Putah Creek Cafe

Putah Creek Cafe is a restaurant in nearby Winters. According to their website, the restaurant was at one time "voted best breakfast in Yolo County". They make a point of purchasing from local farmers. People have been known to bike out here from Davis for breakfast. They also serve lunch and baked goods made by their in-house baker.

See the website for more information including daily specials and photos of the grub. They also reprint a few short reviews, including one by Gourmet Magazine.

Putah Creek Cafe has also been mentioned in the excellent book, Road Food by Jane and Micheal Stern. They recommend the Putah creek scramble and the apricot bar.

The Putah Creek Cafe is part of the Buckhorn Restaurant Group — hence the email address.

SeePutah Creek Cafe on the Winters Wiki.

2006-03-28- My date and I ordered the Griddle Breakfast and the Rancher's Breakfast. The latter came on three plates and the servings were generous! I think that the toast should not have been already buttered. The coffee was perfect, the servers were attentive and friendly, and the atmosphere was cozy and comfortable. I highly recommend making the drive to this restaurant (and great date spot)! -JennaChan

Pre-buttered toast is standard procedure at the majority of "breakfast" restaurants. -JustinCummins

2006-08-01 18:34:41   it's the best diner food you can get around the area. i've gone twice already and it hasn't disappointed. try to daily specials (my friend and i shared the apple cinnamon french toast) and if you're a vegitarian...go for the veggie omelete. —EmilyTung

2006-08-01 20:04:49   great place to stop in for breakfast before heading to lake berryessa for the day —ShaunaMcKellar

2007-06-08 08:21:30   the best place in yolo for diner comfort food. Nothing was amazing, but there were generous portions for reasonable prices. Their chili was pretty good but not great. The beef open face sandwich was good but a little salty, and their pita sandwich was quite delicious. The best part was the fries, crispy, and just the right salt/seasoning. I wish they served breakfast the whole time they are open though. Also get there early because things tend to run out —MattHh

2007-06-19 10:05:58   Last place I ate in Davis, I now sadly know what I have been and will be missing out on. The food here was delicious, everything on the menu was tempting, everything I saw ordered looked excellent, and my meal was indeed tasty. I regret not getting the apple pie. The service here was attentive, always helpful, cheery and all that jazz. Reasonable prices, definitely a good place to bicycle to for a nice Sunday afternoon. —DavidPoole

They do offer dinner specials, and I believe they are opened later twice a week, they have complicated hours, if someone could check it out, maybe go here for a delicious lunch and update this it would be nice. ~Dave

2007-07-12 16:36:46   I finally got a chance to eat here and it was delicious. It can be pricier for breakfast compared to Denny's, but the bacon is thicker cut, the eggs are perfect, and the portions are huge. —RohiniJasavala

2007-08-20 13:32:57   Not worth the drive. —JesseSingh

2007-11-17 01:50:14   I had a pleasant breakfast here one weekday morning, but feel compelled to mention the little chunks of ham I found in my vegetarian omelette. I think I should have went for the pumpkin pancakes instead. —BrianLum

2008-02-04 01:54:25   I went there a few weeks back and had the Putah Creek Scramble. It was mighty tasty if I may say so. The portion was a pretty good size even for a big guy like me. I like the atmosphere too, having the regulars coming in and getting their usuals followed by the pleasantries with the staff was very small-town nice. Guy Fieri should visit this place on "DD&D". —DouglasPerera

2008-03-30 00:38:40   This place is great for not only breakfast but lunch too! My favorite is the Buckhorn Farmer's Market sandwich (which they serve at the Farmer's Market in Davis) and the chicken tortilla soup. —LizMelack

2008-03-31 15:11:13   Stopped by there today for lunch. Nice menu selection, fresh ingredients, and pleasant small town feel. Good service and while maybe a bit overpriced at $22 for lunch with just two meals and one soda, good food and service is well worth it. Definitely will be visiting again. —loneshark

2008-10-14 13:56:34   Totally worth the short drive to Winters. Had breakfast there for the first time on Sunday. It was fabulous. Loved the diner feel. And the food was scrumptious and very satisfying. If you haven't tried this place yet, do yourself a favor and make the trek out to Winters and try it. You won't be disappointed. —CurlyGirl26

2009-01-11 18:39:27   Such an awesome place! The pork tamales and fried eggs were out of this world! We wanted to order everything on the menu and will definately be back. Fun bike ride from Davis— gorgeous! —ruby18

2009-01-11 20:04:27   Huge portions, great atmosphere, good food. I really like this place. I like most of Winters, in fact. —ChristyMarsden

2010-08-10 13:31:58   Looks like they are going to be featured on "Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives"] with Guy Fieri! According to the Bee Guy will be there sampling dishes on August 29th! Pretty cool and worth the spotlight! —loneshark

2011-05-31 21:11:05   Learned about this cafe from the "Diners, Dive Ins and Dives". Not worth the one hour drive. We got there 7:30 pm Sat night and we waited 30 minutes for a salty combo Italian pizza that was burned black on the edges. The cioppino was watery, the shrimp was tough and chewy, one slice of salmon was the highlight of this dish...overall a lousy dish not worth $15. I had cioppino before and what they served me did not qualify as a cioppino...more like boiled seafood in tomato sauce. We complained to the manager about the slow service. She was nice enough to give us the the pizza for free but not enough to make us want to go back or tell our friends to eat there. Still wondering how this cafe got the rave review from the food network. —leochama53

2011-07-10 10:17:30   After seeing, Diners, Dives and Dumps on the Food Network, I was stoked about trying Putah Creek’s cioppino. We went early on a summer Saturday, sat outside (nice breeze but big mistake…we were bombarded by hoards of flies). I’ve been to the cafe many times for breakfast (yum!) and lunch but never for dinner. Since it’s owned by the same people who own the Buckhorn (where I’ve never had a bad meal!), I was sure it would be a treat. Wrong. I had the cioppino and heirloom tomato salad. My mate had paella and tortilla soup. What a disappointment… As stated, the cioppino broth was full of flavor with a little zing but it was served lukewarm. The fish and clams were dry. How can that happen in cioppino?? The two prawns were decent, as was the crab. But I had one little napkin and never offered anything else. How can you eat cioppino without making a mess? The 4 small slices of heirloom tomato were not good …unripe, hard. The buffalo mozzarella was excellent though (the best part of my meal) as well as the balsamic vinegar. My husband’s tortilla soup was good but not outstanding. His paella looked downright unappetizing with a dried-out looking chicken/thigh on the top (also served lukewarm). Luckily it didn’t taste as bad as it looked…but it was just ok. When I went to wash off the cioppino mess in the restroom, it bordered on disgusting…paper all over the floor and no towels to dry off your hands. The waitress needed some serious training. She removed the cork from a bottle of wine we ordered through the foil which she had only partially removed, never offered us to taste the wine but immediately poured two full glasses. To top it all off, she gave us the check while I was still eating. She never asked about dessert … not that we would have had any at that point. Sadly, we’ll not return.

—DavisWheeler

2013-07-14 22:20:59   I heard some very good things from friends about Putah Creek Cafe, and I have to say I wasn't disappointed. Well, with the food anyway. It took around 35 minutes to get our food, which was way too long for me and my fiancee. (She wasn't blown away by the food). That long of a wait really put a damper on the whole experience. I understand that the kitchen is small, but a wait of that long is kind of ridiculous. We probably wont be back, I'll have to get my waffle fix someplace else. —JamesKrause