up for a good time. This just means my food will get all the attention it needs; the mood should be there as well. I am prompted (politely) to take off my flip-flops and put them in an upright cubby designed to hold shoes.

I was delighted to discover that the cushions they provided for the literal floor seating was large enough for two people to share and further that there was the option for a patron to have two! One was more than enough however. Water was delivered as usual (rather promptly), two people were attentive to my needs: the host and my server, and I have the Thai Room all to myself. To my surprise, (although I really shouldn’t have been since the tables were low) my server drops to his knees to take my order. This makes me feel uncomfortable because I am really just looking for some good food. At this point I think I probably would have felt more comfortable with a date or with another person. I almost feel like a deity, something of the royal sort and it almost feels wrong. I am asked if I need some time to look over the menu but I already singled out the Thai Iced Tea way beforehand. I always order Pad Thai whenever I go to a Thai restaurant but to my dismay, shrimp, which I am accustomed to having, was an extra four bucks. I proceed as usual, “I’ll have the Pad Thai and Thai Iced Tea please” again with the wry forced smile.

Alas, minutes after I order, my Thai Iced Tea finally arrives; glowing in its amber hue, the tea and milk still separated is the familiar presentation. Its presentation is beautiful and well executed in the classical sense, including the tall, cleanly presented glass it came in, which is also what it is usually presented in worldwide (in Thailand, it’s served over crushed ice in a translucent plastic bag). I ignore everything else and concentrate intensely on my Thai iced tea hoping for that refill as my Pad Thai arrives. Sophia’s interpretation of the Thai favorite normally met with ho-hum reviews on Daviswiki and after my second go, I would agree that the flavors fit the description. Thai Tea is usually accompanied with some form of liquid dairy: cream, whole milk, condensed milk, (usually a viscous sweet substance that is also a substitute for some sweeteners in Southern Asia as well like coffee which usually accompanies Vietnamese style coffee) evaporated milk, and even coconut milk.

Since I was focused on evaluating, I shamelessly took a whiff of the tea in attempt to see if I could identify what dairy they used but with no success. After my first sip of the top I ruled out condensed, coconut, and evaporated milk, which left only cream and whole milk as an option. After several minutes however, tastes become difficult to discern because of the amount of ice that diluted it, and shortly thereafter, it quickly began to have that dreaded taste of diet. I found it slightly difficult to drink to be honest, and I am not one to usually be particularly picky with my food. It wasn’t that I had high hopes for a spectacular tea, but that I wanted the tea to redeem itself from wiki reviews. But for all its worth ($3.25), you are entitled to as much as you can drink. After my second refill, lovebirds should take note that it becomes difficult to sit (and breathe) Indian style…maybe take less bites of your food. The Thai Iced tea at Sophia’s is not spectacular, or something you go to Sophia’s for alone (sorta like I did). Instead, you should go there for a chance to spend time with an old acquaintance, a lover, or a classmate for the purpose of conversation. Grab the tea anyways, it’ll guarantee you something to do. I will certainly be back with a date and maybe not during lunch. If you are a party of one for lunch or dinner however, I recommend Davis Noodle City, which is right next door.

2009-07-30 13:34:25   The restaurant itself has the ambiance of midnight. I cannot even see anything in the restaurant, the first and last time I went there I had to strain and squint my eyes just to read the menu because of the utter darkness.

They give Thai tea refills for a reason, because it is bitter and it does not taste very good.

In terms of authenticity, Sophia's does not serve real "Thai" food. The food seems to be a fusion of Thai food with an American zing. Thai hot here is not spicy at all. The Pad Thai I ordered was still white and wet. The noodles are supposed to be mildly orange and semi-dry. I just feel that the food here is not truly Thai. I grew up around Thai families so my expectation of Thai food is not the average.

Give it a try. It is a hit or miss. However, if you enjoy authentic Thai cuisine, I would say that this is not the place for you. —ThUn

Just a note, we had a Thai student and brought him to all the Thai restaurants and Sophia's was his favorite. The food used to be more spicy but I think they have made it less spicy because Thai spicy is hot. They are always happy to kick it up a notch for you when you ask.

2009-09-18 14:50:44   We love Sophia's! We were one of two couples eating there the first time we went and the owner gave a tour of the kitchen. We miss the quaintness that it started as, but still would recommend to anyone looking for authentic Thai food.

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