These are reviews of Sophia's Thai Kitchen from 2006. For more current reviews, visit the entry.

2006-01-23 05:14:25   Do NOT get their tofu appetizer unfried. For $5, they give you several flaccid pieces of subpar unflavored tofu. Assholes. —ApolloStumpy

2006-01-24 13:40:30   News flash for Stumpy: Raw tofu is not rigid. —JeffSpeckles

2006-02-03 00:54:22   One thing you have to say about Sophia's, is that while there is always a new gimmicky special or hotspot of the moment that is momentarily "all the talk" of Davis, Sophia's bar remains consistently packed. —JaimeRaba

2006-02-03 01:35:01   Great job cleaning up the page, Kevin! And your text is a huge improvement. —GrahamFreeman

2006-02-03 03:28:53   I've eaten at really quite a lot of Thai places over the years, and I'd say that at the very least Sophia's is good. They may not be spectacular, but they are very solid. The prices are all mid-range (i.e. not cheap, but not absurd either), and I have yet to have something bad there. The portions have always been a bit on the small side for the price, so I generally don't get to take leftovers home, but that's not terrible. I prefer to go here for Thai in Davis, but as others have said, there really isn't a bad Thai place in Davis. They are all of about the same quality level, so it really (for me at least) boils down to environment and personal preference. —EricKlein

2006-02-03 12:26:12   So, what's up with that iced tea picture? —AmitVainsencher

  • I'm guessing that the artist wished to let us know that (a) Sophia's iced tea comes with free refills, and that (b) if you order iced tea, and squint just right, the person across from you looks somewhat naked. — EricKlein
    • In addition, if you talk to said person just right maybe you can go check out some of these spots — rocksanddirt
  • That photo is a bit ridiculous, I can't think why that particular background is necessary. The drink should sell itself. Perhaps the owner thinks partial nudity in advertising is going to attract customers — jwe

2006-02-20 15:04:33   I went to Sophia's a few nights ago and ordered the seafood medley. As before, I said "I'd like it as hot as they can make it, please. I believe you call it 'Thai hot.'" The waitress said "okay," and something else I couldn't quite make out. I didn't expect anything to come of my recommendation, but this time I was pleasantly surprised: this dish was actually hot. I would even say the piquancy level was "just right." Not only that, but the meal was quite satisfying, overall. The sauce may have been "inauthentic," uncomplicated, and a tad over-sweet, but it nevertheless complemented the seafood quite well, especially the crab. Was this a fluke, or is Sophia's now taking the "Thai hot" category seriously? You'll all have to let me know. UPDATE: I think it was a fluke, since I went again and asked for 'Thai hot' and got 'Thai mild' (and the food wasn't as good, either). Perhaps there are different cooks on different nights, with varying results. I'll try to suspend judgment ;) —ZacharyNorwood

2006-02-23 18:09:07   I have been going to Sophia's on an almost weekly basis for about five years. I have ordered the Tom Kha Jay about 49% of the time and the Spicy Eggplant Stirfry (with extra sauce) about 49% of the time. Both are excellent. —ErikNoftle

2006-02-25 19:20:06   Last night I witnessed the bouncers try a very shady practice. My friend's 'girlfriend' (or whatever you want to call her) was extremely wasted and she was just standing against the wall with a glazed look on her face (her fella was nowhere to be found). I had just gotten a drink and went over to see if she was okay. I took my eyes off her for a minute to talk to another friend of mine and the bouncer came up to her and told her she had to leave; "you've had too much to drink," etc. She had, so we found the dude and they went home. The bouncer didn't know she had friends there, does this bar regularly kick vulnerably drunk women onto the street in the middle of the night? SHADY. —AndyPastalaniec

  • I'm the owner of Sophia's and I was the one who alerted the bouncer of your friend's condition. I was standing there when my staff approached her. I can assure you, we would have NEVER sent her on her way alone, particularly in her condition. We kick out drunk people all the time, but we ALWAYS make sure they are not a danger to themselves or others when they leave. It would be irresponsible and illegal not to do so, as Dram Shop laws hold us accountable for people injured coming from our establishment. We always make sure that the individual's friend/party is notified. If they are alone, we call a cab and send them home at our expense. This would've been the case had you or your friend's boyfriend not been present to take care of her. Yes, there are always ways we could execute things more professionally, but kicking out drunk people can be a sensitive matter and we don't always nail it exactly right. I apologize if we seemed careless or we gave you the impression that we would ever consider kicking a "vulnerably drunk woman" onto the street. This is most definitely NOT our policy. —KevinWan
    • Thanks for setting an example for other business owners by editing the page for your business so responsibly. You are a good wikizen! - KenjiYamada

2006-03-24 15:06:26   Great bar, great drinks, fair prices. Food is pretty average and a little pricey. —KeithPieper

2006-03-24 15:07:16   Probably the best happy hour in town though - runs late (till 7) and great drinks - $5 specialty (stiff) drinks that will kick your butt! —KeithPieper

2006-04-26 14:23:12   Sophia's can be hit or miss sometimes with service, but I generally love the food. I try to get something different each time I go. The cashew stir fry is very tasty and gives good spice (enough to burn your lips a little), but I must warn everyone against the lemongrass calamari. I could barely eat it; the calamari was the consistency of rubber rings, there was way too much cilantro on everything, and the lemon kind of tasted like lemon-scented dust spray. I'll definitely go there again, but I'll stick with fried calamari rather than steamed next time. —EmilyBlake

  • I second that recommendation — the lemongrass calamari should be avoided. —AlexPomeranz
  • I would like to point out that that "lemon-scented dust spray" taste is actually what lemongrass tastes like, so if you don't like that you probably aren't going to like any true lemongrass dish. —ColeCal

2006-05-13 19:57:01   I've had much Thai food growing up and I can comfortably say that their food is not the most authentic. (I think Zach's spice hypothesis is genius and right on the money). I will say that their food is still well made and good, and I've been there several times, its just not as tasty as I prefer. If you ask me, forget about Phad Thai! try some Phad See-Ew. (I don't think Sophias has this but I know Thai2k does.) —TheodoreSuryapurnama

2006-06-09 15:28:15   I still prefer 2K Thai but the atmosphere and endless refills of thai tea are a major plus for sophia's —JessicaFu

2006-06-13 19:57:06   Good, but way overpriced —ChrisMay

2006-07-29 09:07:55   This place gouges you on alcohol prices. They now charge $5.00 for a single bottle of Guinness. Their owner Kevin claims that it's because of high gas prices in transporting it. What a joke!!!! —DavisLurker

  • Hmm... did I say this? I say a lot of stupid things, and if I did indeed say this, I would add this to the list. However, I don't even remember what I did yesterday let alone what I said to an anonymous WikiZen with whom I'm on a first name basis. Actually, the gas price thing is technically true, just a gross over-simplification of the inflation process. So perhaps my erroneous statement was born more out of laziness than me being a moron, or perhaps a combination of the two. In any case, I shall explain (read: defensively justify) the price increase for wiki posterity:

        The price of Guinness draft—not bottle—has been at $5 for over a year now. The importer of the brand increased the price of a keg by 20%, which triggered the increase. (Business 101: Cost increases 20%, Retail Price increases 20%) Except for Guinness, we have not raised the price of our draft beers or well drinks since we opened 5 years ago. Most of our competitors have. If you went on a Davis pub crawl (I'm down if you are!), I believe you will find our pricing fairly congruent with the current market, even cheaper than other establishments (keep in mind our prices are tax inclusive). Another factor in all pricing is customer perceived value. Most beer drinkers would perceive an import brand like Guinness and Newcastle to have a higher premium than, say, Sierra Nevada ($4 at Sophia's). It would be fair to say, then, that the market dictates a price for that perceived premium, and you see that in the pricing at grocery stores and bars alike (ergo, Sierra < Guinness). This is why liquor and beer companies spend billions of dollars on marketing: to establish that premium. So saying that a bar is gouging you because you prefer to drink expensive imported Irish stouts that require special carbonation is like saying a car dealership is gouging you because you prefer to drive expensive German automobiles with leather everything that have hyphenated names on the trunk.

        Make no mistake: I do believe we are on the pricier side of things when it comes bars in this town. But I hope that we make up for it in quality... quality of atmosphere, of service, of product, and of thoughtful, if verbose, explanations on internet websites. And if you'd let me, Ms. Lurker, I'd like to buy you a Guinness the next time you are in.

        I like typing. —KevinWan

2006-07-30 15:41:38   I've been here a couple of times to see my friend Patrick Proctor perform. The setting is great, the seating is comfortable, the drinks are good, and even the bouncers have been cool - professional but not jerks. I'll definitely be back next time Patrick plays. —GrahamFreeman

2006-08-01 13:43:24   I really like the atmosphere, and it's nice to hang out in a place with plenty of people in their mid to upper twenties (and beyond). At too many other bars, I'm left looking around wondering "is he/she really old enough to be here???" —JanelleAlvstadMattson

2006-08-20 13:57:06   On Sophia's Thair bar: What's up with the smell? (the unpleasant stench, that is.) The graduate is a bar, and it smells fine. —DianaChristofersen

2006-08-22 11:21:04   i ordered a dish that said meat and veggies but when it came out it was only ground beef and canned peas. Is that a Thai dish? —PorkFoo

2006-08-23 10:38:02   Sophia's Thai Kitchen is considered by many of Davis' residents to be the best in Thai restaurant in Davis; the interior decoration has a sense of authenticity, there is a wonderful little room adorned with pillows where you can sit on the floor, and an open patio sitting area. It even has a separate bar, with it's own exotic interior, and wooden deck for seating as well. I was there with my friends and co-workers hanging out for a few reasons, 1) Cara was leaving and we wanted to get her drunk and full to show our love, 2) It was also her birthday coming up, 3) An un-official reason, Kristin got a night semi-baby free, 4) Another un-official reason, we all were wanting some Thai food lovin' and to get a little bit mowed.

The bar is known for it's live music, skilled bartenders, hot n' sexy wait staff, and dollar tequilla night (defining the quality of the tequilla, and inebreiated eagerness of the student population). Thus we were all more than happy to sample some of their drinks. We sat on the relaxing wooden bar patio for a while, people watching and chatting it up. Sophia's offers a wide range of beers, local and imported, so everyone was pretty darned happy.

Appetizers like spring rolls, corn and shrimp fitters, and beef satay can be ordered at the bar as well (thai iced tea cannot). Each of the appetizers are a small meal in themselves and served with it's own unique sauces, providing an flavorful experience. The beef satay is well flavored with a perfect bit of spice and sweet peanut sauce, it has a taste of authenticity and Thai flare that goes perfect with beer. The thai springrolls with chili sauce also worked perfect with my cosmo, which was the best cosmo I ever had.

We soon moved to the restaurant section (a different building across the patio) and luckilly due to knowing the hostess, got to the floor seating room. Here a lovely mural on all walls give a pleasant visual treat while you eat. We all placed our orders and made ourselves comfortable. Thai iced tea here is very flavorful, and proof God exists. It's also free refills, FREE REFILLS! Something other restaurants should learn to do.

The food here is of good quality, and Davis residents laud over it constantly. However, in my own opinion, you can find better. Each dish seems to rely to much on lime, cilantro, and galangal. The curries, while flavorful, are a slight bit bland on the spice, but sweet and savoury and will definetly please you.

Almost all of the dishes give you the option of adding chicken, tofu, beef, or shrimp. The Pad Thai is often bland and lifeless, a mound of noodles and peanut sauce, guaranteed to leave you disappointed. The Chicken Laap I had was a perfect toss of chicken and red onions, and exploding with lime, cilantro, and spices. It's bold and strong, and won't leave you disappointed. The glass noodles with steamed tofu, a perfect vegetarian dish, was warm with citrus and cilantro, and a cool relaxing texture, and not boring like one would expect.

The whole restaurant and bar was also very baby friendly (it was 5:30 at the bar, no worries), and little Audrey for the short amount of time she was there before the mommy trade occurred, was happy and the staff were more than accommodating.

Would I come again? Yeah, the place is great for a group or for a quick drink. It's all a matter of taste when it comes to Thai food, so give Sophia's a try. (vanillagarlic dot blogspot dot com) —ProtoGarrett

2006-10-02 20:24:00   The first time I went here it was great. However, I've been back 6-7 times, and their quality of cooking has been deteriorating progressively. Even their ice teas are getting sloppy. —AtyNguyen

2006-11-08 20:35:07   might have beent he worst pahd thai, papaya salad, and garlic beef that i have ever had. the only seasoning it seemed to have was salt —AnnThiNguyen

2006-11-08 20:36:15   dara thai restaurant in berekely is the best. even thai nakorn was ALOT better —AnnThiNguyen

2006-11-10 21:08:21   Agree with the person re: the worst pad thai and som tam (papaya salad). Blander than a wooden stick. I gave Sophias a second (and third) chance, and same result. Give Thai Bistro a shot. It is consistently good and very comparable to fine cuisine in Bangkok. —ErwinSena

2006-12-13 20:49:50   The food here is above average. I would not call it great as the food tends to be a little bland. I'm not sure if this is for a want of spice or lack of some key ingredient, but it just isn't quite right. It is, however, a great location and a great place to go with friends and share some dishes. —JohnHumperdinkle

2006-12-20 22:59:10   I came here once in the summer and never came back. Food was okay, but the service was horrible. The hostess was so obnoxious and very controlling about how the tables are oriented and where you sit around the table. She had the nerve to ask this man at the next table to sit on another side because he was obstructing traffic — when NO ONE was even there yet! This was early in the evening before the dinner rush. She was also trying to maximize the number of people who can sit at a table, i.e. if it's a party of two, you cannot sit at a table for four, even if all the tables for two are taken. Anyway, that really ruined my dining experience and I wasn't even able to enjoy the food when it arrived. Never coming back. —ThucNghiNguyen

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