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ISH Kitchen

4.8 (13 reviews)
Closed 5:00 pm - 9:00 PM

ISH Kitchen Photos

ISH KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

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Garlic Naan
Rob K.

Sleepy, and unassuming, the town of Davis sits nestled in the old and weary mountains of West Virginia. Driving through, the Billy Motel stands quietly apart from the small main strip of Davis. But something very vibrant and alive stirs in the Billy Motel. A purple-hued neon sign affixed to one of the motel gates draws the eyes away from the Davis main road. You'd be forgiven for yielding just a glance before carrying on. But this small, buzzing purple sign is just the beginning of the bouquet of surprises inside Ish Kitchen at the Billy Motel. Walking through the front door, you are greeted with green and orange tiling accenting rich, dark wooden walls. Tasteful green-leather full-back stools and Victorian lamps complete the dark and cozy bar of Ish Kitchen. To your left, low-seated chairs and a chatty fire place. To your right, semi-enclosed pub-style booths. The clientele at the Ish Kitchen are all enjoying different, quiet conversations. Some are reflecting on their skiing with an après cocktail. Others chat about the goings on in the town of Davis. But everyone, without speaking a word, shares silently in the secret of Ish Kitchen at the Billy Motel. Service is kind and comfortable. Something like: walk softly and carry a big stick might be their motto. The menu, similar in some ways to the decor, is an international tour de force showcasing flavors from end-to-end across the earth. It is a daunting confrontation. When a restaurant offers such variety of options, they are bound to show little mastery of any individual dish. But there is something defiant about the Ish Kitchen. Each dish, no matter its origin, was executed to perfection. Our mushroom bok choy, inspired by Vietnam, could rival any of the best French onion soups. The garlic naan would bring Indian mothers the world over to tears. The steak pie could make Gordon Ramsay shit his pants. And the beet salad, with pistachios and tahini, could drive me to write this ballad of love to a restaurant I will never forget. I am no tire company, but I would without hesitation deem Ish Kitchen worthy of the drive.

Papas Bravas (Spain) - Roasted potatoes with a spicy bravas sauce
Rupesh S.

"Don't judge a book by its cover" would be a good way to convince one to stop at a restaurant / lounge / bar in a Motel in the middle of WV. The menu is globally inspired and not a fusion-type mishmash. You can find dishes, each of which is a small-ish plate, from Thailand to Tennessee. The least inspiring was the Thai Cold Noodle Salad. But the Pāo de Queijo from Brazil and Papas Bravas (Spain) were great starters. The Magic Mike (Nashville) was good and substantial. The Shredded Beet Salad (Persia) was divine enough we asked for the recipe. Each of the three desserts - crème brûlée, chocolate cake with cayenne and carrot cake hit the sweet spot. The menu is very vegetarian friendly. There are some gluten free items as well. The whole bill was under 90 before tip which was a bargain for the quality. The overall ambience belies the 'motel' stereotype. It's mid-century modern with a lounge feel. Service was good and efficient even on a busy Friday. Highly recommended if you're within an hour of Davis, WV.

Bar menu
Laura M.

West Virginia is not always known for their food. But this place is BOMB. Small plates which 3 of us shared 5 dishes plus dessert. Everything was phenomenal- global flavors with dishes from everywhere. Good ambiance. Relaxed with good service at the bar and table service. Eclectic drink menu and we also liked each of those! Highly recommend.

Ramen, herbed potatoes, and grape leaf rolls

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4 months ago

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8 months ago

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9 months ago

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8 months ago

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4 months ago

Loved it, great variety of food and outstanding service, will definitely return. Really enjoyed the atmosphere as well!!!!

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1 year ago

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9 months ago

You can't spell "delicious" without "ish". The dishes are varied and each excels in its own way. What a gem!

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

What a find! Adventurous menu, quirky and charming setting and attentive staff. Try the grape leaves!

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The Billy Motel - Room 6

The Billy Motel

(47 reviews)

$$

This is a nice clean, comfortable hotel with a funky vibe. You park outside your room. The bed was…read morecomfortable. The bathroom is nice and the shower has good pressure. They give you ear plugs in the room but I never heard my neighbors. The front desk is in the bar area. Everyone is welcoming and friendly. Bonus that you get 2 free drink tokens during your stay. Enjoyed my Old Fashioned and dessert. I would stay here again on my visits to Davis.

THIS IS TRULY TRAGIC. Holy crap, the difference an owner can…read moremake here... Full disclosure, this place has broken my heart and as a patron that has spent well over $10k here in the last several years I'm at a loss for words. I met my partner at the Billy - yeah that still happens - and its gutting and egregious to see such feckless owners swoop into this lovely Appalachian business and run this with the care one would expect from a a Wayfair adorned short-term rental. Yes, the bones are still good here, but the superficial facade of community runs as deep as the chipping yellow paint on the "Billy Arrow" outside. The new Billy, in my deeply storied opinion on West Virginia history, sees right through the propped-up idea of "community" and it equates to the long history of outside interest here in the Mountain State that saw countless greedy men move in to extract and exploit the resources of the good people of Tucker County. The good people of West Virginia. I see it everyday and its no more true then than it is now with the Billy Motel and Ish Kitchen. You can almost smell the lack of community awareness and grasp with every high priced pour of el Toro cocktails. Its sickening to see my favorite establishment in this state now owned buy careless ownership that at one hand talk about community, but stab their "own" in the back. Its not community focused. Big time. One would think an owner in a town of 600ish with about 15-20 potential employees that would work service would respect the roots laid out by those here. Those that came before. But, I digress, because as the former states, its all about making as much money as one can and screwing over the locals when one does swoop in as an out of state interest. Its so, so sad. I will no longer be spending a dime here and have canceled all future bookings as I had planned about $2k worth of lodging this Spring through Fall for work and leisure that brings me here from Fayetteville all the time. I am not saying its a bad spot and the locals there are doing their best, but just know this place is coal-baron full on and if they care so much about the community they so share I would love to see them put their money where their mouth is. But, as a native West Virginian, and if you know anything about the state, we all know that will not happen. Montani Semper Liberi (for the DC/AZ folks, that means Mountaineers are Always free )

Purple Fiddle - Ice cream and a purple fiddle

Purple Fiddle

(164 reviews)

$

Ah, the illustrious Purple Fiddle, the crown jewel of Thomas WV. Been here many times over the…read moreyears. This place perfectly personifies the spirit of Thomas, WV, and maybe even a little bit of Davis mixed in there too. The building is historic with tons of character, located right at the end of the loop as if you can't exit town without paying homage. The inside has soooo much character and is decorated perfectly in a mad hatter style. We often stop here for ice cream during our wanderings of Wild Wonderful West Virginia but have been known to get food from time to time as well. I would say that everything is honestly priced. They aren't trying to get rich and they aren't trying to rip off the community, just serve it and make a living and keep the doors open. The food is on the cheaper side and the quality matches. I don't think they're after any Michelin stars but more interested in just feeding the people. Service is on par with the attitude of the building and blended well. Just enough at just the right time. You might have to swap a few chairs from one table to the next to find the right combination for your party as I think all of the chairs in there are different. They also serve the community by hosting music, up to 300 events per year according to their website. That's one of the only times I skipped the fiddle when I was passing through was when they had a band with a cover and we just wanted food. We wanted to sit down and eat but were told we had to pay if we stayed but could take the food to go or outside without the entrance fee. I think we just went over to Picnic instead which is also a great local spot! See you next summer fiddle!

Purple Fiddle, Thomas, WV, Thurs, Dec 19. My husband and I were traveling through Davis/Thomas, WV…read moreon a Thursday afternoon in mid-December. It was rather off-season for both of these touristy towns, late for the summer's hikers in Blackwater Falls and other natural attractions and early for the winter skiers in Canaan Valley. Our daughter and SIL, who live in West Virginia, recommended Purple Fiddle. They had visited in the summer, when there was live music and a lively crowd. We went in for a late lunch, reaching around 2:15 pm. Upon entering, we found that we were the only patrons, but the hostess assured us that they were open. We asked some questions about the menu, and my husband asked about their schedule of bands in the winter months. (It's very active, especially on weekends, even in winter). Another couple came in a few minutes after us. FOOD. You order at the long counter where there is a chalkboard with the daily specials, plus traditional menus. My husband ordered one of the soups of the day, Creamy Tomato Basil Soup ($7.50) and a Homemade Chicken Salad Sandwich ($11.50). I ordered their Montreal Grilled Cheese Sandwich ($9.75). My husband characterized the soup (his rating: 4/5) as very good but not outstanding for his personal taste. It was served with a bag of oyster crackers. He would've preferred the soup to be thicker/more cream-based and to have more basil. His chicken salad sandwich (3.5/5), served on swirled marble rye bread, with tomato and lettuce, was also tasty -- but the bread overwhelmed the amount of chicken salad, and the rye bread fell apart along the swirls. It was served with ruffled potato chips and a pickle spear. My toasted Montreal Grilled Cheese (3/5) was also constructed on marble rye, and featured three cheeses (provolone, cheddar, and whipped cream cheese), tomato slices, and some onion. It was also served with ruffled potato chips and a pickle spear. My main issue with my sandwich was it was toasted 2-3 shades darker than I would've preferred, verging on being burnt. We also split a dessert, the Turtle Cheesecake ($8). (4.5/5). The cheesecake featured chocolate, caramel, and some crunchies on top. The taste and texture were excellent but the slice was small for the $8 price point. The presentation also could've been better. It looked like it came directly out of the cooling case, still wrapped with Saran Wrap and a toothpick. My husband also got a coffee ($2.25, 5/5), which was full-bodied, rich, hot, and had free refills. Overall, we rank the food as a 4/5. In all cases, it tasted fresh. It was also a good value. Our food totaled $41.58 (including $2.58 tax, but before tip). The menu is relatively small, and most of it features cold items (sandwiches, wraps, hummus plates, etc.); this is probably appropriate for a music venue. We also note that they offer a good selection of beers, which we did not want in the afternoon and while still having a lot of driving ahead of us. AMBIANCE. (4.5/5). Overall, we liked the vibe of the restaurant. There's a stage for music performers, tables for diners/patrons, a station with hard ice creams to be scooped, memorabilia to be purchased. We suspect that it will get lively and crowded when bands are performing. We'll have to come back to check it out. SERVICE. (4/5). The waitress took our order at the counter, delivered it to our table, and later cleared the table. She was efficient, but neither friendly nor unfriendly. She did talk a bit more with the other couple who seemed to be locals. We would return to this restaurant.

ISH Kitchen - asianfusion - Updated May 2026

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