| In 2010, Manna Korean Restaurant changed its name to Manna Korean BBQ. They still serve Japanese and Korean food, but now with an emphasis on BBQ. The text below is retained for historical purposes only — click on the link of the new restaurant for updated information. |
| Location |
| 622 3rd Street, at the corner of F and 3rd |
| Hours |
| Tues-Fri: 11:30am to 3:00pm and 5:00pm to 10:00pm |
| Saturday-Sunday: 11:30am to 10:00pm |
| Closed Mondays |
| Phone |
| (530)759-8888 |
Manna is a restaurant that serves Korean and Japanese dishes with good portion sizes and reasonable prices for a downtown Davis meal.
Comments on the Manna Korean Restaurant before the change to Manna Korean BBQ
Looking to leave a comment? This page is for the previous incarnation of this restaurant. See Manna Korean BBQ for the current version.
I don't recommend the salmon. It had lots of teeny little bones. I've heard good things from some people about other things they sell though. - MarieHuynh
The older dude that runs this place is really friendly. The ribs are good, the spicy food is truly spicy, but I'd avoid the chicken dishes. - VictorZapanta
Why would you avoid the chicken dishes? - JackHaskel
I've had nothing but good luck with the chicken. Especially good (for the price) is the teriyaki chicken lunch special — it's only $4 or so and is quite tasty! - KenNeville
I just tried their chicken teriyaki dish, pretty good for the price, but the salad that came with it was quite boring, consisting of iceberg lettuce, shredded carrots, and um... this funky creamy dressing. I also had their eel sushi roll, which was pretty good. This place is decent, and I might come back to it. -KarlMogel
At any Korean place I try to avoid the chicken because it just doesn't seem... Korean to me. Korean places, especially the BBQ, should be all about the beef and pork. Korean places should also be all about the spicy fish stews. Except for chicken teriyaki, which is from the Japanese side of the shop. —IrenePark
2005-07-06 17:55:54 Try the bibimbap or the seafood tofu stew... Quick and delicious —EricWecker
2005-08-04 02:11:39 The place is pretty good, although they dont have the chicken teriyaki to go anymore, you have to order one of the regular things on the menu —HarrisonNguyen
2005-09-06 11:47:21 My girlfriend and I tried this place once. I don't remember exactly what either of us got, but I had some dish with pork and she had some dish with chicken. Neither of us could come close to finishing. It was easily the worst food ever created. To put my comments in perspective, you should know that I often eat food out of dumpsters. —NikolaiBraun
- Well, that explains it. You're used to food out of dumpsters, this isn't going to have the extra flavouring you're used to. |D —JeffreyNonken
2005-09-10 13:41:05 BlancheNonken and I ate here yesterday. She got the California rolls and some kimchi, I got the Teryaki chicken lunch with pot stickers. I have to say we both enjoyed the food. The teryaki chicken was about average, I liked the pot stickers. The salad was as KarlMogel described, but I liked it. Maybe I wasn't expecting my salad to be exciting? It would be more nutritious with something other than iceberg. The dressing was sweet, not bad. They start you out with Miso soup before you order; the soup was pretty good. I plan to go back and try some other dishes. —JeffreyNonken
2005-09-13 14:13:14 Ate there twice recently. The Bimbimbap was good, but the beef in the Bulgogi was really weird-tasting, and we didn't finish it. I may or may not go back. —HarrySpanglet
2005-09-22 11:08:49 I went there for the first time last night and had the Hot Night Roll (crab, spicy tuna, spicy sauce, etc.) and it was really tasty. It had bits of tempura on top, which brought it up to like a 9 out of 10. —SharonZimmerman
2005-10-13 17:06:42 I thought their Eel Rice bowls are really good...like Little Tokyo material but I wish they gave you more rice... —CarlosOverstreet
2006-01-08 20:15:00 It's not too bad... I guess I've been spoiled by eating in Koreatown in LA, but otherwise the food's decent. If spicy isn't an issue, the Kimchi Chigae is good. It's a pretty general restaurant, so if you go in there without that many expectations it'll definitely satisfy you. —AlexKim
2006-02-20 02:50:40 The kal-bi (barbecued ribs) are really good. No complaints about the bulgogi, though I've gotten it kinda dry a few times. Probably the only choice for Korean food in a thirty mile radius around Davis. —CurtisLim
2006-05-11 02:08:03 For the prices, I don't think they give enough...I always come out of there feeling a bit hungry. I'm not satisfied but it usually does it... —ChrisLee
2006-07-14 07:01:32 The korean food here isn't spicy enough —KillerBobo
2006-07-29 17:57:09 The food is good, the short ribs, bibimbap and some of the specialty rolls especially. The people here are friendly (if occasionally overwhelmed). I've had a number of large get togethers here, and everything has always gone well.—MisterProfessor
2006-07-29 20:18:18 Mmm... bim bim bap. Pretty good food but I wouldn't go here for the sushi. The owner's so nice too. —LiRic
2006-08-01 18:39:52 it's impossible to get bibimbap and kimchee tofu stew wrong. a davis staple for me. —EmilyTung
2006-08-02 02:21:09 Do they make jap chae? —JudithTruman
"2006-08-03 20:36:40" I really like the food here. It's good considering it's Korean "fast food." The owner is really nice and I've generally had good service here. —ArielaHaro
2006-09-09 22:20:25 I love the Udon (makes my heart happy and body warm, if needed) and the rolls. Granted, I won't go for the sushi, but it's still pretty good. The waitress is always really nice and happy, which makes it more enjoyable. —ChristyMarsden
2006-12-13 21:23:57 The portions here are great with Miso and Salad included. The food isn't spectacular, but at the price and the quantity it is worth it. I do however recommend avoiding the salad dressing. That stuff looked and tasted very strange (not food poisoning strange, just gross strange) —JohnHumperdinkle
2007-01-08 18:04:03 I just love the food here. The chicken is great but when my sister and I come here once a week we always get the sushi. We are big sushi fans and are very very picky about our fish. Most of the rolls and sushi here are to our liking. Our favorites are the Alaska roll, which is california with raw salmon, the Rainbow roll which has Toro(Tuna),Hamachi (Yellowtail), Saki (Salmon) and other assorted fish on top with cucumber and avacado inside, and the philly roll( salmon and chremcheese) I am a big fan of the tempura shrimp rolls as well!! The prices are awesome for good sushi too! And take-out does not take-long at all! —ClaireGorman
2007-04-22 19:13:23 Came here today because i've been craving korean bbq. Ordered spicy pork and bbq beef. Pork was decently spicy but the bbq beef tasted different than what i am used to. It would say this place is average in taste but quantity is a bit small. It would be better if they tried to create a full korean bbq restaurant instead of korean/japanese. If they had more variety of korean food then i would come here more often. (There are too many japanese restaurants in davis...) —BrandonToo
2007-04-24 19:02:44 This place is bomb, and the service is awesome! Also, the best chicken yaki in town, if you add extra yaki and sesame seeds. —klmz
2007-05-02 13:18:44 for being called korean, this place isn't very korean. i had to ask for kimchi and my bibimbap was very...well...westernized. i'm not trying to knock any kind of quality here but the authenticity is nil. —MiranPark
2007-05-02 20:36:58 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! —CovertProfessor
2007-05-22 17:13:46 I wanted to check this place out and ordered the soba noodles with some weird carrot things. that was pretty yucky. my friend had the teriyaki chicken and that was pretty good. went back because the people were really nice and tried something different. I had some kind of hot seafood noodle and that was pretty good. i cant say anything about being authentic korean, but i liked it. —AeSaeteurn
2007-08-06 09:58:11 I'm not sure what some of the people commenting here are complaining about. I came here last night with a special guest on a hunch, and it would be an understatement to say the place greatly exceeded my expectations. Whether the food is "genuine" Korean or "westernized" I really don't know and don't care since it was *very* fresh (just before closing Sunday evening—the least likely time I would think restaurant food to taste noticably fresh), tasty, reasonably priced, was promptly served, and came in good-sized portions. Everyone working there was very nice and attentive, too. I wouldn't need to think twice about coming back to this place, and I'm sure it'll be soon at that. Excellent; I'd highly recommend! —MichaelKeteltas
- when you grow up around a certain kind of food and culture it's nice to be able to get a taste of "home-style" cooking that is authentic and consistent to true tastes as would be traditionally cooked. have you ever had food cravings for a certain type of food? i was just trying to say that to me, someone who is used to traditional korean food the way they make it in korea (and generally in korean restaurants in california esp. in the bay area) it's a sore disappointment to not be able to get the "taste of home" that i crave in korean food, especially since i've found it extremely hard to cook and manipulate food to the same flavors when it comes to korean food. additionally the food i received was not fresh, the bulgogi looked and tasted like it had been reheated after being cooked way earlier whereas traditional bulgogi is bbq'ed or pan-fried right before serving. this is the type of thing i was trying to remark on when i said "westernized". bibimbap without gosari or doragi or some other kind of mountain vegetable is just not bibimbap to me. —MiranPark
- What?! No doragi?! Aww that's sad. That's my favorite part of bibimpap. -AlisaKim
2007-09-06 19:36:22 The soon doo boo (spicy tofu stew) was really good, its what i always get. The bugolgi is ok, and the kalbee is good, but they don't have any sides at all. They give you a little kimchee and beansprouts sometimes, but you have to ask for it. Most Korean places, including the Manna in SF and LA give you assloads of sides, at least 10.
Other than that, no real complaints, good enough to satisfy my Korean urges. Korean food urges. —Kafani
2007-10-12 13:34:59 I come here all the time and although the service is slow (due to only 2 servers max), the food is very good. I love the stone pot bibimbap and the teriaki chicken. If you mix the teriaki with the white salad sauce, its heavenly. Owner is pretty nice too. —Rbbie2x
2007-10-28 07:06:06 Does anyone know if they serve jjajang myun here? —NicoleBush
- not that i know of, the first and last time i was there it definitely was not on the menu. a poor substitute for real, fresh jajang myun can be had in ramen-style package form at kim's mart for desperate cravings.—MiranPark
2007-11-22 00:59:57 The seafood tofu stew is great. —NickSchmalenberger
2007-12-11 22:43:49 I tried a sashimi salad type dish, i forget the name now, it was excellent. sashimi served over rice with lettuce, cucumber, and apples. the flavors mixed very well and the food tasted very fresh. the service was friendly and prompt despite there being several customers. i would recommend Manna to friends. —Chantal
2008-04-27 19:08:25 I love the boiled dumplings!
I had the nicest experience there this evening - Walked in to place an order, and they were out of soba. The guy at the register selected a great alternate dish based on my preferences, and my order was ready in five minutes. —Casey
2008-05-16 13:55:20 I love this place. The food is excellent. Usually get tempura or the shimp tempura roll. All of the appetizers are great also. The older woman (owner?) is so CUTE! She is so nice and always smiling. Last time I went there she was wearing leopard pants with a hot pink sweater and a leopard scarf....adorable lady. All of the waiters are up on the menu, so nice to be able to ask what the difference is between the items. A+ for this place. FAVORITE restaurant in Davis. —tgdavis
2008-07-05 14:43:43 I always go to Manna because it's the only Korean Restaurant in Davis (Oshio is total crap). The food here is far from authentic and disappointing. Their soondooboo is good and so is their kalbi but it is a step down from a "real korean restaurant. They also don't give enough panchan (side dishes) and thelady is quite awkward and stingy. Most korean places will refill your sidedishes multiple times but at Manna the lady complains. She also doesn't like it if you more than one person uses the cards and she only allows checks to be split two ways. Just as most Asian Restaurants in Davis...disappointing. —islandboy12
2008-09-27 18:11:52 I went there two days back and I must say the restaurant is just decent. The kalbi was pretty yummy while the bulgogi seemed a bit bland. It seems they didnt leave it in soy sauce long as they should have.. The bibimbap was decent but i think they didnt cook it enough to get crispy hard rice on the bottom. (Which is the reason why we eat dol sot bibimbap no??) The I was rather disappointed with the number of side dishes.. Only Kimchi and bean sprouts for a 10 dollar meal. Would appreciate it if there were at least 3 side dishes.. is that too much to ask?
The lady at the counter seemed kind. Service was decent. Would definitely go there again. —alexlee333
2008-10-08 20:07:56 dude.. this place sucks.. —tahoeian
2008-10-29 16:56:59 I ordered the Sea Food Tofu Stew for $8.99. It was not that much bigger than a small rice bowl with some tofu in it with virtually no seafood, at least the amount was so dismal that it may as well be considered not there. It was for me a total rip off. I left feeling unsatisfied and hungry. For $9.00, I could might as well buy a roast duck for Ding How that will last me for two meals. —supernova365
2008-12-16 20:24:13 i love eating at this place. i always get the bbq short ribs and my bf always gets the bibimbap. the lady there is really nice, always smiling and offering free candy to the little ones. i brought another friend with us the last time. she thought the food was just okay and pretty much lost her appetite when she pulled a piece of hair out that had been tangled in her pork. it was a good 10 inches. but i'm sure i'll continue to come here —skinnyfatgirl
2009-01-06 11:21:00 I absolutely love this restaurant - it's by far my favorite place to eat in Davis, and I go at least once a week (and I'd go there all the time if I could). I've had good experiences with their salmon teriyaki and their bibimbap with tofu, but I always get their Soon Doo Boo (soft tofu stew) with kimchi. It tastes wonderful on a cold day in Davis, and even though I do wish there were more side dishes I'm content with the bean sprouts and the kimchi that they do provide. Service can be slow when it's busy, but I've only seen one waiter/waitress working at any given time - and the wait has never truly bothered me. On the contrary, I find that they're usually very fast with their service, and I've never had a bad experience with an employee or management. The lady who presumably owns Manna is a really kind person, and I always see her chatting up customers. The atmosphere is laid-back and aesthetically pleasing. Their menus are well organized and easy to understand (numbers are provided for each item for those unfamiliar with the pronunciations). —hwarpeha
2009-01-09 10:52:40 Great experience! My wife and I went for dinner last night and can't believe all the delicious food we got for the price. Incredibly affordable and incredibly tasty! —condemned2bfree
2009-02-17 22:25:42 SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good, great staff, and great teriyaki! —simplyg00d
2009-05-10 15:27:00 I got really excited the first time I saw it because I really missed korean food from LA. But when i went there, it made me sad. I never went back. I had the soon doo boo and the bulgogi. The soon doo boo was just edible (a little bit more watery than I'm used to) but the bulgogi just tasted strange. —Michelleshueh
2009-07-06 23:23:52 This place is alright... I just come here to satisfy my Korean food cravings. Better than nothing. I've had their bibimbap, which in my opinion, isn't a big enough portion for me. Then again, I eat a lot. Manna isn't that spectacular, but it's decent. —JanetHung
- Bibimbap is like tacos or sourdough toast, you can never get full from them. —hankim
2009-07-19 20:14:39 I think the food is pretty good. Not as good as the stuff you can find in the Bay, but it will satisfy a craving. I like that you get free refills on white rice if you ask. I'm guessing not a lot of people ask for it, thinking they get charged, but its free! —AmyTrinh
2009-12-14 21:44:40 The food is definitely not the best out there (I've tried the chicken teriyaki and various sushi rolls) but it is decently priced and quite flavorful. The portions are just right. The space is small and cozy which I guess is why they don't have many waiters. I'll probably come here again in the future. —sjpacheco
2010-03-31 00:19:27 This place is too expensive and the mixed plate i got was only average. The chicken katsu tasted exactly like the chicken katsu at a hawaiian bbq fast food place, only it cost more than 10 bucks after tip. I probably won't go back unless someone else is payin'. —tneeley
2010-06-13 00:15:08 i only go here when i crave korean food but honestly, i don't find anything korean about this place. i really think they "dumbed" the spiciness level down for those you can't handle it...i told the waiter to make my soon-du-bu deadly spicy and...it really disappointed me. their quantity is also VERY low: i really don't think anything on the menu can fill me up. my favorite is possibly the stone pot bibimbap but i haven't gone enough to verify.
one thing i love about this place though: "ask and you shall receive" ;) —binladen
- What does that mean? arwennhold
- Apparently, it doesn't mean that if you ask for the food to be spicy, you will receive spicy food. (I like their stone pot bibimbap, for what it is worth). —CovertProfessor
2010-06-18 14:31:28 I just got a salmon teriyaki lunch special to-go. It was $8.99 and was supposed to come with salad, rice and california rolls—I didn't notice until I opened it later at work, but they completely forgot the california rolls and the salmon is tiny... maybe I'll go back and see if they give me my sushi. Not happy, not much of a salad and rice person. —Saffry
2010-06-24 12:22:23 Went here twice so far. First time I ordered the bulgogi (Korean barbecued beef) meal thinking it would not exceed ten dollars (I was looking at the menu on the wall) and was surprised it cost about $14. The meat was a little chewy but decent and they gave plenty of food so I did not feel completely ripped off and bulgogi is usually pricey at Korean restaurants anyway. The second time I ordered the bibimbap (rice with egg, vegetables, and bulgogi). Pretty good and much better than the bowl of oil that I tried at Davis Oshio Cafe. Will be back to try the jajangmyun at some point. This place is a bit pricey but around the price of most Korean restaurants I have been to. Need more data to determine if this will become one of my favorite restaurants. —hankim
2010-08-23 19:29:38 I went here for lunch with my uncle from the east coast. I had the Bimbimbop and he had some sort of black noodle dish. The Bimbimbop was alright, but nothing extraordinary. My uncle, an adventurous eater, couldn't finish his plate. We also ordered a dragon roll — the eel was extremely fishy, we didn't finish that either. Furthermore, with no more than two other tables eating, it took forever for our food to arrive. When we asked if our food was started (20 minutes after we ordered), they gave us a grunt for an answer. Not too friendly from our personal experience, and the food wasn't worth the price even if the portions are large. —KurtSassenrath
- Black noodle dish was probably the jajangmyun. —hankim
2010-09-20 05:37:56 I always come here for their spicy chicken dish which is amazing. It comes with tons of chicken (which is perfect for me because I am a carnivore.) The food of course is not spicy to me at all because my tolerance for spicy is very high. Most people I know say it's decently spicy for them. Anywho, the price for the spicy chicken dish is very reasonable. Going at about $7.99 and even cheaper during lunch hours, what more could I ask for? It comes with rice and a very delectable salad. During lunch you get extra options like gyoza or California rolls.
My Korean peers frequently bash on this place for a multitude of reasons. But realistically, if you want Korean food in Davis there are really only two restaurants. So if you need a Korean morsel fix, choices are limited. Out of the possible choices, I'd say Manna is the best one. They could offer a lot more though. At other Korean restaurants they often offer numerous side dishes with almost all orders. So again, I'm not saying it's the best Korean food ever. But in terms of what we have in Davis, it's decent.
The customer service here is awesome though. They are very friendly, and they check on you appropriately. —ThUn
2010-10-25 15:04:50 I've always liked their deep fried tofu teriyaki. Their regular (non-deep fried) tofu teriyaki comes with steamed vegetables, but the deep-fried does not. For some reason, every time I order the deep fried tofu, and ask for steamed vegetables on the side, the workers act like it's a huge deal. Basically, they don't like to make substitutions. They seem stingy and uninviting. —Kristina86
2010-12-15 00:45:08 Wow. They closed? It's been years since I ate here but back in 06 - 07 I used to grab their unagi rice bowls all the time for lunch. —CarlosOverstreet
2010-12-31 11:21:21 Well, I guess they're not closed. Why would the addition of a new item require grand opening sign... —ThanhVu
- I'm guessing they changed ownership. Seen it happen before, but agree that it's confusing. —ScottMeehleib
