These are reviews of Sophia's Thai Kitchen from 2008. For more current reviews, visit the entry.
2008-01-10 03:36:57 We were so pleased they could make the Pad Thai vegan by leaving the fish sauce & eggs out. They even asked if we preferred our tofu steamed instead of going into the fryer. I always add the sweet-spicy sauce to the Pad Thai to add some moisture & kick to the noodles. I agree you should avoid ordering the tofu satay. It is not really satay, as they didn't brush it with coconut milk & curry. It is just plain tofu, & it wasn't good steamed or fried (no 'lil cucumber salad to accompany it either which usually comes with tofu satay). We were advised that the curries cannot be made vegan, but they did make a version of the Spicy Eggplant stir fry for us which was a delicious alternative. **(On our last visit 6/15/08, the manager let us know the Spicy Eggplant could NOT be made vegan , & the server who had advised us otherwise was misinformed. Vegans/vegetarians, do not order anything they offer with curry sauce- they all contain shrimp paste.)** Another time I had the Coconut Vegetable Soup with tofu, & they were able to hold the fish sauce— also excellent. Both dishes came with a huge portion of jasmine rice on the side for no extra charge. Skip the Pad Kee Mao. It is normally one of my favs, but their version has no kick or flavor. My sweet-spicy sauce couldn't even save the dish. The waitress saw we weren't able to eat it & comped it for us, a very nice gesture. Now, the bar at Sophia's is my favorite in town. I am aiming to try out most of their specialty martinis, as every one that I've had has been yummy. Their mango mojitos are the best. The bartenders are fast & friendly, & have great taste in music, I must add. —AprilAries
2008-01-18 10:51:53 I was in Sophia's for lunch with a couple of friends during my lunch hour from work, yesterday on Jan 17th. Normally, I have always had a great meal there, but everything went wrong with my experience yesterday. It started off with the hostess not writing down our pager number, so it took us forever to get seated. And then it turned out that that hostess was our server, which she did not greet us or take drink orders from us until we had been sitting there for quite a long time. By the time we got our food, it was almost time to head back to work. But my biggest problem, was that I had ordered a dish with fried tofu, because meat makes me sick and I'm a vegetarian, but I ended up with chicken in my dish. When I told her that it had chicken in it, and that this was not what I ordered, she acted as if it was and I finally got her to take it back, because I would NEVER order something with chicken. It was taking forever to get my meal out to me, and as I sat there watching my friends eat, while I had water, I had to finally just ask her to put my order in a to go box because I was already 20 min late to work. I finally got my order, and it was steamed tofu instead of fried. I don't like steamed tofu and would never order, so I asked to speak to a manager which she argued with me about and said there wasn't one on staff even though it was in the middle of the lunch rush. I didn't want to pay for my meal, because I have just waisted an hour and a half (of which I had to work over time to make up for the half hour she made me late) and I still didnt get the correct order. I went ahead and took it to go, because I was starving, but couldn't eat the steamed tofu, because I don't like it. My friend was kind of to pay for the 9 dollar bowl of coconut vegetable soup, that is just sitting in my fridge. I would like to get her money back and I can bring the food back if need be. Our server was very argumentive and apathetic to whole ordeal and your staff should be taught a lesson in customer service. I would have been happy if she would at least apologize for getting everything wrong, but instead she acted as if that was what I ordered and argued with me.
2008-01-30 16:27:01 I left a comment complaining about the lunch experience I had and I emailed it to the manager as well. I have to say that the manager did a great job difusing the situation and making me feel better by just apologizing and letting me know what actions were taken so that it doesn't happen again. I really appreciated it and was pleased with how he handled it. Thank you. —Miranda
2008-02-03 09:49:51 I used to come to Sophia's and capitalize on the free Thai iced tea refills. My favorite dish here, BY FAR, is the Boss' curry. I used to order the green apple snapper, but one time it came out super soggy. I guess the waiters/waitresses couldn't get it out in time. I went to trivia night once...it was a lot of fun. I can see how Sophia's is a staple entertainment and dining establishment, but I wouldn't come here on a weekly basis for its food or service. —EmilyTung
2008-02-07 11:27:36 i must say i've never had a blander massaman curry in my life. it had chunks of dole-style canned pineapple chunks in it, peanuts, carrot slices, and onions swimming around in a watery broth. the host was rather brusque. i wouldn't normally give a final "no" to a restaurant based on one dish, but due to the popularity (i.e. excessive crowdedness) of this restaurant i'll be sticking to the other thai restaurants in davis. kudos to the owner though for using those buzz waiting things that buzz you when your table is ready. i think they're super cool. —MiranPark
2008-02-17 22:00:06 Nice restaurant, but the food isn't that great. I've had better Thai food in Davis. I think their only okay dish here is their silver noodles. Service is slow. Prices are average. Not over the top. I'd give it a 1.5/5 stars for poor service, price, and taste/quality of the dishes. —BigRedGum
2008-02-26 00:14:55 I love the bar! I was disappointed that they changed their Riesling. Sophia's used to have this wonderful Riesling (refreshing and not overly sweet), but I was informed that they changed brands. The new brand is okay, but what they had before was far superior. —CurlyGirl26
2008-02-28 09:35:45 I went here for lunch with a friend and both of us were underwhelmed by the food. I ordered a coconut soup with tofu and veggies and it had this really strange sour taste (i think it was supposed to be tangy, but it ended up tasting rancid), while she ordered a red curry noodle dish that seriously just looked like they dumped noodles into their regular red curry. Oh, it was pricey too. I don't think I'll be coming back. —AmberHMa
2008-03-11 16:58:30 I've eaten at 2K Thai and Thai Nakorn so I've had my decent share of Thai food in Davis. Sophia's Thai Kitchen has a lovely ambiance whether it's sitting inside, our outside mild evening. The service is super friendly, and we got our food amazingly quick. I came here with my dad and ordered Red Curry, Three Spice Fish, Pad Thai, and the garlic mushroom appetizer. The prices are all very fair and about the same as other locations, but the biggest waste of money and dissapointment was the garlic mushroom appetizer. You would think with a name like that you'd get grilled mushrooms or lightly fried mushrooms seasoned with garlic. Instead, it was $5.50 for a small bowl of mushroom soup. I had no problem paying for any of their other things, but that was the most ridiculous appetizer of all time. Their Pad Thai was mainly forgettable, it didn't produce any intricate flavors or have any kind of zing. The Red Curry was very delicious and tasty. The Three Spice Fish, although flavorful, was kind of cheap feeling. In any case, I would love to come back and try different things. —CoreyPham
2008-03-28 09:55:46 When it comes to the restaurant and not the bar, my friends and I only go to Sophia's for the enticing free refills. That's right boys! Time to binge and fill er'up. The food is pretty good. Portions have recently begun to get noticeably smaller but the service has always been consistently decent the 50 or so times I've been there. If you're worried about getting full order a dish that comes with rice and stuff your heart out. They haven't begun charging for rice, yet. For those with a more demanding palate I recommend walking a short distance over to Thai Bistro for a more authentic taste. That is, if you don't mind the occasional fly or no-refill Thai iced tea.
They have three different seating "settings" to choose from all of which should match the type of dining experience you go for. Their new canopy is fantastic. Avoid sitting in the part of the restaurant near the entrance with the long tables, its heat lamps are sufficiently hot enough to kill you and the traffic will surely guarantee to interrupt your meal.
Overall, I'd say Sophia's is a Davis Top 5 Restaurant. Top 5 meaning, whenever my parents come visit me at college its one of the five decent restaurants to take them. —senioritis
2008-04-03 21:33:21 Nothing special about the food. In fact, the food is a bit too overpriced. I like the free refills of Thai tea though! —BenLee
2008-04-20 21:14:16 Good food, but not authentic in any way. I enjoy going here for the Thai tea mainly. I say its a fun place to go with friends, but if you're really intent on eating some good stir fry then i suggest going elsewhere. I wish the space wasn't so crowded, going to the bathroom is awkward because its so close to the kitchen, and waiters are always moving back and forth in that area. Still, not so bad to a point where i wouldnt go back (obviously, since ive been there several times now). —ASQWIK
2008-04-23 16:03:28 The food is usually pretty good. I like to get the take out, but I should have learned my lesson by now. We almost never get what we order, so make sure you check your boxes before you leave! Usually I like the ambiance, but last time we dined at Sophia's we sat next to a couple that must know the owner. The owner was at their table every 2 minutes asking them how their food was and going on and on about how rich he is. It almost made me toss my yellow curry. I have never been so glad to leave a restaurant after a meal! —AmLin
- 2008-06-04 09:03:28 Perhaps there was a misunderstanding, but anybody who knows us would attest this would never happen. Though someday I hope to be that brazen and unself-aware. If that's a word. —KevinWan
2008-04-26 18:39:50 This place gets a 'thumbs-down' for picnic day beer prices...full price for an 8 ounce plastic cup of beer? —jasonm
~ re: I actually thought that too at first and was really disappointed that the drinks were the same price for less ounces. BUT the bartender poured both our drink and beer into other glasses to show us it was the usual ounces being served (at least the cups they were using at around 3 in the afternoon or so). It seems it was more an optical illusion because of the thick glass the regular glasses are made of. Just to say- at least they don't serve they're drinks in plastic cups all the time like another bar I know... -AP
2008-05-22 00:42:30 Definitely one of my favorite places to eat in davis. I personally think that their food is pretty good, and the prices are extremely affordable. Regular dishes top out at 9 dollars, and seafood around 12 or 13 depending. The service is usually pretty spot on and excellent, however there is a blond male server who is actually pretty bad. He seems to neglect certain tables and just seems slower than the other servers. Other than this, everything at Sophia's is excellent. Free Refills on your Thai Iced Tea! Nothing beats that. —film
2008-06-02 09:53:30 We eat here often, consistently very good Thai food. Love the red curry dishes. —ACA
2008-07-21 19:35:56 small portions. padt thai is good. that's about all. —llee10789
2008-08-17 21:48:57 I got the Thai Fried Rice (the equivalence to Kao Pad at 2K Thai) and although I prefer the Kao Pad at 2K, the Thai Fried Rice was satisfying, though it may have been my hunger. My friend had the chicken Laap, and it was very tasty and would probably try it my next visit. Love the ambiance and the bottomless refills of Thai iced tea. :) —kmpulido
2008-08-17 22:46:11 I got the Thai Fried Rice (the equivalence to Kao Pad at 2K Thai) and although I prefer the Kao Pad at 2K, the Thai Fried Rice was satisfying, though it may have been my hunger. My friend had the chicken Laap, and it was very tasty and would probably try it my next visit. Love the ambiance and the bottomless refills of Thai iced tea. :) —kmpulido
2008-08-21 16:10:13 Sophia's is me and my boyfriend's FAVORITE place to eat. It isn't too expensive and it really fills you up. The waiters/waitresses are generally really nice. The only thing is, I don't like sitting outside because flies are always landing on you and the food. Besides that, I LOVE THIS PLACE! —renee415
2008-09-20 18:50:09 I've heard some good things about this place, so I was really looking forward to coming, especially for the thai ice tea, but I was pretty disappointed for the following reasons:
The service was very slow, but thats not so bad because it was crowded. The waitress seemed slightly agitated when we wanted refills on our drinks. The pad thai was mushy; came apart as you ate it, and did not come with the ordinary toppings that you usually get at the average thai restaurant (fresh, uncooked bean sprouts, ect). It did come with a side of peanuts you could put on it at least. Moreover, it seemed pretty bland without much sauce at all (although I ordered it medium, that may have something to do with it). It was a pretty icky experience over all, and I don't think I'll be going back for the food. —AnnaF
2008-10-23 19:42:02 Lovely mojitos, decent thai food - service is kinda mean... —Stina
2008-10-24 09:40:56 I read all the time about authentic Thai, which is the best Thai in Davis etc. Well, I prefer two restraunts in Davis, Sophia's and 2K, both are different enough that I can't compare item by item. That said, I had an exchange student from Bangkok and we took him to the Thai restaurants in Davis. His favorite hands down, was Sophia's. I was actually surprised.
I have always had a great meal and service at Sophia's and almost always take home a part of my meal because the portions are so big. The unlimited Thai ice tea is a plus too! —LokiAbbi
2008-11-03 18:06:43 The food here is very good (tofu curries), so is the ambiance. The bar is my favorite in Davis. —IgnatPrintsev
2008-11-07 22:55:41 The food is amazing and plentiful, but the service doesn't measure up. The waiters are slow and forget/mistake their orders way too often. Last time we were there a couple of waiters kept on running into the legs of our chairs and never apologized. I want to be charitable and think that they are being overworked, but still... The food is great though, so I think we will do takeouts from now. —Xenophon
2008-11-09 21:23:09 Their ambiance is nice, even if it can be a bit crowded and stuffy at times. I love their chicken glass noodles and bottomless Thai tea. I always leave with a full stomach and leftovers...will definitely come back again and again. :) —kthrnngo
2008-11-10 22:41:55 OMG! I got T-10, the Spicy Eggplant Stir Fry with fried tofu the first time I went to Sophia's with my co-workers and it was AMAZING. The tofu is something heavenly...it's texture is out of this world, words do not do it justice. The thai iced tea has nothing on Thai 2k (or 2k thai...whatever), and I missed the tap. pearls a lot. I spent A LOT less here on dinner than I did at 2k, which is a MAJOR PLUS. The one drawback is that they made us wait for our entire party before seating us...which means we had to wait for all our friends to show up (about a 15-20 min wait). Make sure your whole group is there before you go in to be seated. Aree rating: 8/10. —ArianeMetz
- Dont you see their thinking, you would have been taking up a table for 15-20 minutes without the remotest possibility of monetary return during that time. Its a business meant to make money like all businesses. —Piratechef
- Well, it wasn't like our waitress was waiting on our every whim. I mean, we basically would have sat there...and probably ordered more drinks or appetizers while we waited. Really, does any other restaurant in Davis have this policy? I have never been to another restaurant that did. —ArianeMetz (I should probably also mention that we were only waiting for one other person)
2008-12-06 02:36:14 The best restauraunt/bar in town. No idiots,serious drunks or trouble makers stay at Sophias very long.That is why I enjoy the atmosphere of mature people along with sensible college students who frequent this establishment.Very friendly staff along with the nice,giant fishbowl and lighting inside with the great patio makes for a nice environment. Additionally their curry dishes are graet if you enjoy spicy Thai food. —redbone
