| Location |
| 129 E St. #D1 (Behind Sophia's Thai Kitchen) |
| Hours |
| Mon-Sat 11:00AM-9:30PM |
| Sun 11:00AM-8:30PM |
| Phone |
| (530) 757-2618 |
| Owner |
| Linda Liu |
| Menu |
| See below |
Davis Noodle City is not your average Davis Chinese restaurant; they have huge portions and are often praised (by whom? Me? CP? Lots of Townies?) as having the best dang wontons and potstickers in Davis. You will find dishes here that most other restaurants don't serve (e.g. green onion pastry, dumplings, beef noodle stew, cold noodle salad) and very few dishes that other places do serve (e.g. no broccoli beef). Many of the unique dishes are classic Taiwanese recipes, and, with the departure of Breaktime some years ago, Davis Noodle City is the sole establishment in town for such fare. Another thing that is unique about it is that many dishes come with a choice of rice or noodles — and the noodles are homemade (yum). Sadly, this restaurant is often overlooked because it is located next to the wildly popular Sophia's Thai Kitchen. On the flip side they get lots of overflow from Sophias when it's ultra packed and people don't want to wait 30+. The noodles are rice or egg.
Yummy hint: order the sesame balls, a which are served hot and filled with delicious bean paste (it's a dessert).
Davis Noodle City offers convenient and fast service for those needing to grab lunch and/or dinner. It's located downtown within easy walking from campus, with take out just a phone call away.
The restaurant seats around 30 people and service is pretty quick, even for take-out. Prices are fairly average. Soups and noodle dishes come in heaping piping hot bowls. Just the perfect thing to put a smile on your face during colder months.
The restaurant is within range of the UC Davis wireless internet network site in the The Lofts building.
Following on DNC's success and with 30 years in the restaurant business, the owner Linda Liu launched two other restaurants in Davis:
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The nearby The Dumpling House — this was formerly London Fish'n Chips, but dumplings and other Chinese dishes can now be ordered in addition to fish and chips.
The ex-owner might also own two restaurants in Sacramento: Sampan on Fulton Ave. and Noodle City on Fair Oaks Blvd. There is a change of ownership sign posted on the back wall as of May, 2014. The server said that the chef and recipes are currently the same.
Menu & Pictures
Menu, page 1 
Menu, page 2 
Their interesting bathroom sign 
Their interesting kitchen drapes
Older Reviews
Current Reviews
2007-02-06 22:08:01 Best Pork Wonton soup ever, I have no idea how they got such amazing flavor! Huge portions for the price, and they're really friendly. One of my favorite places. —ChristyMarsden
2007-02-07 01:18:41 I usually get the chef's noodle salad. The dressing is delicious. —AliceChoe
2007-03-06 22:27:44 All I can say... MSG —MikeWong
- Dear MikeWong, I appreciate your experiencing davis noodle city. I would also like to share with you that we do not put any MSG in our food. We take great pride in how we prepare our food and hope that you come experience it again. Please feel free to come visit with me at davis noodle city or at london fish & chips. Thank you for your input, LindaLiu (owner).
2007-03-10 21:58:31 I was recently introduced to this place.. and I've lived in Davis for >4 years. What was I thinking?! The food and service are great. Definitely one of my favorite places to eat in Davis. —CaptainRush
"2007-04-02 17:30:00" I've filled up about 5 or 6 of the 10-for-1 cards in 2 1/2 years. This place is excellent. I especially like the Garlic Hot Chicken and the Five Spice Beef Noodle Soup, but I've been with people that love the Pork Chop and Mustard Green Chicken Soups, the Curry Chicken, etc. The only thing I would stay away from is Dantze Minced Pork, but that's completely a matter of personal taste. The owners are extremely nice as well, and the service is fast. This is my favorite restaurant in Davis. —IanBenton
2007-04-20 03:47:56 Delicious wontons and potstickers, they're my favorite thing on the menu. Soups are good too. —EdHenn
2007-04-30 14:59:31 No matter what other reviews in Davis may say, NOODLE CITY IS THE BEST ASIAN IN DAVIS! If you want authentic food at great prices this is the place for you. The food is consistantly excellent, always fresh, and ALWAYS piping hot. Where else can you get pot stickers made FROM SCRATCH! The entree's are equally amazing and the dinner prices are no more than 7 or 8 dollars. I have many times walked out of there from dinners for two, including drinks and a couple appetizers for at or less than $30. If you arrive just before 5pm, lunch is still served...the portions are a little smaller and the price ranges from 4-6 dollars. The service is some of the best in Davis and all the food, since it is made fresh, stays hot until you are done!! —foodsciguru
2007-05-06 13:09:04 I've been to this restaurant many times and it's good food for a great price. I've had the Dan Dan noodles (they added veggies for free!). I've had a couple of their rice plates but my favorite is their Noodle salad. I love the chopped peanuts & peanut dressing they use. It's also at an extremely low price for all the food they give you. Service is fair but good for the 1-2 waiters they have in the whole restaurant. I definately recommend this place! —VivianTang86
2007-05-09 00:41:13 KIM CHEE NOODLE SOUP ALL THE WAYYYYYYY!!! —MikeHubby
2007-05-18 02:08:30 The Five Spice Beef Noodle Soup is by far my favorite dish from here. I've tried many other things, particularly the fried rice along with shrimp or chicken but I can safely say that the portions are well worth the price. Honestly if I wasn't so lazy about making a trip to Noodle City and be able to afford I would definitely eat here quite often. I've never been dissatisfied with the service because it's always been fantastic. It saddens me that people have had bad experiences here. —JonathanMartinez
2007-05-25 19:01:53 Super great Asian food, the wonton noodle soup is awesome, filling and a great deal! I rarely go anywhere else for Asian food. I love that you get kimchee when you sit down. The servers are always sweet and polite! —domesticgoddesss
2007-06-01 23:07:05 Staff are genuinely nice/friendly, food is great, service amazing, and food is cheap. Doesn't get better than this! —Surfnoc
2007-06-15 18:08:16 I like the kimchee that you get when you sit down, I like the small, comfortable atmosphere and the prompt, accommodating service, I like the homemade noodles that you can get with every dish instead of rice (or, if you're with two people, get both!), I like the fact that the orange beef isn't crispy fried, I like the Hunan tofu (seems similar to what other places call Ma Po tofu, soft tofu with spicy black bean sauce). My one and only complaint is that there aren't more vegetables available, which is not to say that there aren't plenty of vegetarian dishes (there are). But a vegetable mix in a tasty sauce would be a welcome addition. The vegetable curry comes close (and it's really good — in fact, I've yet to have a bad dish here), but it is mostly potatoes and tofu. What I'm looking for is something with lots of broccoli, carrots, snow peas, etc. —CovertProfessor
2007-09-08 15:43:49 Got a curry dish here...pretty good if you get a break time between classes. ok price for quality. Havn't tried their noodles yet —KaiWan
2007-09-24 16:10:14 did Noodle City stop the 10-for-1 cards? bummer. —IanBenton
2007-10-08 08:00:10 Ate there for the first time this weekend, and had the Kim Chi noodle soup, which turned out to not only be delicious, but a ton of food, particularly for $6.50. My only complaint is that it was pretty light on the meat, but filling nonetheless. I'm definitely going again. —CameronYoung
2007-10-12 23:19:45 I've had better noodles. Don't order the soups that have beef unless you're really into beef, they're really beefy with huge chuncks ok of meat. I'll try it again for something other than beef soup. —ingrid
2007-11-08 16:32:36 I love the noodle soup here. In fact most noodle dishes are great. Sometimes when it's busy on friday's it's hard to find seating and you have to wait for a while. But i like the atmosphere it's very quiant. The service here has been nice, but sometimes slow on weekdays as they seem to only have one server on staff. But overall, i like this place. It's hidden inside this fod court area...definately a "hidden gem" of davis. —sarahnewman
"2007-12-01 10:28:00" My friend and I came here for an early lunch (11:10 a.m.). The portions were huge, enough for two meals, and I liked the mild kimchee. The service was timely, and the woman who took our order was really nice. DEFINITELY going back! —carley
2007-12-19 02:22:21 Best potstickers in Davis. —JennSuzuki
2008-01-04 19:14:40 The kim chi that they serve on the side is highly addictive. —hokusman
2008-01-06 03:43:33 We stumbled in here because Sophia's was closed. We are both vegan, and fairly new to the area. We were so pleasantly surprised! Huge portions, great prices & our server helped us out with veggie options. I love the spicy cabbage they brought out while waiting for our food. We have been back a few times since then, and the Sichuan Eggplant (add tofu) is hands down my favorite. —AprilAries
2008-01-10 19:03:32 The Taiwanese Pork Chop Noodles are awesomeeeeee. —CalvinCheng
2008-01-21 18:25:14 The cold noodle salad (I get vegetarian) is the best and is chock-full of vegetables. —Joanna
2008-01-27 11:36:29 I was very disappointed by the noodle bowl- very oily, too much pepper, and not very flavorful. I don't think I even finished half of it before I closed the container and tossed it out. The staff was very friendly, but the food wasn't what I was expecting. —RMM
2008-01-28 16:19:32 I came here last night and got the hot garlic chicken noodle dish. The garlic chicken was mostly good (though some of the chicken pieces were a little dry and stringy in places), the noodles, so-so. I heard good things about Davis Noodle City and wanted to give it a chance, but out of ten points, I give a four or five. It wasn't bad, but it didn't meet my standards. —thelonepiper555
2008-01-29 00:36:36 great soups, excellent service, good prices.
anyone know what's in their sauce for dumplings, fried bread, tofu, or any appetizers? it's really yummy. —Teddie
2008-01-29 02:29:19 The Sichuan chicken is the best. —twblalock
2008-01-30 20:54:53 i ordered the shrimp and pork wonton noodle soup and green onion pancakes. the green onion pancakes were excellent—perfect amount of oniony flavor and not too oily—i would say it is at par with the ones that i have had in the san gabriel valley. the wontons were a bit dry and the flavor indistinct. the complimentary kimchi was delicious. service was good—the waiter brought me another plate of kimchi when he saw that i had finished my first. i was sitting alone in a four table space and even though there were several other parties waiting, he never once hinted for me to hurry up. —QS
2008-02-06 10:15:06 Awesome, I love noodles and this place has the best. the hot oil wontons are great, service is nice, prices are great. peper beef is another good dish. I once took my father, grandparents, 2 kids, wife, and friend here for about $40. If you are a vegetarian they have a nice vegi menu —DagonJones
2008-02-07 15:50:28 PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE update and change your menu!!!
I am sick of the same old items you have been offering for years now. How about some healthier options for health conscience people. Organic veggies, local organic meats. Lighter dishes.
I have a hard time coming in. Please freshen up the place, scrub down the tables (quite sticky) and re-open with a NEW and improved menu choices.
This will be good for business!!! Please: we are hungry. :-) —ElleNoel
2008-02-08 14:04:33 I have been eating here weekly for 2.5 years. They are awesome. All of the veggies are fresh. The service is always friendly. Support them! —TawnyMata
2008-03-17 01:33:50 I came here when it was extremely busy. People were waiting 15-20 minutes just to get seated, then an additional 30 or more minutes for their food to come. This put me in an extremely bad mood. There service wasn't bad, it was compromised due to the circumstances. From it being packed, it's clearly a popular place. The prices are extremely fair and the portions are large. I will admit, chicken fried rice is the most lame and typical dish a person can order, but I truly enjoyed the full (if not a little salty) flavor of their delicious chicken fried rice. I wish I wasn't in such a rush and bad mood to go back to study for finals. Their Marco Polo Noodles, unbeknown to me, taste like eating paper and air. My father ordered the five spice beef noodle soup and enjoyed it. Fair prices, good portions, come here when during slow hours for a fantastic experience. If it's crowded, just don't be in a rush, because it will take forever. It's mom and pop owned, so they have a total of 3 employers (working Sunday evening) working at once. I wish circumstances were different. —CoreyPham
2008-04-03 21:32:03 I just went there for dinner. It wasn't too packed and the service was pretty good. The food was pretty good as well, and reasonable for the price. I ordered the Pork Chop Noodles. —BenLee
2008-04-04 05:08:07 Amazing, irresistable pork hot oil wontons and wonton soup, but I recently discovered the Black Pepper Beef and... wow. This place is a standout, different and in my opinion better than all the other Chinese restaurants in town. The funny thing though is that after eating there enough times, you may notice that there is only one song playing on about a 10-minute loop, and part of it sounds like the violin part in Baba O'Reily. —EdHenn
2008-04-22 23:47:53 Pork Chop noodles!! i was confused as to how they would present this. i thought maybe they'd dunk some pork into the soup, like tempura udon or something. instead it came out as a big bowl of noodles and a side plate of fried sliced pork chops. i was stupefied at first but all that was soon forgotten as i started to eat. the pork chops are great! of course, they were fried, so they were a little oily and heavy, but thats where the noodles balanced it out. the soup was light, the vegetables were large and fresh tasting, and the noodles...well, they're the kind of noodles you slurp up after eating a piece or two of the pork. awesome balancing of each other. throw in some kimchi on the side and good-sized portions for everything and it makes for a great meal. i'll have to see if they have a pork chop and rice dish on the menu. that promises to be just as great as pork chop noodles. —beekergene
2008-04-28 13:35:25 Today was my first time visiting Davis Noodle City after reading several reviews...as soon as i walked up, a friendly server guy opened the door for me, took my order, brought me water, and shared stories of his home in Taiwan when he was a young kid. We must have talked for 15 minutes! I was happy waiting for the food to be made, because it was great. I ordered the 5 spice beef noodle soup and the hot garlic chicken. Both dishes were piping hot and fresh, very flavorful and the portions were large. The atmosphere inside the restaurant (i was the only one there...it was 11 am right when they opened) was unlike that of other places i've eaten at in davis. First of all, they play very pleasant Chinese classical music, which is a very favorable difference from the 80s pop and other BS i hear at other places (**COUGH**jadegarden**COUGH**). The 5 spice beef noodle soup is almost identical to the beef noodle soup at Hometown Chinese food. Both restaurants are awesome. —boristheblade
2008-05-10 15:11:38 I returned to this place recently with my father to eat and it wasn't busy. All I have to say is that this place is friendly and the food is fantastic. Actually, 30 minutes into us sitting down and eating and such, lots of people started showing up. It must be popular. I ordered the Chef's Noodle Salad with chicken and it was amazing. Great portions, super tasty. My dad got the Five Spice Beef Noodle Soup again, and he enjoyed that. We also decided to get the Sichuan Eggplant, and it was a HUGE portion and delicious. I took it home and ate it the next day for dinner, super happy. Great place to go, just hope that it's not packed! Will come back often! —CoreyPham
2008-05-10 23:29:42 I went there with a group of friends about a week ago. Just got in as a table opened up, but it seems very popular. They accidently mixed up my order, but were prompt in fixing it. Prices are reasonable, and the food is great. —JimL
2008-06-10 21:40:40 First time I ate green onion bread. Most amazing! Service was very kind, and the wait for a table was quite quick, it was rather crowded! Shall definitly return! —tuckerm
2008-06-13 12:50:22 OUTSTANDING. —JJNasca
2008-06-26 13:18:12 I am a big fan of Noodle City. I love the vegetable dumplings and won tons especially. The Chef's Noodle salad is quite healthy and refreshing during Summer—GarySaylin
2008-06-27 15:36:43 Always enjoy coming here with friends. This time they asked for extra rice and noodles, and surely got almost double portion of that. Highly recommended. Especially enjoy the green onion bread appetizer. —JohnLin
2008-07-05 14:40:12 Not a fan of this place. The noodle soup doesn't have enough flavor and the hot oil won-tons had a strange peanut sauce. Very bland food! —islandboy12
2008-07-21 18:53:12 I've only tried the five spice beef, with and without broth. Very good! I can really taste the noodles though, the homemade noodle taste. I love the quick service, and the friendliness of the service. —llee10789
2008-07-22 21:45:07 The only place I know of that still serves kimchee and this stuff tastes homemade. Personally I prefer mine a bit more dripping with the juices they were fermented with, but its still good. And the five spice beef noodle soup is so big that I always have a hard time finishing it. So tasty...I wish it were winter again so I could really appreciate a hot bowl of comfort food like this place serves. —SunjeetBaadkar
2008-07-28 10:42:19 I went back for dinner and tried the orange beef with noodles...HUGE PORTIONS! It was tangy, and mixed in with fresh carrots and broccoli...yum. It was pippin' hot when it came to my table..I will continue supporting Davis Noodle! —llee10789
2008-08-08 16:21:35 I like this place. You guys claim that the noodles are rice noodles, though. I am a vegan, and asked the lady working if they were egg noodles, and she said yes. I just get rice, and it's very yummy! —Kristina86
2008-08-09 09:31:14 SO Yummy! One of my favorite places in Davis. Order the kim chee noodle soup—it's so ridiculously flavorful. The noodles are perfect and the portions are big. You can even order things to your liking—order the hot garlic chicken mild if it's too spicy for you. And order soups with the big, thick noodles if you like those better. Even the dan dan noodles (thin noodles with a simple peanut sauce and peanuts) is awesome. Go here lots! —SarahOsler
2008-08-21 11:06:46 In response to the comment on 8/8/08 about the noodles containing eggs, I recently spoke to one of the owners (a gentleman - can't remember his name now!) and he assured me multiple times that eggs were NOT an ingredient in the noodles. I am vegan, too, so very curious about this issue! —AlvinoGina
2008-08-21 13:15:52 I, too, am vegan. The male owner has always told me the noodles are wheat noodles, not egg. —AprilAries
2008-08-24 22:11:38 Great big bowl of noodle for a great price. The noodles are yummy. I had the five spice pork noodle. Friendly service. —ched
2008-09-21 03:19:11 The table is sticky, they don't clean it well. —2point0student
2008-10-01 14:10:46 I have been to Davis Noodle City probably about a dozen times now, and have always been impressed by the food and service. The last time I went in there, however, I ordered the Hunan Tofu (I am vegetarian) and a few other dishes with friends, and we found chunks of chicken giblets in the dish. I am pretty bummed out, because I really like this place. It does make me think twice about eating there in the future. —JayaSmith
2008-10-23 08:05:29 they don't serve pickled vegetables as a free appetizer anymore —justinhu
2008-10-29 10:24:11 Excellent amount of food for the price (definitely fits my definition of cheap food. Sometimes the restaurant can be rather busy and they fill up fast. Service can become a little eratic during those times. For example, last meal we ended up with rice instead of noodles. Fortunately they were kind enough to then just provide a bowl of noodles and allowed us to keep the rice. Now that's a really cheap eat. Finally out waters weren't refilled. Both problems are totally excusable though considering the quality and the quantity of the food. Highly recommended. —RyanMikulovsky
2008-10-29 21:15:45 I've been going here since freshman year, and I've really liked this place. The garlic hot chicken is very tasty, and is my usual meal, though I also recommend their porkchop noodle soup and Dan Dan Noodles. The servers are friendly, if busy, because the restaurant is often packed. My only complaint is the water often tastes funny, maybe they could add a lemon? The price is great for the sheer amount of food you get. —JaimeG
2008-11-03 16:47:49 Lately I've been having this sudden intense craving for the black pepper beef with noodles. I live in San Jose and there's A LOT of Asian restaurants around here, but NOTHING compares to Davis Noodle City. This place is AWESOME. So yeah, when my cravings get to the point of burst, I just drive nearly 2 hours to get my fill of black pepper beef with noodles... *hangs head* ... now if Linda can be convinced to move down to San Jose hehehee!!! —LizKim
2008-11-13 15:25:21 Well I am currently seated in a booth at Davis Noodle City writing this review. I randomly decided to come here and ordered Beef Noodle Soup. Very delicious big portions and big slices of beef. Being from San Gabriel in SoCal I can say I've eaten better, but this place can definitely hang with the best.
A big A for the restaurant from this sophomore and plus, I can use my laptop and moobilenet HERE! Will come again. —CalvinCheung
2008-11-27 00:36:01 Whenever I come here there's only one waitress, and she does a really nice job at serving and making sure everyone gets their food. I applaud her for that. I loved the kimchee noodle, huge portions! The black and peppered beef was great too! They're also vegan friendly which I really like because I usually dine here with a friend who is vegan. We both get to enjoy our food! —vietgirlwithappetite
2008-12-03 14:43:45 Now that it has gotten colder in season, I will definitely be here several times a week. My mission: To try everything on the menu once... —SunjeetBaadkar
2008-12-09 11:02:08 This place is NOT good. —renee415
2008-12-16 10:55:48 My absolute favorite dish is the Hunan Tofu with noodles, *slurp* *burn* Spicy chili laced black bean sauce with delicious fried tofu, light on the vegetables. P: —CarrieBishop
2009-02-04 00:11:14 I came here with my girlfriend a few days ago and we got the 5-spice beef, some soup, and a few appetizers. The beef was mostly fat, and that made it extra jiggly, a very unappealing texture and appearance, and it had a bad flavor. We didn't eat much of it really, just poked it at and watched it jiggle like Jell-O. =/ The pot stickers and soup were really good I suppose, but everything else, like the fried green onion bread, was bland and overly greasy.
We may give them another chance and try something recommended here, but the beef was too gross to ever order again. —OrofinJackson
- You are right about the beef, which is why I almost never order beef. Same with pork, it is often jellied and canned. This is not uncommon however, many asian restaurants use this type of beef and pork. My friend once ordered the five spice beef, it was definitely spicy to say the least... —CarrieBishop
2009-02-05 06:33:58 I didn't get a good first impression a year ago, but I have discovered that they provide good portions (uncommon in Davis Asian restaurants) for a very affordable price. I will come back for lunch often —quadshock
2009-02-10 22:03:46 I agree, dont get their fried onion cake. its uber bland. Their egg rolls were absolutely yummy though and there Dan dan mein is very simple and vegetarian too, I think. also I expected ground pork in mine. next time ill try something else or tell them to add it. definitely less unhealthy than noodle express. overall it was really good. The waitress serving us was quite a pretty woman. —chand3123k
2009-02-23 21:34:56 The Sichuan Eggplant with noodles is to die for. —torilei
2009-03-03 13:30:39 This is one of my favorite restaurants in davis, my only problem (and I hope the owner reads this) is that they don't rinse the water glasses well enough so water tastes soapy. If you can suffer through the first glass, water from the carafe tastes fine. —whowantslogic
2009-03-03 16:28:46 I think the soup and noodles taste great, and they are also very good value. However, they are way too salty. I saw that the owner said they do put any MSG in their food, which leads me to believe that it's just plain salt in the broth. I had the chicken noodle soup and after about 5 scoops, my taste buds were starting to numb. I finished it anyway, but I couldn't taste very well for the rest of the night. I've eaten here about 4 times in over a year because every once in a while I figure, "ah hell, I'll try it again." —KellyM
2009-03-19 18:52:57 Came here once with a couple of friends. I had, liked, and would recommend their Dan Dan noodles, even though they were on the greasy side. Prices are OK for the portion size. —sugarpop
2009-03-21 23:35:58 I had the five spice beef soup it was pretty tasty and the noodles were excellent. For appetizers we had the fried tofu which was about 6-8 inch+ cubes, and some green onion bread which came friend which was excellent as well! DNC is always a favorite, it's just so tucked away most people don't even know... —StevenDaubert
2009-04-12 13:20:43 So disappointing! After looking at all the previous reviews, I was hoping for some delicious noodles, so I tried the dan dan noodles and the veg wonton soup, excited at all the vegetarian options. Not impressed. Both dishes appeared to be cooked ramen noodles, and then the dan dan noodles had some sauce (basic, not authentic, not tasty) and the wonton soup came with some vegetables (fresh, cooked well), some wontons (boring, squishy, bland) and some broth. The broth at least had a little flavor to it, but that was quickly lost once you added the other ingredients. It's completely possible that I just ordered the wrong thing and other things on the menu are great, but I've had amazing dan dan noodles and veg wonton soup at multiple other places (out of Davis, unfortunately), and these were the worst I've come across. Barely ate any, threw the rest away. Great service though! —jmofro
2009-05-13 23:33:05 These folks make some tasty soup, but I would avoid anything with the beef in it. When I got it, the beef was super fatty, and kind of hard, and really just some of the worst beef I've ever had. The broth was awesome, and their other stuff is great, it's just the beef ruined that particular visit. —JoePomidor
2009-05-31 16:18:37 I wish they would put less salt in the noodle soup. It's overwhelming. Otherwise. The portions are great and the noodles are awesome. But they give the bill to me just before I actually finish my meal, which I always makes me uncomfortable because I'm used to receiving any bill until after I eat.
Otherwise, This place is great to eat. —greencohort
2009-06-21 02:29:47 Noodles here are awesome! They made their own noodles! —val
2009-07-21 07:51:34 The prices are very fair and the food is amazing. I love their fried green onion bread, five spice beef noodle soup, and dan dan noodles. —thisisht
2009-08-20 15:26:25 Dan Dan noodles here are cheap and tasty...My favorite dish, but really you can't go wrong at Noodle City. —DanXie
2009-08-25 18:35:46 Not liking the new vegetable dumplings—the filling is akin to ground up cabbage and carrots, which I wouldn't mind much if there wasn't any tofu to speak of. Maybe they were short on ingredients today? Vegetable chow mein still as good as ever though. —victoria.ngo
2009-08-28 22:08:12 Love, love, love the chicken chow mein. About $6 and is equal to 2 large meals. —EricaMacGregor
2009-09-20 14:06:26 I love coming here for the five spice beef soup when the weather turns cold! The soup is a bit on the salty side, but the portions are great for the price and very delicious. It can get pretty crowded during the lunch hour as space inside is kind of small, but it's worth it to get a little yummy in your tummy. —kthrnngo
2009-11-11 16:53:34 This has been one of my favorite places to go in Davis because it's cozy and gives you big portions for a good price and has great soups. However, the last two out of three times I visited we were rushed by the staff to order and to leave. Your webpage says you are open until 9:30. My friends and I were there at 8:40 and we were told to hurry up because the restaurant was closing in 20 minutes. It's fair to consider this bad service, and unfortunately it's common to many Davis restaurants. Food in this city is plenty and cheap, but service is very poor. People don't come to restaurants because they are hungry. Eating at home is both cheaper and more comfortable. People out outside because they are looking for an experience. It's sad that more Davis restaurants aren't respectful of that, and I was disappointed to see that this was the case at Davis Noodle City as well... —Shiva
2010-01-06 13:20:17 Food is generally good, especially the noodles, but now the second time I found chicken in a vegetarian dish. Very disappointing as I have to cross it off my list. Non-meat eaters be forewarned. —DowntownDaviser
2010-01-27 16:52:19 Well, I made my annual trip to Noodle City. Still incredibly salty broth (chicken and greens soup). I couldn't even finish it this time, it was super super salty. Same with girlfriend's soup. Reminds me of my mom's cooking over the years as it got saltier and saltier because she became more and more insensitive to salt the more she ate it. She eventually lost all sense of taste for a while and cut back on salt to get it back. —KellyM
2010-02-02 21:45:07 One Time i ordered a Fried Rice dish and i said to leave out the Green Onion and when i got the food it was like 2/3 Fried rice 1/3 Green Onion The Fried Rice was bit on the salt side but good enough to give it a solid B —DarkArchon
2010-02-03 01:05:08 The vegetarian wonton noodle soup is the perfect Rx when I've got the flu (or when money's tight, for that matter!) The restaurant is kinda small, but it's so cozy. And if you get your soup to go, take note of the little details — they've got you covered against spills during transit with extra reinforcement and extra bags. Even the fork/soysauce/napkin packet is assembled by hand. Maybe I'm just noticing something trivial, but there's just something about these tiny details that shows they really care about their customers. And even when they've been out-the-door busy, I've never felt rushed or had a less than stellar eating experience. Good stuff! —MichellePalmer
2010-02-10 22:02:26 I ordered the wonton noodle soup with chicken & shrimp. The wontons were plentiful, especially good for the $6.50 price. The taste was not bad, not great, and definitely not impressive. My friend ordered the hot oil wontons, which was wontons immersed in a brown sauce (hoisin + peanut?). It was tasty but again, not impressive.
All-in-all, this place was PAR.
2010-02-25 21:46:01 Ate there with a friend tonight for first time. Loved the Mustard Green Soup, no meat. Yum noodles, great veg., wonderful flavor. Will return. Good price too. No MSG? Organic tofu? —TimQuick
2010-02-26 12:32:45 My girlfriend and I have been to this restaurant about five times now and the first couple times we really loved it. Most of the food was really nice. It was freshly made, authentic fare. The only thing I didn't really like were the pork potstickers; they had too much ginger or something. I must say this was kinda weird because the people who own this joint also own The Dumpling House, where I LOVE the pork potstickers. Anyways, the service was excellent. They were quick and friendly. However, after a few visits, the service became slower and less friendly. I think the woman who is always there now really hates her job and it shows because last three times we went there the service got gradually worse. Yesterday was the last straw and we will not be going back for a long time, if ever. We took a friend there for lunch and the experience was awful. First, we were rushed to order. When we were ready to order, we were told that the special was unavailable (my girlfriend almost always tries to order the special and most of the time they don't have it). When the woman said they didn't have it and my girlfriend asked for more time to decide, the waitress was clearly annoyed which i found very rude. If it annoys you so much, how about erasing it off the a-board outside the door! Second, we were sat at a table with two place settings and the waitress never brought a third setting. My friend didn't want to just take one from an empty table, but she never even looked our way for us to flag her down. We were able to catch her as she was walking by to take somebody their check to ask her for some hot chili sauce and I was taken aback when she just turned around and took it from another table without even asking the people eating at the table if they were using it! We were there for about 45 minutes and she never re-filled our water even once. After bringing our check, we waited a while for her to come get our card to run our bills for a while before we eventually got tired of waiting and just went up to the register. Finally, some guy came in to drop off a bag of rice, and the woman followed her into the back where a shouting match ensued. I think that from now on, we will be going to The Dumpling House, where the potstickers are better and the lady who runs the front of house is much more friendly! —KingHippo
2010-02-26 12:38:01 I also forgot to mention that when the asparagus beef special that my girlfriend was unavailable, my girlfriend settled on the marco polo noodles. it was fucking gross. thin noodles in some gross sauce with some kind of mystery meat. just awful. i was very surprised because the pork fried rice and orange beef are to die for. it was hard to believe that the marco polo noodles came out of the same kitchen. —KingHippo
2010-03-21 23:53:38 I went here for lunch with my friend and the food was very good, I tried the "Five Spice Beef Noodle Soup", I was surprised by the amazing flavor of the beef.
The waitress that took our order was pretty nice in giving us more time to decide. However, when lunch rush comes around...she seems pretty frustrated,maybe they should hire another waiter/waitress to help out.
One of the review(2007) mentioned that they also serve 'kimchee' when you sit down? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure they don't serve it (just because) when you sit down right?
Anyways, I DEFINITELY will come back and HIGHLY recommend this place. —Joanne06
The first couple times I ate there (2007?) they did indeed serve the pickled cabbage, but I have yet to see any sign of them during my recent visits. —EBT
2010-03-31 14:51:47 We had lunch here on Monday and went away happy, as usual. I had the orange chicken special, which was not overly sweet like some places. Also the green onion pie and the spicy pork dumplings, which were good but in no way were spicy, even though we asked for extra spicy.
The service was excellent and efficient. Our server was a real cutie, with a beautiful smile and a flirty sort of demeanor. —JMLowman
2010-04-16 19:20:20 My favorite restaurant in Davis. Great food, reasonable prices, and a friendly (if somewhat humble) atmosphere. Also of note, if you order take-out and they quote you 20 minutes, they mean it. I have -never- shown up before my food was ready to be picked up, nor has it ever been cold before I got it home and gorged myself. The soups come in big plastic containers with all the extras in a separate box, and many of the 'saucy' specials come with plastic wrap to keep your other goodies from getting soggy. —Kirrei
2010-05-03 18:49:57 This place is wonderful. I love their Five Spice Beef Noodle Soup. Soooo good and definitely affordable for a small student budget. Service is very friendly. —AmericanSweetheart
2010-05-09 10:16:16 I have been here a few times now and each time when I have gotten a big bowl of soup, I could picture the full bodied tangy taste it should have when I put it in my mouth but once I do it's very bland. I don't know how this is possible but the broth is just not having the big flavor it should, especially on the darker broths. My friend just moved here from japan and we went ad the first thing she said when she took a bite of the soup was "no flavor." is this what happens when you stop using MSG in Asian food? I wanted to love it soooo bad but.....it was bland broth!! :( —StephHolm
- That's funny, to me their broths are consistently over salted. I don't know why it should have a tangy taste, in your mind.—KellyM
2010-06-13 01:19:07 i love how they don't put MSG in their noodles. it's quite hard to make noodle soup delicious without the help of MSG but this place can hold their own. my friend said the wonton soup was decent. my other friend got the garlic chicken noodle bowl and it was HUGE! i ordered the kimchi noodle soup and i was pretty impressive how natural it tasted! they need to make it more spicier though...and are the noodles packaged? they don't taste handmade. (handmade noodles are amazing) —binladen
2010-07-14 01:35:01 I like the wontons here, and the noodles themselves are good. I had the marco polo noodles though and wasn't too impressed. Maybe it's because i was expecting that asian spaghetti where there's a tomato sauce with asian flavors (though i guess that's more of a japanese thing). I ended up eating it, and it tasted fine, but I can see someone not used to the black fungus and bean flavor would be very off put by it, especially if they were expecting what I thought i would get.
my friend got chicken chow mein that was good, very garlicky. my girlfriend got the cold noodle salad, which was also good (though i didn't get to really try it because of the peanuts)
The food doesn't stand out as anything amazing, but it isn't disappointing. satisfying, if somewhat forgettable. —EugeneB
2010-07-16 17:03:13 This place is amazing. The soups are super cheap and can be easily shared. The wontons are awesome. Fried green onion bread is great too. —JasperD
2010-08-26 21:06:47 I received my order to go in a box, which was fine, but the box is for "fully cooked" frozen BBQ Pork. I'm not sure what I expect for the price, though. Decent food. —miguelsantiago
2010-10-27 21:18:21 My boyfriend and I have been here several times for lunch and we always enjoy the food. It's so home-y and satisfying. The first time we went was in the fall of 2009 and I got the wonton soup (I think), which sounded really good but I was put off on the meat inside the wontons, it was something about the texture... BUT! the broth was delicious. I don't remember what my boyfriend got, it was one of the hot meat+noodle dishes, which he always gets. Since then I've almost always got the chicken noodle soup. It's sooo good. I seriously love the broth. It's definitely a place to try out, and if you don't like the dish you get, give the place a second chance like I did. You won't regret it!! —KaprilWooley
2010-11-23 10:53:00 I always get their Chef's Noodle Salad. It's delicious, healthy, and the sauce is yummy! —lyraaa
2011-01-23 18:58:54 yummy! and cheap! I can't wait to go back and try different things. —jadeeyes1113
2011-01-25 13:12:58 So amazingly delicious. One of my favorite places to eat in Davis. —ancook
2011-02-19 21:07:34 After so many disappointments with the Chinese food in Davis, my boyfriend and I finally tried Davis Noodle City....We should have done it sooner. A lot sooner. The food is delicious! We ordered the Sichuan Chicken, Five Spice Beef Noodle Soup, Vegetable Dumplings, and Pork Pot Stickers (umm, we were hungry); they were all great, but particularly the beef soup and Sichuan Chicken. The noodles in both are fresh and tasty, the beef in the soup was fall-apart tender and the broth was flavorful, while the chicken was crispy and fresh. So good we both burnt our mouths because we couldn't wait for them to cool before trying to eat them. I said we were hungry, not smart. —DanielleMcManus
2011-02-27 15:34:41 Oh dear god that's good.. *nom nom nom* Do NOT be daunted by the prices! It's a little more than you might expect to pay elsewhere, but then you see the servings... One serving of chow mein was enough to feed three people! This is not a place that you will come away from hungry. Food is very fresh and flavorful, with the impression given that it's just come off the wok, rather than sitting in a steam tray for hours. —Flynn
2011-05-05 21:48:29 The food here is not very good. Lacks flavor and sort of gloppy :( —bobobb
2011-06-17 13:12:04 The 5 spice beef noodle soup is one of the best values in Davis. It's enough food for two normal appetites and the flavor of the broth is complex and the huge chunks of beef are super tender and can easily be cut with a spoon. —MikeyCrews
2011-06-20 05:48:50 This is by far my favorite Chinese restaurant in Davis. I'm a vegetarian and especially love some of their vegetarian options including the Hunan tofu, the Dan Dan noodles, chow mein and fried rice. Their spring rolls are also delicious. I usually call in for take out and its ready in about 15 minutes. The few times I've gone to eat their, we've never waited more than 10 to 15 minutes for food. —ShankarSankaran
2011-07-30 02:27:18 this place is a small pleasant Chinese restaurant. I had a onion pancake which was crunchy and full of flavor, reminds me of something my mom made me back in the day. I also had a noodle dish. The portions as huge for quite a low price. I enjoy the food here but just wished they could have developed the flavors a little more. Will visit again to try some of their other many items —C.Ling
2011-11-24 01:35:07 Davis Noodle City is amazing! Great food at very reasonable prices, especially the lunch prices that go until 5 pm! I highly recommend the Garlic Hot Chicken over noodles and the Dan Dan noodles. Their "Orange Chicken" dish, however, is different than orange chicken you'd find at more common chinese food places (it doesn't appear to be fried, it's just chunks of chicken breast lightly glazed in a very mild orange sauce) so I would recommend ordering something else if you are a fan of Panda Express-like orange chicken. —JakeJames
2011-12-21 16:52:22 I love the food here, especially the orange beef with noodles, except the last two times I ordered for pick up, I didn't get my orange beef that I ordered. The last time, it was definitely beef, but not the orange beef I had before. This time, it's the same orange flavor... I see orange (?) peel in it again... BUT IT'S CHICKEN. I mean, either way, everything has been delicious, but... I'd check your order before you leave (that would've been smart of me to do, huh? Was in a hurry...). —JenniferGiang
2012-01-21 23:18:19 Just had dinner there because Sophie was closed and din't want to drag our parents with walker all the way to different restaurant thinking maybe the food got better since couple of years ago. The soup base is so bland just like the first time I tried years ago. They just don't get it...a noodle soup should have great soup base. It is so bland I had to add hot sauce to get some flavor. They never changed. I don't understand all these other reviewers how they like the food. This place just don't get it. A great sandwich will have great tasting bread.. A noodle place should have great flavorful noodles and flavorful soup base...this place is none of these...that is why you'll see this reviewers says "not good". I keep getting fooled by this place by going in there once in awhile and get disappoint it again and again. It's amazing how this restaurant is surviving this long at Davis with this kind of food. I guess it it catered to students here in Davis. —Georgianhan
2012-03-09 23:59:24 Had the five spice beef noodle soup, which shouldn't be called that because I tasted no spice at all and no hotness in flavor. Furthermore, the beef came in big, slimy chunks that I just couldn't stomach.
After we were done eating the waitress ran up and demanded cash, practically grabbing it out of our hands. Overall I dislike giving bad reviews, but this place was just disappointing and the quality was poor even for the okay price.
PS, I don't think their noodles are home-made and the vegetables looked like they came from a frozen costco mix :( I guess this place might be good if you have a really dull palate, but I'll never be returning. —sundeimasu
"2012-04-12 10:49p.m." They have the best Kim Chi Here! Try it out! I like the pretty waitress who works here!
2012-12-20 20:58:31 Good food but poor service. The owner spoke kindly to me in English and ridiculed me in Chinese to her friends. Disappointing. —AMaz
2013-01-17 15:02:07 I've never been to this place until a few weeks ago when my friend wanted to go. Now I can't get enough! Love the fried tofu and chicken chow mein. —AlliePrather
2014-03-30 18:47:00 I ate here for the first time today and ordered Kimchi Noodle Soup. Not impressed. I've had better kimchi at Korean restaurants like Oz. The kimchi here tastes way too fermented and salty. —MichelleNguyen
2014-04-12 20:50:56 The pork wonton soup and the chicken pot stickers were great on 4/12/2014. Picnic Day at UCD. —GeorgeMRose
2014-10-17 23:15:34 I have come in here once for a sit-down dinner, and once for takeout, and have enjoyed (my) vegetarian chow mein and (my partner's)dan-dan noodles. Inexpensive and yummy! —aquacaelum
2014-10-20 19:29:42 I am not pleased that my father was served spoiled wantons. If and when proper changes are made, I will not be coming back. If you'd like to hear more of the experience, please refer to the yelp review. Good luck to all! —nancybui
2014-11-19 09:52:18 This was our third trip since the ownership change, and each experience has been progressively worse. The quality of the food has really gone downhill, and the portions have gotten noticeably smaller.
Tonight we ordered the Hunan tofu over noodles and it was missing the spicy black beans. When we asked, the server told us they were out of the sauce — missing an integral ingredient of the dish is definitely something she should have told us when we ordered, not wait to see if we would notice! The rice tasted like it had been sitting in the cooker since yesterday (hard, dry and crunchy), and the wonton soup was terrible (starchy and chewy noodles in a tasteless broth).
Also, the service is much worse. We had to ask for enough place settings, then again for plates, then AGAIN for bowls for our soup, plus practically chasing the lone server down for water. As a final note, check the math on your bill, because they frequently make errors with their addition. It's going to be a while before we come back, if ever. —DebWestergaard
I went here with the Cool Cuisine Davis vegan group and thought that there were many delicious vegan options, including the sichuan eggplant, the hunan tofu, and the sesame balls. I like them with noodles. – a Davis vegan
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