These are reviews of Sophia's Thai Kitchen from 2007. For more current reviews, visit the entry.
2007-01-07 13:05:31 I wouldn't say this place is great but I would pick Thai Nakorn over Sophias. I love their T3, the dish with double the chilli pepper on the menu. I love the Thai Iced Tea refills. I like their new remodeling inside but sometimes I think its a little TOO dark. Maybe it takes getting used to. —BeeBooBee
2007-01-22 18:46:12 Very weird hours, especially when you want to go in here on the weekends.... Come on people, your a good enough restaurant and well known enough by this point that it won't be dead in the afternoon... —GarrettGallegos
2007-01-23 10:06:47 Most of their food has fish sauce in it. Unlike many Thai restaurants, they are willing to prepare their food without it to make it truly veg. However, this renders most of their dishes bland for us veggies. —ScottWeintraub
2007-01-30 14:52:57 This is one of my favorite restaurants in Davis. It is reasonably priced, has a nice atmosphere, and a decent wait staff. However, I have noticed a decline in the quality of the food in the last few months. Did they get a new chef? Or are they just getting lazy? Not a fan of the bar by the way. —RussellAnderson
2007-02-27 17:04:40 To the owner of Sophia's: PLEASE BRING BACK WEDNESDAY $1 DRINK NIGHT FOR SPRING QUARTER!!! It's my last quarter at Davis and I really miss the $1 drink nights —DavisDavis
2007-03-13 00:26:45 My favorite restaurant and by far the best bar in town. The food here is tasty and of high quality. Particularly, the meats and produce taste fresh (not frozen/bulk) and their curries are lighter than your usual Thai fare. The waits here are ridiculously long, too long in fact (I try to avoid Fridays), which I guess is not unwarranted and attests to a satisfied clientele. The vibe in the bar is great: there's no particular "scene" and the crowd is perhaps the most eclectic you'll find among any of the bars in town. The liquor selection is extensive and varied, especially if you like Scotches and Whiskeys and the bartenders are the most skilled in Davis. (though avoid the tall one on busy nights; he can be extremely rude. Very friendly and professional staff otherwise, right down to the bouncers.) I also appreciate that they have live music. My only complaint is the rampant smoking, but I suppose that could be a draw for some as well. —BriannaBetancourt
2007-03-19 19:31:01 I ate there recently and was surprised it was a 45 minute wait for one! They told me I could eat at the bar, which was rather loud and dark. They did have a good selection of beers and drinks, but the spicy chicken stir fry was so hot I Kind of ruined the food experience. I think this place is really popular with students, but find 2K Thai has much better food, a classier atmosphere, and is no more expensive. —JerryGarcia
2007-03-30 23:52:25 Everyone loves this place, but I have never been impressed by the food and it made me sick tonight :( —ChristyMarsden
2007-03-31 00:21:03 I love the bar. They've always treated me well. The only times I recall not enjoying being there were on $1 drink nights. Too crowded, and who wants to drink out of a plastic cup anyway? —CaptainRush
2007-03-31 14:24:27 I went with a large group and we ate family-style. I thought the food was good. I'm inexperiences with Thai food, so I don't know if it was good *Thai* food, but it was good in general. Mmm... meat dishes. —NumiaCairaguas
2007-05-01 13:00:21 We love Sophia's! The food is the best Thai in Davis. Great service especially last week on Wednesday evening. Our waitress was more than accomidating! Outside seating is great only does anyone know when they are taking down the tent? —HeatherParker
2007-05-01 13:38:57 The food, trivia nights, employees, and atmosphere make the bar and restaurant a comfortable hangout, and a good spot to take out of towners. The shrimp corn fritters are magically delicious, the Thom Kha Gai Tofu is the best Thai dish in town, and the spicy eggplant (with beef of course) is also outstanding. Their most expensive item, the Thai Seafood Medley, doesn't quite gel but the Three Flavor Fish is quite good and eight bucks cheaper. Rice is included with free refills, so their prices are identical if not better than all other Davis Thai places— at least three of the other four Thai places (not sure about TRecipes), charge you at least $1 for tiny portions of rice. Keep in mind that Sophia's is really popular, so there's usually a wait to get into the restaurant. That said, the bar's service is excellent, and you can have a comfortable conversation there, even on the busiest nights. Their drink selection is decent, and their recent addition of Strongbow Cider is a nice bonus. —CraigBrozinsky
2007-05-19 06:58:32 For all interested, the tent went down in the last week or so... much nicer outside now. —BillBroadley
2007-05-23 14:32:30 Love this place. Jarrett can make a mean drink, as well as all of the other bartenders. Great atmosphere, great crowd, great service, reasonable priced drinks, and most of all places to sit. I highly reccommend this place. —MikeJones
2007-05-23 16:52:02 I can also, upon request, make nice drinks as opposed to mean ones. Ha ha —JarrettNoble
2007-05-28 18:42:32 One of the best Thai restaurants in Davis, Sophia's hosts a charming setting & a restrained yet delightful menu. While the food isn't truly authentically Thai, it deserves applause for trying to come as close as Americanly possible. It's not the best place for vegetarians.. but in SE Asian cuisine, flavor is a farce without fish sauce. Even their salad dressing is fish-sauce based. The Thai iced teas are quite refreshing and free refills are reassuring. Usually good service.. but the hours should be a bit more accomodating. Out of 10 stars, I give it 8. —BenjaminCatabas
2007-07-07 22:44:36 Wonderful place to eat. The bar is great, I love trivia night. I don't think it's overpriced. It's not cheap but not expensive, either. The food is tasty and the drinks are great - except the mojito, nobody makes good mojitos anymore. Every time I've gone to the bar, the owner has been there. He's very nice and is friendly to talk to. I didn't know he was the owner until I had been back a few times. He is one of few owners of an establishment that I've actually seen spend time and be involved at his place. —intangible
2007-07-16 13:29:26 Mmmm bottomless Thai iced tea or coffee! The food is good and plentiful =)This is a nice restaurant except kind of small. —BrandonToo
2007-08-03 20:42:45 I've been to quite a few thai restaurants, Sophias was some of the most un-authentic thai food I've ever tasted (didn't stop it from being busy). I'd rather drive to Sac to get some decent food than go back. —atwong
2007-08-26 15:38:32 I dig this place, especially for drinks or music, but what's going on with the fish tank? It needs some love, guys! —ElisaWeller
2007-08-28 13:22:38 Went on a Tuesday afternoon and it was busy, but not over the top busy. The service was excellent! The only semi-negative thing I have to say is the dishes my boyfriend and I ordered were kind of bland, not terrible though. I think the problem was I should've ordered mine with beef for a little extra flavor instead of chicken. The free refills of thai iced tea are awesome. I recommend eating outside (inside feels a little cramped). I just can't emphasize enough how friendly the staff was. —PhedreC
2007-09-23 01:32:46 Sophia's meals are very tasty and the restaurant has an excellent atmosphere. The bar gets special props for their willingness to book alt.country/folk/bluegrass musicians. —DanielWorthington
2007-10-19 18:22:13 I love the food here and the thai iced tea is very yummy. —LolaTorney
2007-11-08 22:52:39 pad thai is dry and no sauce...compared to regular pad thai..it sucks...the first time we went there got the tom yum kha? soup..preety good..the glass noodles...very very good...and the asparagus and tofu..good...and the mushroom appetizers..AWESOME but see that was the FIRSt time...came there again ordered the some different noodles..it was crappy...pad thai crappy...asparagus tofu..glass noodles...curry noodles...SUCKED..no taste at alll..i guess once you eat there the first time...and the following times you come there..it basically is crappy...and the long wait doesnt help...otherwise the only dish that rocks the menu are the garlic mushroom appetizers...those rock my socks...i basically order that and leave! :) oh yeah and the great thing about the thai ice tea/coffee..is that FREE REFILLS!!! so fill those stomaches...get the moneys worth...otherwise dont order anything else from the menu here :) lol —MAIRA
2007-11-09 08:15:42 If I am understanding the last comment correctly, are they saying that the food is good here only the first time one goes and then the subsequent times its not good when ordering the same thing? With all the people going there, how do the fates know how to control someones dining experience and whether or not it a customers first time eating here? Maybe I didn't understand the comment but I want to rant because i'm feeling a bit spikey today...I have found Sophia's to be consistently good everytime I have gone and think its worth the wait. —MyaBrn
2007-11-09 08:56:36 I've only ate appetizers at the bar, but I love the shrimp tempura, YUM! They might even know us and recognize us since we go there quite often, but it's been consistently good everytime. ;) —Rachelottlinger
2007-11-11 14:48:16 I like coming to Sophia's for lunch and dinner, they're always consistent food and service. The satay appetizers are really good... waiting in the bar for a table and munching on calamari is fun. The bartenders here are some of the best in town. The bar was closing and they let us finish our drinks without saying anything to us (other bars will yell at you). Some servers don't like splitting checks for less than 6 people, but others don't care. —davistudent
2007-11-12 00:45:15 While Sophia's should be commended for their free refills, I felt that their food was a bit too bland. I mean, there was really no flavor in it. My friends and I ate there, and we got three different kinds of food just to taste what their food was like compared to Thai Recipes, and we were sorely disappointed. However, we were quite happy with the free thai iced teas! —Mae
2007-11-16 01:31:04 hmm..the first time i tried sophies, it was awesome!!!! after the 2nd and 3rd time, it just went downhill. their pad thai is a "pad thai"??????? their fried rice is pretty good though, same with the garlic asparagus and tofu. i think its awesome that they offer unlimited thai tea because you dont see that often. i think sophies has its good and bad days, but i dont think im going back to sophies for awhile. i definitely recommend the GARLIC MUSHROOMS APPETIZER, its sooo yummmy!!! ( i have gone back just to order that to go!) —jentruong
2007-11-29 18:50:23 If a "Thai" restaurant is really Thai, they would know how to make the most simple THAI food of all— PAPAYA SALAD! Papaya Salad is NOT a tossed salad, but it's suppose to be pounded together in a mortar and pestal thing. Not only that, where the hell is the shrimp paste flavor and tamarind??? WORST papaya salad I've ever tasted from a Thai restaurant. It was like shredded cucumbers with a splash of bad quality fish sauce and lime. This place reminds me of PF Changs! A disgrace! —kaefousaephanh
