This is by far my favorite place to have business lunches. The food is simple, yet refined, the service is always wonderful, and the new owners really make you feel at home in the dining room. read more

READ THIS REVIEW!!! NO RATING, NO STARS, WORST RESTAURANT In Davis (since I can't post this review unless I put a star, I give it one) From: Wo Fat: My Views on The Mustard Seed located on 222 D Street, Davis CA 95616-4559. On May 1, 2010 my wife made a reservation with "The Mustard Seed" restaurant in Davis, she tried to use the Internet at first but most unfortunate the web site wasn't working properly so she proceeded to call the restaurant directly an talked with someone on the phone, most likely a college student who worked at the restaurant answered the call. My wife heard that you have to make reservations a month in advance and made the reservation for seven people for June 11th at 2: P.M. Since my daughter was graduating from U.C Davis that day, we thought it might be good to take our family and friends to this restaurant. Well, June 11th comes my daughter has graduated we proceed to the restaurant for our 2: PM reservation, since the traffic was terrible my daughter drove ahead to hold the table at the restaurant. About fifteen minutes later I receive a call from my daughter asking if her mother made the reservation at 2: PM. I said yes. Why? She said, they don't serve lunch at 2: PM and they don't have a reservation under your name. I told my daughter will be there in five minutes and will talk with the manager. My daughter was waiting outside; I walked up to the front entrance of the restaurant very small place I must say probably that would explain why one would have to make reservations a month in advance. I walk into the restaurant a young college worker greets me who is working at the counter, letting her know that we have a reservation for seven at 2: PM and give her my name. The young woman said I don't have you down on the list. I let the young woman know I wanted to speak to the manager of the restaurant. Five minutes later, the owner Robyn Bergman comes out I give her my name and explain we made a reservation a month ago for June 11th at 2:PM. Robyn indicated to me that we don't take reservations during graduations and we don't serve lunch at 2:PM must be a different restaurant. I asked Mrs. Bergman if this was the only Mustard Seed restaurant in Davis, she replied yes. Then my wife spoke up told Mrs. Bergman that she talked with someone a month ago at the restaurant, Mrs. Bergman flatly denied the fact we were mistaken that she makes only the reservations and does the cooking as well, she doesn't have any college workers making reservations that she does it herself and books up two months in advance. Well, a couple came in after we did and it was 2:15 P.M and the young college worker seated the couple. So Mrs. Bergman tells us she doesn't serve lunch at 2: PM. I said what about the couple who came in before us? She said they made a reservation two months ago. I then said it's after 2: PM why are you serving them? Mrs. Bergman told us I don't have a place for you that you must be mistaken. So how do you explain the fact that the young college worker is seating people and making reservations when I was in the restaurant? I was upset and told the owner (Robyn Bergman) that I would put her on Yelp. She then became a little hostile towards me, saying do you think that its going to hurt my business I don't think so, because I am always booked, and it won't affect my business I assure you. I replied back to her and said will see. What an incompetent business operation Robyn Bergman is running, the way this woman treats customers is so unfair. Keep in mind we were a party of seven can you imagine the amount of business that she gave up and never said sorry. Why then would one of her college workers make a reservation back in May for 2: PM, that she is the only Mustard Seed restaurant in Davis? Sure Robyn Bergman's restaurant may be popular but you don't treat customers the way she does. What ever happen to the days where the customer is always right? You never argue with a customer rule 101, we made a reservation and they screwed up. Sure Mrs. Bergman is in Davis and has a thriving business, but she is also a very cocky thinking that her business won't be affected by this review on Yelp. If you're planning to eat at The Mustard Seed in Davis, think again and go somewhere else because Mrs. Bergman obviously doesn't think her business will be effected by this review a very cocky unprofessional woman who shouldn't even be in business. I rate this restaurant as incompetent, a zero, and I highly DON'T RECOMMEND THIS RESTAURANT. Since Robyn does the cooking, makes the reservations, and insults her customer thinking she is never in the wrong, what does her husband do since he is co-owner of the business? I know, he does the dishes, and cleaning the floors. OK, Mrs. Robyn Bergman will see if this effects your business or not. One thing that Wo Fat doesn't tolerate is incompetence? Most unfortunate! Wo Fat read more

While the food is good and the atmosphere is romantic, the service at The Mustard Seed is the antithesis of class. The owners, "charming" couple Robyn and Paul, run the show and you can tell. They are constantly verbally abusing the staff in FRONT of the customers or behind the kitchen door, which doesn't make a difference because the shrillness of that woman's voice carries across the entire restaurant. I saw the hostess once crying in the front room while forced to fold napkins during a busy dinner shift. It doesn't matter to them how they treat their employees, however because it is a college town and they can easily find a replacement. They aren't just rude to the employees, if you're not a personal friend of the owners, you are at the bottom of their priorities. I'm surprised that someone has not called the Better Business Bureau yet. They are usually understaffed, so Robyn takes on the responsibility of being both the hostess, waitress and busser. Yet, due to the overwhelming amount of some busy nights and lack of staff, customers are not walking into a restaurant to be served yet the idea is that she is there to serve you whenever she has the time. Friends once tried to dine there and waited a total of 2 hours before asking for their food to go because they could not wait any longer. The worst part is that the location and space is wonderful and could have the potential of being a hot spot in Davis, but for the price you're paying to support a "mom and pop" business, I'd rather put my money toward people who had some sense of social decorum. read more

BAD service!! Especially from the female owner. She took my credit card, lost it and left me with words "I don't have it" and quickly scurried away. Was not apologetic, didn't offer any help at all. When i insisted that she finds it, she claimed it was stolen, walked to back and didn't come back out! Awful, awful, service and bad attitude!! read more

We wanted to hire TMS to cater our wedding. I left two notes at the restaurant and made several calls to the owner before Robin, the owner, contacted me. Amazingly, Robin cancelled our consultation meeting 30 minutes before the appointment. Our follow-up phone calls to reschedule were never returned. When she finally answered the phone herself, we were told that she was busy on our day with another wedding....even though the previous three weeks she had said she would be available to cater our event. She offered no apology. The complete inattention to and disregard of customers clearly indicates that this business owner is extremely inconsiderate and rude. Could it be that she does not know how to run a business? I know so. We will be giving our support and accolades to businesses and business owners who truly deserve it. read more

If you like good food... Mustard Seed is a great place to go. I took my little sister, a starving student (Aggie) here for lunch today. We are both vegetarians so we ordered the tomato bisque which was very good. First time I've ever had bisque. The puffy pastry on top seemed a little undercooked to me. My sister said it could have been the steam from the soup. We ordered two vegetarian sandwiches (the mushroom panino and the vegetarian panino). The sandwiches were very good and the best part was the bread. It was delicious. We devoured the whole meal, very quickly I might add. The reason the rating gets dropped down is the service. I've read about the service at Mustard Seed on other websites also and it is the main reason people would NOT go back. I must agree 101%. We were seated promptly as we should have been seeing the restaurant only had 3 groups in the whole place. After that, the waitress brought us water and took our orders which went fine too considering it was so empty. A little bit later, two more groups walked in who seemed to be regulars. That is when it went downhill. Our waitress did not come back to check on us for almost 20-25 minutes while she consistently went back to the table next to us at least 4-6 times in the same time frame with comments like, "So how is the food?" and "Is everything alright?" and "Do you guys need anything?" We did not get that once!!! So then we started timing the staff to see how long it would take. It took almost 12 minutes after the timing began for someone to come over (maybe it was because I was staring them down due to the fact that we had finished eating almost 15-20 minutes prior). The pessimist inside of me would like to say something to the extent of, "It's cause we're brown," (trust me, been there, seen that) but I will assume it is because we aren't regulars. Regardless, in the end, I left the standard tip because I thoroughly enjoyed the food. As I was walking out, I asked for the itemized bill because I thought they calculated it wrong. They either calculated it wrong or charged $6.95 for an iced tea. read more

Very sucky restaurant!!! Worst waiters ever!!! She harassed us for having a few credit cards to pay with. They added a 20% tip instead of 18%! They lied to us by adding a higher tip charge. There is a camera in the corner of the restaurant filming everything. Very creepy. She also said they saw shot glasses in the bathroom and blamed it was our group. Very upset. We drove more than 50miles for a very special birthday party. Shocked at the service. read more

Ate here for lunch last week. First impression: walked in the door, the hostess (who turned out to be one of the owners) gave me a hard look and said "I'm on the phone" Seriously, those were the first words out of her mouth! Then she seemed to remember her manners and asked if it was just me. She led me to my table and thank God, I never saw her again. The waitress was nice; she brought me my menu and water right away; I asked for iced tea and ordered the turkey-bacon on ciabatta. It took ten minutes for my iced tea to arrive, and another 10 for my sandwich. I saw my server ( and several others) walk by my table (I was seated right next to the kitchen) but not one of them asked if I needed a refill, or how I was doing. The sandwich was good; high quality ingredients and tasty. Too much dressing on the salad, tho. And when it was time to leave, I had to flag down "my girl" (I know thats sexist, sue me...she was maybe 20, tops) in order to pay. BTW it was not at all busy! One more thing: except for the servers, I think I was the youngest person in there. And I'm 52! So....4 stars for the food (I will go back and try dinner) 1 for the service, -1 for the mean lady at the front of the house. C+ read more

What is supposed to be so great about this place? Yes, it's somewhere that students can take their parents. But otherwise, meh. Salads are perpetually overdressed and heavy. I've personally witnessed the owner berating his staff several times. Just not worth it. read more

I am so sorry to have to post a bad review. We changed our plans to lunch so we could eat here. The good stuff: The ambiance was perfect for our group of seven from ages 11 to 70. There selection of menu had at least two or more things that appealed to all our tastes. We never felt pressured to hurry in our decisions. Our waitress was pleasant, soft spoken, nice. All the food came out in an expected time. My Florentine Eggs Benedict looked picture perfect. One other in our party wish she had ordered my choice. Everything was plated nicely and fresh. 3 of the entrees were delicious. The restaurant was 1/2 filled with two waitresses working the whole front. The not so good stuff: My dish the poached eggs were over cooked to med set yolks. The chicken breast in a sandwich was over cooked to brown black on one side. At this point we were not thrilled but everything else seemed good so had not said anything. Then my daughter bit into a piece of plastic wrap about 2 inches long. At this point I had to say something. I was clearly upset, asserted myself, letting the waitress know of the problem, but discrete to where the table next to us did not take notice. She did quickly remedy my daughters meal. She did not address my meal until after delivering my daughters. Her soft spoken became so soft I could barely hear her. At this point I lost my appetite and said so. She left my plate in front of me and walked away not addressing the over cooked chicken sandwich. The next time she came back my friend re addressed her overcooked chicken, it was then offered a re-make but the rest of our party was 3/4 done so said no thank you. At this point I also notice one of the other entrees order with eggs over hard had come over easy, they were OK with it and did eat what was cooked. My water was never refilled & my hot water for tea was never refilled. Nothing else was said to me or my friend until getting the bill that we were not charge for the three items. read more

Really bad customer service. We drove in from out of town and walked in at 5pm. We asked if they were open for dinner and the waitress/hostess said "No, we open at 5:30." No problem - we told her we'd just walk around downtown Davis till 5:30. THEN we show up at 5:30 and the same girl asks us "Do you have a reservation?" We said no. "Sorry but we don't have anything open until 7:30." Why didn't she tell us that when we came in at 5??? Three of their wait staff stared at us and said there was nothing they could do. Thoroughly annoyed, we left. I wouldn't go back except we had a gift certificate to use. Ugh. read more

My wife, two sons and I had dinner at the Mustard Seed on Friday June 14, 2013 to celebrate my older son's graduation from UC Davis. We had seen good reviews of the restaurant. While the food was very good, the service was amateurish, the waitress could not rectify any problems and the response from management was arrogant. Service complaints: 1) While pouring glasses of water, the host rushed pouring water and drenched the table. Later the waitress drenched my son's backpack by his chair when refilling water. 2) While pouring glasses of wine, the waitress gave no steady pour and splashed the table cloth with wine 3) Later while changing plates the waitress dropped several plates on the table, claiming she was nervous serving us. At this point we had voiced no complaints. 4) Upon receiving our appetizer, the waitress informed us that the entrees would be delayed due to several others orders ahead of us. She did offer to bring sautéed green beans to keep my youngest son fed during the wait. Seven year old boys are not big fans of green beans. 5) 30 minutes after informing us about the delay, the entrees arrived. 3 of the 4 were done as ordered, but my rack of lamb arrived medium well-done. I had ordered medium-rare. 6) I finally received the rack, as ordered, 20 minutes later. The family had finished their entrees. There was a modest apology and no offer to comp us on drinks or dessert for the inconvenience. 7) The waitress later appeared and said if we were dissatisfied, we should leave her no tip. My assessment of this offer was the waitress had no influence on management to improve the customer experience. 8) I ordered coffee with dessert. Before I began sipping the cup, my wife notified me of a large lipstick stain on the other side of the glass. The waitress provided another weak apology. 8) When I asked for a comp on drinks or dessert, our waitress gave us an powerless look. I did tip the waitress on a $270 bill, but not nearly in the 15-20 percent range, as not all of the problems were her fault. Great restaurants and expensive restaurants know how to take care of customers when there is a problem. They will comp drinks at bar when reservations are delayed. They will comp a meal when order is incorrect. The Mustard Seed is not great and their arrogance arises in their knowing most of their customers that night will not be repeat customers read more

My boyfriend and I came to the mustard seed for our anniversary and it was an amazing experience! The food was delicious and the server was so kind!! We will definitely be back! read more

I love the food here. They have some of the best sandwiches I have ever tasted. But... more than once I have seen the owner running around the restaurant verbally abusing her wait staff. 5 star food, 1 star atmosphere. read more

After a very long drive to meet my family at this restaurant which was recommended by Sacramento Magazine, I was treated like an annoyance. With 8:00 reservations, when I arrived and asked for the last table available on the patio, I was told that they did not reserve tables! Great start. As I waited for my family to arrive I requested a glass of wine while I was waiting in the patio area in front. After a very long wait, I got up to see if I could order. The waitress whom had spoken to me rudely before about the table then yelled across the entire dining room to me that "someone will get with you in a while, we're kinda busy here!". I slunk back to my table and eventually did get my glass of wine. I asked the hostess (new and nice) if I could have any other server but the woman who had yelled at me. Yes, there was another waiter who could help me. I sat down at the table to wait for the rest of my family and order an appetizer to get things started. After a very long, lonely wait at the table, I stared down the waiter and he finally came over. He arrived at my table and I kid you not, did not say a word to me, just stared at me. I asked if he was my server and his comment was "apparently so!" Another great start. I ordered a bottle of wine and an appetizer. The wine came (red) and I tasted it and it was clearly the same temperature as the patio. I said it was a little warm and he responded with a wave of his hand, like I should expect the wine to be warm because I was sitting outside! Okay, bring me a wine bucket, and I chilled it down myself. At this point, most people would have got up and left, but I didn't know the area well and it was getting kind of late. The food was good, although I worried a little about the staff's reaction as it seemed that I was now the "Bitch" table. The waiter warmed up as it got close to check time, regaling us with his personal hobby choices, like we cared at all. I am in the restaurant business myself and so still left a good tip, but I was mad at myself for doing so later. So if you want to go to a place and be treated with disdain, this is the place for you! I have retold my experience to a dozen people (at least) , and it always gets a good reaction, but spending a couple hundred dollars and be treated like scum is not my idea of a great time. Thumbs down to Sacramento Magazine as well! read more

Delicious food and very friendly staff. I'd come here again. Thank you. We ordered the stuffed cabbage, fried zucchini, seafood salad, and monte cristo. Wasn't a five star restaurant but top notch homemade style food. read more

A few months ago, I went to this restaurant with two babies n my friends, n met this middle age women who introduced herself as a new owner of this restaurant. At the day, there was only one high chair n my friends said that they felt some mood from the owner that she was not welcoming baby in her restaurant but I thought they misunderstood or exaggerated what they saw. Today, I went to this restaurant again, n there was still only one high chair. N when we were asking about available seat at front desk, the owner lady walked by us, n stared me n my baby with drawn face plainly. I was really, really embarrased n felt guilty to be in restaurant with a baby. No matter how wonderful food they make, I would never, never go to such a rude restaurant. read more

Made a phone reservation for 8.30 pm on a Friday night . Arrived on time and waited . Then waited some more . No greeting, no hello no eye contact. Finally we asked if they knew that we had a reservation - " yes " said the very abrupt woman . " but I don't have a table so you will have to wait" This was after a 15 min wait. We left. Maybe the food makes up for it but frankly there is no reason for such behavior ( particularly to paying customers) read more

Food is often very good, but the service often ranges somewhere from cold to down right rude. I take groups out to dinner with some regularity for business, and I never use mustard seed because it can be embarrassing to deal with the staff. read more

Five stars for being the perfect place for dinner the night we got engaged. The risotto with sun dried tomatos was perfect as well.

Yummy food... friendly service... great ambiance... who can ask for more? Ate here for Mother's Day lunch yesterday and left in an absolute food coma. The Ginger Carrot soup was nice and mild, followed by a spring green spinach salad with asparagus, strawberries, and goat cheese. I love love love goat cheese so of course there is nothing bad I can say about the salad. For the entree I choose the Filo wrapped chicken and portobella mushroom with garlic mashed potatoes. Yum Yum Yum... and more Yum. The filo was flaky the shroom juicy the chicken a tiny bit dry but still very good. Desert I saved room for... well more like stuffed in but regardless the Apple Croissant Crisp with Caramel sauce was divine. Even though everyone at the table was supposed to share I hogged mine and only let everyone else take one small bite... hey if you like it get your own... not my fault you didn't order a desert!!! Mooohahaha read more

We went to the Mustard Seed on a Monday night to celebrate my Husband's birthday. We probably arrived at bit late for a Monday night (8:10 pm). Before 9 pm they were visibly cleaning the restaurant up, speaking loudly, and clearly wanted us to hurry up and get out of there. I would expect this to happen at a mediocre restaurant but not a zagat rated restaurant. The food was just average and unfortunately the seafood dish I ordered made me sick later. I don't think the seafood was fresh. Note to self, don't order seafood on a Monday night! Everything seemed below par. I would suggest discounting the menu if below par service and food is what you get on a Monday night. read more

I have been to this restaurant several times for dinner. I enjoyed the coziness of the place and wait staff have always been attentive. The reasons I give this place a four star: I like the crab cakes and had them on 2 occasions. The crab cakes would be excellent if there is more crab meat in them. The stuffed trout was fine but I could not taste the crab in the stuffing. The gnocchi was delicious. The Rib Eye Steak tender and juicy - but gave my hubby heartburn and he believes it was cooked with a lot of butter. The Asian Pear and Baby Spinach salad was very good. The dessert menu didn't offer anything special in my opinion and I had couple of their desserts on prior visits but didn't have any the last time visited. Good food presentation. On a warm day with a good breeze, seat outside. read more

Food is seriously delicious here! I've been here twice for dinner and both times the entrees have been creative and very tasty. Who knew sauteed apples would enhance the flavor of the rack chop of pork soaked in whole-grain mustard? *Genius* Their goat cheese butter is just to die for, salads are always fresh, and I love the fact that the menu changes seasonally. Hats off to the chefs! The cozy, romantic atmosphere of Mustard Seed is another big plus. BUT a restaurant is more than just the quality of the food. Service is crucial in ensuring that the customer really enjoys the whole dining experience. The first time at Mustard Seed, the server was really inattentive and a bit depressing. It's not good if a customer can tell that you don't want to be there working. After reading some reviews on yelp, I understand why the server acted that way. I was hesitant (almost afraid) to go back after reading reviews of poor service and the owners verbally abusing the employees. The second time I went, Robyn and Paul were serving the customers and the service was surprisingly great. It's sad to hear that their employees are being treated like dirt. As owners, they should act professionally at all times with both customers and employees. The owners mistreating the servers obviously has negative effects for the customers as well because no one wants to be served by a moody server. The Mustard Seed gets four stars for food. But I don't appreciate the unpredictable service and the horrifying testimonials from former employees. read more

If you're looking for a special dinner in Davis, this is the place! The service was excellent and very accommodating for reseating and food intolerances. The new owners aim to please. The quality of the food was up to the standards of a very discriminating home chef I was with. I love that they source their food locally! The rack of lamb was excellent. It saved us from fighting the traffic into Sacramento for dinner to celebrate a birthday. read more

Great place to get away from the wild world. Very quite location. Cute house. The food was great. A nice find to add to my list of places to go. read more

I work in Sacramento and was meeting a friend from Fairfield for lunch so The Mustard Seed was selected as a great 'meet you half way' location. It didn't disappoint. Located in quaint downtown Davis, The Mustard Seed is a great lunch destination. The indoor eating area looked small and since the day was mild we sat in the patio. I chose the halibut cake salad and was very pleased with the selection. If I get back to Davis I will definitely repeat. read more

I thought the food here was great. Probably the nicest restaurant in Davis (make of that what you will), it's a good place to bring guests when they visit. The open air seating in the back is quite lovely and shady, and stays cool even in the blazing summer. Lots of tasty vegetarian items, and everything seemed really fresh. read more

If you're going to celebrate an important birthday then this is the place. Thanks Esther for making the small celebration very special. The pork chop was perfectly cooked and the mustard seed sauce well balanced - not too sweet and not to sharp. And Stacey was a great part of the service team with food suggestions, and handling the precious wine cargo. read more

food overall is 3 stars, but i cannot rate this place well. here's why. The dining room, while intimate and dimly lit as it claims to be, is not arranged properly due to the aesthetics they've tried to achieve. the fire place is nice during the winter. Once, we called ahead on a friday night and asked "do you think we'd need a reservation for three?" and they assured us we did not so we went, and literally. waited 20 minutes. my mom can be a bit short tempered in situations like that i had to literally calm her down, before we went somewhere else. the manager of this place, i am forgetting her name, but a brown haired woman in her early 40's usually with her hair in a pony tail, is a nightmare. if i were working for her i would either quit or hate her guts. she shouts at her staff in the restaurant to the point where i've seen people pause while theyre eating and wonder "what was that about?" professional? tyrant. so abusive to her staff that i walked by her on the way to the bathroom and said "move. now". she looked startled at me but what exactly are u going to do? i don't work for you so there. the food is hit or miss. ladies seem to love their salads here. there may be one or two items on the menu at dinner that would qualify as "fine dining" but, most are not. wine list has a few good choices sometimes but is very limited. lunch is cheap. $10. dinner is more in the $25 entree catergory overall if you're there on a good day, and not expecting much it's nice. NOT fancy. just nice. maybe. read more

The food is tolerable but what is infuriating were the ingredients. A restaurant that claims to be supporting local farmers uses unripe tomatoes from Florida on a BLT and charges $11 in September, and imitation crab in their crab cakes. Farmers throughout Yolo County are up to their eye balls in tomatoes and this restaurant can't take the time to source a decent tomato. Imitation crab does not actually contain any crab, therefore you should market your fried white fish balls as crab cakes. read more

The Mustard Seed - Avocado BLT with unripe tomato in September. - New American Near Me - Davis, California

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i had the pleasure of having lunch here recently. It is five stars all the way. Parking was easy, the decor is appealing and the food is not only beautifully done but out of this world yummy. It is not one of these huge portion kind of places where you feel like taking a nap after eating. Just right. Friendly and sincere without being obnoxious servers. The otutdoor patio is very welcoming and the tables are not on top of each other. Fun place to go! Try the homemade Sorbet. i had never had this before in my life. Now I know i have lived!!!! read more

Always a different free menu & fairly good wine less. Needs a Malbec on it! I love the fresh bread (I wish I hated carbs!) we come here a lot when in Davis & use open table to book our reservations. :) read more

I really like this place. Nicest place in Davis for parents. Great food and choices

The food is good, but the volatile and erratic personality of the owner, and at times questionable comments from her and her staff, detract from a comfortable dining experience. I've been several times and each time the owner has been shouting at a staffer loud enough for diners to hear, or the waitperson has commented that certain diners should speed up their dinner within earshot. I like and appreciate good food, and Mustard Seed's is pretty good, but the above always seem to make it uncomfortable for a lot of people. One time my father-in-law said he wanted his steak blackened on the outside and the waiter replied, "once you go black you never go back, I hear." Amusing? We were stunned. It's just an odd place, but we still go back occasionally. read more

I was very pleased with the duck, which was served with a red berry sauce. My spouse had the pork, which was tender and flavored with apples and mustard seed. We appreciated that the portions were of a sensible size and we had room for dessert. We enjoyed the profiteroles and the sorbet. We found the service impeccable. Definitely a good value if you're looking for more special place in Davis. read more

This is one of my favorite "lunch with girls" restaurants. The atmosphere is very cute and cozy. I always receive exceptional service there too. Some of the tables are a little cramped, but its not that big of a deal. One time, I came there when I was 7 months pregnant (I was freakin huge) and the hostess insisted on seating us a table with more room. Not a big gesture, but still a considerate one. And now for the food. Soooooooo good. Seems like the chef likes to keep things simple, but it works so well. The crab cakes are some of the best that I've had. Pastas are always cooked perfectly. I have yet to visit for dinner, but plan on dragging my husband out here for some halibut. Some might say this place is just average, or "meh... its ok". At first glance, I can probably aggree. What sets this place a part from other little cute cafes is the attention to detail and the effort that goes into the making everything just plain good. read more

First thing to do when you step into the Mustard Seed is notice the complete and utter lack of college students. There is not a single UCD sweatshirt not a single sutdent housing lanyard to be seen. Next, take a look at the menu, and you'll see why: this is not the place for someone on a budget. The salads are amazing, they have the perfect balance of flavor that California cuisine is known for. Unfortunatly, they have the same heavy dependence on meat. One meat free dish, and unlike Ches Panisse, it wasn't quite good enough to merit my lack of choice. All in all, I'd like a bit more for the money I spent. read more

This is one of those places that I really wish they had half stars for, because it's really a four and a half star place. I mean, when you're paying around 30 bucks for an entree, it had better be good. It was pretty good...the wasabi mashed potatoes were delicious mahi mahi. Also excellent was the Pinot Griggio . The atmosphere is also rather nice...comfy, warm, and split up into smaller rooms. Try to get the one at the back..nice view of from the back at night of the cute little town scene, and a fireplace. It was also reviewed in the Sacramento restaurant as being one of the top romantic restaurants in the area. read more

i read in another review that it might be weird to go on a date here since its kinda like a nursing home. i thought that was kinda mean, but then i went on a date here and its so true hahaha. so yeaaaa first things first. we soooo did not fit in here. everybody except for the waiters were 40+. we were the only ones under 30 and asian, so we stuck out like a sore thumb (which i have never really seen, but im assuming it really sticks out). and about the lady who yells at the waiters, she didnt yell while we were here, so thats good for us :] ok now to the actual review we had a 7:30 reservation and arrived at exactly 7:30 with nobody in the front to greet us. we stood there for two or three minutes and finally the lady (that yells in all the other reviews) greeted us kindly. i said we had a reservation at 7:30 and she said our table was not ready yet. wait what? the table i reserved at a specific time is not ready yet? uhhhhhhh ok.. i guess i can wait a little more so we waited and two parties left. the tables were cleaned and we were still waiting. two empty tables are just there for the next ten minutes. thennn more people start to leave and we finally get seated. wtf? we are seated and we get menus. im used to the waiter coming up to us in under five minutes and telling them that we need a little more time. this time we are actually done picking stuff out and nobody takes our orders for the next ten to fifteen minutes. the waiter finally comes and takes our order. we get the portabella mushroom bruschetta as an appetizer, my girlfriend orders the seared duck breast, and i order the ribeye. from here the service starts to get better. we get our bread and he explains the spread and olives and refills our drinks. good job. the spread is good. olives were pretty good. girlfriend didnt really like them though (OMG OLIVE THEORY) haha. the ciabatta was very good. soft and warm with a semi-hard crust. out comes the appetizer. large mushroom slices with onions and fontina over crispy bruschetta. it looks good. it tastes good. it was a good call. i am proud of myself :) out come the entrees. both look good. the seared duck breast is cooked about medium, so its very juicy. the sauce its in is realllly good. comes with black rice (which is ok) and brussell sprouts (i dont like brussell sprouts, but they seemed to have cooked all the flavor out of it so it was good hahaha). my ribeye is medium rare and it is delicous. actually pretty good flavoring with the rub. and to my surprise, only about one square inch in total of fat. it looks about ten ounces btw. it comes with good mashed potatoes, weird onion rings, and brussell sprouts. ate it all. too full for dessert. so we get the bill. not bad for $66. and i left exactly 15% because of the totally lame wait at the beginning. pretty good food. crappy service for the most part read more