Users/CovertProfessor

About the CovertProfessor

About the CovertProfessor
CovertProfessor's Quick Restaurant Picks
CovertProfessor's Restaurant Reviews

American/Californian
Sandwiches
Caribbean
Chinese
Frozen Dessert
Other Dessert
European
Indian/Nepalese
Japanese/Korean
Latin American/Tex-Mex
Middle Eastern
Pizza
Thai
Vietnamese
Out of business

Leave a comment for the CovertProfessor

I (the CovertProfessor) am relatively new to Davis, at least as Davisites go, and I'm a professor at UC Davis. I'm no wiki expert, just a garden-variety gnome.

I am on semi-hiatus from the wiki at the moment. Just busy and trying to reduce my overall Internet time.

I try to comment on things from a faculty/community member perspective as I navigate my way through Davis and the campus, although of course my opinions are my own and will differ from other faculty/community members. I am "covert" because I expect to be around here a lot longer than most students, and because I am a relatively private person. I promise not to abuse my anonymity.

I also do reviews of local restaurants, since I like to eat out a lot. I favor restaurants where well-behaved dogs are welcomed.

A bit more about me: When I'm not teaching or researching or involved in other professor-type activities, I enjoy hiking; walking, especially at the arboretum and the greenbelts; swimming; going to the movies; reading fiction. Of course, I also like to edit the wiki.

After much frustration, I started a page on UCD Email Etiquette. Though of course I can't be responsible for the final form it will take, given the Wiki's group editing process, I do strongly encourage students to read it. On a more positive note, you might also want to check out Q & A for Prospective Academics.

I've been known to get involved in various wiki dramas. Unfortunately, sometimes I get busy right when a good one is happening, and so I have to sit it out.

Internet tics that are annoying me lately:

When people say things like "Leave a message on my Facebook." "I created a Davis Wiki." No, you have a Facebook page where people can leave messages; you created a Davis Wiki page. You don't have a Facebook; you don't have a Davis Wiki (unless you are PN or MI).
Using '@', twit-style, to indicate who you are replying to. Am I the only one who feels like they are being talked at? Who wants to be talked at?

@CP: Totally agree. —TomGarberson

Can't believe that took so long. —CovertProfessor

CovertProfessor's Quick Restaurant Picks

Restaurants are listed in order of preference. I've only listed restaurants that I like. If a restaurant is not listed, it usually means I don't like it, but it might just mean that I haven't tried it. See details below.

Best hamburgers: 1. Crepeville (but not Burgers and Brew), 2. Ali Baba
Best pizza: 1. Village Bakery (or if you want sit-down service, Village Pizza & Grill, 2. Symposium, 2. Lamppost Pizza - tie for second
Best Chinese: 1. Davis Noodle City, 2. Wok of Flame, 3. Shanghai Town
Best Thai: 1. Thai Nakorn, 2. Thai Bistro, 3. Sophia's, 4. Thai Recipes
Best Indian/Nepalese: Raja Indian Cuisine, Kathmandu Kitchen, and Namaste Nepal Restaurant — Dammit, they are all good!
Best Japanese/Korean: 1. Zen Toro, 2. Davis Oshio Cafe, 3. DOSiRAK
Best middle eastern: Ali Baba, Sam's Mediterranean, and Café Méditerranée — Ok, I've just named the three middle eastern restaurants in town... but how can I rank them when I like them for different things?
Best Mexican: 1. El Mariachi — as far as I know, the only place in town where you can get a burrito with vegetables in it, 2. Taqueria Guadalajara — especially the one in South Davis with the dog-friendly patio, 3. Taqueria Davis — as good as The Guad but lacks the patio. For a meal with wait service, Tres Hermanas is good.
Best upscale: Little Prague, Osteria Fasulo, Seasons, Tucos - These are unranked and in alpha order because I like them equally well.
Best frozen dessert: 1. Davis Creamery at Sugar Daddies, 2. Icekrimski Cafe, 3. Yolo Berry Yogurt
Best dessert: 1. Konditorei - Others are good, such as The Candy House of Davis or Little Prague, but none really hold a candle to Konditorei.
Best café: 1. Cloud Forest Cafe, 2. Delta of Venus
Best place to get fresh fruits and veggies: 1. CSA, 1. FL Strawberries (tie for first), 2. Farmers' Market, 3. Ikedas
Best other: Sunrise Restaurant (Vietnamese), Farmer's Kitchen Cafe (local, organic), Crepeville, The Hotdogger

CovertProfessor's Restaurant Reviews

American/Californian

Cafe Bernardo
I like the "cafe" (counter service) side better than the "restaurant" (wait service) side. The entrées on the restaurant side just seem uninspired to me. But the cafe side makes a nice breakfast (good toast!) and is a little less claustrophobic. There are better places to get dessert, however (e.g., Ciocolat or Little Prague).
Crepeville
The Davis Wiki used to have this restaurant classified as "French," but that seemed a bit of a stretch. Other than the crepe, it's hardly French... anyway, I love the "make your own crepe" option here. I start with the basic crepe (cheddar and onion, I believe) and then add: eggplant, spinach, tomato sauce, mushrooms, and artichokes. (I'd love it if this were a regular menu item so I didn't have to ask for all those items!). All dishes seem to come with home-fried potatoes, something that I generally like, but these I'm not crazy about. You can substitute a salad, but you have to pay extra. They do, however, give you a full salad, so it's not totally out of line. I like the fuji salad with the slices of fuji apples and walnuts in it. If you have the crepe I described, plus the salad — boy, you've really consumed a lot of veggies for the day! It's a lot of food, period, so it's nice that take-home boxes are conveniently located by the counter.

Once I tried the eggplant sandwich, with pesto on it (memory may be hazy here). It was greasy, but good. The burgers are good, too. They come with cheese, sauteed onions and mushrooms, mayo, and avocado by default. Again, you can substitute a salad for the potatoes.
Farmer's Kitchen Cafe
The condescending attitude expressed by the owner on the Davis wiki page almost turned me away from this place, but luckily (for me) I decided to give them a try anyway. I have yet to have a bad meal here. Everything I have tried (salad, tamales, rice and veggies, chicken and potatoes, soup, etc.) has been fresh and flavorful. I should emphasize the "flavorful" — food is nicely spiced, so that even an ordinary dish like chicken and potatoes tastes like something special. So, come here if you believe in the mission of the place, but come here even if you just want a good meal. But definitely don't come here unless you've got time to spare; in general, it won't be a quick meal. Think of it as a nice place to have a long chat with friends and have a nice, healthy, tasty meal.
The Hotdogger
I don't even like hot dogs very much, but I like everything about this place. I like that I can get an all beef dog. I like that it's a small hole-in-the-wall with lots of character. I like that I have so many mustards to choose from — the Hawaiian pineapple mustard is really good (sweet and savory). I like the potato wedges that are baked instead of fried, and actually have some potato on them. I might actually become a hot dog person!
Pluto's
The first time I tried to go here I walked in and walked out — it was a hot day and the menu just seemed overwhelming. I did take a menu to go, and studied it, so I could be ready for the next time. Most people seem to get salads here — we tried the tri-tip as a meal (get it with the BBQ sauce) and the turkey (it's nice to be able to get real turkey when it's not Thanksgiving). Both were quite good, although the portions of the tri-tip were small. We also tried the sides — there were a couple of nice vegetable sides, although the grilled one was a bit better. The stuffing (for the turkey, of course) was really good. Once we had a "knock-you-on-your-ass" lemon bar; sadly, the next time it only teetered us a bit.
Redrum Burger
Again, I deviate from the Davis Wiki classification here, which used to have this listed under fast food. (I doubt I'll be visiting the other fast-food places, so there is no point). Also, Redrum is definitely not fast. It usually takes about 30 minutes to get your food.

The joint is not particularly well-run. They need to get a new door-closer, too. I can still hear it in my sleep: SLAM

And yet, the burgers are very good. Optimal bun to burger ratio is achieved with the 1/2 lb burger — but that's a lot of burger. There are lots of topping options (lots of burger options, too), but no pineapple, which is too bad. A chocolate shake with malt rounds out the meal nicely. The onion rings were huge and greasy — never again.
Seasons
We've had one really good entrée there, and one so-so entrée. The steak (hold the foie gras butter — ick!) was excellent, and it came with potatoes au gratin and a vegetable (broccoli, I think). But the breaded and baked chicken my partner ordered was boring. (There was some kind of sauce on it, but again: boring). There was a yummy chocolate dessert — I don't remember the details, but it was one of these chocolate w/chocolate and more chocolate desserts — and it was very good. The summer atmosphere seemed a lot more laid-back and comfortable than the crowded winter scene I remember. Service was attentive. It's a bit upscale from most Davis restaurants, but not super fancy, which is fine with me. Salads tend to be good; the patio is nice, but it's not dog-friendly. :-(
Tucos
We had a very nice meal here, and true to their word, they were dog-friendly, which is nice to find in an upscale restaurant. :-) Since they change their menu so often, there's probably no point in commenting on specific dishes, so I'll just say that we enjoyed the mix of flavors and the creative menu that tempts you to order too much because so much looks interesting. The location next to the train can be a bit loud at times, although it bothered my partner and my dog more than it bothered me.

Sandwiches

Davis's sandwich scene has been looking up lately, though it still isn't quite what it could be.

Beach Hut Deli
I've tried this place a couple of times, but couldn't seem to find anything I liked. The sandwiches are massive, but the flavors not to my liking. Perhaps there is a magic sandwich there that I would like, but I doubt it.
Cloud Forest Cafe
This cute little café is a welcome addition to Davis's sandwich scene. The grilled paninis all have nice fresh vegetables included, with a choice of ciabatta or focaccia bread. I quite like the ciabatta, which seemed very fresh; haven't tried the focaccia. The smoothies were also quite good. I get the feeling that this place is emphasizing quality over quantity; there aren't a lot of choices, but all the choices are good. Smart move. One weird little annoyance — passing through the doors (even the door to the restroom) sets short beeping alarm.
Zia's Delicatessen
This is the sort of place that I really want to like — it's cute and independently run. But the hours are too short — it closes way too early — and then when I have made it there for lunch, there's been a massive, slow-moving line. And the sandwiches are fine, but they are not amazing. So, between one thing and another, I rarely go here.

Caribbean

Delta of Venus
Wonderful laidback hippy atmosphere; nice music, even for an old fart professor. Breakfasts (veggie omelet is outstanding), sandwiches for lunch (the tofu-curry sandwich sounded weird but was deliciously sweet and tangy) and dinner (Carribean food — we tried the jerk chicken and the plum baked chicken — we especially liked the latter). There are so many interesting things on the menu that it's guaranteed we'll be back many times.

Chinese

Davis Noodle City
I like the kimchee that you get when you sit down, I like the small, comfortable atmosphere and the prompt, accommodating service, I like the homemade noodles that you can get with every dish instead of rice (or, if you're with two people, get both!), I like the fact that the orange beef isn't crispy fried, I like the Hunan tofu (seems similar to what other places call Ma Po tofu, soft tofu with spicy black bean sauce). My one and only complaint is that there aren't more vegetables available, which is not to say that there aren't plenty of vegetarian dishes (there are). But a vegetable mix in a tasty sauce would be a welcome addition. The vegetable curry comes close (and it's really good — in fact, I've yet to have a bad dish here), but it is mostly potatoes and tofu. What I'm looking for is something with lots of broccoli, carrots, snow peas, etc.
Ding How
I really want to like this place, but the service is like dying a slow death and a lot of the dishes are overly fried. However, if you choose your dishes carefully and get take-out, you can avoid most of the pain.
Hometown Chinese Food
I got some nice takeout here — following suggestions on the page, the garlic eggplant and the general's chicken. I wouldn't say it was amazing, but it was quite good. The sauces were tasty, but we'd prefer white meat chicken to the dark that we were provided. And we wondered about the MSG, given the mixed comments on the entry for this restaurant, but I didn't feel the "MSG coma" that I usually get after consuming MSG, so I don't think they do add MSG. We didn't have a problem with the wait; what was a problem was trying to fight the traffic back north into town. Ugh. If you live in South Davis, I can see going here a lot, but otherwise, a place like Davis Noodle City is going to be more of a draw. Or, go for lunch, I guess.
Red Orchid Restaurant
I used to like this place as much as Davis Noodle City, which is to say, I liked it quite a lot. (No surprise, since it was the same owners). Now with new ownership, it's terrible; we threw half of our take-out away and never went back. If I hear that it's improved, I'll give it another shot.
Wok of Flame
I walk in the door, and there they are: the specials. Asparagus with black bean sauce (choice of meat), eggplant with szechuan sauce (choice of meat) — why go any further? (I haven't managed to, myself). The ingredients here are high quality and the sauces are tasty. I wish it were downtown, but nothing to be done about that. And I wish they had more tofu/veggie dishes — there is something to be done about that! Hope they do it.

Frozen Dessert

Davis Creamery at Sugar Daddies
You can tell you're getting the real stuff here. For example, the chocolate peanut butter ice cream has chunks of peanuts in it, and the banana ice cream — a flavor I don't normally like — actually tastes like bananas. There isn't a huge supply of mix-ins, but they have the standard ones; don't overlook the homemade brownies off to the side. Now I just need to save up some calories for a Cow Pie (hope they bring these back!)
Icekrimski Cafe
The gelato here is really good, and refreshing on a hot day. (So, refreshing just about every day??). Try the sorbet — it's intensely flavored and will knock your socks off. (Which you don't need anyway, since it's so darned hot...)
Cultivé Frozen Yogurt
Cultivé definitely seems like the place for people who are more serious about their yogurt, as compared to Yogurt Shack. That person isn't me, but I can see why some would prefer it. It has more of a "yogurt-y" flavor (a bit more sour) and there is more of an emphasis on healthy toppings — but just as the Shack has a few fruit toppings, Cultivé has a few less-healthy toppings, too (I think there were M & M's?). I tried the "specialty" pomegranate flavor (50 cents extra). Again, I am not ga-ga over frozen yogurt, but it had a nice pomegranate flavor and I vastly preferred it to my partner's green tea flavor, even though I usually love green tea ice cream. I agree with others who say that the toppings are expensive — 80 cents for the first topping, 40 cents for the second, regardless of the size of your cup, and the amount of toppings I received was not a lot for that price. But the raspberries were fresh and quite good, especially considering the time of year.
Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt
If you find yourself near the Oak Tree Plaza, you might just stop in, get a tasty yogurt to eat out outside, and people-watch the Nugget shoppers. Sometimes you will get serenaded with a busker. Not a bad way to pass a half hour.
Yolo Berry Yogurt
It seems like the "real" yogurt lovers prefer Cultivé. But I am not a real yogurt lover, and I prefer Yolo Berry. I also prefer being able to include exactly the amount of yogurt I want and exactly amount the toppings I want (Cultivé used to do that for you, but it gave in and went self-serve like all of the others). Yolo Berry has *lots* of topping choices; more than Yogurt Shack, I think. Otherwise, I'm still undecided which I prefer. One bonus in Yolo Berry's favor is that you have a much nicer place to sit outside than the Shack — hell, you have all of Central Park.

Other Dessert

The Candy House of Davis
Most (or all?) of the truffles are made with liqueur. That might be a "plus" for some, but I didn't like it — although I will say some of the truffles tasted more like liqueur than others, and as there are a lot of truffles, it might be worth doing some testing... In general I have to say that I prefer See's truffles. However, they did give us some free fudge, and it was really good, so I go back just for that. Try the tri-color (light chocolate, vanilla, dark chocolate) with or without coconut.
Ciocolat
Mousse seems to be the specialty of the house. It's a great mousse, not too light, not too heavy, and just the right amount of sweetness and creaminess. There are many mousse desserts here, so if you like mousse at all, this is your place. The 24K "domes" are amazing — a thin layer of cake topped with chocolate mousse and coated with dark chocolate. Cookies are also great — ginger spice with chocolate chips is a particular standout, maybe because it's unusual. The glorious array of delicious-looking cakes demands further research.

If you hit up their table at the Farmers' Market, you will find a delicious fruit crumble (it looks like a small pie). The top (the "crumble") tastes like a cookie.

Addendum: I agree with others that this place has gone downhill in a very short amount of time. Every time you go in there, the staff seems to be brand new and thus very slow at doing even the simplest tasks. Usually this is a sign of poor management or underpaid workers... can't say whether that is true in this case, but I do wonder. And often you go in to find a very limited selection of items. I hope they turn things around, because when they're "on" they can make delightful desserts.

Konditorei
What a lovely place to have a genteel breakfast or lunch (especially on the nice covered patio outside), or skip the meal and go straight to the dessert. It's what they do best in any case, though I do like the quiche — skip the turkey sandwich. For those of you who have only had the Americanized version of a croissant or a danish, you simply have to find out a proper flaky pastry tastes like. It's a whole 'nother creature. But be warned that walking into this café is to be bombarded with one delicacy after another; how to choose when one thing looks better than the next? Take heart, though, one can always return, or splurge on a cake for a special event. Too bad their hours are so few and their location only really convenient for East Davisites.
See review for Little Prague on this page, whose extensive dessert menu deserves special mention.
Mishka's Cafe
The baked goods here are quite yummy (hearty, tasty, down-to-earth but not boring), e.g., lemon bars, morning bread, oatmeal-apricot cookies...
Nugget
Generally, I don't shop much here because of the high prices, with the exception of a few items that I can't get anywhere else. But the bakery items are hard to resist... especially chocolate chip cookies, lemon bars, and éclairs...
Pink Dozen
I've had some good doughnuts here — a jelly doughnut with lemon filling and a buttermilk doughnut. Good flavor, not too greasy, not the best doughnuts I've ever had but pretty darn good. I wish, though, that they made doughnuts throughout the day and stayed open into the evenings, perhaps even 24-hour.

European

Caffé Italia
This is an Italian restaurant. The menu looks very promising here, with lots of choices. But I found myself disappointed. The "greens" in the dinner salad are iceberg lettuce (why do people persist in eating it? It has no nutritional value) and I was sorry that I didn't order the dressing on the side, because the lettuce leaves were dripping with the stuff. I thought the red sauce tasted like a jar of Ragu, which is OK if you like Ragu, but I expect better. (Strings' sauce is much better). I will say, though, that the "lasagna" dessert (I don't recall the exact name, but they do refer to it as a lasagna) was really quite good — a brownie with coconut and walnuts, topped with ice cream and whipped cream, big enough for at least two people.
Little Prague
This is a Czech restaurant with a nice, elegant-yet-comfortable interior or the option to eat outside. The food here was on the heavy side, but it was quite tasty. It's a good place to go if you're splurging (on calories, that is — dinner entries range from $15-$20, which is more than we usually spend on dinner, but not outrageous). My partner had the vegetarian casserole, which sounded as though it would be very good (potatoes, tomatoes, creamed spinach, and mushrooms, in an Italian spiced egg casserole—oven baked until a browned cheese crust forms), but in fact was sort of boring. I think it's like going to a fish restaurant and ordering steak — it's just not going to be that good! So, this is perhaps not the place for vegetarian food, although there is a nightly vegetarian special that I can't vouch for. Anyway, I had the beef goulash with czech dumplings, which was just wonderfully hearty and tasty. My friend reported the same about her beef stroganoff, although she was surprised that it came with rice rather than noodles. The restaurant offers an amazing array of tempting desserts. We had the chocolate éclair, which I would get again, except that will be hard when there are so many other tempting things to try...
Osteria Fasulo
My review of this restaurant is long overdue, and so I cannot give specifics. Here's the impression that lingers: a relaxed meal on a lovely patio with our dog curled at our feet, slowly working our way through several courses of delectable food, followed by a stroll on the greenbelt. Definitely a place to go for a special occasion or even just a special treat.
Rostini Italian Kitchen
Davis desperately needs a good Italian restaurant. Unfortunately, this isn't it. Several attempts have all been disappointing — even basic stuff like the pizza and spaghetti with meatballs. Perhaps Luigi's will be good.
Symposium
This is a Greek restaurant. This place was hit or miss for us. Hits: nice atmosphere (the equivalent of "dressy causal," with a mural on the wall), very tasty moussaka (eggplant, beef, and bechamel sauce, layered like a lasagna), pretty good salad (had some iceberg lettuce, but also some greens and other things) with two choices of dressing, feta or vinaigrette (but it was a creamy vinaigrette, if there is such a thing), big warm rolls, reasonable if not amazing service. Misses: spanoko tiropita, which is spinach and feta in a flaky pasty — I usually love this dish, but this was greasy and not very flavorful; dolmas, which are grape leaves stuffed with flavored rice and, in this case, some sort of meat (although I prefer veggie ones — if that was an option, I didn't know about it) — again, just not really to my liking. We'll be back for the moussaka, no doubt, and then try something else...

Indian/Nepalese

Kathmandu Kitchen
This restaurant advertises itself as Indian and Nepalese. My partner and I had a lovely dinner here one night awhile back. The food was very good; unfortunately, specifics have been forgotten. As with the one other Nepalese restaurant in our experience, the difference between Indian and Nepalese is subtle, if present at all; it seems to be mainly a difference in the spices used. Oh, but the spices! Definitely worth trying, if you never have. The service was slow, however; definitely the place to go if you're in the mood to linger. Since then, I frequent the stall that the restaurant runs at the Farmers' Market. There is generally a vegetarian combination plate that is very good; typical for the plate would be a spinach dish, a chickpea dish, rice, naan, and pakora.
Namaste Nepal Restaurant
*sigh* There's no putting it off any longer. I had to try the new Indian/Nepalese restaurant in town. And it figures. It would have to be as good as Raja or Kathmandu. The food would have to be flavorful and fresh. There would have to be a fun new naan to try with cherries and nuts in it — a dessert naan almost, good even on its own. The butter chicken would have to be as amazing as a previous poster said, with wonderful vegetarian dishes, too. And — how much am I supposed to take? They deliver, and the delivery was prompt (faster than promised) and friendly. Oh, what to do?? What to do?? *tears hair out* How many times a week can I eat Indian food??
Raja Indian Cuisine
I've had the lunch buffet here many times and a good number of dinners, too. It's quick. It's convenient to campus. The owner is very friendly and seems to want to go out of his way to make sure you are comfortable and happy. When I first started going here, the food was so-so, but it has gotten better over time and now it's my favorite Indian restaurant in town. The sauces are consistently flavorful. Sometimes we go for dosas, too. Yum.

Japanese/Korean

Not that I think these two cuisines are the same... but with some of the Davis restaurants offering both, it seems appropriate to group them.

Davis Oshio Cafe
This restaurant serves Japanese and Korean food. Most of my meals here have been very good (especially the vegetarian items), although one or two were just OK. The miso soup isn't my favorite. Service isn't super-speedy but it's not unreasonable, either, and they are very friendly. The outdoor patio is a nice space — there's an overhang and you're protected from the wind and the street a bit. Overall, I like it quite a bit.
Fuji Chef
This is a Japanese restaurant. Apparently, everyone goes here for the "all you can eat" sushi? My partner and I went here for an ordinary meal, but was not impressed by the service (which was terrible; dishes were forgotten, and then forgotten again) or the food. One sushi ordered was clearly premade some time ago. The teriyaki sauce was flavorless; meat was low quality. We are unlikely to return.
Jusco
This is a Japanese restaurant. We went here for the midweek "all you can eat" buffet. (Is it really a buffet if the food isn't laid out on a table?? Never mind, it was all you can eat, for around $13/person). I had been told that this was a great place for veggie sushi; this was true. The veggie dragon and veggie rainbow sushi were delish. However, the wonton soup had a weird flavor and teriyaki chicken didn't have a very good sauce. Apparently, if you want miso soup you have to go on the weekend... maybe next time.
DOSiRAK
This is a Korean restaurant, and a great place to get a quick (they are super fast with take-out) and healthy meal. We particularly like the japchae and other dishes with noodles.
Manna
This is a Korean restaurant that also serves Japanese food. The bimimbap in a clay pot was excellent, although next time I wouldn't bother with the beef (there wasn't much of it, and it wasn't great quality), and instead would go for the tofu. The vegetable teryaki makes an excellent light and healthy dish: both tofu and veggies are steamed, not fried. Yum!
Zen Toro
We had a very enjoyable meal here. Portions were quite large and the atmosphere was very pleasant. We tried the spicy teriyaki beef over rice, which was a nice change over the usual teriyaki. We also had a vegetable sushi platter; some of the items we liked, and some we didn't, but it was just that some were not to our liking, not that they were prepared poorly. In fact, it was obvious that our dishes were prepared with great care. Next time, we will simply order something else! (I think we would have been better off with the "Vegetarian Delight" sushi, or picking our own sushi, rather than the mixed platter).

Latin American/Tex-Mex

Dos Coyotes
Went to the North Davis location, and in short, I doubt I'll go back. First, this was one of those menus with several items slightly different from one another, and you are left to figure out how they are different. (I was looking at the burritos). Not a big deal, but annoying. Second, the place is noisy. Not (necessarily) lots-of-customers-talking noisy, but even without many customers (as there the day I was there), there is a loud hum (some kind of fan?), plus music, plus high ceilings to echo everyone's voices, trying to talk over the other noise. It just wasn't pleasant. Third, the food wasn't bad, but it was mediocre. Really, the salsas were all that I liked; I just kept adding more salsa to my burrito, and thinking, "Why aren't we at El Mariachi?"
El Mariachi
Love the veggie burritos here and the wonderful array of salsas in the salsa bar. The proprietor is very friendly, and the chips tasty. It's my favorite place in town for a burrito.
Taqueria Davis
It's fun (and very tasty) to get a burrito with egg and potato in it, plus meat, rice, beans, cheese, and salsa.
Taqueria Guadalajara
I had heard that the Guad in South Davis had put a TV out on the patio, so I was worried that the experience would be ruined, but I was glad to find out that the volume of the TV was turned down and the usual Mexican music was playing. My favorite dish here remains the tostada with their tasty adobada (which is beef at this restaurant). It comes with lots of fresh, green lettuce and a bit of salsa and guac. It's a reasonable light meal, but if I'm hungrier, I can order black beans and rice on the side, which comes to quite a lot of food. It's very pleasant hanging out there on the patio, especially with one's dog, and service is usually pretty fast. I am not gaga over the chips, but that doesn't seem to stop me from consuming a lot of them.
Tres Hermanas
I went here awhile back and enjoyed myself quite a bit. I expected small portions, given some of the comments on the page, but my dish was not at *all* small, in fact it was quite large. The fajitas were really tasty, maybe the best I've ever had. The mole was very so-so, though (is there a good place in Davis for mole?). Waitstaff was nice, decor was nice. Definitely a nice sit down Mexican meal experience.

Middle Eastern

Ali Baba
The specials!! Oh, the specials! I love the specials, especially the vegetarian one (which is available all the time) and the pomegranate w/chicken one. They are served with rice and yogurt. Since they are specials, they are already prepared and can be served right away, so they make a fantastic "to go" meal. The specials are so good that it is hard for me to order anything else. I tried a dolmas appetizer once, served with a tomato-ey sauce. It was OK. I do like the burgers quite a bit, in part because they are very generous with their mushrooms. I don't like their kabobs or baba ganouj - go to Sam's for the former and Café Méditerranée for the latter.
Café Méditerranée
This place is a bit tucked away, so it's easy to overlook it — every time I go, I vow to go more often. The falafel is crisp and hearty, the baba ganoush is divine, the hummus has just the right proportion of lemon to garlic. I need to explore more of the menu (one way to do that is to order "five sides"), but so far I've not been disappointed.
Sam's Mediterranean
I think this is a good place to get some nice falafel and hummus in a pita. The chicken kabob in a pita is also very flavorful.

Pizza

Lamppost Pizza
It's Sunday, and you've got a hankerin' for pizza. But Village Bakery is closed. Symposium is closed. What to do?? Lamppost Pizza is a fine alternative. While I wouldn't say it was amazing pizza, the bread was good, the sauce was good (the place where a lot of pizzas fail) and the toppings were fresh. I eat this pizza regularly. As a nice bonus, it is prepared quickly. Look for the Facebook specials.
Steve's
I've had this pizza at Picnic In The Park and I was unimpressed. It wasn't bad (you have to work really hard to make bad pizza), but the crust was tasteless. It tastes marginally (but only marginally) better at the restaurant.
Symposium
Symposium makes great pizza — there's no doubt about it. But it's a rich, dense pizza. Sometimes I'm in the mood for that, sometimes not. When I am, it can't be beat. (See review of other food served by Symposium under European restaurants).
Uncle Vito's Slice of N.Y.
Uncle Vito, I grew up with N.Y. pizza. I know N.Y Pizza. N.Y. pizza is a friend of mine. Uncle Vito, you’re no N.Y. pizza.

The pie looked pretty, with veggie toppings fresh and nicely arranged, but it was basically flavorless. The crust was overly floury ("dusty," if you know what I mean), the cheese also had no flavor, and the sauce was only marginally better. Even with red peppers and parmesan cheese, it was still barely edible. There are better places to go in Davis for pizza; if you want a slice to go, head to Village Bakery.
Village Bakery
Let's just say that it's very hard to pass anywhere in the general vicinity of this place and not stop in for a quick slice of pizza. Love the vegetable pizza. And now I am starting to think that I prefer the plain (cheese and sauce) pizza — sometimes, nothing hits the spot like the basic food, and VB does it really well. Muffins, etc., are great too. Village Pizza & Grill has the same great pizza with not-so-great service and other menu items.
Woodstock's
The people here seem very nice, and it's great that they will deliver to campus when others won't. But the pizza just isn't very good. Edible in a pinch.

Thai

Ah, Thai food. A well-made Thai sauce is the nectar of gods. Davis is lucky to have so many good Thai restaurants.

Sophia's Thai Kitchen
This is the easiest of the Thai restaurants to "fall into" for lunch when you're on campus. I almost never go here for dinner, though, in part because my partner doesn't like the peanut sauce (usually one of our favorite things). It is a bit unusual for peanut sauce, I admit, but I kind of like it.
Thai Bistro
They have quality ingredients that taste good. Try the sweet and sour chicken with mango. (Here's a hint: it's not that deep batter fried stuff with gloppy pink sauce). I also like their curries. Service has been uniformly friendly and consistent. And they get extra points for the nice outdoor patio where you can bring your dog.
Thai Nakorn
Consistently tasty. Some of the menu options here lean more towards Chinese, so if you're not sure what you want (or if you have a mixed party that can't make up its mind), it's a good choice. I also like the choice of meat or tofu for many of the dishes, and the sauces are good. Also gets points for the dog-friendly patio.
Thai Recipes
Good food here, and nice atmosphere. I like the way that they always ask if you want your tofu fried or soft (i.e., steamed); most places you have to remember to ask, and sometimes you get funny looks.

Vietnamese

Sunrise Restaurant
This place looks like hell from the outside. It looks like hell from the inside. Plates often linger on tables long after their diners have left. And yet, the place has a nice "mom and pop" feel, and the food is surprisingly good. And inexpensive. We're back often. Take-out works well, too.

Out of business

2k Thai Food
This is my least favorite of Davis' Thai restaurants. It's not so bad that I'd never go there, but I dislike it enough that I would never choose to go there, and would only go with someone else who for some perverse reason insisted. The sauces are bland and flavorless. And I find the atmosphere off-putting — they seem to be trying very hard to be hip, but they fail miserably.
Aioli Bodega Espanola
This is a Spanish restaurant. Two things I really enjoyed here were: the wide array of vegetarian tapas, especially some little cheesy puffs and the grilled vegetables, and the vegetable paella (which is not something that you see often). The paella is for two, but if you go with a bunch of people you can split a bunch of tapas as well as a paella, and have a nice, varied meal.
Fuzio
This will sound like an odd comment, but they make a great tuna melt. A great tuna melt is hard to find. Most are soggy or greasy or use dark tuna or put pickles in the tuna.
Kabul
I really like this Afghan restaurant quite a bit. They have an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet and regular dinners. The atmosphere is comfortable, the waitstaff is friendly, and, most importantly, the food is delicious — it is wonderfully spiced and flavorful.
London Fish'n Chips
Of course, this is not exactly the healthiest of meals, but the portions were quite large (each piece of fish is pretty darn big, and you get a lot of chips, aka fries for us Americans), especially for the price. And it's as good as battered fried fish can be (personally, I prefer my fried fish dipped in breadcrumbs, but what are you gonna do? you take what you can get). I'd like it if the fish were served with lemon, although it is available. The guy behind the counter was very friendly and helpful.
Mirai
This is a Japanese restaurant that also serves Korean food. My partner and I tried the bimimbap and the beef sukiyaki. I liked these well-enough but the CP's partner thought the beef quality was poor, and the dishes a bit greasy. Not that I disagree with that, but I thought it was worth a second try (the flavors were good) — my partner disagrees — maybe we'll be back there eventually.
Queen of Sheba
I was really excited for this place to open, and it did not disappoint! First thing to notice is that the A/C problems that they apparently had on the second day during lunch were fixed by dinnertime. The restaurant was pleasantly cool on hot Davis evening. I did not find it cramped, either — I guess it depends on what you're used to, but I found it less cramped than, say, Burgers & Brew. I like small-ish (I've also seen smaller), intimate restaurants like this. The decor is also quite nice — good colors with interesting art on the walls. Ok, enough surroundings — the food! was delivered faster than expected (the menu warns you that it might not be fast), by a pleasant waitstaff, and it was *very* good. The flavors in the sauces paired with the enjeera are delightful. We particularly liked the Key Watt (a beef stew), but everything in our combo was good. I look forward to trying other items!
Stone's Café
The food here seems very fresh and healthy, and the sandwiches are all intriguing, the sort of menu where you want to try them all (I'm still working on that). Bread can "make" or "break" a sandwich — this bread definitely falls into the "make" category. It's hearty, fresh, and tasty. Burgers are served on a sourdough roll (and I wasn't sure how I'd like that — but it was good) with enough greens on the burger to make a salad (plus, of course, other options — choice of about 5-6 cheeses, bacons, different types of onion, etc.). I wasn't crazy about the mix of flavors on the avocado sandwich, but that's probably just an issue of my personal taste buds. The curried chicken sandwich was much more up my alley. And you can get a real turkey (not pressed deli turkey) sandwich. Woo hoo! From comments on their wiki page, sounds like they used to have an eggplant sandwich — I wish they'd bring it back (swap out the avocado sandwich??). It's also worth mentioning that everyone here goes out of their way to be extremely friendly and helpful; it's technically counter-service, but it's more like counter-service+.
Strings Italian Cafe
This place gets extra points for dealing gracefully with my large, somewhat disorganized group. They have a nice, tasty marinara, which goes pretty far in my book, because it's "make or break" for so many dishes. The artichoke ravioli were quite good. They need to switch to a "greens" salad, though — they're still serving the old-fashioned no-nutrition-here iceberg lettuce salad.
Thai Dynamite
It's disconcerting to eat Thai food in an American diner, but Californians should know by now not to judge a restaurant by its appearance. This was really quite a treat. They seem to put a particular emphasis on having a variety of fresh vegetables in their food, a big plus in my book. The fresh rolls had sprouts, carrots, cucumber, and avocado inside (shrimp optional) — an unusual combination, but very good — and the peanut sauce had a nice bite to it. Service was a bit slow at points, but they were extremely friendly and so it was hard to be mad. I hope this place does well. We'll definitely be back to try more dishes.
Yogurt Shack
Ok, I have to say I don't really understand the concept behind this place (and similar places) — you get yogurt, as opposed to ice cream, because it's healthier? less fat? And then you throw a lot of high fat candy on it? Or do some people genuinely prefer frozen yogurt to soft serve ice cream? But even though I can't make sense of it logically, I have to admit it's downright tasty. I tend to go for a yogurt with chocolate in it; black cherry was also good, whereas I couldn't really taste the peanut butter in the peanut butter chocolate. As for toppings, I imagine I'm pretty boring as these things go, but heath bar, brownie, oreos, and coconut make a good combo. $3 gave me a portion that was plenty big enough (easier to achieve if you take the smaller cup — there's definitely a tendency to get more with the larger cup). I saw people walking all over town with cups of this stuff, and so I'm guessing this place will do pretty well. Oh, and if you want to be "virtuous," you can get just the yogurt alone, or yogurt with just fruit.