Okay, so the first time I had open rice kitchen was my freshman year of college and I was not impressed. However, since many of my friends go here I decided to give it another try as a senior and let me tell you this was a rollercoaster of an experience. First, I arrived at the restaurant and I was immediately impressed with how affordable the food was. It's insanely cheap like INSANELY. I haven't seen food this cheap since Biden became Pres. However, the wait was ATROCIOUS literally like 25-30 minutes and it wasn't even super crowded. On top of that, after I got my order and I left the restaurant and arrived home I realized they gave me the WRONG order. As you can see, I received noodles instead of the rice I ordered so I had to go all the way back to the restaurant to get my rice which was SO annoying (especially because finding parking in downtown can be a nightmare and it was). I even tried calling the restaurant FOUR times and they didn't answer. Here's the plot twist though, the experience made me so angry I was ready to leave a 1 star review, but then I ate the food and I can't lie, it was lowkey delicious. Like truly the meal wasn't anything super special, but for some reason it hit SO hard. Therefore, due to how good the food hit (once I received the correct order) and how cheap the food is I had to raise my 1 star rating to 3. I would probably recommend trying this restaurant during odd hours of the day like not during lunch or dinner rush to have the optimal experience. Also, make sure to check if ur order is correct before u leave and be aware that the fried egg was giving mucusy vibes which I didn't love, but overall was yum. read more

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The prices are the way they are for a reason! Also service was not welcoming. Will not be going back. read more

Open Rice Kitchen - Crab rangoons, rice plate w corn and bbq pork - Chinese Near Me - Davis, California

The food here tastes pretty good and it's one of the cheapest places in Davis. The wait also isn't too long, and the staff is very kind, great place. read more

Open Rice Kitchen - Hot oil wonton and chicken pot stickers - Chinese Near Me - Davis, California

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ORK is the to go "late" night food place for drunchies for students. Really known for their cash deals (3.50, $1 boba w/ social media check in, and 6.99 entrees- follow their fb ti keep updated.) The place is spacious, but not the most aesthetic. Theres a bathroom they try to maintain, but again, usually not so sober people go (- esp packed and busy on mojito night). Its a casual, order at counter and then they call your name sorta restaraunt. It's pretty easy to buy to go. The trash is a hole by the soda machine. I got their popcorn chicken this time. It's very crispy, and well seasoned ( salted), but lacks the basil and is a little dry ( I think they use white meat). The sauce provided is like a sour more liquid and sweet chili garlic sauce. Other than that, sriracha is by the soda machine. I wholely recommend their fried rice/noodles entrees or more "fast food" like options because their regular entrees are more vegetable/not worth it. They have pulled pork mac and cheese!!! They are pretty good at making sunny side up fried eggs with a runny yolk to place on top of their fried rice. I'm a little sad since they changed their boxes from a few years ago that the portion sizes are smaller, but I suppose its more eco friendly. The boba is okay, it's fake powder and the Pearl's could be a wildcard- it's like very basic low tier boba, so I guess get it if you really really want boba for $1. You ask the waiter for water cup. Idk if I would go without their cash deal, but I do like their fried rice and noodles, and it's open when everywhere else is closed. And props to them for handling the messiest of nights. read more

Open Rice Kitchen - Popcorn chicken. Kinda dry? Well salted, crispy. - Chinese Near Me - Davis, California

The customer service is TOP TIER! They are extremely helpful and nice. They always being considerate and respectful about the customers decision! When you eat the food at Open Rice Kitchen you KNOW it's made with love. JORGE has made my expierence at Open Rice Kitchen a 100/10! read more

This is a no-nonsense kinda place. The food is good, and the price is cheap for Davis. They have daily specials, decent boba, and Thai ice tea. The staff is nice, I've never had a problem. For $10 or less, you'll be full on something tasty. I just got the Singapore Rice Noodles. My favorite. Plenty of bell pepper, onions, noodles, spices, char siu, and 3 to 4 shrimp. I'm not sure why there are so many bad reviews. You get more than you pay for here. read more

Open Rice Kitchen - Singapore Rice Noodles $7, already ate 1/3 of it. - Chinese Near Me - Davis, California

This restaurant is a hidden gem in downtown Davis. Definitely underrated. $2.50 for boba drinks that are chubby cups? $7-$8 for rice plates and noodle dishes? Definitely worth it! read more

Open Rice Kitchen - Pork belly fried rice - Chinese Near Me - Davis, California

so as a cheap girl i love the place because it's so cheap, i got an appetizer, entree, and boba for less than 20 and at first it was really good, i got the singapore dish and it was really yum at the top, but it was drenched in oil at the bottom. don't get me wrong, i love some good fried food, but not as oily as it was. my plate was soaked that it wet the table with grease. the drink was very good, very sweet but not overly sweet, i didn't get boba because i like the drink more than the boba so i can't say if the boba is quality. service was ok, not good or bad, just ok. the front lady was very monotone, but not rude, i don't mind it. overall, it was fine, but if you don't like oily food, then don't choose this spot. i would probably visit this place yearly to recover from the oils. read more

I'm graduating and I will miss this place. Food servings were always good and served on paper plates which I LOVED. The service and people behind the counter were kind. I overall love the cozy vibes and home cooking feeling. read more

This is my 3rd time here and I'm disappointed today. Last time I ordered braised pork belly. It was good, has enough chunks of pork belly served in fried rice. Today, I ordered pork belly fried rice and it is the same price as the braised pork belly. It barely had pork mixed in the fried rice. Disappointing! I told the cashier about it and she apologized and I believe she told the kitchen staff I'm Spanish, I don't understand but I saw them looking at me. Just unprofessional, annoying! read more

The first time I came to open rice kitchen, it was really good! But the last couple times that I've been craving open rice... it just did not taste as good as the first time. The last couple times I been craving their kimchi fried rice - it was just oily and even asking for no egg because my friend that I went with was allergic. They still gave us the egg. I know this place is a UC Davis favorite but if you aren't in the area and there are other places open then I think that somewhere else is probably more worth it. I recall seeing alot of deals here for UC Davis students too so I think that is the only time I would ever see myself coming back here. read more

Very good friendly service and attentive staff affordable delicious and large portions

Great food for the price, boba is only $2.50 and it's really cheap. Ask about the punch cards for drinks if you tend to order a lot. Service is fine, they get really busy and workers seem stressed during those hours. The inside looks fine, not a lot of large tables for big groups. Overall a really good pick for cheap Asian fusion food. Try the taro milk tea and the popcorn chicken read more

My friends took me out to try Open Rice Kitchen the other day and I have to say, It was fairly decent. It's a very small business. They keep it clean enough, and staff is passable on the friendliness. The prices on the menu are fairly affordable and they give you good sized portions of whatever you order. The pricing and portions alone make it worth it. My friends and I shared some crab wontons, chicken egg rolls, pot stickers, pork belly fried rice, chow mein, and pork mac and cheese. The food was good but nothing memorable that made it stand out from other places. It was just simple good food at a reasonable price. I can see this being a good place for UC Davis students to pick up some food to eat while studying, or if they don't want to spend too much. I don't view it as a place to recommend to anyone who is visiting from out of town though. If you're looking for a decent and affordable spot to eat in Davis then I recommend giving them a shot. read more

Food is yummy for very cheap price! Perfect portion for me. I got wonton noodles soup, orange chicken, and curry noodles. Wonton and orange chicken are highly recommended! Curry udon needs more flavors. read more

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Only thing worth it here is the boba drinks (Thai tea) but the food is trash- no flavor and too oily. I ordered chicken Kung pao and chow mein with some dumplings. Told it would take about 20 mins because it was crowded so we waited. 40 mins passed and I got up to ask about my order and the girl said another 10-15mins. Went back to sit down- it was super loud but that's out of their control- but it sucked I ended up having to sit in a loud place for an hour+ for my order. Then once I got the food I was happy I opened it at the restaurant before leaving and was completely disappointed the servings were skimpy and in my opinion not worth the wait- there was hardly any noodles to my chow mein and only two or three small pieces of chicken in my kung pao it was mostly bell peppers and onion which was ridiculous. The dumplings were okay but didn't taste that good. I probably should've taken a pic but that's how disappointed I was it wasn't even worth a pic. If I went back it would only be for the drinks but the food portions and food seasoning are not it! read more

I think I've reviewed this place before and gave them 3 stars because their food is ok. Rounding them up to 4 stars because I really enjoyed my friends meal. She got their new chicken dish with the sweet sauce or something. Not sure what it's called, just show the cashier the photo I attached. The food was good. The salted fish and chicken rice wasn't as flavorful as I had hoped. I've had similar dishes from other restaurants that I liked more (this might be my palette so try it if you like that stuff) Sweet potato fries are good. Salted fried tofu was good. It wasn't spicy on the tongue but it does hurt your mouth a little. I'd order it again read more

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Open Rice Kitchen's food is amazing for the price. It is the perfect place to go after a few drinks with some friends. Although, the Singapore vermicelli was too spicy for me. Their popcorn chicken was alright, it was tough and stiff but not terrible. Their beef chow mein was a little too salty for my liking but still tasty. The pork belly fried rice was super good! I'm definitely going to order either that or their ORK fried rice again. read more

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Food was great, very homemade tasting. Very affordable. Customer service was excellent, very friendly and accommodating. I ordered the classic fried rice with spam. Also ordered tempura string beans. Will definitely come back again read more

Open Rice Kitchen - Tempura string beans - Chinese Near Me - Davis, California

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It's not fancy food, but it's pretty good for cheap college student food! Their food is either a hit or miss depending on the day, but I would eat it anyways. I like their deals Their chicken wings and ORK fries are pretty good. I like their braised pork belly with egg, but I would only get it when there's a deal. read more

Open Rice Kitchen - ORK mac n cheese - Chinese Near Me - Davis, California

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Wow DELICIOUS and how-are-their-prices-so-low prices! ORK's Singapore Noodles is different in that you can choose it with typical vermicelli or wide chow fun noodles. Also, it's more red pepper spicy than curry flavor. Though an unusual recipe, it's still very yummy with the lean bbq pork and plump shrimp and only $7. One can't even cook it that cheaply themselves. Ork offers many different noodles and I'll return to try several more. Busy, friendly staff and Fernando was particularly proactive in customer service. Thanks! read more

I've been hearing about Open Rice kitchen from my friends constantly for the past few years. I finally decided it was time to try it. I am trying it in June of 2020, so dine in is closed, which is no problem. I try to place an order ahead by phone. I stay on the line for 5 minutes as the phone rings. No answer. I try again, and no answer. I think, "okay no problem, they must be busy". I've worked in the food service industry before so I completely understand when it's completely swamped and you just can't answer the phone anymore. I decide to go in and order takeout. I walk in and there is absolutely nobody here. There is a girl cleaning tables and putting up chairs. No greeting as I walk in, and in fact it seemed that she was a little annoyed that I had even come in. It was 7 pm so not even close to closing time. I order my food and she is not friendly whatsoever. I am extremely disappointed with the service. She was rude. I asked after paying "I'm sorry, how long did you say again?" And she goes, "What?", as she appears annoyed that I'm talking to her again. The food wasn't great, and brighter was the service. The food was probably a 20 minute wait despite ordering when not busy. Food wasn't great, I would've been happier going someplace else. Can't recommend it unless you're desperate for Chinese food. read more

Good cheap boba. Haven't tried the food here yet, but it looks pretty good and affordable. Don't know anywhere else where I can get a taro milk tea with boba for under $3. And it's pretty big too. read more

I got the kimchi fried rice and I thought it was a solid, quick and inexpensive option for lunch in Davis! It's also located pretty close to Amtrak so I'll stop by again to satisfy my post-train fried rice cravings :) read more

Open Rice Kitchen - Kimchi fried rice - Chinese Near Me - Davis, California

Sadly I have had countless interactions with a woman who works there who does NOT give good customer service and often has a bad attitude . Today April 11th (it was not at all busy) , I wanted to order a slush boba .. She refused to make me one saying "I'm not doing slushes right now". Walked out and didn't buy anything . It's giving bad energy . read more

Great customer service! They were even kind enough to give me a free meal and boba when there was a mistake in my order. They always have specials on the menu for great prices and quick service for food to go. read more

Can't beat the prices, but I wish the sauce was included instead of costing an extra $0.50 per sauce. Good spot if you're looking for late-night or quick Chinese food. read more

Okay for a cheap meal, the only highlight being the pork belly fried rice. The signature chicken rice and the Singaporean noodles were meh -- as someone who's had char kway teow at multiple places this definitely wasn't it, but it was filling and makes for the type of food I'd crave after a long night out. However it was unaccceptable we had a 40 minute wait, and when we kindly asked for updates around 25 and 35 minutes we were told the food was "coming out" (while other groups and pairs were served before us). read more

My favorite restaurant in town!! Amazing food and best boba! I've been coming here for years and it's still my favorite

It's cheap. You get what you pay for. Service helped with questions we had. They had deals on food, and deals on beer so it worked fine for us. The beer wasn't that cold though which was disappointing. We had gotten the popcorn chicken and bacon wrapped brussel sprouts to share. I ordered eggplant with tofu on the side. The popcorn chicken was pretty good, not overly salty or anything. Decent portion. The bacon wrapped brussel sprouts I could do without. Gummy, and the sprouts weren't cooked adequately so it just didn't work out that well. The eggplant tofu was interesting. Basic brown sauce. Wasn't cooked long enough in the sauce so the flavor didn't set in, and the bell peppers needed the cooking time anyway. I'd still probably drop in for a snack in the middle of drinking adventures so I can't write it off too much. It wouldn't be my first choice, but it's convenient given proximity to the bars. read more

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Open rice kitchen is essentially the spot for college students to grub on some cheap food. Nothing's going to blow you away but they got good deals on daily specials. I got the pork belly fried rice this time and it wasn't bad. The pork belly itself was good but the rice was definitely drenched with soy sauce. Service is passable and portions are great for the prices. Food: 3/5 Value: 4/5 Service: 3/5 Overall: 3/5 read more

Open Rice Kitchen - Pork belly fried rice - Chinese Near Me - Davis, California

LITERALLY THE BEST PLACE FOR BROKE COLLEGE KIDS WHO WANT COMFORT FOOD! Boba is super cheap and portions are huge. Staff may seem a bit cold at times but are actually super sweet. They definitely know what they are doing and orders come out quick and delicious. For sure going to be my friends and I'd go-to spot for the next four years! read more

They are always so nice every time I come and the food and boba is at a great price! I have come here for the last past 3 years and it's really nice that the prices haven't changed. read more

It's cheap and thats about all it has going for it. Came by once and they were out of rice. I tried one more time and they were out of chow fun. I got beef chow mien instead and it had 2 small pieces of beef to the whole plate of noodles and the soda was flat. Definitely never coming here again, not worth the low prices. read more

They have $2.50 boba here! I never thought the place looked super clean to start with but for the price of their boba I couldn't resist! It's decent PMT for the price but I came here on 12/10/2019 and got the Thai milk tea w/ boba and waited till I got to the library to open it. When I was about to open it I saw something black floating on the inside of my drink! I was really hoping it was a tea leaf but it looked like a... BABY COCKROACH IN MY UNOPENED DRINK!! I'm assuming it's from their dirty ice machine. Now I think about all the times I came here and just drank it w/o looking at my drink. I messaged them in hopes of my money back but nope! read more

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I ordered fried rice and fried tofu, which is delicious. Glad they were able to take a special request of no garlic and no onion. Highly satisfied for the price. read more

If you are looking for a really good Asian restaurant that's also easy on your wallet... this is the place to go here in Davis

Not the same as once before. The food is horrible the homeless wouldn't even take it. (You know the ones outside by the parking lot) legit they wouldn't take the food read more

Overall Rating: 3.5 Rating of my Fav Orders and the overall vibe: 4.0/4.5 I've been coming to Open Rice Kitchen SINCE they opened. If there was anyone who can legitimately review this place, it's me. It's known to an entire generational legacy of my friends as ORK for short. I come here far more than I care to actually reveal. LOL Now, this will be a mix of an honest review as well as a smidge of bias due to some of the workers. When this place first opened, right up to about the first few years, the place was great! The quality of the dishes were kept high. The cooking and flavor was consistent. At one point, I would consider this place to have had THE BEST salted fish and chicken fried rice as well as the fried calamari that I've had in both yolo and solano county. The salted fish and chicken fried rice used to have BOTH the salted fish and the chicken and it was amazing. The other dishes were also pretty decent and the deals were great! The milk teas and other drinks weren't the best, but they were good for such an affordable price point. Fast forward to about the middle years... Quality went down quite a bit. The food was inconsistent...flavor wise. Sometimes, the inconsistencies were so big that I would return my food (I never return my food unless it was actually needed). Customer service sort of went down as well. LOTS of staff turnover during that time as well. Lots of things seemed like it was off during the middle years. Fast forward to the last two years, specially the last year (Yes the pandemic year). IF there was a place that gave me a sense of normalcy during the pandemic, it was ORK. They stayed open throughout and the quality of the food seems to have improved again for the better. The head cook, Jorge is great and knows how to make the dishes well and properly as well as consistently. I used to always asked who was cooking on a specific day before I'd make a decision on what to get, but I believe that because of him, the consistent quality of the food is getting better across all the cooks. There's another cook there (I call him Man Bun Guy), who is also really great. He once made a salted fish and chicken fried rice for me that was SOOO good that I had to call in while driving just to compliment him. And how can I not talk about the front cashier people like Lara, Sean(who unfortunately no longer works there as of now), and others? They are all awesome. They really help brighten my day and would always engage in conversation. It was one of the bright moments of my days during the pandemic. Yes, the food has been good as of late, but honestly, the reason why I'm giving it a 4/4.5 is because of the people working there. They truly keep the restaurant afloat and help keep the loyal customers coming back. I hope that the owner knows and recognizes this. Food Recommendations: 1) If Jorge or man bun guy is cooking, Salted Fish and Chicken fried rice hands down. $7.50 so very affordable. Add some sriracha and mix it in... 2) House Rice Plate with soft scrambled egg sauce w/ beef 3) Pork Belly Fried Rice: One of the most consistently well cooked dishes in the restaurant from my experience 4) Chicken Chow Mein is good generally except for when there's too much sauce on the bottom 5) Popcorn Chicken is pretty good and a nice addition to any fried rice dish 6) Black Pepper Udon with choice meat is 7) Scrambled Egg with choice meat (Spam, BBQ pork, etc) with rice. $6.00 8) Spam Fried Rice can feed a few ppl... OR one REALLY hungry human. Trust. Dishes ppl sleep on: 1) Pork spare ribs (appetizer): I get the salt and pepper spare ribs 2) Hot oil wontons are decent 3) Breakfast fried rice: Just try it... but don't count the calories lol Dishes I don't care for: 1) Wonton Soup ... 2) ORK fried rice 3) Kimchee fried rice 4) Beef Chow Fun Drink recommendations: Honestly, for how long I've been coming here, I haven't tried out a lot of the drinks. But I recommend the Thai Milk Tea and the black milk tea. I get mine 50% sweet because it runs pretty sweet. The regular flavored teas are also pretty good. Milk Teas run about $2.70 per drink including the topping. Can't beat that. BIG PLUS: Their menu specials rotate daily as well as the appetizer list. Decent quality, affordable "fast food" Asian type restaurant. ORK is a staple for me here in Davis. read more

Open Rice Kitchen - Thai Milk Teas 50% Sweet with a little bit of passion fruit jelly on one and a little bit of green apple jelly on the other - Chinese Near Me - Davis, California

*** Vegetarian Review *** Cheap. Relatively Fast. Edible. Not the most glowing endorsement, but I still eat here 5-6 times per year. Twice for lunch and the remainder during those "Fifth Meal" hours. Thursday thru Saturday they close at 2AM. You can substitute any meat for the other white meat, aka tofu, and in less than 8 minutes, you're eating and can go about the rest of your day or early morning. A few years ago, they offered faux meats and I was a big fan of their Mongolian faux chicken, but as they say, all good things must come to an end. I probably keep coming back for the slight chance they offer it once again, but regardless, it's still cheap, relatively fast, and edible eats. Soft Scrambled Egg Noodles with tofu (Grade C): I've ordered this dish at New Lai Wah in Sacramento and fell in love with the flavor. Imagine an egg drop soup poured over chow fun noodles. So when I saw it here, I was an eager eater. Well, the dishes look similar, but unfortunately that's where the similarities stop. As you can see from the photos, the "egg drop soup, white sauce" mixture is poured over the noodles, but it's not enough to permeate the entire dish. You only get flavor on the upper level of your food and if you try to mix it, then the noodle to sauce ratio makes for a bland bite. But again, cheap, relatively fast, and edible. The unfortunate part of the meal was the tofu and it leads me to believe they don't get a lot of vegetarians or people that prefer tofu. Guessing this is probably why they stopped offering faux meats as well. The tofu was slightly sour and for vegetarians, we can tell when the tofu is past it's due date. My best guess is this was 2 days past its prime. Their tofu stock may sit longer because of poor turnover. With all that said, I'll be back. I won't be ordering the scrambled egg noodle dish, but I'll be back. I saw a guy eating on the adjacent table and he had a large noodle dish that was steaming out of the bowl -- so next time. They do have a Kimchee Fried Rice, but I haven't asked them if their kimchee is prepared with fish paste. If not, this may be the go to item. Overall restaurant observations: - Inside seating only. - Parking. Street parking mostly (90-120 minute max), but there is a small parking lot right next door. Keep in mind this is in downtown Davis and if you go during lunch or dinner hours, street parking can take a little longer. I recommend parking parking on the H Street Alley (near the train station) and take the little path through the back of the building. - Boba. They serve boba. I've never tried theirs, but I noticed the straws aren't individually wrapped which means I won't be trying this in the near future. read more

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