The Graduate

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grad_thurs_night.jpgThe Graduate on a Thursday night, summer '05.

Location
805 Russell Blvd, in University Mall
Hours
11am-2am
Phone
(530)758-GRAD
Website
[WWW]http://www.davisgrad.com/

The Grad is a combination sports bar and restaurant by day, and dance club by night. Their large, dimly lit space has plenty of pool tables, and video games. Sort of like a tougher Woodstocks Pizza. During the day, they serve sandwiches, burgers, salads and Pizza. They make a tri tip on Thursdays as well as nachos. You can find their entire menu in the Yolo County SBC Yellow Pages, p. 312 or [WWW]davisgrad.com. Local radio personality Jack Armstrong can be spotted eating lunch or dinner here (or presumably at the bar, as he often tells bar stories on-air) — he likes the burgers.

The Grad has a large dance floor, pro lighting, huge sound, two bars, drink specials, pool/games, full service restaurant, plenty of free parking and 50+ beers on tap (including both Dos Equis, Pliny The Elder, Dogfish Head, Deschutes, Stone). Cover varies from $5 and up (there is a discount for college students with ID) in the evenings. Unfortunately some people have had problems with the bouncer at this place. To read (or comment on) the bouncer incident, click here. In addition to being a bar/club/restaurant, they've also got free WiFi.

The establishment has been in Davis close to 30 years. In the late 70s/early 80s, there was a narrow upper level with railing that went around the entire room. The upstairs area contained arcade games, like Ms. Pac-Man and Qbert. If you look up at the ceiling, you can still see the skeleton of that architecture today. The early huge wall plaster/logo that was prominently placed outside the entrance caused quite a stir in Davis at first. It consisted of a large round mound with a bright red ball in the center...

A second Graduate opened near Sac State in the 80s, but eventually shut down.

This place gives free soda for designated drivers when in bar mode.

For a review of local burgers, see [WWW]Davis Life Magazine.

Summer Happy Hour is Mon-Fri - 11AM-8PM - $2.79 All 50+ Drafts, $2.79 Wells, $2.79 Long Island Iced Teas & $2.79 Smirnoff Flavors.

Beers On Draft

[Updated as of 8/3/09]

ALASKAN SUMMER
ANCHOR STEAM
ANDERSON VALLEY BOONT AMBER
ANDERSON VALLEY HOP OTTIN IPA
ANDERSON VALLEY SUMMER SOLSTICE
BASS PALE ALE
BEAR REPUBLICS’S RACER 5
BLUE MOON
BUD LIGHT
BUDWEISER
COORS LIGHT
DESCHUTES BLACK BUTTE XXI
DESCHUTES MIRROR POND PALE ALE
DOGFISH HEAD 90 MINUTE IPA
DOS EQUIS AMBER
DOS EQUIS GREEN
FIRESTONE DOUBLE JACK
FIRESTONE LIL OPAL
FIRESTONE PALE 31
FIRESTONE UNION JACK
FIRESTONE WALKER’S RESERVE
GREEN FLASH WEST COAST IPA
GUINNESS
GUINNESS ANNIVERSARY
HEINEKEN
HOEGAARDEN
LOST COAST’S DOWNTOWN BROWN
LOST COAST’S GREAT WHITE
MENDOCINO’S RED TAIL ALE
MICHELOB ULTRA
MILLER GENUINE DRAFT
MILLER LITE
MOOSEHEAD
NEW BELGIUM’S FAT TIRE
NEWCASTLE BROWN ALE
OLD SPECKLED HEN
PABST
PAULANER HEFEWEIZEN
PILSNER URQUELL
PYRAMID HEFEWEIZEN
RUSSIAN RIVER’S PLINY THE ELDER
SAMUEL ADAMS BOSTON LAGER
SAMUEL ADAMS SUMMER
SIERRA NEVADA PALE ALE
SPEAKEASY BIG DADDY IPA
SPEAKEASY DOUBLE DADDY IPA
SPEAKEASY PROHIBITION ALE
SPEAKEASY UNTOUCHABLE
SPEAKEASY WHITE LIGHTNING AMERICAN WHEAT
STELLA ARTOIS
STONE LEVITATION ALE
SUDWERK PILSNER
THOMAS KEMPER ROOT BEER
WYDER’S RASPBERRY

Special Nights

[Updated July 2009]
Monday: Country line dance lessons & dancing for 18+ (age 18-20, $10, or $8 with school ID; 21+, $5, or $3 with school ID, free before 9pm for 21+) — lessons begin around 9pm and around midnight they switch to hip-hop and slow songs. Currently they have $5 drinks Miller Lite Big Beers & Long Islands all night.

Tuesday: Salsa Dancing with free dance lessons @ 9:30pm and [WWW]DJ Nehad plays great Salsa, Merengue and tropical music until 1AM. Everyone 18+ pays $5 cover.

Wednesday: Country line dance lessons & dancing for 18+ (cover is $10, $5 for 21+, no cover for 21+ before 9pm).

Thursday: Salsa Dancing with free dance lessons @ 9:30pm and [WWW]DJ Nehad plays great Salsa, Merengue and tropical music until 1AM. Everyone 18+ pays $5 cover. Live Salsa Bands about once a month.

Friday: Country line dance lessons & dancing for 18+ (cover is $10, $5 for 21+, no cover for 21+ before 9pm).

Saturday: Country line dance lessons & dancing for 18+ (cover is $10, $5 for 21+, no cover for 21+ before 9pm).

Sundays: Karaoke night. 9PM to Midnight, no cover, 18+. $1 pints between 9 and 10pm.

History

rastamon reminisced in April 2009 about his experiences at the Grad in the mid 70s. "I lived in Davis in 1975-76 and also worked at the Graduate, I believe the owner was Jack Oldham...He also owned one in Chico. Just went there a few days ago in the afternoon and enjoyed a great tri-tip sandwich. The inside & out look much the same, though the decor in the men's room is jest not the same-lol. The inside of the bathroom was bordered in plaster boobs. I would love to have a picture of that, then. Anyway, I think the gradburger was @$2.50 and maybe 10beers on tap. I also worked a few doors downs at "The Game Room" which was run by the owner of the Back Home Deli, Ray Coleman - both in the Mall."

"At the west end of the Mall was a Safeway Store for those important beer runs. Did'nt have far to run either...i lived in the Wakeforest Apts."

"In the spring of 1976, the Fraternity's of Davis (or combo of many) put on a +50 Kegger in the Mall parking lot, and it went well(!) no major problems. Try that today...haha"

"The Grads prices are still very reasonable and WOW!- ALL those brews on tap! I enjoyed a yummy Fat Tire Ale after a 2mi nostalgia run. Don't know about any bouncer complaints, however if you give respect you generally get it. Peace on, rastamon (at the archive.org also)"

Comments:

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2008-02-07 15:16:07   i've heard about this place for years... never went until today :)
I got one of those coupon for a free undergrad burger from the basketball games and decided to get my free burger. it seems larger from the inside than out. there's lots of TV and sports channels. i got my free burger and garlic fries. i highly advise to order these two together. they were good and the garlic fries tasted a lot authentic. the folks were really nice. So yes, during the day time, especially lunch hours... it is a nice place to eat burgers if you're in the need of it. haven't gone to any of the night time shows.. lol.. but may consider in the future. —ChiYang

2008-02-08 11:32:36   Had a really bad experience here freshman year....guy got overly agressive when dancing....took things way to far, didnt go back till this year (senior now), and only go with a group of guys so things like that wont happen again. Not the places fault, but still, not a good thing. Like country night and had a blast on halloween there! —tgdavis

2008-02-11 14:50:03   AVOID THIS PLACE on 18+ nights! It turns into a college bar experience from hell. Also, the two bar setup is TINY, and you'll have to fight through for drinks. Anyone know how many bartenders are on duty on Thurs, Fri, Saturday nights? Last time I went there was one solitary barkeep with a chip on his shoulder. —pizzapieGuy

2008-05-27 17:29:38   old guys checkin out young girls. sleezy as fuck. —film

2008-05-29 00:25:05   College Night at the Grad... now has go go girls! They're really hot, too. Not sure there is any other reason to go. —ThuHo

2008-06-23 11:51:12   well...I can't really comment on the Grad at night, not having been there past about 3 in the afternoon, but what have noticed is that during weekend afternoons, when it's not very croweded, but people eating lunch and watching sports the facility seems understaffed. The kitchen is likley ok, except that they don't seem to do any table busing instead leaving that to the one overworked bar person. The problem here being that rather than generating revenue by filling peoples drink requests, the bar person is bringing dishes from all over back to the kitchen area. Perhaps they need to review the whole staffing plan? —RocksandDirt

2008-07-01 11:32:50   Country night is great here... lots of girls to dance with, good dirnk specials, $5 domestic beers and long islands, somehow We always manage to have a blast. —JamesLDownie

2008-07-01 11:33:31   I forgot to add the bouncer from boston is hilarious. —JamesLDownie

2008-07-05 19:15:42   I walked in the door here and busted out laughing, I couldn't contain myself. This place is a joke. Food is mediocre and expensive. Too many locals. This place is like a bar, and a dance club, and it sucks at both. I noticed they have like 3 bouncers at the door, evidence of trouble in the past. What a hole. Shut this place down already. —JimBob

2008-08-20 12:33:16   I love this place. The chicken club pizza is one of my favorites, also the burgers are great. The kitchen staff are the best always helpful and polite and the bartenders are by far the best around! I always have a good time when I go here. —AngelaGerould

2008-09-01 15:29:57   I have been to the Grad on many occasions and have always found the staff, from doormen, to kitchen staff to bartenders to be efficient and friendly. The food rocks, a great beer selection (Ithink like 48 on tap), with some of the best beers in the world here (ie. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, Descheuts, Green Flash and many others). Great location for me, living in west Davis. This place is great for watching football on Sundays, UFC and is a huge favorite of my kids....both girls. Plenty for them to do with games, a good kids menu and a favorite for our team after softball games. Davis is lucky to have the Grad. Keep up the good work. My name is Lorne and I approved this message. —Lorne

2008-11-14 18:12:47   Why doesn't the Grad post their menu? Oh, and Jimbob should change his name to jimboob. What a dumb comment on the food. Like who would take that review seriously??? —LokiAbbi

2008-11-16 20:44:01   eating dinner there is almost as pathetic an idea as partying there —Chrissapher

2008-11-16 20:44:46   ALTHOUGH its a good place to watch a game and have a beer, like on an afternoon —Chrissapher

2009-01-06 16:44:37   i go to the grad all the time and always have fun, but for some reason the bartender decided to forget what a jager bomb was last night. the girls in front of me ordered two, and got jager+rock star in a glass. when they said "um..what is this?" the bartender was a jerk, and said he doesn't do the shot glass because then the pint glasses get chipped. apparently he's a manager, so complaining gets brushed aside...he's always been kind of a condescending jerk anyway. shouldn't someone get what they order? maybe don't advertise "jager bombs" as a $5 special if a) they're not actually $5 and b) they're not actually jager bombs. this goes for the long islands too, which i believe have no more than a drop or two of alcohol in them.

jerk bartenders who are full of themselves are irritating and make me not want to return. fortunately, there are enough things i like about the grad that make it so i'm able to ignore this guy and step out of line whenever he's behind the bar. —dontworryaboutit

2009-01-07 11:00:19   I love this place for watching games and the service is always really good. I have two suggestions/complaints, however. My first suggestion involved food options. I wish they had a bit more healthy food, other than salads. Perhaps something like a sandwich wrap and a better salad than the house salad they now offer. The other suggestion is beer specials. They almost never have them. I only drink at places when I can get beer specials and the Grad seems to not like them for some reason. I love everything else about this place, though. —condemned2bfree

2009-01-07 13:50:56   After reading through many comments, I'm realizing this may be a pretty horrible place. I've been here only a dozen times since coming to Davis (I prefer G Street and Little Prague) and almost always had a great time at the bar and after leaving. I've never been chased or intimidated or yelled at or tackled. Most of the time, I have met some really cool people and had a great time dancing with random strangers that eventually became acquaintances (it's crazy how people you meet end up being friends of your friends). But after hearing about these numerous incidents, I realized something. I feel sort of left out. I think I'll have to go here more. One day, I hope, too, to have my very own "bouncer incident." —SunjeetBaadkar

2009-02-25 12:43:17   Agree that the bar is a ripoff, even during happy hour. Long islands and tokyo teas are made from a premade mixer and the bartender adds a shot of rum from the tap. WEAK AS FUCK! I also notice that ordering a 'bombay' drink gets you gin from the tap!!! I'm considering writing a letter to the bombay company advising them that this bar is potentially committing fraud by passing off well gin as the real deal.

None of the drink specials is actually $5. —davisGeek

2009-03-03 15:27:14   They heavily advertise (or advertised, depending on when you read this) a special for a $5 gradburger mon-fri til 7pm. I figured this price included a side of fries since they automatically give a side of fries when you order a gradburger at any other time (for about $8.50) and thus thought it was a pretty good deal. Turns out, however, the 5 dollar price is just for your burger, so if you add fries like I did (another $2 plus) it comes to a little over 7 dollars, so this special is about $1.50 in savings. Better than nothing, but certainly nothing to write home about and even borderline deceiving.

All in all, I don't mind the Grad since they play sharks games with regularity ever since about 2 years ago. I wish they started their stupid dance shennigans a little later though so that you could watch the end of all the local games that start around 7:30 (Sharks, Warriors, Giants etc.) I've had them shut a game off on me at 9:30 on a few occasions, and the bouncers are real bastards about letting you back into the place if you leave and come back after 8:30 or so just to finish watching a game. If you are gonna have 40 TVs in your restaurant, you should focus on being a sports bar first and then dance club second.

2009-04-25 15:54:19   I lived in Davis in 1975-76 and also worked at the Graduate, I believe the owner was Jack Oldham...He also owned one in Chico. Just went there a few days ago in the afternoon and enjoyed a great tri-tip sandwich. The inside & out look much the same, though the decor in the men's room is jest not the same-lol. The inside of the bathroom was bordered in plaster boobs. I would love to have a picture of that, then. Anyway, I think the gradburger was @$2.50 and maybe 10beers on tap. I also worked a few doors downs at "The Game Room" which was run by the owner of the Back Home Deli, Ray Coleman - both in the Mall. At the west end of the Mall was a Safeway Store for those important beer runs. Did'nt have far to run either...i lived in the Wakeforest Apts.
In the spring of 1976, the Fraternity's of Davis (or combo of many) put on a +50 Kegger in the Mall parking lot, and it went well(!) no major problems. Try that today...haha
The Grads prices are still very reasonable and WOW!- ALL those brews on tap! I enjoyed a yummy Fat Tire Ale after a 2mi nostalgia run. Don't know about any bouncer complaints, however if you give respect you generally get it. Peace on, rastamon (at the archive.org also) —rastamon

2009-05-31 09:12:02   This is one of those places in Davis that a lot of Townies grew up on, and I'm no exception. I remember when the burgers were bigger than my head and while waiting for them, I'd beg for some quarters to kill on air hockey. Still my favorite burgers in Davis, especially because I can get them with some pink so I don't feel like I'm eating fast food cardboard burgers. The onion rings are fantastic, too. —KBathory

2009-07-10 00:24:06   afternoon happy hour is the best time to go get some pints with friends —ketan

2009-07-21 01:33:33   Went there for Salsa night. The lesson that night was a little too short and I was a complete beginner so I had some trouble, but what do you expect for free lessons? Still had lots of fun and the place seemed nice. Will return there again. —matty

2009-10-18 13:36:11   It's fairly obvious that this place is going under. It doesn't really matter what night of the week it is, no one is ever here. The owner would be wise to clean up his UFC fight night posters that now litter Russell Blvd. The bartenders are senior citizens and are slow at making drinks. I'll be taking my business to G-Street. —iamdink

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