Dining in Davis
One of the advantages of living in a town-and-gown community with an international population is the vast array of dining out and cuisine choices on hand. (The abundance of Thai, sushi and Chinese restaurants is downright embarrassing.) If you ask someone for an opinion on the best place to get chow fun, you’d better duck first. Everyone will have an opinion, a very strong opinion. Blood has been shed over the question of Hunan vs. Ding How.
If you’re new to town, the easiest thing to do is simply park your car (watch those time limits and re-parking rules), and follow your nose wherever it leads you. Our compact downtown area is home to dozens of restaurants of every type. If you wander a little farther afield, your choices increase exponentially.
THIS LIST IS BY NO MEANS COMPREHENSIVE. IT IS A TINY TASTE OF THE DELICIOUSNESS THAT IS AVAILABLE.
Great breakfasts can be found at Cafe Bernardo, Cafe Italia, Ciocolat, Crepeville, Village Bakery, etc.
Delicious burgers and sandwiches are available at Burgers and Brew (pricy, but oh so worth it), Redrum, Pluto’s, Zia’s, The Hotdogger, Tommy J’s, Cloud Forest Cafe, The Habit, etc.
Lunch and dinner Americana hotspots are Mustard Seed (their outdoor patio is the perfect place for a summer date night), Bistro 33 (my personal favorite – in the original city hall and fire station featured in the photo), Seasons, Our House, Tucos Wine Market Cafe, etc.
Ethnic food options include Sophia’s Thai Kitchen (great drinks menu), Taqueria Guadalajara (nice patio), Kathmandu Kitchen, Zen Toro, Dos Coyotes (a fave with two handy locations in north and south Davis), Noodle City, Raja’s Tandoor, Symposium, Wok of Flame, Taqueria Davis, Thai Nakorn, Mikuni, Sushi Nobu (best salmon sushi in Davis), Namaste Nepal, Osteria Fasulo (out in Stonegate, but worth the drive), Cafe Mediterranee, El Machiari Taqueria, Ali Baba, Jade Garden, Silver Dragon, Shanghai Town, Little Prague, Moshi Moshi, Taste of Thai, de Vere’s Irish Pub (great place for families), Hoa Viet, etc.
We have plenty of comfort food chains and fast food joints like Black Bear Diner, Panera, Togo’s, Burger King, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, In-N-Out, Del Taco, Noah’s, etc.
Pizza places abound at Uncle Vito’s, Village Pizza, Steve’s Pizza, Lamppost Pizza, Woodstock’s Pizza, etc.
If it’s coffee you’re craving, belly up to the bar at Starbuck’s (five in town, at last count), Peet’s, Common Grounds, Mocha Joe’s, Mishka’s, Dutch Bros., etc.
Barrels and barrels of beer can be found at Sudwerk.
Desserts can be found at Cultive Yogurt, Yolo Berry (my kids’ favorite), Tutti Frutti, Icekrimski Cafe, Baskin Robbins, Konditorei, etc.
And this just barely scratches the surface. If you want more options or reviews, there are some good sources available. The Davis Enterprise’s annual best of Yolo County list mentions a lot of these places, as does The Aggie’s best of Davis list. Several online sources offer restaurant reviews including Urban Spoon, Yelp, Davis Wiki, and Trip Advisor. Or you can just join the line of people wrapped around the block waiting for the all-you-can-eat floating boat buffet at Fuji Sushi.
What’s your favorite restaurant in Davis?