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I been coming to Thai Canteen for a few months now for lunch, typically on Fridays or a random Tuesday! Located in downtown Davis, you are greeted right away and order at the counter, pick a number and then go make yourself comfortable at any open seat! They have ice cold water you can fill yourself in these stainless steel cups and don't forget to grab the legit fire spice rack! I always get pad ga prow chicken with steam rice and a side of Thai style fried eggs! Can never go wrong or their drunken noods with extra noods and extra chicken! And make it even more better adding the Thai red chili on top!! Their Thai Tea is yummy! I normally get that on my way out for my dessert! The people who work and run this eatery are not only very nice but work hard and do an amazing job cooking lots of orders in immaculate timing! Food comes out piping out every time! Ambience is very chill, lots of people like me on their lunch break, students on lunch etc Please come by!!
Thai Canteen was my go-to spot during my college days in Davis. Lunch, dinner, late-night -- Thai Canteen always had me covered. My usual order at any Thai restaurant is pad thai or pad see ew, and they nailed it every time. The portions are huge and the prices are excellent and they definitely don't skimp. The vibe is very much a casual cantina: metal chairs, wooden tables, and an olive-green color palette throughout the interior. It feels lively and relaxed, perfect for a quick meal with friends between classes. - Pad Thai -- classic chicken pad thai topped with chopped peanuts and lime for extra zest; huge portion with a great balance of sweet and savory flavors; they also go pretty hard on the Thai spice if you ask for it - Thai Iced Tea -- cool, refreshing, and not overly sweet, with that classic amber color topped with condensed milk Service is always friendly and welcoming. The place can get pretty bustling, especially during weekend lunches, but that's part of the classic college-town cantina atmosphere. We were usually able to find a table, though you might have to wait a bit during peak hours since Thai Canteen is a must-try spot in downtown Davis!
Our favorite Thai place in Dixon is closed for 2 weeks as they visit family, so we ventured into Davis for Thai food. Thai Canteen was right there when we parked so we decided to try it out. It is super cute inside with quite a bit of seating. We ordered at the counter and chose chicken Pad Thai. She asked us about our spice level choice and we both chose medium. Once the food came out, we realized it might have been the wrong choice!! It was definitely too spicy for the both of us. We suffered through it and decided to bring it home to finish it instead. Everyone was super nice! We asked for an additional plate of bean sprouts thinking it might help with the spiciness. Ultimately, we got boxes for what we had left and got up to leave. The food was super yummy, but next time we will get it mild!! Eating at home I'll mix it up with some rice to take down the heat! We will be back for sure!!
well first this is a top-notch place to go while you charge your EV at the EVGO which is right over by the Arboretum just about three minute walk away. They have both level two and level three chargers there. Next if you have your fuzzbutt with you you can sit on the patio oit front that has a dog bowl for water and plenty of shaded seating. water is self-serve so you can go get a cup of water and fill up the water bowl that's outside for your little schnoogins. I came here because Chatty-G. The notorious G.P.T., told me i should according to this artificial intelligence it was one of the best options for vegan food in town! Thai cuisine is my favorite so this was an easy choice. My Pad Kee Mao, a.k.a. drunken noodles came out very fast and the tofu was perfectly braised. I think I would've ordered it a bit spicier but I told them to go mild since they had ample condiments that fulfilled my capsaicin requirements. Note to vegans: the condiments are not all vegetarian exactly. There is one that has little sliced red peppers in it that has a fish base. All the other ones are animal free. For instance the green peppers are jalapeños and they're just in a vinegar brine. I do wish they would label the ones that have fish sauce in them, which is probably my only complaint. Anyway, The interior looked comfortable as well. you can actually order inside and they'll deliver to you wherever you may be if you've got the number on your table. That is all the information that you require.
Love stopping by Thai Canteen when i'm in the Davis area for some good Thai food. My go to for some Pad Thai. And service is always friendly (Thank you)! I usually get more, but today i was by myself. And unfortunately can't stuff myself. I will definitely be back for more with the family! See ya later. 2/21/26 :)
My favorite Thai restaurant when I was a college student at Davis! Came to visit as an alumni and it's just the same as i remembered. I came on a Saturday with some friends around 8pm and it wasn't that busy and lots of seating was open. You order first and then you can find anywhere open to sit. - Pad kee mao (drunken noodles) : The exact same when I had it a few years ago. We got it with beef and the noodles are cooked well. There is a spicy kick to it which I love. However, I noticed they barely gave us any meat. - Pad kra pow : This rice dish was so good and the sauce is amazing!!! We got this with chicken and it was cooked well and packed with sm flavor! I highly recommend getting this rice dish. - Thai tea: Standard Thai tea. No complaints. They have extra sauces and chili flakes you can use. Normal ambiance inside the restaurant. You can see the chefs in the back because there is a clear window. Can't wait to come back here again some day.
Every college town needs a local low key Thai place for hungry students to gather. I got my classic pad see ew with tofu (egg ok) and Thai iced tea. It hit the spot until i decided i wanted a little bit more spice and sprinkled some of the crushed red chili in the jars on the table over my dish. Little did I know that these were Thai chili, not American red chili flakes. The result was too spicy for my medium-low white girl spice level and I spent the rest of the time chugging my creamy Thai iced tea. Stay the sprinkle of the chili else risk a tongue on fire. Logistics: - indoor and outdoor seating - limited street parking nearby but I think there was a paid public garage around the corner - order at the counter
Nice dinner here while visiting family! Casual vibes, you order at the counter. Menu is on wall and helpful that they have printed menus as well. Loved their beer selection! We had the Thai beer. Delicious chicken pad Thai and Ben had a chicken yellow curry. The dumplings we had (gyoza style) were great! Good leftovers the next day. Friendly service. Great location in downtown Davis.
Still one of our favorite Thai restaurants of all time! The duck fried rice is a dish I'll never be able to skip here and it was delicious as always. My boyfriend got the drunken noodles with beef this time (hot level spicy again) and said the beef was much more dry and chewy than pork/chicken- so something to note! We shared a hot ginger tea and I am still thinking about it. I've never had a cloudy, spicy gingery, yet sweet tea like this before. Such a great meal that we'll continue to order again and again. 5 stars!
Great authentic Thai spot in town. We did takeout and I have to give them a shoutout for their service. I brought my own glass Tupperware because I prefer not to put hot soups/ curries in plastic containers. They were nice and accommodating about it, which I appreciated! Heres what we ordered: * Tom Yum: This was the highlight! It had that perfect, classic balance of spicy & sour notes with aromatic herbs. They were very generous with the protein, too. Be warned: the spice is definitely up there! I had to accompany this with lots of water, but I really enjoyed the kick. * Red Curry: A really solid curry with bamboo shoots, bell peppers & basil. The broth wasn't too heavy or creamy, but it was packed with spices and flavor. The beef was tender, and the bamboo/peppers added a nice freshness. * Pad See Ew: I loved the chewy texture of the noodles and the fact that they use white meat chicken. However, it was slightly too greasy for my taste and lacked a little bit of flavor compared to the other dishes. * Mango Sticky Rice: Visually, looks cool because the sticky rice is blue! It was yummy, though I do wish they had the coconut cream topping that is usually drizzled on top. One note for improvement: They unfortunately forgot to pack my order of rice. I wish they had double checked the bag before handing it out, so just a heads up to check your order before you leave!
Thai Canteen is easily the number one Thai spot in Davis. A great spot for any occasion - casual lunch, dinner date, or large groups. Checkout their specials - if you see the Khao Soi on there, highly recommend. The noodles for the drunken noodles have great texture, the pad Thai is very good, the papaya salad is solid, and the wings are decent. The tamarind sauce that comes with the wings, I'd recommend saving that for later at home to dip in anything.
I ordered some take out after a long day and was excited to get some Thai food. Red curry was good, but they gave me the wrong item for dessert. When I got home, I was really looking forward to the sweet fried banana but am now stuck with some bland sesame balls.
Came here with a group one Friday night since it is one of the few restaurants that closes later. We were also drawn in by some deal where you order a dish and get a free Thai iced tea. What we got: chive pancake (2/5) -- I kind of thought this would be scallion pancake adjacent, but when it came out, I was surprised at how thick and greasy each cake was. The dough seemed to be made of rice/tapioca flour and was fried very crisp while the inside was mush because of the moisture between the chives and the cooked dough. It basically fell apart as I picked it up, lucky if it made it to the dipping sauce in one piece. The amount of chive was also overwhelming since it was bitter and tough to chew through without, again, having the entire cake fall apart. green curry (3.5/5) -- average green curry that I've tried at every other Thai restaurant khao pad gai tod (3.5/5) -- I tried just the fried rice and it was flavorful and light, but also on the much sweeter side gkuay tiow reur (3/5) -- this reminded me a lot of pho with both the meat and the broth flavor. The broth and noodles were nice, but the meat was very tough/dry I would give this place another chance given the ease of ordering, payment, and speed at which the food is ready. Portions are fair, service is average, and the ambiance is nice for hanging out.
Stopped in for the first time on a Sunday evening. It was busy but still plenty of seats available. You order first then find a seat. Our food took awhile. Ordered green curry chicken, pad Thai & shrimp with Thai garlic sauce #3. Everything was tasty. I will be back to try the other dishes. I was so disappointed as I tried ordering the mango rice dessert but was told it's only available to order during the summer. Not sure why as I've ordered mango sticky rice at many other Thai restaurants. Update- Came back a week later and they are now serving the mango sticky rice. It was really good. I also tried Pad ma kur-kai dow. It's Very tasty. read more
4 months ago
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1 year ago
I'm not sure why this place has 3.6 stars because I think the food is great. I got the pad kee mao, and it was delicious. We ate outside and the weather was also perfect! read more
10 months ago
1 year ago
I see why this place is popular, this is a College, Town and students living on a budget can get a decent portion of Thai food for a moderate price. The menu is non-standard for a Thai restaurant, but I think this restaurant, again, is catering to the college crowd. All entrées come with rice, except the noodles, sides & appetizers. When you get to the front be ready to order ... if you asked him any questions, you might have a flashback to the Seinfeld episode of the soup N**i . We stopped into this joint to grab a quick bite. But because of the line to order and how crowded the dining room was, it was not too quick of a bite. The atmosphere in the restaurant had a positive buzz of useful energy.! read more
3 years ago
Really great portions for college students wanting Thai food. Order at the counter and sit anywhere you like. The restaurant is pretty dark, but it is spacious. I ordered a pad Thai ($13 before tax) with beef. Waited about 15 minutes for food. The beef was quite chewy, so would not recommend, stick with chicken if you want protein. As for the sauce, it was quite sweet, but a good portion of food. read more
2 years ago
Thai Canteen is a reliable spot in Davis. The restaurant offers a wide range of delicious dishes that never fail to impress. However, it's important to note that on weekends (especially dinner), it can get quite busy, and there might be a bit of a wait (even for takeout) One of my all-time favorites at Thai Canteen is the Pad See Ew. I usually go for the mild spice level, but occasionally venture into the medium range. However, I must admit that there is quite a gap in spiciness between the mild and medium options. So, if you're someone who enjoys a bit of heat, I would recommend going for the medium spice level or even higher. One thing I absolutely love about Thai Canteen is the generous portion sizes. The plates are loaded with noodles and enough of your chosen protein (chicken, tofu, beef, shrimp), making it perfect for sharing or even having leftovers for the next day. The sauce for most dishes are rich, flavorful, and perfectly complement the noodles and veggies. I graduated Davis about a year ago, but every time I return I make sure to grab some takeout for lunch the next day :D read more
Duck fried rice is awesome, there's many duck meat in it. There's a little wait for the fried rice even it's 3pm weekend and no other customers in the restaurant. Deep fried pork strips is bad, the taste is ok but the meat is so hard, I have to chew with all my strength LOL. read more
1 year ago
Pad khing. Brown rice plus calamari $19 plus $ tax and charges so $21 tasty but only one piece of calamari chinzy read more
3 years ago
1 year ago
3.5 stars (which is the average for this place) seems about right. It's decent food and it's at a fairly reasonable price. We've come here a few times now and the food is solid. Probably the best Thai food within walking distance of downtown (although to be honest, I'm not aware of another Thai restaurant in downtown Davis). The last time we came here was in early December 2022. We ordered fried chicken wings, pad Thai with shrimp, the pork belly rice plate, and the spicy, shrimp, rice plate. It's definitely a college town place. You order at the counter and they give you a number and you find your own table. Most of the dishes seem like they were meant for one person (lots of rice plates and noodle plates) although you can definitely share. I have to say, that the pad Thai in particular was really good when we last came. Really flavorful, the noodles were perfectly cooked, lots of prawns, etc. The chicken wings on the other hand didn't have much flavor (even with the dipping sauce). The pork belly rice plate was decent: I give it a B. And the spicy shrimp with rice was above average. I would give it a B+. All in all, it's a solid restaurant; just nothing crazy special to write home about. read more
4 years ago
This restaurant does not have its own parking lot. The street it is on has parking, but all spaces are usually taken. There is a parking structure on the next street over that has always had spaces available. When the place is packed it gets very loud in the restaurant. You order your food at the register, get a number, find a table, and they bring your food to you. Water and a spice tray is self serve. I usually order Kang Kiow Wan which is eggplant, bell peppers and basil in green curry. You get a choice of protein. I get chicken. The food is average. Tastes like every other thai restaurant I have visited. read more
===== [Overview] ===== Thai Canteen was one of my best memories in college. I do remember that they had a different location but my friends tell me it was always here. Oh well; so, coming back to this place again was so satisfying. It was everything I remembered! Great food and amazing thai milk tea. ==================== ===== [Restaurant] ==== You can find this place on the edge of downtown Davis. Parking will have to either be on street or in one of the parking structures. Inside, everything is clean and open. It's a great place to talk with your friends over a hearty meal. Be sure to note that the bathroom is in the back and shared with the rest of the building. That means, you would need a key to access the bathroom. You can find it on the wall along the way to the bathroom; red for women and blue for male. If you're dining here, you order at the front and get a number. Tables are self-served and plenty. They will then bring the food to you when ready and take away your number placard when everything is accounted for. ==================== ======= [Food] ======= Everything is good here and the Thai Milk Tea is on the top tier for what I have ever had. I remember they used to have free refills; I am not sure if they still do. Their to-go is also a great option if you're on the way to class or back! Their containers are pretty hardy so it's great to swing around in your bag as you run to the bus if you're late. Just helps you mix the food a little easier without a mess. Recommendations: - [Pad Thai]: A common order for any thai restaurant. I think this is one of the more delicious renditions I have tried. - [Pad See Ew]: I am addicted to their pad see ew. I don't know what they add to it. I just love it. One time, maybe plenty, I ordered one there and pretended to order to go for a friend at home but really it was for me. I know I'm exposing myself. - [Larb Gai]: Simple eating with a complex herby flavor. - [Fried Pork]: It's kind of like jerky where it's tough to eat but exactly how it's meant to be. Reminds me of my friend's mom's cooking. They also included real sriracha in the box when I ordered it. ==================== read more
1 year ago
Their food is amazing! the place is pretty nice too, in downtown. However the people in the front are always very rude. I come back just for their food, avoid going in if you can-- delivery to avoid contact with the workers in the front. read more
9 months ago
3 years ago
It was a hungry-hungry-hippo Friday evening when I suggested to my comrade Henry, "Let's get tacos!". We ended up at Thai Canteen, a favorite of DJ Spiral Scratch. I, on the other hand, have only had Thai food once in my life, so entering this quaint restaurant with a variety of menu items displayed on the wall was slightly overwhelming at first. Henry ordered first. He ordered something that i could only make out as "pad sew" (I am sorry about my spelling. Thai Canteen, I am a Thai Food noob) and Thai tea. And then, the cashier made eye contact with me and asked the daunting, "What will you like to order?". I racked my brain for the right words--PAD THAI PAD THAI PAD THAI--but instead, frantically turned over to Henry with a scared look desperately asking for assistance. Pad thai with beef and a Thai tea it was. We seated ourselves at a nice table overlooking black and white wall art of a suburban city. Cute. I chugged the sweet, atomic Thai tea like an animal! The food came out hot! But after a few minutes, I eagerly swirled my fork into the noodles, blew away the fire (there was no fire), and the silver plane of wonder soared into my mouth. Delicious. The first bite through the soft noodles releases the juices hiding inside this wonderful concoction, bringing joy to my hypothalamus as it releases ghrelin, indicating I am one step closer to becoming full. Bathroom key was weird--it was on a paddle. Toilet was filled with green onions for some reason? Wonderful experience, will be coming back. There's a light that never goes out. read more
Such a staple spot in Davis! When I first moved this was the only spot me and my friends would come to haha. There is something so comforting about Thai food! I generally order the Kang Kari which is a yellow curry. Definitely not the best I've ever had, but satisfies the craving nevertheless. It comes with your choice of meat, carrots, potatoes, and a side of rice. I find the chicken to be kind of dry but I have become accustomed to ordering my curry with chicken through the years. The service is honestly pretty slow and the person who takes orders at the front is generally pretty unenthusiastic. They do get a lot of orders though, so anticipate about a 45-60 minute wait on busy nights. Definitely satisfies the Thai food craving, so I'd recommend trying it out and seeing what you think! read more
We have been here a couple of times for takeout and portions are good and food is tasty! My favorites are the duck fried rice and the red curry, but everything is delicious. Also like the fact that when they say the food is ready for pick up, it's still really hot - and when I take the containers out, steam rises from the containers - still hot! read more
2 years ago
Hotties get their Thai Canteen fix at least once a week. Thai flavors are a rarity to the Davis population so it's mostly crowded if you come in the evening, but the line tells you it has always been worth the wait. And this is with good reason, they're offering something totally unique to the area. When you come here you're getting authentic Thai food in the middle of NorCal. Its so hard to make Thai food with this level of complex flavor profiles, they've really perfected the Wok hei in all of their stirfry dishes. But if you snag a table or order delivery you would know the pleasure of flavor this restaurant has to offer. (This means a lot) Everything on their menu is amazing. Try everything.The turn out is quick. The portions are huge. The flavors are bold, sweet, savory, salty, and tangy. You're going to learn to enjoy the spice. It comes blisteringly hot. You will always be hungry when you are not having Thai Canteen. read more
2 years ago
1 year ago
6 years ago
Fantastic proportions, very flavorful and Thai spice is spicy! Ordered for delivery, pad gra prow with tofu (basil tofu) and pad kee mow with beef (drunken noodles) and it was delicious. Rice fluffy and bountiful and noodles were bouncy and packed full. You can even order the spice on the side. read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
3 years ago
One of my favorite Thai place in Davis!!! Best Crispy pork belly ever in Town im from the bay which had lot of Thai food but Thai canteen took that place in my heart!! Also, from point of view of Thais like me Thai canteen had the best Moo krob ever It's my go to place for me and my bf we love it and the price is super cheap but the service is nice but so so but can't complain coz the food is sooooooo good read more
We were in the area scouting for some food and came across this place as one of THE places to go for Thai food. We came a little late, but still 30-40 min before closing, but were told that we could only eat at the outside tables for takeout, which sucked but was understandable. Their menu items were named a bit differently than most Thai places, but basically got the pad kee mao, yellow curry, and green curry fried rice (which I never actually had before). All of these were made vegetarian, and was able to get them with just veggies too as we weren't really feeling tofu. And of course got thai tea as that's a must for me at Thai restaurants. You could also order different levels of spice from mild to Thai spicy. Maybe this was because they were in the takeout containers, but the noodles were really mushy. We got these Thai spicy as well, but as a person who handles a ton of spice, I have had spicier dishes at other places. The flavor was decent but not great. The yellow curry was too watery, otherwise it had good flavor overall. The green curry fried rice was interesting and tasted good and not watery, but I wasn't really sure what made it fried rice except for the curry being mixed in and some of the rice feeling a little stir fried but not much. The Thai tea was good though. This place might be over hyped now given that it was in business for a while and given the latest reviews. However it's a decent Thai takeout place for college students if they ever crave it! read more
2 years ago
1 year ago
2 years ago
I've been to the Thai Canteen in both Sac and Davis. For some reason the one in Davis seems to taste better. I normally get it to go and this location really packs a LOT in your to go box which I love. The food also comes very hot and fresh. I got the Chicken Pad Thai and it tastes amazing with the lime juices all over it. I also got a thai tea which tasted perfect to me. I don't like my thai teas super sweet and this was definitely on the less sweet side. I also got mango sticky rice which tasted really good, but I wish they offered some coconut ice cream or coconut milk. Still amazing though. The ambiance inside the location was also very nice. It was chill and perfect for hanging out and eating with friends. read more
1 year ago
4 years ago
Very good. Right spiciness good portion. Good price. Friendly. Busy. Ordered a wine and asked for a little more. Gave him an extra tip. Was nice about it. Brought did to table read more
5 years ago
When i was at Davis, this was my go to spot! I loved it because it was reasonably priced and food was delicious. I haven't been there in 4 years. The other day, I happened to be in Davis and thought I would check it out.. glad to see this place has gotten even better! We ordered: Beef pad see ew Pork green curry Chicken pad thai Thai iced tea Diet coke =$42 Very reasonably priced for the portions! Service was amazing - from what I remembered we got a number for our table and food was delivered but I didn't expect to be constantly checked on to see if everything was ok - we needed extra plates to share and they quickly accommodated. Food came out fast and was hot! We also asked for thai spicy/hot *warning* this is not for the faint of heart. If you love spicy, this is for you!! And when I wanted to use the bathroom, they were so nice to open the door for me whereas other places would just let me wait till someone came out. I had my family with me and they were jealous I had this spot during my college days! Didn't realize it'd take leaving Davis to appreciate this spot more. Kudos to management and staff for keeping this one of the best thai restaurants in Davis. Will be trying to come back again soon! read more
4 years ago
Great to see Thai Canteen still going strong after all these years! This was always a popular to go for undergrads and still looks like it is! Thai Canteen is perfect for large groups because it's more of a fast casual place where you pay at the counter then they deliver your food to your table. Whenever I go here, I'm reminded of my dear friend Maya who would always suggest this as a spot to refuel after class as well as request her birthday dinners here! Thai Canteen can be whatever you make it, you can grab a quick meal or make things festive by ordering sake bombs. On my most recent dining experience here, I came with my fiancé and his family. Both his parents really enjoyed their meals and his mom commented on their large portions! We both really enjoyed how their cups for water were made out of this metal material which was perfect for keeping our drinks cool especially with the ridiculously hot weather we have been having. My go to order is the Pad Si Eww with Thai Tea. Their recipe is as consistent as ever and remains as fresh and savory as I remember. read more
More info about Thai Canteen
117 E St
Davis, CA 95616
Directions
(530) 231-5465
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https://thaicanteendavis.com/menu
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Ask the Community - Thai Canteen
I have a friend with a peanut allergy. Is there anything for her to eat here?
I have a peanut allergy and I always have the Pad Thai without peanuts. They are really good about making sure everything is prepped without peanuts!
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