Red 88 Noodle Bar
223 G St, Davis, CA, 95616
Red 88 Noodle Bar Menu
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Address :
223 G St
Davis, CA, 95616 - Phone (530) 758-7338
- Website https://red88noodlebar.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :5:00 pm - 12:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : Yes
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Late Night
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Dogs Allowed : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
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Rachel D.
Terrible service. I've had an issue with Dani (Danny?), one of the female servers who is supposedly the manager, on multiple occasions. Initially, I gave her the benefit of the doubt assuming she was just having a rough night, but damn, every night must be rough because she's given off a hostile vibe and treated customers in a rude manner each time I've been there. I've been in her position before and understand that serving is stressful and demanding, but that never justifies belittling a customer or raising your voice towards them. You're simply turning good business away by doing so. I understand that as it gets later, people get more drunk and boisterous, but my particular group of friends weren't. We finished our drinks as quickly as we could and left. Yes, they're open late and the food is decent, but it honestly isn't worth it.
(1)Ting Jung L.
The problem with Red 88 is not the food, but the service. Multiple of my friends had problems with the picky waitresses and the strict rules. But at the same time, it is a restaurant/bar and some things must be enforced such as no outside food or drinks. I also can't imagine how many drunk college students they have to deal with on a weekly basis! But with service out of mind, Red 88 has some GREAT dishes. Really! RECOMMENDATIONS: -Asian Style Fries (for drunchies) -Fried Eggs and Rice with Asian sausage (my absolute favorite. It's so flavorful and filling) -Lamb Rad Nar Also, it's definitely a place to stop by while bar hopping. On Wednesdays, F.M.L. are only $5 from 11:30am - 1:40am. You know you want to get it!
(4)Amberly H.
Came here around 5:30 to eat dinner with my roommate. The place wasn't too full. Our servers name was Jason and he was super nice. Awesome customer service in my opinion. I ordered the veggie spring rolls and I loved them. I love spring rolls period. Dipped into the sweet and spicy, its perfection. I got the roasted duck noodles for my entree and it was super good. It was more a sweet dish than a savory one so if you dont like that id stay away from it. Other than that it was delicious. Overall, pleasantly surprised. People had told me asian food in davis sucks but they must not have come here. Highly recommend it!
(5)Laure S.
First off, the food combinations they have are pretty interesting, in terms of serving Thai/American/ general asian fusion. I really enjoyed the tom yum style spicy beef soup! I also know that the duck fried rice is the ultimate favourite amongst my friends and I! Overall the quality of food is mediocre to decent- but the service alone is what earns the restaurant it's 4th star. Often I see the "stamp guy/bouncer" working to aid the waiters, and he's absolutely wonderful and kind to customers. Last night my friends and I ordered a dish that did not taste great at all- so he came to the table, apologized profusely and swapped the dish for another. He said he would even cook it himself! Afterwards, the remaining waiters who weren't waiting on our table came by 3 times to ask if everything was up to par! Great service! And awesome wait staff! Would come here again to get my spicy beef soup and see them all again :)
(4)Jordan L.
The only reason I come here is to complete the trinity. All the stars are for service and friendly staff, and a pretty good atmosphere at night. But I don't really like the food, maybe they bank on extremely drunk college kids not caring that much. But I care, so there.
(3)Jeff G.
I will fully admit that this review is a protest review. I actually like Red88. It's the perfect late night craving stop. The employees are somewhat friendly and there are usually interesting people there to chat up while you are waiting for your food. The Lamb Rad Naar is unique. I crave it every time I go back to Davis. So then why would I one star a place I like, you ask? They charge for using credit cards with purchases below $10 (Which happens quite frequently when they run their countertop service hours late at night and you decide you want a beer or a dessert after ordering your food). Ya, its not THAT much money but its illegal to do so in the State of California. I brought up the issue to the cashier nicely and she laughed it off. Here's the rule: oag.ca.gov/consumers/gen… I hope you'll change your illegal policy (and at UOB too)...
(1)Siobhan F.
Today I was thinking about the some of the best spaghetti's I have ever had and the lamb spaghetti here is hands down one of the most awesome things I have ever had. One night after the bars I ordered one to share with some girlfriends, and we ended up ordering another one because it is seriously satisfying drunk food. Though a lot of the food is far from traditional they certainly capitalize on after bar hours and the fried bites and noodles are pretty much exactly what I want to stuff in my face hole when I'm two sheets to the wind and need to sober up a smidgen. Come when the other noodle shops are closed but you still require brothy goodness that you aren't about to drive to sac town for. If you're from the Bay Area (I'm from the South Bay) you have to set those standards aside. This is Davis we're talking about! They aim to please a drunken college crowd and by golly they sure make it happen!
(4)Yeshua L.
I wasn't expecting very much. We didn't feel like cooking and the convenience (delivery) was worth eating just "average" food. What we got was just so bad that its astounding this place still exists. I have a hard time believing there are enough drunk college students to farm -- for them to keep going. Easiest way to describe this food is: very bad airport food. We all ordered different things and it was just all SO bad--generic, poorly flavored, abysmal.
(1)Melissa Y.
Cash only! Their food is mediocre, but not horrible. Fried rice, popcorn chicken, Asian fries.. all good, but nothing I'd go out of my way to get. A place you go for convenience because the place you originally wanted to is too crowded or closed. Friends and I usually just came here before going to Ket on a Thursday night (like every other Asian UCD student) to grab a drink or two + maybe an appetizer for the wristband to get into Ket for free. Their service isn't all that, but they get the job done. What do you expect from workers who have to deal with drunk obnoxious college kids every night?? Overall decent place with decent food and decent drinks. Get a couple FMLs if you wanna wake up crying, " FML!" You gotta have at least one of those night (per week) when you're 21 ;)
(3)Vivian H.
okay i thought this place was pretty freaking delicious but then i saw the stars people gave this place.... okay maybe the drunchies and not eating dinner played a big part in this -- BIASED! Came here after a frat party to sober up before heading up to Tahoe.. LOL I KNOW CRAZYYY. Anyways, everything on the menu looked appetizing, so all of us ordered asian style fries, chicken strips, jalapeno poppers, chicken pot stickers, and fried rice to share among us. Jalapeno poppers: came out first, hot and cheesy and sooo freaking good asian style fries: like fries drenched in siracha onions and other asian dressing. also really delicious. scarfed that down fast! chicken strips: standard. They're kinda small though. not actual strips. think of it as bigger pieces of popcorn chicken.. pot stickers: juicy and hot. sauce isnt that memorable, still good without it. fried rice: idk how fried rice is dry.. but it was kinda dry.. plentiful plate though. Customer service was OKAY. i mean.. they kicked my friend out for being too drunk, but she was just sitting there and laying her head on the table and there were almost no more people at the restaurant. The group my friend was already ordered, so they made them take it to-go... But they let us stay while we ate as the store was closing. overall, cheap eats, downtown, drunk, and open till 3am. i'll def come again
(4)Alden M.
Back again. Still sucks. I am Sitting here and what do you mean I have to be nazi tattood only on the top of your right hand. This Bar also won't accept my friends id that their sister bar just accepted. Why? Because it's ripped. Wtf. Basically take your business else where. I regret getting drug here. I wish I could give this place 0 stars Edit got 10 people don't both trying to get a table together. You can't combine tables together here. Basically f this place.
(1)Sarah C.
Now I'm not a hateful person. Everyone should definitely check out Red 88 since it seems like a decent place to eat. Sometimes restaurants give bad experiences which happens in every establishment. My review is solely based on my first experience which I'm sure will change after a couple more visits. I called in twenty minutes after opening for a delivery order of Spicy Beef Soup, two orders of Pork Bao, and one order of the Duck Fried Rice. I clarified my order twice as well as the fact that I have a nut allergy so please hold the crushed nuts on my spicy beef soup. The total came out to $19.80 while their minimum delivery was $20. Instead of cutting the the 20 cents off I had to order another Pork Bao. The total came to about $29 due to a delivery charge which is pretty expensive, but I'm always willing to pay a bit more to try something new. Better to learn what to expect the first time and place your judgement on that. An hour and fifteen minutes later, my order arrives. The Pork Bao isn't anything special, but it's covered with chopped nuts...It's not homemade bao you'd expect from an authentic dim sum point of view but it's decent nonetheless. The Duck Fried Rice should be called Fried Rice since the duck is nonexistent, but still tasty. As for the beef soup, I received a different soup instead which I would not have noticed until I saw crushed pieces of what I thought were nuts but were apparently pieces of roasted garlic. I called back to confirm that these were not nuts to learn that I had a different soup entirely. The person on the other side confirmed my soup was safe to eat despite being the wrong order. I made sure I told him I clarified twice that I had wanted the spicy beef soup, to which he told me he heard something else. Yet, when I first placed my order he confirmed no nuts would be added to my soup...which should not have contained nuts anyways if I had been ordering what he heard. Despite these misunderstandings, the guy who took my order was incredibly apologetic and understanding. He made sure to call his manager and then call me back to handle the problem in an appropriate amount of time. I received the correct soup, although it did take another 50 minutes to arrive. For the entire order, I paid $35 including tip for three pork baos, fried rice, and soup. Although my experience was a negative one, I understand that on any other night I could have received an exceptional dining experience. Tonight just wasn't that night. I'll try Red 88 again with hopeful expectations that will change what happened tonight.
(2)Amber R.
What can I say. This place is awesome!!! Great ambiance. Dim relaxing lighting. Clean. Awesome service. And even better food. I have been coming here over 3 years. Its my go to spot when eating out and I live in vacaville. Totally worth the drive. Between my boyfriend and I we have tried everything on the menu. But our favorites are the spicy pork noodle and ka ree soup. We also always get the chicken pot stickers and crab wontons. Love love love this place
(5)Lindsey G.
This place had tons of potential but seems to be a victim of owner greed. The food is ok. They have great lamb raad nar. The problem is that they have dumb policies. They charge for using your credit card which is super lame. And they also serve beer in cheap plastic cups on weekends in a way that pours a couple of ounces less than on weekdays. I'm sure that is great for a 19 year old who comes in with a fake ID and is just excited to get in but it's dumb for people of more discriminating taste.
(1)Amanda T.
I've only tried their snacks and not actual dishes. I had asian fries, fried tofu, popcorn chicken, and chicken strips. The snacks were pretty decent; nothing too fancy about them. This is a great place to chill with friends late at night. The waiters are mostly nice and always checking on you if you'd like more water. There's this one waitress which just gives off a bitchy vibe though. You can tell she doesn't want to be there and probably has better things to do...I just wish she was nicer, we don't want any bad vibes on our night of fun!
(3)Wilson Y.
The food is really good even for a vegetarian! The eggplant is crisp and had a unique flavor profile. The service is good and the waiters are always helpful and react positively to feedback. Their AMF is awesome but it's an acquired taste. If you wanna get hammered I suggest their super AMF that is limited to one per customer!! Not that I'm an alcoholic or anything. Dust sayin
(4)Koki A.
Wow. Just wow. That was disgusting. I ordered the dumpling sampler, Ka-Ree chicken soup, and thai boat soup. They were all different degrees of nasty. The dumpling sampler had meat that tasted like it was left in the freezer way too long. The noodles were overcooked and soggy and had thick pieces of old, dry, chewy meat. The soup tasted like a mouthful of powdered msg packets. The best part of my meal was the bottomless thai ice tea. The service was alright but even a good server can't save gross food.
(1)George P.
Red 88 is a friendly place to go eat good fusion food! My girlfriend loves the Spicy Mac and Cheese while I go for the more basic Duck Fried Rice or seasonal specials which are also delicious. The staff are all really cool. I don't really know about the bar scene though, I've only ever eaten here early. Great place to eat!
(5)Taro U.
The bathroom smelled like someone defecated into the rubbish bib the and the sink smelled like pee... Horrible service, rude, not very friendly. Wouldn't go again.
(1)Charles B.
I had lamb rad nar and it was great. The service was good, no problems. The food was very flavorful.
(5)Samantha W.
Great environment, kid friendly! The Ka-Ree Soup is amazing! Kids like the dumplings and chicken chow mein. Hubby got the spicy ramen noodle and BBQ pork and loved it. He didn't want to share.
(5)Michelle N.
The only time this place is delicious is when I stumble in after a long night at Ket, too drunk and hungry to care. Thai fries are great for situations like those. Avoid the noodle soups, they sound better than they taste. Ordered the mac and cheese one time and that wasn't great either. I do remember always scarfing down the spicy noodles though. Probably my favorite dish there.
(2)Cris V.
Open til 3am wed-sat, just a couple doors down from Fuji's. Food is good but a little pricey for a late night snack... Glad they have beer though.
(4)Henry B.
I came in with a small group of friends and it was nice that we were seated immediately with no wait, but my first impression was immediately ruined once we sat down. Aside from that, the seats we were sitting on appeared to be wiped clean, but whoever wiped them did not do a very thorough job because the seats were still sticky. There wasn't a very long wait for the food, but my friends' entrées were cold when they arrived. Not sure if cold food should be listed under the "Wok Noodle" section if you're going to serve it cold. Also not sure if Crispy Rad Nar is supposed to be soggy all around. My friends all said the meat (both beef and chicken) were beyond bland and literally tasted like the meat was boiled and didn't even have any basic seasoning added on. Now, my part. I ordered the Spicy Eggplant. The eggplant itself wasn't bad 10/10 would eat again. I got tofu instead of chicken in mine because I thought it'd be nice to go vegetarian once in a while. So the dish comes out. And halfway through, I find a fish bone. Clearly there was some lack of quality control in the kitchen. To top it off, I had some terrible food poisoning afterwards too. If you've ever read the reviews for Haribo's sugarless gummy bears on amazon, there won't be a need for me to say what I experienced with the food I had here at Red 88. Diarrhea and puking. Yes. What I'd totally like to go through after going paying $20 for a meal.... My friend also asked to have some napkins, but the napkins never arrived so we eventually sent in one of our friends to go grab some paper towels from the restroom for us. To be honest, the only part of the store that we found to be impressive was the sink in the bathroom; never seen anything as magnificent as that. Not saying the restroom itself is amazing though...
(2)Brian R.
Zach, Jason, and Melanie were awesome! They were really friendly and made it an awesome night. I highly recommend coming here, especially if one of them are working. I would recommend going during happy hour (Thursdays and Saturdays, 12-1:30 am) for $4 cocktails.
(5)Jesse H.
Got the fries and duck soup! Both were pretty good! Id say this is one the best noodles houses in Davis!
(5)Diana C.
Despite a lot of the bad reviews, I actually think the food here is pretty good. My favorite entrée is the spicy loco moco and favorite appetizer is the Asian style fries. The duck soup is good, but can be a little too salty after awhile. The jalapeño poppers also can be a little too much after having a couple. So if you're thinking about getting any of these two dishes, definitely share.
(3)Ben.Dover H.
Pretty small bar at night on the weekends. Nice chill spot with a lounge type vibe, bartenders are decent as well as the rest of the staff. Never been here during the day for the restaurant portion.
(4)Kyle F.
Our server was Chase, and he was awesome! Really nice guy. The food was horrid, though. My rice was obviously not cooked with enough water. How does an Asian kitchen screw up the basic jasmine rice?! All of the food seemed to have been made with a half-ass attitude. I'm very disappointed with this place. They need to look on YouTube for so cooking tutorials. My Drunk Kitchen could even teach them a thing or two. Until they actually can cook rice properly, I will not be returning.
(1)Noreena V.
Is this place really Thai? Why is the staff exclusively white? Much confuse. I've only been here twice and it was during the late night happy hour, so my review is probably biased. I can't comment on the food either. The first time was last summer when I came to visit a friend. We were bar hopping and this looked like a good place to stop because they had cheap drinks. Our bartender was an Asian girl and she was really nice, attentive, and friendly. I thought this was the best place ever. The second time was this past summer. The service was unfriendly the moment we walked in. Some white guy was manning the bar and maybe he was preoccupied with other shit, but he was inattentive and derp. He asked for all of our IDs and stared at them for a long time. He kept looking at the IDs then back at our faces. Why. Can you not count... We then ordered bay breezes (considered a well drink, which was on their happy hour) and he asked what was in it. I told him vodka, pineapple and cranberry. He told me it would be full price cuz it wasn't considered a well. Um I've ordered that drink like 37 times and it's always considered a well drink. I even ordered it the last time I was here. He told me a well drink is one generic liquor and one mixer. I told him I thought it was one generic liquor and # of mixers didn't matter. He was like erm nope. I mean at this point it was just getting awkward. I'm the customer and it's late. I'm not being difficult, so might as well give it to me since I have ordered it before, bartender expert. I was like ok whatever, so I just got vodka pineapple. My friend tried to pay with her card but it was cash only under $10? I don't remember. I was like we paid with card last time... In the words of Avril Lavigne, "Why you gotta go and make things so complicated?" Everything was much more difficult the second time around. I felt uncomfortable and irritated. We chugged our drinks as fast as we could and pretty much bounced. Never going back again.
(2)Casey H.
Asian style fries!! This place is legit! Pretty extensive menu with a lot of unique choices. I highly recommend everyone tries the Super FML at least once in their life ;-)
(5)Jen B.
Hubby's friend is on a mission to try out all the restaurants in Davis at least once. She happened to come in here, posted her food pics on FB and said this place was pretty good. Therefore, I came back and gave this place another shot and I can say I am impressed. The menu is different and improved than when I first came in 2 years ago. Not really sure what they are going for in the menu since there are burgers, spaghetti, and mac and cheese on a mostly Asian themed spread...but since this place stays open late that'll be good greasy foods to soak up all the alchy in your system :) I have to admit, I tried the Spicy Mac & Cheese and I liked it. Maybe it's because my husband already ate most of the chilies, I was able to stomach it but I would probably order it with less heat or no peppers at all. Fried Eggs & Rice and the Tofu Rad Nar are also a favorite of mine even though they probably do use a lot of MSG in their dishes
(3)Melissa M.
Home of the infamous FML drink. If your in Davis visiting it is definitely a drink to try, on the stronger side but it will get you feeling a little buzzed. Came here on my birthday and got to spin the drink wheel and I got a free drink!
(4)Nancy L.
My least favorite thing about this place is DEFINITELY the service. The waiters are rather rude and do not cater to your each and every need. They treat customers in a way that customers shouldn't be treated, especially if we are spending good money. Aside from the service, the food does give this place the 4 star quality. The food is usually the reason why I still tolerate coming here. There is unlimited Thai tea for a cheap price and their Asian style fries fulfill your drunchies like no other. I recommend their potstickers, or anything else on their happy hour menu. If you're willing to splurge a little bit more, then I would recommend the Duck Soup. The duck is super tender and juicy and the soup is flavorful and delicious! Definitely one of my favorites. This place is also famous for 1 of 3 trinity drinks: the FML. Of course there's the Super FML and if you are one who can hold their liquor, go for the Super AMFML. I believe that's a whopping $15-20! But definitely a must if you have had a stressful and long week of school.
(4)Karla Marie D.
I usually go here because you get a FREE entry to Ketmoree. I had their Chicken Chowmein. It was so bland, I thought I was just eating noodles. We usually sit around and order drinks (FMLs) until we're ready to head over to Ket. Service is bad. I'm not sure if it's because there's a whole bunch of drunk college kids. But needless to say, service should be consistent regardless the type of customers. It was very hard to get drinks at the bar, I felt like everyone was confusing each other. It's a great place for a quick stop, but not a place to hang out and drink.
(3)Jocelyn G.
Went in last night with my sweetheart. We called in to ask a few questions and Sherrine answered. She gave us directions and made the perfect recommendations. Even though they were closing up, she managed to take such good care of us. She gave some of the best customer service I've ever had. The food was good and they have bottomless thai iced tea!! Loved this place and super grateful for Sherrine! We'll be back.
(5)Chris H.
Food (4/5) was good, definitely a solid choice if you're in the mood for noodles. If you're looking for Thai spicy though, I ordered a dish extra hot, and it definitely could have been spicier. Service (3/5) is friendly (classic college kid waiters), but not the most attentive, they have gotten a few things wrong. As a bar (1/5), it is REALLY sub-par, yes, they have a special drink, but I would definitely order off their drink menu, their bartender is just bad. He takes a taste of every drink, and sure he's probably new, but don't try things on my dollar. The nail in the coffin for this place was when I ordered a Makers Mark Manhattan. First the drink was just off (definitely more vermouth than bourbon) and when I looked over the bartender was SHAKING my Manhattan. So not ok. There were bubbles on top the rest of the night. Manhattans are stirred, not shaken. They definitely dropped the ball on that one. In conclusion, (2/5) decent-good food, not exactly great, but I definitely won't be ordering a drink there anytime soon.
(2)Cindy K.
Delicious appetizers I had crab wontons. Rlly cheap drinks as well. Made for a younger crowd
(5)Stephanie W.
I have been here soooo many times (which many of the times I don't quite remember) but I've NEVER eaten here. I got to eat here last night and was really glad to see that they had a lot of vegetarian options! I got the veggie soup and it was SO good I forgot to share! Don't be afraid to get the silver noodes because they are delicious and basically like vermicelli noodles ! The fries are also SUPER good and the happy hour is EVERYDAY from 8-11 PM so it's one dollar off appetizers! as well as $2 bud light. I also love that it's open until 3 am!
(4)Yolanda V.
Has a cute interior but I have no plans to come back to this noodle shop: - CUSTOMER SERVICE The first offense was when I ordered the all-you-can-drink Thai tea and the server looked to the male sitting beside me, concluded he was my boyfriend, and said, "If you order one drink, you guys can't share it." Seriously? Even if a restaurant has that policy, it was extremely rude and presumptuous for the server to verbalize that. - SPICY BEEF SOUP First, the beef was tough. Second, I saw what initially seemed to be lots of bits of pepper in my broth. But upon closer examination, I saw arms and wings---they were fruit flies. I pulled one up against the edge of my bowl, then another, and more. I found about a dozen of those babies. I called a server to my table (a different server since the one that took our order wasn't in sight) and pointed out the fruit flies against my bowl. She looked closely at the fruit flies, said "one moment," and went away with the bowl. My original server came to the table, apologized, and explained that the reason the noodle soup had so many fruit flies was because the Chinese broccoli in the dish is organic and, thus, there are still lots of fruit flies on it. She continued to say that the Chinese broccoli probably wasn't properly washed and that the restaurant has decided to throw out all its Chinese broccoli. I honestly don't know whether the restaurant would throw away all its Chinese broccoli in stock, and I wouldn't be surprised if they were just re-washed. Regardless, the server, for the first time, seemed to actually care about customer service and stated that I wouldn't be charged for my noodle soup. She asked if I wanted anything else, and I simply asked for more Thai tea.
(1)Grace C.
PLEASE SAVE YOURSELF A TRIP AND DO NOT COME HERE. I went to the bathroom while eating my dinner (the fries are super good btw), and i saw A RAT RUN ACROSS ME! Totally grossed me out and I lost my appetite. It seriously makes me wonder how well they take care of this place and how clean they are when they prepare my food. This is such a shame because I absolutely enjoy the food here but the rat is a total turnoff. EDIT: I also forgot to note that when I informed the manager he just brushed me off! So rude!
(1)Yvonne T.
holy shit go eat mcd's instead bad service. asked for limes and that shit was 1 piece cut up really tiny. first thai tea is good, but once u get a refill it's watered down sugar. nasty. both noodle beef & chicken was bland. instant pho taste way better. need to add siracha, i guess it's only for the drunkies.
(1)Cindy C.
Pretty decent food for a place thats open so late. Came here a couple times but the food isnt consistent every time. Lamb spaghetti is pretty good though
(3)Sandra L.
Depending on your time of visit can determine your service. We surely did not come for the late nite service. Instead, my sister and I visited Red 88 Noodle Bar around 3 PM on Friday. The place was pretty empty. A Thai woman greeted us right as we walked in. She brought us water almost immediately and asked for our appetizer order. Since we weren't ready, she gave us more time. We picked out 3 entrees with our Groupon (pay $10 for $20 purchasing power). The Veggie Soup (silver noodles, tofu, veggies & white cloud fungus) was my favorite. The vegan broth was nicely seasoned and full of flavor. Toward the end of my bowl, I added the Red88 hot sauce and it kicked it up another notch. We also ordered the Spicy Silver Noodle dish with ground pork, bean sprouts and green beans. It was pretty good. It was spicy but also had a tang to it. Since I also like wet pan fried flat noodles, I thought the Lamb Rad Nar would be good. This was also noted as a House favorite. Visually the dish disappointed me. It looked like a bowl of soup. We realized it was the Lamb Rad Nar, after we looked at each other in confusion and stuck the chopsticks in the dish to give it a whirl. The rice flat noodles were sunken to the bottom and there was way too much sauce. I took the dish home and will definitely pan fry some flat noodles and pour the sauce on to save the dish. Overall, I would come back for the veggie soup and the Spicy Silver Noodle. Service was great.
(4)Jay R.
Can't find Red 88 when it's late at night? Are you in front of some loud bar with music blasting and a long line? No, you're at Ket. Turn around and look for a guy being carried out of a small restaurant. See it? Yeah, that's Red 88. Open really late for people who are bar hopping, Red 88 has food and drinks for your night. The "FML" is their equivalent to Bernardo's "Wiki." Late night happy hours plus the option of receiving a free entrance ticket to Ket for spending $10 is the reason this place is packed. Service is great and they keep a clean bathroom (even with all the drunk people lining up to use it).
(3)Cam D.
When I use to work in Davis, I would come here a lot of times late night because they would have a special on their spicy Mac and cheese. It was always good. Went back last week and it was still good. Noticed they got a new menu instead of paper. I haven't tried anything else from here because the spicy Mac and cheese is my favorite thing to grab...
(5)Wayland L.
When did FMLs become $10? The menu says they are $8, meaning that they are including a mandatory $2 tip with each of their drinks. Servers - stop being jerks. If you want good tips, do your job well. I understand that some customers are jerks (and drunk), but don't assume everyone is. Don't include your outrageous 25% tip in your prices - your customers will gladly tip you well if you are doing a good job. (I know I vowed never to come back, but it was a friend's birthday ... fortunately, they also vowed never to come back here in the future.)
(1)Ricky N.
Like what the fellow yelpers say... save your stomach, time, and money. Pick somewhere else. If anything, come for the drinks (happy hour and daily specials) stay away from the food and bad service. Came in here and there were already about 5 tables filled. Shortly after another three tables filled and over 20 people inside the restaurant, with only one person working. He happened to be the bartender/waiter/server. So you can only imagine the lack of service we all received. It was about to be dinner time too, 6pm. Why only one person working... tsk tsk Anyway, I asked him what to order and he was pretty useless on that part. Came around to order the Pork Dumplings, Lamb Rad Nar, and a pint of Blue Moon. Blue Moon came out icy cold, just perfect on this hot summer day. The Pork Dumplings were one of the dinkiest "appetizers" I''ve had. It came in 6 small pieces that were bland and dry. I don't understand how something that is steamed, comes out dry. Tsk tsk again. I've had larger appetizers at fine dining establishments. They fell apart before you could even pick them up. I then asked the bartender/waiter and he said "I don't know, that's just how they are"... great - I can see where the rest of the meal is going Holy crap, what the freak is this noodle dish I ordered. It was not noodles with sauce... it was sauce with noodles. The wide-flat rice noodles came in little crumb pieces drowned in this super salty sauce. It was not edible. After about 3 fork fulls... I felt like yacking. In addition to this, I ASKED FOR THE SAUCE ON THE SIDE and he said "Absolutely, no problem". Guess what guy? There's a big problem. Sauce everywhere... The only good thing about my meal was the Blue Moon. Not enough alcohol in that to revive this catastrophe though. I've been here several times before and even when I was drunk off my ass, the food still didn't satisfy. I had the popcorn chicken and it wasn't great. Better to order that at Old Teahouse. The Kah-ree Noodle Soup wasn't bad though. That's because I'm obsessed with curry. It had pretty tasty udon noodles too. They rave about the Crab Wontons but they only come with a couple and they're just typical. The Lamb Spaghetti tasted like my dog could've made it. Last time I was here and simply went to the bathroom to pee and wash my hands the supervisor lady was slamming and knocking on the door like crazy because she thought she saw an Asian couple come in the bathroom together. Sorry, not all Asians look the same. They do however have great drink specials and daily specials. Especially on Wednesdays. Get the FML for only $5 on wednesday. It's guaranteed to mess you up after one. And if you want to black out - opt for a second FML. Sadly, I've given this place so many tries and each time gets worse and worse.
(2)Aneesh R.
Gotta go here for the FML at least once. I liked some beef dish I got, cant remember the exact name. The first time I came I got some soup which was okay but not for me. The line can get really long at drinking hours and take a long time. Also the dishes do cost quite a bit.
(4)Matt M.
Horrible. Their noodles are definitely not any edible quality. Came here and they were way too salty - I felt as though I was drinking water from a salt marsh the whole time. The texture of the noodles was also nowhere near fresh. Never again.
(1)Karen Z.
I've been here on several occasions with some friends and have had below par experiences. Since they are still technically a restaurant, they aren't 21 & up so they check ID as soon as you walk in, and also several times after that (which got really annoying). Each time I've been here and ordered something to drink, I've been charged more than the price that was stated on the menu. My friends and I can only assume that they are tipping themselves. My friend ordered a $8 drink and was charged $10, so needless to say we didn't feel obligated to give more tip on top of that. The drinks are also pretty weak, which makes it even worth less than the price tags on them. And on top of that, the staff there pretty much treat any complaints customers have as the customer's fault, and aren't very polite about solving the issue. A while back around when the place first opened, I tried their duck noodles, and the only thing I remember from that was that the duck was dry and slightly off tasting. That was the first and last time I've been at Red88 for a sit down meal. I only went back a few times after that because some friends wanted to go for drinks, but I don't think I'll be returning.
(1)Abhishek K.
The waiters and waitresses are very caring, a little too caring at times! A group of my friends were celebrating a friend's birthday there and I joined them, but I brought in a bag of Chipotle. As my friends ate and drank Red 88 food and drinks (generating more than $50 revenue for Red88), I began eating my burrito bowl, careful not to make a mess. The waitress approached me and said that outside food is not allowed, and that I have 10 minutes to finish my bowl. I felt like a toddler being taught to eat by a domineering parent. She then refused to serve alcohol to my friend, whose birthday it was, because she felt that he could not handle 2 drinks within 30 minutes and she did not want to clean his vomit (he is a 22 year old, well built man) How thoughtful! The last time I checked, we were at a restaurant BAR not an Alcohol addiction therapy session. That being said, the food is not bad so if you're intoxicated and don't mind unreasonable policies, check out Red 88!
(1)Misty M.
I drafted a rant but thought it would be better to send feedback their way rather than share my experience. Servers - Change your attitude ... of all the times I've been a paying customer at Red88, I have had and only remember 2 great server experiences. I know you may be doing your job but do it with a little more grace and tact. obviously we're in a bench seat and you probably get a bunch of idiot drunks most nights but come on ... not everyone is an idiot trying to sneak in their underage friends in Davis ... so check my stamp with some grade A customer service, not some snooty i-assume-the-worst type of person. Maybe you wouldn't get jipped on the tip so often ... and even then eff Red88, improve your customer service for your next job ... jus sayin ...
(2)J L.
This place was pretty much a joke. I would think that a noodle bar would specialize in making...NOODLES right? But no. They failed at it miserably, and I really wasn't impressed by the modern yet trying to be authentic touch that they tried to instill (from the way they present the food to the style of the restaurant). I ordered the duck with egg noodles soup and asian style fries. The bowl of noodles came out being drenched with more soup than necessary and the flavor wasn't as strong, but still bearable. To be honest, I actually liked the fries better than the noodles. I'd say if you're craving a nice bowl of noodle soup, definitely go elsewhere. PRO: They offer unlimited thai iced tea. I've never been to a place where they do that, so it was quite surprising. And how can you possibly go wrong with thai iced tea? That drink itself was pretty good, so one more star for them with props for that offer!
(2)Tiffany N.
Been here a couple of times to get food after a night out or in between stops. I came here on with a few friends on Thursday and got some drinks and food. We order the crispy tofu, chicken wings and popcorn chicken. The popcorn chicken was actually pretty good. The crispy tofu was a decent portion but did make us sick later in the night. The big disappointment was the chicken wings. The flavor was good but the wings were puny. Not exactly what I was expecting. I also ordered a screwdriver and for the small price I paid there was a lot of alcohol in it. There is a plus in there somewhere. Also, you can get free passes to Ket there.
(3)Shirley D.
Red 88 was definitely a growing process for me. At first I wasn't a fan because their minimum charge on credit cards was 20 dollars - no bueno. But i'm giving it a 4 star for various of reasons It is conveniently open til 3 AM (and we all know in davis, almost nothing is opened past 9 or 10). They have bottomless thai iced tea! The customer service is always good. They give you free ket cover cards if you buy over $10. Now on to the food: Skip most of the appetizers except the Asian Style Fries (can't go wrong with that). They are expensive and come in little portions. The chicken Ka-Ree noodle soup is SO GOOD. It's so good, i ate it with my friends after ket and then WENT BACK in the morning to have more. The Spicy Pork noodle is also really good. It's spicy, so if you like that little kick in your meal most def. get this! It is like pad thai minus a lot of oil!
(4)Danielle C.
Service has been consistently meh Food was good for late night food, but I would not go here when other restaurants were open. I order the dim sum or the chicken soup. A lot of people like the Nutella Wantons, I am not a huge fan, also they use non-dairy whipped cream. Drinks: Not impressed with the bartender who did not know how to make many basic drinks. The specials were cheap until the tax and tip policy was added. Their thai iced tea was painfully sweet, but I know a lot of people like it that way.
(2)Aubrey Z.
I used to come here more frequently, a few years ago. I stopped coming because they always put way too much black pepper on the dishes I ordered, and stupidly I just kept forgetting to ask for less. The food wasn't good enough to keep coming back and keep asking for less pepper. Anyway, I decided to go there again recently, and I won't be going back. I got the Roasted Duck Noodle, but I've been eating low-carb, so I requested it with vegetables instead of the noodles. I only did this because the menu specifically says "Order any rice or noodle dish with seasonal vegetables instead". Otherwise I just would've eaten around the noodles. The waiter, who I'll come back to, acted really annoyed at my request to do this. I felt embarrassed and said "Oh, sorry, I thought the menu said I could do that". He said "Yeah, I guess, I think they can probably do that..." He kept frowning and seemed really impatient and I was really put off by his attitude. My friend got the pork bao, which was pretty good, and the spicy pork noodle, which was good too. Afterwards I'd wished I'd gotten the pork noodle instead, as it had more flavor. The duck & veggie dish I got was underseasoned and bland, and the duck was a bit chewy and didn't taste like much. That aside, I would probably still give them another chance, if it wasn't for the service. We came in and sat down and the staff was very attentive. However, they ended up being too attentive. We literally had just landed our eyes on the menu when someone showed up and asked if we were ready. We said we needed more time. Within two minutes, another staff member came up and asked if we were ready. We said no. This happened THREE MORE TIMES in less than eight minutes while we were trying to read the menu, with the same two staff (our waiter, and another lady) coming up repeatedly asking us if we were ready, even though we had the menus in our hands in front of our faces. I almost left, because I felt like they were rushing us and just wanted us to order, eat and get out. There were only two other groups of people there at the time (it was a Wednesday night). Back to our waiter: This guy was rude throughout the night. At one point, we asked for a second order of pork bao, and he kind of paused and sighed like it was a huge inconvenience, saying "Oh, yeah, I guess they can add that to your tab..." Um, yes, that's how restaurants work. You order something, and pay for it. We also ordered a drink which he did not bring, so after we were almost done eating, we reminded him about it. He acted like this was a huge inconvenience too, saying, again, "Yeahh, I guess we'll just put that on your tab then". What is this guy's deal?! Anyway, the drink was called "The Red 88" (which, when we ordered, he acted like he couldn't understand us. "The what? What?"), and it was incredibly sweet, and very weak on alcohol. It's the first time I paid for a drink I didn't finish. So, in summary, mediocre food, and I WOULD be willing to try another dish there, if it weren't for the fact that the service was horrible, and that was the worst cocktail I've ever had. Our waiter was really rude and unwelcoming, and unfortunately the other staff, although not as rude, didn't make up for it, either.
(2)Vanessa C.
SERVICE WAS TERRIBLE Last night was super bad service in my opinion. The waiter came back four times to clear our table. Felt super rushed. Get in and get out kind of environment. I understand its the day before picnic day but customer service should stay consistently good everyday. I only ordered crab wontons. The ends of it are good but when you bite into the middle where the stuffing is its too creamy. Cream cheese was overpowered. Didn't really enjoy it, but maybe my taste buds weren't enjoying it as I could have because the SERVICE WAS LOUSYY!
(1)Tiffany D.
Modern Asian fusion food! Pretty pricey for their dishes, but conveniently opened during the late night hours for all the bar hopping people to stop by and dine in for food, get more drinks, OR to do both. Their food is good, but not the best. Why is it cash only?!? I would expect it to accept credit cards since this restaurant is located in Downtown, Davis and aims to be trendy and modern.
(3)Tricia M.
So foodwise, they have really decent and good appetizers like the Asian style fries and the pork dumplings. I liked what we had. But then I ordered the lamb spaghetti which was one of their specials ... big mistake. The customer service was really really good - everyone was friendly and helpful and attentive and just wanted to make the dining experience good so I feel like an a-hole for even complaining about the lamb spaghetti. Customer service wise they deserve 5 stars. If I hadn't gotten the lamb spaghetti, they'd be way up there. Stick with the appetizers and beers and you'll be good.
(3)Molly M.
Red noodle 88.... My oh my. After being home for winter break, we were missing and SERIOUSLY craving red noodles crab and cream cheese wontons. They are without a doubt so damn delicious. The ratio between crispy wonton and filling is just top notch. The amount of crab to cheese is perfect. Then there is this fairy dusting of salt that pushes the entire appetizer over the edge. But, the true star is the sweet decadent plum sauce that must be drenched over the wonton because it is addicting. I can't even explain how flavorful and magnificent these are. Also, your entire dish is accompanied by a series of four side sauces (chili oil, red pepper flakes, chili garlic sauce and one mystery sauce we haven't figured out yet). These provide additional flavor and some tasty heat to everything you order. The crispy rad nar is bomb. It's like ramen for real food lovers - not little bitches. The meat is tender. And then everything is sitting on an ocean of flavorful sauce, just waiting to drown the crispy noodles making them succulent. Then..... There is the fried eggs and rice. We recommend adding the Thai sausage because it's just mind blowingly good. There are two fried eggs on top and the yolks ooze over the rice providing such a richness. The rice is browned nicely and tastes heavenly. There are green onions, cilantro and other veggies mixed throughout the dish that just equate to perfection. Get a bite with egg, rice, sausage, some plum sauce and chili oil and you'll die from bliss. Also! For you folks that enjoy some heat - you can choose from varying levels of spice. Definitely a hot spot in Davis and a hot spot in our hearts.
(5)Deni R.
I absolutely LOVE their crispy rad nar!! I can only judge them on the crispy rad nar since that is usually why I go there. Usually it's pretty empty and not much ambiance.
(3)Razmig K.
I used to visit Red Noodle (what I have always called it) quite a bit while I was at Davis. It became one of my favorite spots to grab a bite. The food was excellent (I generally stuck to the fried rice but occasionally ventured and had the rad nar and other dishes), the drinks were well priced (limitless thai iced tea or coffee and well priced pitchers of beer), and the ambiance was solid. All of the waiters/waitresses I dealt with were polite, and made themselves as available as one would expect them to be, and on rare occasion where the little Asian lady (who assumedly owns the place) showed up, we would hold a nice conversation and she would almost always send some dessert or appetizer towards my way. I will definitely visit this place again the next time I stop by in Davis.
(5)Nina N.
I'm pretty much a fan of Red 88. I don't come often but when I come, they don't disappoint. I only get the usual though. I finally tried a new dish: duck fried rice. It's flavorful, and I love adding the spices to it too. I definitely recommend this for the main dish and the jalapeno popper for the appetizer. The duck fried rice is a good size, and I had enough to bring home for leftover. I love their bottomless thai tea too. Sweet enough and not too over the top. They're pretty good at refilling it too. For my birthday, since I'm not 21, they gave me free thai tea. The place has good customer service overall and some good food if you choose wisely.
(4)Michelle M.
This is honestly my favorite bar in Davis! I love coming here on Thursdays or any random week night where you just want to grab a drink and chill with friends. $5 FML on Wednesdays if you're trying to do a cheap Trinity! AMFML is $13 and will literally last you the whole night and you won't forget a thing! It's definitely a college town bar and you wouldn't see anyone over the age of 26-27 here unless it was a special occasion. People always come here as the last spot to drink since it's open till 2am on Thursdays and there's plenty of booths to chill in and grab food. The fries are the best! And the crab cheese wontons taste especially good when you're feeling a little tipsy. It's even good to eat here sober! Just a little pricey but I think it's worth it. It's always a party whenever I come so if you're down to have fun this is the place to be!
(5)Jackie T.
Usually when I see a restaurant called "noodle bar" it turns out with a promising array, but Red 88 Noodle Bar was an overall disappointment. The food: food was limited to random stir fries and only a scant selection of noodles, focusing on "Rad Nar" which I interpret as cheap excuse for cooking pile of fried noodles with sauce on top. G had the Rad Nar which was meh, and i got the roasted duck noodle soup- which was decent, but overly seasoned with a peppery Thai esque sauce. The bad: this place seems to be more about happy hour than food. They had an abundant bar in the back and lots of happy hour specials, so I'd imagine it's more an undergrad pre-party spot than a food focused restaurant. The good: their Asian fries were decent- crispy and smothered with some ranch and green onions and whatnot. Overall- good for mediocre food and cheap drinks but not so much a solid food scene here.
(2)Marissa D.
I love this place! I come here pretty much every Thursday night to grab a drink, and they give you a free voucher to get into Ket Mo Ree across the street, which usually charges a $3-$7 cover. This place is the home of the FML drink, which also happens to be the last drink on the Davis trinity check list. I recently tried the AMFML (AMF + FML), and for $13 I was good for the whole night and was able to dance my ass off at Ket for free. Can't go wrong there! Don't forget about their food! They have awesome dishes. I personally love the spicy Mac and cheese. You have to try it! I heard their drunken fries and soups are bomb too.
(4)Vania C.
I came here when I started my sophomore year at UCD, had pretty good food but got food poisoning from it (duck fried rice). I just chalked it up to coincidence but was afraid to come back for a while. I really hate complaining about a place but I just can't let this slide. Fast forward to 7/22/15 evening: I was craving noodle soup and decided to give this place another try. Service was amazing and food came out quick. The 2 guys (bartender/manager?) that were nicely dressed were very attentive and I saw them accommodate a large group really quickly. Literally A+ for service. I ordered the Thai boat noodle soup and my boyfriend ordered the BBQ pork and shrimp wonton noodle soup. When I first tasted the soup, it was light and not too salty. The beef was strange, thick and very chewy. Something was a little off with it but I brushed it off since I was starving. The veggies in the soup tasted very bitter too. For my boyfriend's soup, it tasted light too but the wonton was literally a shrimp with the wonton wrapper (shrimp was rubbery). It was nice that the thai tea was unlimited but there was a very bad aftertaste, probably made from powder. The prices were decent and I thought I could give this place another try. Nope. I went home and puked my guts out for several hours. Just like the last time, I got sick a bit after my meal here, ate nothing else between then and going home. I would've ignored it once, but a second time? No way! Final Thoughts: There's something in this kitchen that's not right. My friends have warned me about this place many times before and I should've listened to them.
(1)Diana T.
2nd time coming here and the service was always great and the food was just decent. Decided to come here for a last minute drink & dinner with my BF and his friend. On Wednesdays it's only $5 for a FML. Great deal for a easy buzz to kick in. Anyways, I ordered the duck fried rice and it was wayyy too greasy for my liking. I didn't get much of the duck in my dish and I had a couple of bones in the pieces of meat I ate. My BF got the red 88 fried rice which I enjoyed much more because of the green onions and Chinese sausage. Overall though, both dishes left my mouth feeling nasty and greasy. I should have just went with my instincts and ordered the Asian fries.. The fries here are super good. Fries are topped with magical ingredients that just mixes so well together (I.e sour cream, bacon, green onion, etc. hehe). Anyways.. My bf's friend ordered the eggplant rice dish which was actually pretty good too. It's a hit or miss with this place lol. Choose wisely! Our bill total came out to $43. Overall, 3 stars for the friendly service, good drinks, & amazing fries.
(3)Sally H.
Points for their Fried Rice w/ Egg & Chinese sausages! It's not too oily either. Usually I get weary of eating foods at a place that's also a bar but surprisingly Red 88 isn't too bad. They also have bottomless Thai tea :) ( I'm only able to drink max 2 cups anyways, but still, it's UMLIMITED!) Lots of my friends have also raved about their Thai fries (which consist of sour cream, bacon, & green onion) I agree with some other recent reviews that the staff has definitely gotten better.. The waiter we had kept checking on us to make sure everything was good. If you're here for a drink, they have happy hour! I can't remember on the top of my head which days have what but all I know is $5 FML WEDNESDAYS! Some other drinks I've liked are red rocket, pacific rim, and cosmo! Be careful coming here to eat on a Thursday/Friday though as it does get packed!
(4)Tiffany T.
Raw chicken & stingy chefs ! Worst ending to my reminiscence. I came in here an hour ago hoping I would get a taste of the past and the quality of service from when I was in Davis. 1. Asian style fries - I asked for no onions, and they opted out of both onions AND chilli. I asked for chilli when I couldn't taste any & the server says he would come right now with it. 10 mins later, none. 20 mins later, none. So I walked up to the counter and asked for them again. Server came out and literally says, "so sorry, they (the chefs) got mad when I asked for some, so here..." Then handed me a sauce plate of 5 dinky pieces of chilli. Are u freaking kidding me? They got mad cause their customer asked for an ingredient they forgot to add in a dish? WOW! Unbelieveble. 2. Thai style wings - it was raw in the inside that we spit it back out. Eff-imy disgusting ! If I get sick, I know exactly who I'm reporting to FDA. 3. Fried eggs rice - soggy and mushy rice with no favor. I used to love red 88, and I chose to come back here during my quick visit to Davis simply because I liked it so much. But after this, never again.
(1)Crystal W.
TL;DR 1. Food and service are definitely better compared to how it was in 2013. 2. Their restaurant turns more bar-like at night, so even if you only want food, if you're college age, they'll ask for your ID at the door. 3. Food is pretty darn good nowadays! Asian fried rice, Asian style fries, and the loco moco rice are all solid choice. 4. Their FML is part of the "Davis Trinity!" They also have a drink wheel for birthdays :) So..... Things have gotten better with the new staff! New, as in different from many of the employees from 2013. Service is speedy and efficient, even during late night bar hours. Bartenders and cashiers in particular are really friendly and give good drink recommendations. Food is also really tasty. I'd recommend the loco moco, the fried rice, and the Asian style fries. Overall, great place to eat and hang out with friends. It may be loud inside at times, but a few sips of the FML will make anyone immune to noise :P
(5)Prescila B.
They were just ok for me..certainly lived up to the 3 star review. The pork over rice with peppers sort of tasted like pizza flavoring, the soup had good flavor, but the meat was pretty tough. The dumplings were decent, previously frozen but after a few drinks we weren't too worried. The FML drink wasn't very strong, even though it's supposedly loaded with booze. Probably won't go back.
(3)Karen T.
Came here after a hike and the bottomless Thai Tea was REFRESHING! Got at least 2 refills with an attentive waitress filling it up as soon as it neared empty. Great service during weekend lunch! I ordered the Fried Eggs and Rice with Thai Sausage and the portion was MASSIVE. I managed to eat it for 3 mini meals AND share 2 mini meals with my sister. The fried rice was flavorful and the sausages were delicious! And I really like how they box up your leftovers for you + label with name of dish and the date. Very impressive.
(4)Astrid Z.
I really want to like you Red 88, I truly do. I've been here multiple times for food and for the drinks. My review is based off of my dining experiences, because to be completely honest I don't remember some of the drinking experiences I've had here. Customer Service: Mediocre every single time. I don't think the servers care about making tips or maybe I just come at the wrong time, but they don't seem as attentive to customers as I'd like them to be. The food takes a LONG time to come out. Every single time! I think on average it has taken about 30-40 minutes with an average of three parties dining. I don't understand why it takes so long. Most of the items I order are either vegetarian or contain tofu, so it's not like they're cooking meat or anything that would/should take long to cook. Food: It's okay, but I can't tell if that's because I'm starving by the time it's in my face or because I'm hangry and don't get to enjoy it as I'd like to. Parking: Plenty of parking in Davis, for your car and your bike too! Ambiance: It's always empty when I go. My friends and I talk quieter than we usually do, because it feels a bit awkward talking so loud. I can't comment on the ambiance during peak business hours. Overall: The food is ok, service is mediocre and it takes too freaking long for the food to come out. If you have a lot of time on your hands and you don't care about customer service, this place will fit your needs.
(2)Emma P.
You can only get in if you're 21+ on some nights! I've always been treated well here. Free shot on my birthday, waiters asking if I needed water on Thursday nights, and good food is served right to me. Their Thai fries are pretty good, but I don't think they compare to uncle Vito's. I personally think they have the best crab rangoons in Davis. I think the sauce makes the rangoons - sweet and salty! I also like the spicy beef noodles, but just a warning: they're really spicy! I love spicy food, but I couldn't handle the intensity. I kept eating them anyway. The crab rangoons are definitely worth a try! You should probably come earlier in the evening if you don't want to deal with the rush and amount of drunk people :)
(4)Gustavo B.
I don't like to bad mouth places and if you look at my profile I don't reivew places that often. But I felt I needed to express my horrible experience here. First I like this place a lot the staff is awesome, the food is delicious hut last night my self and my girlfriend ate here and got food poisoning. Because of this I will never eat here again. Last night my girlfriend would not stop throwing up. She's at the hospital right now and it's bull shit, I'm trying to tough it out because I only threw up two time but I feeling flu like symptoms. As soon as I get better I'm going down there and give them a piece of my mind
(1)Lilian L.
Jalapeno poppers are bomb! that Popcorn chicken thing: not so bomb (kind of burnt.. maybe just the day?)
(4)Kristi T.
Come here for their Midori Sour, Pacific Rimjob, and Thai Tea. Been here more times than I care to admit, but oddly never got around to leaving a review. I mainly come on Thursday or Friday nights when I'm out bar hopping with my friends. They have cheap drinks and food after midnight, but you have to be at the front of the line after THEIR time states that it's after 12am. They will also give you free passes to Ket Mo Ree with a certain amount of purchase. Honestly, the servers can be pretty darn rude during busy nights, so the 4 star rating is for their regular lunch/dinner hours. Wish I remembered our server's name when we came in for a late lunch around 3pm one Saturday afternoon. She was very attentive and we left her a nice tip for it! Bottomless Thai tea is what you should be coming here for! The food is honestly just average. She was very nice when I asked for more half & half in my Thai tea refills. They also box and label your food with the dish name and date! Take note: you cannot take your last cup of Thai tea to-go after you have gotten more than one refill. Still worth it in my opinion!
(4)Hazel Q.
1 star for their service. They close whenever the manager wants and not at the time stated on the door. Beware. We sat at the bar waiting for the bartender to finish serving this group, then he turns to us and says "I think we're closed, let me ask my manager." He asks his manager and the manager says "Sorry, we're closed." I pointed at the hours of operation sign on the door and said "It's still 11 and we were already in here." He said "We're closing early." I told him all we wanted was a quick shot and he said "We're closed." Good luck treating your customers like that.
(1)Diana H.
I always enjoy their steam pork dumplings, spicy pork noodles and fries. However, I tried their duck fried rice for the first time and was so disappointed. It was bland, the carrots were not fresh and there was a lot of small bones in the duck pieces. This surprised me because their fried egg over rice with sweet asian sausage is one of my favorite plates.
(3)Bev C.
Where do I start? The food is disgusting. It tastes extremely processed, and is clearly loaded with MSG. The meat looks abnormal. This place is so unsanitary, and undoubtedly violating numerous health codes. If you're sitting at the bar, you can see that trash and old, nasty food picked up from the tables is kept within inches of the food they bring out. Literally lost my appetite. The service is incredibly unprofessional. Each employee always seems overwhelmed and frazzled, and are completely unable to provide adequate service. I've been here three times, and two of those times, I saw upper-level management (maybe the owners? or the GM, can't be sure) yelling at the servers and bartenders. It's so uncomfortable. The service sucks and it's easy to see why. I'll never come back here. Easily the shittiest restaurant in Davis.
(1)Ivy N.
Alright, I'll admit it....so many wonderous drunken memories were made here at this bar/restaurant. Some are remembered, some are kind of remembered, and some shouldn't be remembered but your friends just won't ever let you forget it. The fact that this place is open until 3am, it invites all kind of late night fun. At first it was where we went to end the night after Ket/all the other bars closes, but after awhile it's basically where we start, stay, and end our night. I am giving this place four stars for all the drunken s*** the poor workers have to deal with. I've been a regular here long enough to see bartenders come and go as well as work their way up to supervisor cleaning up yak and kicking people out. A bar that is open until 3am basically every night serving HEAVY alcoholic drinks such as the Super FML, the Kraken pitcher, and the AMFML with only ONE bathroom in house - is literally just asking for a s*** show. DRINKS The HEAVY Stuff - This bar has quite a few nasty strong a** house made cocktails here. Really, none taste good - but it will get the night going...or end it. The FML is part of the Davis Trinity (guaranteed to have a good night if you can hang), upgrade to a Super FML to complete a Holy Trinity (guaranteed to have a s***faced night if you last) and also get at least 2 extra shots in it. The AMFML is just as it sounds, it's half AMF and half FML in a SuperFML sized glass. The Kraken pitcher has nothing to do with the Kraken spiced rum unfortunately, but it's just a BIG pitcher of blue DRANK. Kind of reminds me/tastes similar to an AMF? They usually stick a bunch of straws in it and you drink it with a group of people. I don't think this pitcher is as bad as their other mixed drinks since I've shared it with 2 other people and we were fine. There's also an Abominable Snowman, but it's not that bad compared to the previous. The LIGHT Stuff - They have Sake bomb kits here as well as beer towers. The beer is decent, Sapporo, Blue Moon, or Bud Light. A $16 beer tower can crank out maybe 4-5 glasses. Their late night Happy Hour (10pm-12am) is a whole list of drinks ranging from shooters, small cocktails, and large cocktails for $4 each. Some unique ones I've had here were Grasshopper (like mint ice cream!), Mind Eraser (coffee liquer), Pacific Rimjob, Red Headed Slut, and White Gummy Bear. Sex on the Beach is always a tasty one, though pretty weak - comes in a large glass here though! PRICE wise, I personally think their cocktails are a bit on the pricey end, but they do have a stamp card system for every $10 you spend, and after you spend $100 you get $10 bucks off next purchase. You can combine cards too - be sure to ask for freee KET entry passes! AMBIENCE Lots of tables and big corner booths to fit both small and large parties. This place can get crowded and tables do fill up though! I love coming here with a group of friends and just drinking/eating the night away. The bartenders/supervisor/bouncer were always really nice here, until you yak/wreak havoc obviously. FOOD I've mostly eaten their appetizers which are pretty good sober or drunk. Crab cream cheese wontons and Asian style fries are always good. Their Nutella wontons are meh, a bit too sweet for me. Their deep fried bananas are also bland. I personally think their popcorn chicken is too spicy. They also have garlic noodles I believe. In terms of entres, I've had their duck fried rice and duck noodles, pretty greasy and good on a drunchie stomach. TL;DR - Where all the cool (Asian lol) kids go. My favorite bar in Davis to chill and/or get ratchet at with a group of friends. Drinks would probably be 3 stars, food would be 2 stars maybe 3 stars if they're drunchies, but for all the great memories made here - SOLID 4 stars.
(4)Lizette R.
Prior to this experience I had only been to Red 88 for drinks and not food. I am not a big pasta lover so it just didn't excite me to think of eating dinner at a noodle bar. I came here for dinner to celebrate my friend acceptance to medical school. Their Fried Eggs and Rice was pretty good, however I tried some of their ramen, and I wasn't too impressed. The service was fast and they were attentive which was a plus. However they could only split the bill 3 ways, so if you have a larger party make sure you bring cash or you can venmo each other. Another thing to consider, during dinner time you can't order food from the bar which I thought was weird. All other places that have a bar you can usually eat and drink at the bar.
(3)Joyce D.
Reasons why I love coming to Red 88: 1) If you are a people person, you would absolutely love the owner (Mama Ket- yes she also owns KetMoRee & UOB). Every time I come here, we always end up talking through my entire meal. She's adorable!! 2) Bottomless Thai tea for $2.95. ENOUGH SAID. 3) Asian style fries (the bomb diggity when you are absolutely white girl schwasted) and their duck fried rice. 4) You get to spin a wheel if it's your birthday. Prices include different cocktails and appetizers. This place gets packed on Thursday nights and weekends. They stay open I believe until 3 am on the weekends. Being one of the few restaurants open that late, be prepared to wait in a line. Just make sure that you are still a little coherent or you might just have to watch your friends eat from the outside window because their security can be worse than the TSA.
(5)Maria M.
THEY NOW HAVE NEW MANAGEMENT!! and now they SPLIT CHECKS! they have a $.50 charge on credit cards Same terrible policy on their bottomless chai drink (if you are with another person and they do not order it too, it is not bottomless because "sharing") I think last night will be the last time we come here. The fried rice was very bland again. I have figured it must be the cook since both times it came out bland was during 7-8pm. What they say about their fried rice is true: decent but not that great. I used to love it and now I can't help but be sad that it is not what it used to be. I found large chunks of unmixed, mushy rice balls in my last two orders.
(1)Jennie O.
Four of us went in on a Tuesday night. It got really busy but the servers were very accomodating and did their best. Service was quick for how busy it was. Rating: Food = 4 stars Service = 5 stars
(4)Casey B.
I usually don't give places 1 star but the food was down right nasty and the reason I ate it is because I paid for it and I was hungry. Both my roommate and I are in agreement that we will never return here for food. I ordered the Spicy Silver Noodles and she orders the Spicy BBQ Pork Ramen Noodles. First the food took forever to come out like 45 minutes and it wasn't even that busy. The servers were super friendly and constantly refilling our water but seriously someone need to wake up the cook so he could start doing his job. When the food came out, we were excited but only to be extremely disappointed but the severely over seasoned food which made it almost inedible. I would have sent back my food but I didn't want to wait another hour. This place needs to get its act together.
(1)Sarah S.
Had the duck noodles and the bottomless thai tea! Both the duck noodles and the thai tea were a little too sweet for me but I may have just had an off day because my friends thought it was fine. The duck itself was delicious and moist and the server was super on top of the thai tea refills. He also was really kind and helped me pick something out since I'm a big baby when it comes to spice. Major points to Wesley!! Overall, I'd definitely go again. Great deal for the portions and fun, exotic drinks at the bar! Oh, there's also a coupon in the green booklet that everyone gets in the mail for a free appetizer!
(4)Vivian C.
Was craving noodle soup so decided to come back. Got the spicy beef soup and it was....not good. The soup was so salty. So so so salty. Ate the noodles cause I was starving but trashed almost all the soup. Service was nice though.
(1)Tiffany C.
All i can say about the food is that it's Americanized Asian food. Their bottomless thai tea sounds like a good deal but after a few glasses you start to feel gross and you lose your appetite after drinking so much thai tea while you wait for your food to come. The waitresses are really nice and extra friendly though. They were really helpful in helping us order by recommending the popular dishes and constantly checking up on us.
(3)Rosanna K.
The food is very mediocre at best: the portions are small, and the little morsels that they serve you typically aren't even very tasty. The only dish that I'd actually recommend to someone would be their chicken ka-ree udon. What makes this dish is the broth. Just enough curry flavor without being overpowering so that you can still drink it like a soup and not feel gross. I like to add the dry roasted chili paste in little by little so that it changes the flavor profile of the soup. The chicken that it comes with is alright, just slightly dry pieces of chicken breast. The udon noodles could be softer and more tender. With that said, Red88 is still a fun place to go if you want something that is in between a regular dinner place and a bar. They have a pretty good happy hour too.
(3)M. L.
I have had very good experiences here, especially for late night dining. My parents even liked this place, and that's saying something since they're particular about food! I love the bottomless Thai iced tea the best - it's so heavenly! The only thing that's a little tricky is when the drunks are out...it just gets very loud, and you have to scream to talk to your friends. Also, the no split check thing can get a little annoying at times, but it's still not enough to deter me from coming here. Make sure you ask for a stamp card (stamp for every $10 you spend)! The beef is a little on the chewy side, so if you're picky about that, you might want to stick with chicken, pork, or vegetarian options. It's still not a problem for me, and I have liked every dish I've tried here in the years I have lived in Davis. I will keep coming here until I have to move. Thank you!
(5)Sabrina L.
4 stars because I absolutely love the fried rice with an egg on top and asian sausages! :) They are also known for Asian Thai Fries which is also delicious! The soup selection is also very good.. I just have good food experiences here. However, they are definitely not known for their service. So be careful of the rude waitresses... At night on a Thursday, it becomes super packed and filled with young drunk college students. The line will be long to get in and the wait for drinks is pretty annoying. They are known for their SUPER FML. Many people get that as part of the Davis Trinity.
(4)Eric S.
Needed a change of taste for dinner, so my buddy and I went to this place. I have to say that this place was amazing. The waiter was a very fun guy to talk to, and made my first experience here fun. We started with the sampler platter thingy. That was amazing. After that we had the "fresh roll" that was to die for. Next time I go there I'm gonna order 2 orders of them. Then our dinner came out., I ate the beef and noodle soup. It was full of flavor, I can not pin point what the flavors were cuz they were different every time. I can't wait to go back!!!!!!!!!
(5)Jennifer D.
Awesome service from Jason & Adrian! Went out on a Sunday night for a drink & ended up having the best night! The drunken pig fries were amaaaazing and all the drinks were so good. Service and ambiance was unbeatable. Definitely coming back here again! Thank you guys!
(5)Lindsey M.
Worst. Service. Ever. The food and drinks are not worth the price. They didn't give us correct change then lost the receipt so we couldn't verify. Don't come here.
(1)Amanda C.
I came here only a few times during my college days, but I returned a week ago to visit some old friends. Stopped by here to grab a bite before doing the whole downtown-business. I ordered the roasted duck noodles, which wasn't the best I've had, but it wasn't the worst either. It had flavor, but lacked meat on the duck. I was full at the end of the meal so that's a good thing. My friend had the duck fried rice, which she didn't finish, but it wasn't as bad as we thought either. So perhaps they improved on their food?? I usually order the fries here, so you can't go wrong with that order. It was around Halloween time, so they had specials on Halloween-themed drinks/cocktails. I don't like drinking, but my friends who did try their sugary cocktails said it didn't taste bad, but really sweet. Will return if i have the chance when I come back to Davis for the evening.
(3)William W.
I should have known this place was bad news when I saw they had jolly rancher flavored drinks. The food was terrible, my pork spicy noodles tasted gamey and the peanuts on it were stale. My wife ordered some lamb dish that was so hot she couldn't eat it. She sent it back and they still tried to charge her for it. It wasn't until she complained to the manager that they removed it from the bill. I'm only giving it 2 stars because they reversed the charge. Otherwise, this place is terrible. It's probably a great place for college kids to get drunk. But for dinner, no thank you.
(2)K Y.
My friends and I walked in a little after midnight. Luckily, no wait. We ordered the Asian style fries and the fried rice with asian sausage with fried egg. The fried rice was especially tasty! The service was great! The only downside in my personal opinion is I should've expected it to be really loud and full of drunk college kids (duh)!! We were in and then out! Overall, good place for munchies on the late night.
(4)Sarah E.
Yummy I really liked the spicy beef noodles I got. My co worker got the spicy pork and another the vegetarian tomato noodles. Very tasty, just a little heavy on the oil. I love spicy but if you don't trust me order the mild because even that sizzles a little!
(3)Leslie C.
I love this place! I always get the Lamb Rad Nar but I've also tried the Spicy BBQ Pork Ramen w/ Soup and the Potsticker & BBQ Pork Soup and they're all sooo good! The Asian fries and new Drunken Pig Fries are a must also! Their service amazing. Wesley was my waiter multiple times and I've always enjoyed my visits here! :)
(5)Alex K.
The soup broths are nice, but can be too over-seasoned, making it difficult to finish the bottom of the bowl. My roommate couldn't finish the duck soup and thought that the chicken broth was much better. Oh, they're also a little skimpy on the vegetables. Everyone I know really likes the Asian fries, so those are obviously a success. The spicy eggplant has a nice texture and flavor, but it's honestly pretty standard. I don't dislike it, but it's not special and I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it. I'll probably be back for the noodle soups anyway,just because you get so many noodles and the broth is generally nice depending on the soup.
(3)Indya M.
I came here one night with a friend and ordered a fried banana. It was fresh and simple. Hard to go wrong there. Came in a second time for dessert. This time the banana was old and rotten.. and was fried anyways. Obviously a poor decision was made somewhere along the line.. I'm just sorry that that's what was served. I question the kitchen's health standards.
(2)Riki N.
Review based solely on drinking experience. Was open pretty late and served the FML, the fruitiest (and therefore depending on your preferences, the tastiest) part of the "Davis trinity." Servers were fun and friendly. In terms of decor the location was clean but overall nothing special.
(3)Phan H.
Came here on a Saturday night after an evening of drinking around the area. Glad they are open late. The service is fast, as expected in any type of asian restaurant. Price is good for what you pay for. Even at midnight the place was packed. I had the spicy pork noodle, and it was pretty spicy, but wasn't overwhelming. I love the atmosphere in there, it's pretty intimate, but was buzzing the whole time.
(4)Jaimie W.
This review is for the nightlife scene....or when it turns to a bar-like setting at night. I would give 0 stars if I could. This is the WORST place to go out on a Thursday or Friday night. Every time I've come here, it's been a horrible experience because of the red-headed with glasses waitress/bartender. One particular night: My friends and I go in around 1 am, and she sprints to the door to check our IDs because the bouncer had stepped aside for a moment. She checks my ID, and gives me a stamp. Next, a couple of us sit down, and my friend orders a drink at the bar. When he comes back with the drink, we all take a sip to try it. Crazy bartender/waitress rushes over and asks, "Do you all have stamps?!" We show her our stamps, and I think to myself, "Lady, you just checked my ID yourself literally 15 minutes ago." Then, around 1:15 am, she comes by our table to remind us that it's last call, "It's almost last call, so you need to finish your drink." Last I remember, last call is the last time I can ORDER a drink, not finish it. She comes back to the table 10 minutes later: "You guys have 6 minutes to finish your drink, because it's last call." Six precise minutes, really? Not five, not ten, but SIX minutes. Another night out on the ol' town: It's my friend's 21st birthday, and something about HAVING to get that blue drink at Red 88. It's a tradition, they say. It'll be fun, they say. Despite my protests, I'm there again. One of our party brought his own Fiji water with him; he was the DD, and he was particular about his water I guess. Red-head serves us our drinks and water, telling him, "I'm sorry, but you have to throw that away or put it away, because it's against our policy for you to drink out of bottles." My friend is surprised, but he agrees. Ten minutes later though, he's drinking his own Fiji water. What can ya do? I told you, he's finicky about water. Waitress comes over: "I'm sorry, you can't drink that in here." Friend: "It's JUST WATER. Do you want to smell it? I promise you, there's no alcohol in here." Waitress: "I'm sorry, that's just our policy. You can't drink that in here!!!" Super tense, super awkward. I thought a brawl would break out. Point is, she's absolutely horrible at her job. She may be a fantastic person or a wonderful waitress, but she's obviously not handling the stress of a Thursday night in stride. She was borderline yelling at us, and I've never felt that disrespected by a waitress or bartender.
(1)Summer J.
Eduardo is the best bartender ever!!! Drinks are amazing and has a killer friendly smile.
(5)Janice K.
The pitcher of alcohol deal is pretty good. $25 dollars worth of a mixture of alcohol to get the night started! Guaranteed a hangover the next day.... -__-
(3)Zac S.
Note: I've only been here for drinks, never dinner. Bartenders were friendly and helpful, but the white russian i ordered was a bit subpar. The popcorn chicken was good for a late-night snack, but nothing special. Ambiance seemed a bit cheesy, but with a couple friends, it can still be a fun place to grab a drink.
(3)Ben T.
Been here multiple times, 2nd review here we go. [edit] 3rd review here we go. Red 88 is a prime location for the late night munchies. They have a dim lit upbeat atmosphere, serving drinks and dicounted appetizers during their late night happy hour. For a late night restaurant/bar the service was impressive, attentive servers always on the look out for low cups of water as well as your opinion on their food. They are super strict however on outside foods (not allowed) and drinks. [edit] hate to not support a Davis locality, but man this place has some issues straight up. I love UOB and Ket is cool btw, they are all related on a management scale. Back to Red. If you want people breathing over your back waiting for you to finish a drink you bought with your money, then you'll love this place. You'll love it even more when they are giving you a countdown of 10 seconds and threatening you to take your shot or else they have to take it back. Why is that even a thing? Don't sell it to us if you're going to take it back. We came here for a friends' birthday during our pub crawl, and he had a little too much so he went outside. He wasn't allowed inside anymore because he "seems too drunk". What? Aren't we at a bar? The security and the waiter/waitress' have a sarcastic tone to what they are saying.. makes it kind of annoying to tolerate as a costumer. The only cool person who works here is a waitress named Teresa, who is probably the kindest of them all. All in all, we all just felt really pressured here and uncomfortable. #sorrynotsorry
(1)Elena M.
The waiter, Wesley, was amazing!!! He was super sweet, friendly, and very attentive! I loved the Thai iced tea (especially that it was bottomless for only $3!) There were a lot of delicious appetizers to choose from. The jalapeño poppers were wonderful. The entrees were interesting, which fit the fusion theme of the restaurant. I got the lab rice dish, which was ok- not bad, but it wasn't something I would specifically come back for. Would definitely come back for appetizers and Thai iced tea though :D Nice atmosphere and not very busy around 7:00 on a Sunday night.
(4)Arda S.
Only really came here for the drinks during bar hopping nights. The drinks are adequate with a nice variety. Sometime the drinks can be stronger than other nights which makes them inconsistent. I tried some of their appetizers and they are just ok. Definitely not a place to go to for authentic thai/chinese/ american? I would just stick to the drinks.
(3)Emil P.
I've been here numerous times in the past few weeks- mainly with groups of friends, and for their $3 unlimited Thai Tea. I've had two different entrees; their duck fried rice, as well as a type of vegetable soup, and have tried the other entrees on their menu that my friends have ordered. Generally, in terms of food quantity, Red 88 makes you a lot, but what ultimately brings the dishes down for me, is their lack of any real flavor/taste. Sure, they'll lay a container full of spices on your table if you ask, but without them, the food becomes a chore to eat, let alone finish. Having said that, I've also tried their Asian Thai fries on their appetizer menu, as well as their fried wontons, and thought those were pretty good. All in all, I'd recommend coming here with a group of friends for unlimited Thai Tea, and maybe an appetizer to share.
(3)Marc D.
Lol @ the person who felt gross for drinking too much Thai tea. That is a cool feature, 88 guys! It's definitely Asian fusion, and with that in mind, this place is awesome. Service was killer. It was almost full, short staffed and we still got good service. Food came out hot and delicious (leftovers rewarmed up for a perfect "day after" recovery from a night in downtown, too). Decent selection of food, but I was hoping for some pad ka pow or pad ke mow (hahah sorry, I know I'm butchering the spelling) but again, it's fusion. Green chilis in oil would've been the bomb! Thus far I've had the wings (awesome sweet and spicy tanginess), egg rolls (simple and nothing crazy here), eggplant dish which was delicious and had lots of flavors in it, and the lamb curry (I'm not a fan of curry, but it was good. I'll be back. Plus! They're open super late on the weekends. :)
(4)Corinna M.
I've been here a few times, and think the food is better at their counterpart, Ketmoree. The portions could be bigger here, but they do get credit for big flavors. The prices are cheap, but they also don't give you much meat. I've had the curry noodle soup, and it was pretty good. My bf had the spicy ramen noodle dish with BBQ pork, and that wasn't too spicy, despite having the word "spicy" in the title. One other hand, the rad nar isn't my favorite, for being "medium spiced", I thought it was way too spicy. They should try to re-think their spice names and categories, because that information is misleading!
(3)Cathy T.
The thing I like about red 88 is the unlimited Thai Tea! Unfortunately you can't take the Thai Tea to go after getting refills. This was my second time here and it did not disappoint. The waitress was really attentive and nice. She kept checking on us and asked if we were doing okay. Red 88 has daily specials so be sure to ask about it. Food portion wise, it is a good amount. One plate of rice is big enough to feed at least two people. I'm not sure how business is during dinner time and happy hour, but during lunch time on a Saturday it was pretty empty.
(4)Lincy H.
I've been to this place a couple of times now. Pairs perfectly with a night out downtown, especially with Ket right across the street. For appetizers, I tried my friend's thai fries. GET IT! For my entree, I got duck fried rice and I absolutely loved it. The hot sauce that comes with it is yummy! Portions were huge. My best friend got the spicy mac and cheese. It was so greasy, which is why I finished her leftovers. It was surprisingly yummy (I'm a big cheese lover). If you spend over $10, you get a free pass to Ket! They charge 50 cents if you use card and spend less than $20, I believe. Also, this is one of the stops for the Davis trinity. The FML drink!
(4)Summer M.
We were lured into Red 88 Noodle Bar by the poster boasting the new "Super FML" cocktail... and as I was in a FML mood, in we went! We came for the drink- a punch-like take on the long island iced tea, served in a large pub glass- and stayed for the food. We opened with the veggie springs rolls- very good but careful with these, they have the same thermal effect as Hot Pockets (read: burn your tongue off). My friend enjoyed her Thai Barbeque Pork and I *loved* my Fried Eggs and Rice with bacon as the meat option (cuz it's the only option for me :D). All the food came with a side of delicious sweet chili sauce, which was conveninet because I wanted to smother everything with it! The staff was friendly, the venue was very pretty yet casual, the service was quick, the prices were reasonable, and everything we consumed was good. I'll be back for another big glass of FML soon!
(4)Ariel V.
Really disappointed. Ate here because so many people have told me how great it is. I ordered the dim sum sampler appetizer. My meal got there before the appetizer. I ate spicy loco moco. It tasted good at the time but has left me feeling sick. When the appetizer finally came (5-10 mins after finishing the lunch), it tasted horrible. The spinach roll thing was soggy and the pork dumplings tasted like a freezer. I don't appreciate buying frozen food at a restaurant. My fiancé ordered the duck, it also tasted frozen. To top it off, they charged us more for the meal than the menu said. Horrible experience. Not sure I will ever go again.
(1)Kiersten B.
Red 88 has awesome late night food, but it does take some finesse to get your order right. We had the jalapeño poppers (which are AMAZING) the chicken chow mein (good, with lots of veggies) and the spicy pork noodles (which was a huge let down, not recommended). My friends who like bananas all constantly rave about their fried bananas too. So all in all, a good late night food solution, just be careful what you order.
(3)Timothy N.
The Super FML was GOOD! Lol hit me pretty hard after awhile lol
(4)Pauleen T.
Came here for some late night asian fries during finals week since Vitos decided to go into full bar mode (and the waitstaff was being RUUUUUDE). They were pretty okay if you don't compare them to thai fries, which I did, so they weren't. Lucky I got them to go so I just dumped a bunch of thai chili sauce on them when I got home and then they were actually okay. The fries aren't very crispy or delicious themselves (they remind me of in n out fries), but the bacon was a nice touch. The portion was teeny tiny though, especially for $8, and they were skimpy on the toppings. Their thai iced tea was pretty delicious, though I thought it was a teensy bit too sweet. All in all, "A-OK." I'll be back to try their noodles. $20 credit card minimum. LAAAAAAAAAAAME. The staff is super nice though.
(3)Alex M.
I have been to Red 88 countless of times and it is usually the first place my friends and I go to start our bar-hopping night. Usually packed on Thursday - Saturday nights, but you won't have to wait long to be seated as people don't really stay at Red 88 for too long. Don't really come here for the food, though their Fried Eggs and Rice is pretty good, even better if you're drunk. I also had their Nutella Wontons and they were ridiculously sweet, even for an avid chocolate lover such as myself. Overall the food is decent for its price (around $10) and the portions are not small. I usually come here for happy hour drinks, (8-11 PM) as they have Blue Moon pitchers for $12 and $1 of well drinks. Most of their mixed drinks are sweet, semi-expensive, and not that strong, with the exception of the FML. It includes probably around 4 or 5 shots of various alcohol (vodka, gin, tequila, 151, rum) mixed with some "fruit juices". I never really taste any fruit juices and the drink itself is pretty gross, so you're better off chugging it instead of sipping on it. You're pretty much paying $8 for 5 shots, which is a pretty good deal if you're trying to get wasted quick and want to save money. They also introduced a new Super FML which is just a bigger version of the FML for $10. I would give it 3 stars, but I chose to bump it out to 4 due to Natida. She is friendly, a great bartender, and always makes my friends and I feel at home. No matter how busy it is, she always ensures that our drinks come out fast and that they are done properly. Overall, Red 88 is a good place to get your first couple of drinks before heading out to some other bars (most likely Ket, since it's right across the street and if you spend $10 you get a free admission into the club). It's also open till 3:00 AM Wed-Sat which is a big plus for anyone looking to satisfy their drunchies with some decent food.
(4)John C.
The food is okay, but I bet it tastes a lot better when you're drunk. Haven't had the opportunity to experience that yet. The happy hour has a lot of variety, so that's cool. But the seating is pretty limited, and it seems like it is a really popular place to go too, so good luck there. Just a typical college joint that people go to.
(3)Wendy G.
Trying to eat my way around Davis before graduating... There was a groupon for this place so decided to give it a try. Came here on Saturday night with the bf. Not too busy inside but parking is a beeeez downtown though. -_- I was seriously about to give up. Anyways, the decor was really nice and modern. Loved the televisions that displayed the food items from the menu...albeit quite deceptive pictures. Service was great, was greeted immediately and she brought out water and menus right away. Overall, service was friendly and attentive. Food was disappointing though. We shared the Thai style wings, the chicken wasn't marinated long enough, although the sauce was nice and sweet. I ordered the duck noodle soup that everyone said was pretty good. I didn't really like the texture of the noodles, it was super soft as if overcooked. I usually like my egg-noodles on the thick side but these were really thin and so easy to overcook. The broth had an interesting flavor, that had a subtle sweetness...too bad it was just so overly salted that you couldn't really appreciate the complexity. The server said that they cook the broth for hours, well I probably would have appreciated it more if I didn't need to drink a gallon of water to dilute the salt. Bf ordered the bbq pork rice dish, really tiny portions...he was sad. Although the pork was well marinated. He ended up heading to jack in the box right after. We got a coupon for our next visit, maybe we'll give this place another try.
(3)Julie H.
Their food looks amazing but a little lacking on taste. It took me forever to decide on a dish to order. I finally settled on the lamb rad nar recommended by the waiter. The noodles were dry and the ground lamb have the dish a grainy, strange texture. Good place for those late night munchies and bottomless thai tea. I wouldn't recommend the lamb rad nar though.
(3)Mindy Y.
Today I came back to Red 88 Noodle and surprisingly it was pretty good compared to last time I came. Well, maybe it's the cold and windy day of winter. SERVICE: Our server was awesome, a very nice girl who greeted us as soon as we set foot in the door - it's because the restaurant was empty. Gave us menus and bought us water, the usual. 4 stars. So, came here with three of my other girlfriends for hot soup to warm our hearts up. FOOD: Here's what we got: (1) Duck Noddle Soup: very thick, masky duck soup. Pieces of duck and duck fat - mmm fat... egg noodles, beansprouts, green onions and cilantro. Soup was warm, but wasn't as steaming hot as the Thai Boat Noodle Soup. Dip the duck in hot chili sauce, or even better as chili oil in your soup - YUM, everything is way-hey-delicious! 4 stars. (2) Thai Boat Noodle Soup: It's kind-of like pho - rice noodles, cilantro, green onion and beansprouts; but, no basil. The soup broth was fatty and delicious! 4 stars. **OVERALL: Yum-o-yum hot and warm soup on a cold and windy day in Davis.
(4)Jay K.
The waiters and waitresses are very caring, a little too caring at times! A group of my friends were celebrating a friend's birthday there and I joined them, but I brought in a bag of Chipotle. As my friends ate and drank Red 88 food and drinks (generating more than $50 revenue for Red88), I began eating my burrito bowl, careful not to make a mess. The waitress approached me and said that outside food is not allowed, and that I have 10 minutes to finish my bowl. I felt like a toddler being taught to eat by a domineering parent. She then refused to serve alcohol to my friend, whose birthday it was, because she felt that he could not handle 2 drinks within 30 minutes and she did not want to clean his vomit (he is a 22 year old, well built man) How thoughtful! The last time I checked, we were at a restaurant BAR not an Alcohol addiction therapy session. That being said, the food is not bad so if you're intoxicated and don't mind unreasonable policies, check out Red 88!
(1)Dara L.
Absolutely LOVE their duck noodle soup! Their fried pot stickers are also quite yummy! My friend also likes to order the duck fried rice. I haven't tried it myself but it am pretty confident that it will taste yummy! I would say, anything duck would taste good here :D
(5)Stephanie H.
Service was bad. They forced to check my id even tho I wasn't drinking there. I only had my passport and they kept asking for my visa....I'm a permanent resident and I don't have a visa. They kept asking me for a visa. No restaurant had ever asked me for it. Honestly I was just appalled how stupid they were. Didn't give me a menu or wipe the table I was sitting in which was wet. There were three workers standing around and none of them helped me while I waited for 20 minutes. Just left
(1)Summer S.
I came here one afternoon with my roommate who was home after getting her wisdom teeth removed. Noodles and soup seemed to be the only things she could bare to eat so while strolling, we decided this would be the ideal option for lunch. I was very satisfied with my Ka-Ree Chicken soup. The flavor was perfect, and rich, while not being overwhelming, or too heavy! The noodles were nice and soft and with a little bit of added chili flakes the spice level was just right. My roommate also really liked her Veggie soup. The vegetables were soft enough that she could easily chew them post-surgery. Service was fast and friendly. Our water glasses were always full and the server checked in often enough that we always had what we needed. If I'm ever back in Davis I'd definitely come back! Great restaurant, worth trying!
(4)J C.
We were the first customer on a rainy Sunday lunch. Had came in prior checking any reviews here. But what delighted me was our waiter who was super friendly. The food was actually not bad. We ordered the Thai noodle soup with beef, BBQ pork ramen, and duck ramen. I particularly enjoyed what my husband ordered which was the BBQ pork ramen. My husband was like "oh but I ordered ramen" he was thinking that it will be like a soup but this one was dry noodle. I guess it was something we learned today that not all ramen are soup-like. Anyways what he ordered was good! I also enjoyed their Thai iced tea. Along with an appetizer, 3 ramens and drinks, it came out to be $40- $50. Not bad I guess. Well, I enjoyed the visit here.
(4)Anu M.
Wow, this place is very stringent when it comes to checking your ID card before letting you enter the restaurant. Perhaps it was because we went to this restaurant late in the night on Picnic Day. They checked each of our ID cards, asked our ages and double checked the card to make sure it was the same person. The restaurant has open seating and one needs to make an order at the counter for drinks. Only cash for drinks less than $10. I was taken aback to see my drink come in a small plastic cup. Uggg, that is not the way to present a drink! Ruins the whole experience of drinking. And that was not it, there was another surprise waiting for me - they have a water can somewhere near the bar counter and the cups for the water are of the same size as the cups that you would see in a fast food restaurant to pour ketchups! So, basically you need to make AT LEAST 5 trips to get water in 5 miniature plastic cups. As we were not too hungry, four of us shared a plate of fried rice (don't remember the name of the dish), which came with pieces of sausages cooked to perfection and an egg placed over the rice. I must say that it was pretty good. My friend tried a veggie dish and she loved it too. Not sure if I would go to this place again. I don't know if they were trying to promote a hip ambiance, but for sure they did a bad job at it. The noise level; OMG annoyingly loud.
(3)Brendan D.
Came here about a month ago because it was late on a Friday night, and my flight from SD had been delayed, so I think I touched down at like 11pm? I was really craving bottomless thai iced tea because I know there are a couple places in Davis that have it, and I decided to go with this place. When I first entered with two other friends, we were immediately greeted, seated, and informed that orders are placed and paid for up front by the cashier. I think this must have been around 11:45, and appetizers get like half off or something at midnight, as well as cocktails, so my friends and I decided to wait out those 15 minutes. I ordered the spicy pork noodle and bottomless thai iced tea. I was somewhat indecisive about what cocktail to get, so I asked the cashier what her recommendation was, and she said the Sour Skittle and informed me that it's actually not listed on the menu. I LOVE SOUR SKITTLES, so I immediately ordered one too. Food and drinks came out in a timely manner, and since I was starving, I immediately proceeded to devour my food. My friend got their fries appetizer( I forget the name). It was nice that it had some bacon, cheese, onions, and some asian peppers to give it a little twist, and they were 4$ during happy hour, but no way I would pay 8$ for that. I was a little bit sad at the portion of my noodles, and I thought it was a tad small for the price, but overall I really enoyed the flavor. There was spice and peanut flavor as well as ground pork throughout the noodles. The only thing I really wish about the dish was that there had been more sauce because it felt quite dry to me. But, overall I think it's a nice late night spot to be. If I were around Davis more often, I would definitely come here on Fridays and weekends. I saw a few people chilling here on there laptops, so I also think there is free wifi.
(4)Michelle L.
Love the vegetarian options and endless Thai Iced Tea. It's a great place to study, chat with friends, or watch the baseball game :) The people are also super nice and will help you with anything. The restaurant also has one of the best looking interiors I've seen in Davis.
(5)Amy T.
Finally came here after 4 years in Davis, always hear mix feelings about Red 88. So first impression, pretty interesting place really chill. the waiter was so nice and helpful, even we had a large group and we couldn't decide what we wanted and kept going back to the waiter to order other stuff. For Happy Hour, $11 dollar for a pitcher for blue moon. I guess its pretty decent compare you to when you buy a cup for around $3. For their thai ice teas, they refill it for you for $3 pretty good. For most places they don't even offer to refill it for you. So I guess their thai fries are one of the better places to get them. I had some, and I have to say. I like my original place more. The fries here aren't as fresh and they don't have all the other stuff that I like on it. Pretty okay place, but pricey for a college town. They charged us 17% gratitude because we had more than 6 people and they don't let you use credit card if you are under $20.
(3)Kristin B.
My favorite place to eat in Davis. The service is always great (except once when some waitress wouldn't refill a thai iced tea because someone else took a sip, but oh well, I digress). My first visit here was with my 4 yr old cousin who wouldn't eat any of the spicy food we ordered so the owner? brought out some congee for him (so nice!). Most other time has been a normal experience, not even bothering us when we sit and study while drinking our bottomless thai iced teas. Though I have to mention the last time I went, our waiter was just over the top fantastic. He gave our table free thai iced coffees and refilled our water and tea every time we drank half of it. Then when we asked if we could buy the chili sauce, he didn't know the price, so he just gave us a few teaser-sized to-go containers to hold us over until we could come back next time to buy it. Basically, great food and drinks, great service, I'm going back tonight.
(5)Stephen S.
I ate their pork dumplings appetizer - what a mistake. They seemed to be filled with some mystery meat. My friend had one and there was a shrimp tail inside. I threw up the next morning. Avoid this place at all costs.
(1)Jay K.
I'd give it a solid 3.5 stars rounded off to 4. Just found this place by accident. We were impressed by Net/Nette, the waitress. Very friendly and explained everything well, including their great selection of 4 chili condiments. That was a very nice presentation of chilis... all delicious. Nette described the duck broth. And I was not disappointed. You could taste the pride in preparing the duck and it's broth. Really good. Just wished they had more noodles in the bowl as I went through it quickly.
(4)Jennifer H.
Absolutely loved this place. Went on a Sunday afternoon and it was very quiet and laid back. We got the cream cheese wontons, spring rolls, jalapeno poppers, asian style fries and the vegetable chow mein. Everything was very delicious. We will be going back! Especially since there's so much more on the menu that we want to try!
(5)Diana L.
The only reason I'm giving this place such a low rating is for it's customer service. I have never in my life been so rudely talked to by a waiter. Let's start with the good things. The food was pretty good, I was out with some friends bar hopping and grabbing some appetizers. We ordered the veggie spring rolls ( nothing too good). I was kinda disappointed when I hear spring rolls, I think Vietnamese spring rolls and not egg rolls. I was with my vegan friend and those rolls were definitely not vegan, but I didn't have the heart to tell her :( Main course: I tried the ka-rew noodles. They were unique, though a bit soggy. Not enough noodles or ingredients. The bowl was huge but there was barely any food in there. The tofu inside also had a bit of a rancid taste. Drinks: So I ordered there thai ice tea, because I had a good experience the last time I went, but last night it way too sweet. I had so much water just to get it to taste somewhat like tea and not like sugar water and milk. My other friends ordered a super FML, which seemed to thoroughly enjoy. (She was pretty much sent for the whole night). My other friend ordered the Red 88 special (I think) and apparently it tastes like a cosmopolitan. Just for the food and drinks, I would give Red 88 a solid 3.5 / 5! Now for the customer service. Let me start with, I had forgotten my ID that night and I was simply there to hang out with friends. So I asked to try my friend's drink (just a sip) and this waiter (tall and white guy), walks over and warns us in fairly raised voice that he needed to see my ID. I told the guy politely that I had forgotten my ID. He then went on about how they would need to enforce certain consequences if I did that again. Pause. A fair warning and a simple, "Can you please refrain from doing that?" would have been fine. There is no need to THREATEN your customers. Next my friend who's sitting next to me who didn't order a drink, starts to help my other friend with her super FML. The same waiter comes back and proceeds to announce loudly (I swear the whole restaurant could hear us) that he would not give us any more drinks and we should finish them then leave. All my friends were flabbergasted and we all asked why. He then went on to assume my friend who was sharing the drink did not have ID. She then went on and pulled out her ID and showed it to him. Pause. There was no need to embarrass your customers in front of the whole restaurant, embarrass them then expect a tip. This is not how you gain returning customers. Let's say after this fiasco, I was thoroughly very upset and I was very unwilling to tip. Why should I tip you for threatening and embarrassing me? While understand the severity of the situations, a fair warning would have been fine. It's not like this is the first time I have been to a restaurant. WARNING: Do not even try to share drinks, without being harassed by the waiters. On the other hand, the other waiters were very friendly the entire night and I am sorry that I happened to be serviced by that one very rude waiter. A little side note: I overheard the table next to us complaining about being charged for something at the end of the meal. They were very surprised about this surprise payment that appeared and they seemed very upset about it. CONCLUSION: If you come here, I would just get your drinks and go. Staying here is not pleasant at all. Being disrespected out of nowhere while you are trying to enjoy yourselves has no place. I doubt I'll come back here anymore.
(2)Yvonne N.
So I've been here quite a few times and my best guess for not having reviewed it yet is because I'm always drunk after I leave this place and then hungover the next day! Why, you ask? One word: FML! They have this incredible cocktail that's both strong and tasty, brilliantly named FML. I didn't know strong and tasty was possible until now! It even comes with a shot in the straw..and the best part: you get a full tall glass for only $5. I like to consider myself NOT a cheap date..but if I was ever on a date that involved one of these bad boys, that's exactly what I'd be. It only takes one to get me pretty buzzed..who knows what two would do....I'd rather not experiment. As for the food, from what I recall, was never that amazing and never left me impressed. Not that it was bad food, though. This is our after party spot when the cow bells signal our cue to leave Sudwerks. Service is always great, always open late, never a wait. Hey, I found you guys a motto!
(3)Kat L.
Closed by health inspector... Why would I be back for food. The food is sub-par and the service is horrible. Maybe a place to go after you get drunk and your tastes buds aren't caring what you are eating.
(1)Vivian l.
This.. is the WORSE... CUSTOMER..SERVICE... I HAVE EVER RECEIVED.. let me start by asking any of you. Has a MANAGER ever told you to shush because he was talking ? Has a WORKER ever straight up told you that you were wrong and threw a drink in your face?? Has a manager ever threatened to look at security cameras to prove you were wrong (even though he admitted before that you were right?). Probably not right? Well that's what happened at red88. Came here on Saturday night. Ordered fmls and everything wad fine. Up until we asked for another round for TWO (NOT THREE). The waiter argued with us telling us to be adults and to shush. We were not drunk nor belligerent. What he should have been worried about was the freaking drunk guy next to us that was drooling all over his effing table. The workers and manager gave the drunk fool better service than our sober table. I will NEVER EVER come here, recommend anyone to come here. The manager and waiters are d-bags.. they have no sense of what good customer service is and they are rude as f*ck. its sad cause they KNOW they can be douche bags and get away with it. Davis students PLEASE do not go here.
(1)Christopher L.
TLDR: - Off-tasting weird food. An attempt at a modern spin on east-west fusion food - basically smashing together two ethnic cuisines and hoping for a good outcome - usually ends up badly. - Despite bad food, service is good.
(1)Bethany S.
So, the food was ok, nothing special really. I had the spicy silver noodle, and I've got to tell you, it wasn't spicy and had almost no taste. Very bland. Pricing was ok but there's a 5$ delivery fee. The crab wontons were very tasty, but its pretty hard to screw up crab wontons. I'll give these guys another chance either way, they have potential, and its possible there's something there that just might wow me.
(2)Jennifer W.
eh. came here for dinner once with a friend. i ordered some noodles with roast duck $9. the roast duck was suppose to be like the roast duck you get at those chinese poultry. the noodles was just ramen. it was literally ramen with roast duck. -_- i was HELLLAAA salty! i didn't know ramen with roast duck was suppose to have HELLLAA salt! yuck. i came here a few times at night with friends when we are bar hopping. since red 88 and ket are under the same ownership, they have some deals. such as--- spend $10 at red 88 and ONE person won't have to pay that $2 (with valid UCD ID) or $5 (general admission, WITHOUT valid UCD ID) cover charge. so we usually get the a draft of blue moon and that's about $14 and maybe a FML $7? which is suppose to be the wiki's daddy?! i don't remember, but it taste like candy. HAHA the vibe is alright. this place used to be Thai 2K and i always love the sink in the restroom. LOL its AMAZING!!! the decor is dark with a red light. i guess red because of their name? its CASH only! they have an ATM machine. it sucks that they only take CASH. their service is alright. but sometimes i feel like they rush us to drink and leave. O_O hellooo!! we're not done yet!! sheesh. it is also open late.. 2pm till i don't know when. AFTER ket closes. AHHA i guess to get business from all the drunkies who were at ket. CASH ONLY!
(2)Cassandra P.
The food is O.K. The drinks are terrible. I've never been treated so poorly, or had friends treated as poorly as I experienced at this place. Wouldn't recommend it.
(1)Marlon T.
I came here after drinking at Davis Beer Shoppe just to try the food. The service was good and the food was more than decent. I don't really even remember what I ordered but it was pretty delicious. We did get some Homemade Jalapeno Poppers though which had too much cream cheese in them. I didn't try any of the drinks but supposedly this is the place to get down to business (drinking business). The atmosphere was nice inside--cool lighting. Everything is red. Maybe I'll come back one day for drinks but since I'm an alumni (2008), maybe it's time to go explore other cities.
(4)Eunyoung L.
Red88 is always fun to come to because of the atmosphere (with that said, be prepared for loud drunk college students at nighttime). Their food isn't bad either, which is a plus. I usually get the fried rice or the duck noodle soup and the Thai tea is bottomless! I think the place is worth a try.
(3)David O.
Been here once for takeout and once for dinner. If you're craving Asian spicy foods, look no further. I've had the Thai style wings, spicy silver noodles, and duck fried rice, all of which I thought were tasty and fulfilling. The waiter was really accommodating as we waited for our friend for a long time. Not that there were any seats, it was pretty empty in fact. One thing, don't get their Asian style fries, its 6 dollars, and not nearly as good as the Thai fries at Vitos down the street. But you can pretty much come here anytime of day, they're open until 3AM, practically everyday. I know I'll be utilizing this when I get late night munchies!
(4)Karen O.
The service left a little to be desired, but the real kicker was the noodles. Soggy and flavorless. Don't do it to yourself. You deserve better!
(1)Janet H.
Don't make the same mistake as me of adding extra spice to the Spicy Pork noodles... you'll end up with tears in your eyes from an extremely picante meal and hiccups at the end... well, that's what happened to me, at least. I think this time around, I ordered and tried new things which were actually pretty good! The Spicy Pork Noodles is a classic, so you can't go wrong with that. According to a server, the spicy mac & cheese is to die for, but I don't think I'm that adventurous yet... and also I think the inner healthy side of me is telling me not to eat that late at night (I've only come here past 1 am)... If you want something to snack on, get the Asian-styled fries. Delicious and easy to share! Oh yeah... if you ever wanna f*** your life, you can literally do it here by drinking an FML cocktail. hahaha. I haven't tried it, but I don't think I'd want to. Service here still sucks, and you tend to get ignored a lot here. It gets loud in here with a lot of drunk college students though... kudos to the servers for dealing with obnoxious people.
(3)Michelle D.
Just ate dinner here. It's not good. The water is unfiltered and tastes terrible so I was thirsty throughout the entire meal. The server was alone in the restaurant and was too busy to be effective in any way. The food looked okay but tasted and smelled funny. I ate about a quarter of my meal and my fiancé ate most of his. The server was too busy to notice that I left most of my meal and turned down a to-go box. My fiancé and I both currently have stomach aches. Won't be coming back here.
(1)Christina S.
I always get the duck noodle soup It's not bad! Pretty expensive for the amount of food you get though. The service is always sort of lackluster. The place is also cash only, which is really inconvenient. There's nothing inherently wrong with Red 88, just nothing redeemingly good. If the service was better and the food was cheaper, I would come here a whole lot more.
(3)Tritia T.
The food wasn't good, or appetizing, or cheap, but it was edible. Extremely expensive. Open late. Honestly, don't come here if you're not drunk already, food is really bad, and I'd rather have Panda Express. And if you're drunk and eating here, prepare to spend the next many hours in the restroom. So, happy eating! =]
(2)Darlene T.
Two things must try!!!! -CURRY UDON please put a lot of Chilli flakes!! (the one that you put on your pepperoni pizza) trust me, me and my friends loveee this dish!!! -THAI FLOAT!!! Vanilla ice cream with thai tea. ask for just that, one that I ordered it they put all these condense milk and tapioca that ruined the taste. ! YUMMY!!!
(4)Chris T.
I came here bar-hopping in Davis for their "FML" drink. The place is pretty neat and service is pretty friendly. I can't resist ordering food from them though because the "bar food" sounds so great. I love their spicy popcorn chicken when I'm drinking but their food prices are a little bit on the expensive side but I can't blame them. This would be one of my stops when bar-hopping, probably just for the food.
(3)Sannie L.
I'm always here for my pre-Ket rounds of FMLs ($8, their answer to Cafe Bernardo's "Wiki") or to sit around with friends with a pitcher of Blue Moon ($14 at non-happy hour). They also have other drinks but they're usually a little light on the alcohol, heavy on the soda, and might be what one would consider a "girly drink." I'd recommend coming here for drinks but the food is just OK. One dish my friends really enjoy is the Red88 Fried Eggs and Rice and I get random cravings for the Asian Fries. If you spend $10 you get a free entry card to Ket and it's always bustling on Thursdays/Fridays. They're open really late so it's a good place to stop by AFTER Ket, too. This place probably makes so much money on after-Ket drunchies.... Solid establishment overall. P.S. $20 minimum on credit cards
(3)Courtney Q.
Hmmmmm, what can I say about red 88? Bottomless Thai iced tea is about the only reason I go here. Be aware though! The glass is really thin and it's filled to the top with ice. I usually have like 5-6 refills in a sitting. They DO let you take home the rest in a to go cup when you leave though, so that's a plus. 1 glass only fills up half the cup though. The food, meh. Everything I've had here is meh to subpar. I'll try the udon next time I go though. It looks pretty good, but from what I've experienced from red 88, I'll be disappointed.
(3)Chris R.
First impression of Red 88 noodle bar : Earlier this week I tried Red 88 noodle bar for the first time only to be throughly disappointed with the overall experience. For starters the nazi demeanor of not allowing outside drinks for whatever various reasons is somewhat understandable. Although I was not very happy with how the Hostess whom seated myself and my date approached the situation; she seemed very condescending & rather rude. The waitress who waited our table was very nice, not the most attentive, but very kind. Luckily the food was great, it made the non attentiveness of the waitress and Hostesses rude introduction bearable. The food makes the experience worth it. The atmosphere of the Restaurant/bar at approximately 8:30 was laid back & nice. You could have a nice conversation without having to raise your voice. I would try this place again, but only with hopes that the things I wasn't too happy about were just a one time thing. The food itself was almost enough to overshadow most of the problems such as the unbearably uncomfortable seats.
(3)John A.
Ordered the dim sum sampler and the roasted duck over rice noodles. Our appetizer came almost 20 minutes after the waitress brought us our entrees. I guess it wasn't an appetizer, but more a desert. What disappointed me the most was that, just like Ket Mo Ree, the duck was frozen before it was cooked. This gave it that old, freeze dried taste. I can't understand why it was even served. Absolutely terrible. Our very late appetizer had the same old taste. The pork dumplings were nothing like pork, but instead a bland mix of disgusting, bringing out the same off-setting flavor as the unsettling duck. There was also a soggy spinach wrap that made me want to throw up. When we got our check they charged us $7.00 for a $5.96 dim sum sampler. Completely disappointed in this place. Maybe they should focus more of their efforts on the actual food they serve, rather than the pretty pictures of each item advertised on the HD television screens. Our mediated nation strikes again.
(1)Donna T.
Been here before but my most recent visit here with Faddy was a very pleasant one :) Came here on a Friday night around 9PM and it wasn't too crowded. Walked in without acknowledgment, which was awkward, but they made it up with great service! Food: B+ Based on the Asian Fries, Crispy Rad Nar CRN and Duck Noodle Soup DNS. Asian fries was...unique! Basically crispy fries drenched in ranch-like sauce with bacon bites. Faddy loves fries so we tried this and it was fairly good. It technically was free with the "$5 Off $20 bill" coupon. I wouldn't spend the money on it but will try for free ;) The CRN comes with A LOT of noodles, good portions of meat, and lots of sauce! The dish comes fairly big portioned so count on your money's worth! Taste-wise, the sauce is zesty and spicy which gives the dish a flavorful kick or else I'd be just eating regular Pan-fried noodles from OTH or Quicklys. Definitely try it out. DNS tasted alright. Faddy ordered it and enjoyed how the duck meats were already chopped up. The soup was thick as Mindy Y. mentioned and flavorful in a unique way. The proportion of sweet and salty were balanced for this dish. However this dish is not for those who want LOTS of duck....expect more for the combination of soup and duck. Drinks: A Based on Thai Ice Tea. One of the best thai teas around...I love sweet and endless refills- Red 88 has got it!!! Comes in a fancy, long glass and the servers made my refills from scratch- not from a pre-mixed container. SO LEGIT :) Service: B+ Although we weren't promptly greeted at the door even when there was not many customers, their otherwise consistent friendly service made up for it! Our server was a nice lady who attended to us frequently and her co-servers even caught that my glass was empty and refilled it quickly. Very fast and friendly. Location/Ambiance: B+ I love their trendy interior decorations, bar area, and dim lighting. There are also hanging, red lanterns and TV! My only gripe is that the place is too small for its own popularity ;) Prices: B Hm...so it's not dirt cheap for college students but not ridiculous swanky like KetMoRee (their sister restaurant)...this place would be good for a nice dinner date! Not too fancy but pleasant enough that your date will love it ;) Cash and Credit! TL;DR? If you're feeling SWANKY like a college student, stop here for a nice dinner date with GREAT food and service! Don't feel bad if your wallet is burning a hole through your pants later, it was worth it :) SWEET Thai Ice Tea, YUM!
(4)Jack L.
Being one of the few restaurants in Davis opened past 9, I decided to give this place a shot. Me and my friend ordered two bowls of noodle soups (veggie soup and the duck on), and neither of us were particularly impressed with the quality. The soup had a strong flavor, but it just didn't taste all that great with the noodles and the vegetables. Relative to other restaurants in the area, I would say the noodle soups are average quality and decently priced (about $7-$9 per bowl). However, the appetizers were way overpriced in my opinion. Asian-style fries for $6 and Popcorn chicken for $5?? Definitely better value elsewhere. Nonetheless, the service was good and the place had a good modern feel to it. I wouldn't highly recommend this place to noodle lovers consider that there are definitely better options around this area.
(3)Michael K.
$20.00 minimum for credit card purchases. In-house ATM with service fee. Ground meat instead of higher quality cuts. Deep desire to end own life
(2)Lillian D.
Red 88 has definitely improved since it first opened. The menus look cleaner and fuller, and the ambiance is a bit more appealing. But I still wouldn't come here any time other than happy hour. Red 88, Ketmoree, & now University of Beer are all owned by the same people, so be on the lookout for interconnected deals (discounts, waived cover at Ket, etc.). Danielle. I don't know what crawled up her ass and died that night, but she was extremely rude to us when she was taking our order. She talked down to my boyfriend when he was trying to put in his order, and completely ignored me to talk to a coworker when I was trying to put in mine. (Note that were were courteous and sober.) I've noticed that the entire Red 88 staff treats all their customers as though they're disgusting drunks. Some people MAY be completely trashed from the multiple Wikis they had over at Bernardo's, but that doesn't mean you should treat everyone like scum. I understand drunks can be ridiculous to deal with, and working late into the night when everyone is having fun gets annoying. However, stress and irritation are NEVER excuses for bad customer service. If you can't handle the stress and control your emotions for the sake of good service, you're obviously in the WRONG line of work. Go do janitorial stuff or find a proper daytime job. Complaints aside, I'd say the food is passable. During happy hour, appetizers are $4, and some drinks are $5, while cocktails are $1 off. The popcorn chicken is scant, and the "Asian Fries" are not something I'd eat if I didn't have some booze to go with it. *A warning to rude service people: If you treat me like trash and I have done nothing to warrant your actions, I WILL find out your name and I WILL NOT hesitate to report you. I am a big proponent of businesses that boast good service. I don't expect you to kiss my ass and lick my toes, but I do expect you to interact with me as a fellow human being; especially as one who's contributing, however minimally, to your employment. Management, if you fail to get your act together and to clean up your staff, it's not ridiculous to say your business will be doomed to falter.
(1)Fabiana L.
This place is SO GOOD. We randomly stopped here on our way home from vacation, not knowing what to expect. The food tasted fresh and was so full of flavor. The veggie spring rolls are incredible - light and not greasy like some. The chicken chow mien was one of the best we ever had. I asked for the crispy rad nar with tofu and veggies instead of lamb. It wasn't on the menu, but the chef had no problem accommodating my request. And I am so glad he did because it was AMAZING. Everything just tasted so fresh!! The prices are beyond reasonable and the portions are quite generous - we both took leftovers home. The bottomless thai ice tea for $3 is a great deal- and the waitress was on top of the refills- I didn't have to flag her down once. Speaking of waitresses - the service was great. Very friendly, fast and efficient. We didn't stay for happy hour or the late night drink specials, but if I lived in town, I would definitely go back!! Nice ambiance, fresh food, friendly staff and reasonable prices. Can't beat that!
(4)Charla A.
It's 2AM and you just left Ketmoree after a Thursday night of debauchery - where do you turn? I'll admit, menu items here (or anywhere, for that matter) taste a bajillion times better while under the influence. After eating here in the right state of mind, I can comfortably say that I would give them an average rating. I can't take spicy foods! the smallest hint of spice will force me to finish a whole glass of water - with that said, there was a limited selection as to what i could have chosen. i ended up with the shrimp dumpling & noodle soup, which was okay. i forgot what my friend got, but he liked it. large portions, okay quality. strong drinks... well, strong drinks. i would go here to drink.
(3)Renee S.
My boyfriend and I had Valentines day dinner at Red 88 noodle bar. The staff was wonderful. We had a groupon certificate. We started with crab wontons. They were nice and tasty. The waiter brought 3 different spicy level sauces. I luv spicy sauces so I did a combination. We ordered several cocktails through out our dinner experience. We had The Red 88, Red rocket and Happy ending. The drinks yummy. . Our main entrees we ordered chicken chow mein and Thai Barbeque Pork. Both were very tasty. The whole experience for really nice. The prices were average. All in all. I would recommend Red 88 noodle bar.
(4)Hev Z.
I would give it 3.5 stars if there was a half star. Food here is decent. I usually just get the appetizers after the bars, shrimp dumplings, sui mai, chicken wings, they're all good. It's a little pricey but at that point, who cares, I'm hungry. I only tried a few entres, the noodle soups. It doesn't come with much but it's actually quite filling. Again, price a little deep. Staff has always been friendly when I go in.
(4)Alvin W.
Came here before ket to get their FML + free ket entrance for every $10 you use here. FML can be strong, its basically a different version of the wiki. Lines can be quite crowded here from 11pm till closing. They also have a stamp card system, be sure to ask them for one!
(4)Letitia Z.
Had their duck noodles and it's pretty damn good! my all time favorite is the thai style fried rice with asian sausages ! sooooooo good! not a fan of asian sausages but my housemates got me into this dish! Anyway also a good place to eat late night since it's open til 3. However, the server are rude most of all the time....I guess that's there way of dealing with drunk college students. I would recommend this place if you're getting the munchies or just wana catch up with a friend. I like the atmosphere there!
(4)Jen T.
FML is claimed to be the Wiki's Daddy! i couldnt agree more! this is seriously a "FML" drink.
(3)Teresa C.
Tried the spicy breaded eggplant with rice. It was a special the waiter recommended. It was pretty good. Service was exceptionally amazing as well (:
(4)Kristina L.
Great Midnight snack after a hard day of moving to a new apt. # times here: 6 Setting: This is where thai2K used to be but owned by the same person. I came around 11ish, forgot it was CASH ONLY, so i had to go to the bank which is on E street (not to far away) so remember to bring CASH! The waiter kept our glasses filled at all times, yet we were the only people he need to pay attention to cause we were the only ones there @ this time! The good thing about this place is even if your under 21, you can still be out after hours! Dish: Spicy silver noodle This dish was supper good and flavorful! It had a good amount of spice however, of course I like to make mine extra spicy, so they have 3 types of spice and I sprinkled extra to my dish to make it even better than it was! There was a good amount of pork to noodle ratio! FML: FML FML FML ME all the way! This drink is amazing and is just as harmful as the wikki, Silent but Deadly! Pick your poison!
(4)Dean S.
Best crab wonton
(5)Lily S.
When they get it right they get it right, when they get it wrong I get annoyed but they are always accommodating when you give them feedback on dishes. Pros: They change up items on the menu fairly often which keeps it interesting. Seating for large parties almost always available. Delicious vegetarian options even though I'm not a vegetarian. Friendly waitstaff. Ultra classy modern bathroom with crazy art sink. Punch card frequent buyer type deal. Open late- I sometimes stop here after work even though it's not really a wind down and relax kind of place. Overall the noodle dishes are delish. The assortment of chili sauces is awesome! Cons (these are subjective to my personal taste! Others might find these things super awesome): TV's visible everywhere, so if there's any sports fans in your party say sayonara to their attention. Like most restaurants in Davis the acoustics suck so if it's busy the noise is overwhelming. Again, some people never notice this. Appetizers definitely hit or miss. Don't recommend the chicken poppers. The cash only thing is irritating- the revolution of ATM sales people convincing restaurant owners to put these ATM's with exorbitant fees and only accept cash in their restaurants has got to end. I'm a business owner too and I accept credit card fees as the cost of doing business. Merchant service rates are so competitive now that it's definitely worth the customer good will not to pull this nonsense. Overall I like this place and I sincerely hope they stay in business. Sleepy Davis needs late night food!
(4)Robin T.
so yummy! had the shrimp wonton was amazing! all the soups we got were great! looks like a fun place for drinks also. will definitely go back again!
(4)Kristina N.
Came here after bar-hopping in downtown Davis. The one good thing about this place is that it's open late (until 3am!) and provides an alternative to late-night drunk fast food. However, the appetizers are overpriced and small-portioned. We ordered the $6 wontons and it was 6 small pieces that probably added up to the size of 2 wontons. Come here for a place to chill and wind-down your night, but don't expect the best food.
(2)Sonya A.
This place was disgusting! I walk in and it literally smells like a bathroom throughout the entire place. Like open a window or something. Nothing wrong with the service. No complaints there. But the food. Man, the food was pretty terrible. I ordered chicken chow mein. Probably the worst I've ever had. My friend got duck soup, it was alright. The place is really loud (it is a noodle bar). Anyways, no. Don't go here. Unless maybe you're drunk. The place is open til 3 am!
(2)Kosmo Z.
I have only been here once and ordered the duck noodle soup. The workers were super friendly and nice. The lady or possibly owner of this restaurant even brought out 4 kinds of chilli for me to try. It tasted even more with the chilli, sadly the food was a bit greasy. I guess that's a bit expected..
(3)Michele P.
I came here during the day with my bf and we ordered the Thai BBQ Pork and Spicy Silver Noodles. They were both okay; nothing to rave about. We also ordered the Thai Iced Tea, which is great that it's bottomless, but a bit to sweet for my taste. We asked if it could be made less sweet, but "diluting it with water" wasn't really the answer we were looking for. The prices are pretty cheap, but I probably won't be coming back for the food - maybe I'll try Red 88 again for their drinks. They seem like they are more bar oriented than restaurant oriented anyways.
(2)Dean W.
For me, Red 88 is known for an expensive menu of Asian fusion cuisine and small portions. However, the addition of beer towers just made the place a little better. Usually $40, there's 10 beers per tower. However, the price is dropped to $30 on Wednesdays. This concept reminds of Chug pub except Red 88's tower only has the Thai lager and no complementary nachos or fries to go along with it. I guess at roughly $3 per beer, its not too bad of a deal especially when there's entertainment (referring to the drunk girl acting a fool and eventually puking all over the place and had to be carried out of the restaurant. GG I say)
(3)Bonnie S.
First time I came here was during happy hour on a Thursday and boy was this place packed. Good service for the amount of people there were. Our group ordered appetizers. Fries, popcorn chicken, and crab wontons. The fries were tasty and different. The popcorn chicken was not so good, the dipping sauce was too sour for me. The crab wontons were the the show stealer of the night. They were crispy and tasty.Yes it lacked a good amount of crab but it was cheesy the way I like it. I've never seen a restaurant serve it with the sauce they do. Which is the perfect balance of tangy but sweet like honey. I came back the next day just to have some more of these babies. They deserve 4 stars for the crab wontons alone.
(4)B H.
Walked by the restaurant many times when going out in Davis. Decided to stop by to grab a bite. We were seated promptly, and were served with water quickly. The server took our order a few minutes after we were seated. He recommended that we try the Popcorn chicken along with our noodle entries. The Popcorn chicken came out slightly burnt, overcooked, and extremely dry and fibrous as if it had been fried hours before and left under a heat lamp only to be reheated upon ordering. When I brought the matter up with our waiter, he responded with little care and extreme skepticism. Within minutes he brought out another plate of Popcorn chicken and was very inconsiderate and curt. After finishing 50% of the plate we found a hair under one of the pieces of chicken. I decided to escalate this to the manager who appeared unconcerned and dismissed that there was any problem. She made it seem as if we had planted the hair. We were only comped half of the entree despite having issues with the entree twice. We paid for our meal and as we were leaving, our exit was blocked by an overgrown ape/bouncer. This ape felt as if he had something to prove. We told him we would like to leave, but didn't move until 5 seconds later. TL:DR Poor customer service with little consideration and respect from management, fast food style appetizers, disrespectful waiter, unnecessary use of bouncers at a restaurant, and hair in food. First and last.
(1)Tiffany K.
Red 88 Noodle Bar - great little spot for happy hour and fries, but skip on the authentic Asian food experience. A couple of signs: Sign #1: Fries are a side dish. Never seen French fries as a bona fide side order in an Asian restaurant, not in these neck of the woods at least. Sign #2: We were the only ones there. Now, in a town like Davis where the locals would know the 411, you'd think this place would have some customers on a Sunday. Maybe it's because the locals know better? So you see where I'm going with this. Red 88 is great if you are into their happy hour, which ends at 5:00 pm. I noticed that pints were cheap during that time, but I don't recall the price! It's got that college-y vibe to it. A bar takes over the back of the restaurant, you have flat screen TVs showing the latest sports as well as rotating images of the dishes you can order. As for the food, husband got the duck fried rice ($6) which was admittedly good. But I've never met a duck dish I haven't liked. I got the tofu with wide rice noodles ($8). Now the problem with showing screen shots of how your order should look is that you expect it to look like that. Mine didn't look like that. Lacking the greens on top and having rice noodles overcooked so that they were turning to noodle pieces, I sent it back. Second time around, the noodles were intact, but the dish itself was lacking overall. Excellent service, spacious wooden booth seating, but if you are in the mood for authentic Thai/Asian-fusion, then this wouldn't fit your bill. Oh and it's CASH ONLY. Another reason for three stars.
(3)Sam B.
I had the duck noodles (don't remember the exact name). More good than bad. It was heavily seasoned. Salty as the Red Sea. MSG-based dish...disgusting, seriously. For a non-broth noodle dish, there was way too much liquid. Might as well put the dish under the soup noodle section. Portion looked small in their big bowl but it was not bad...but quality over quantity, duh. I was surprised that there was not more of the Chinese veggie which was the most enjoyable part other than the duck meat. The good about Red 88 was that my bowel movement came much faster (an unexpected) and with much less effort. Not sure if that's a good thing on their part. Service was beyond mediocre. Not going to elaborate but if I pay for my food, I will sit there for as long as my buttock pleases, coprendo?
(1)Tiffany N.
I really don't like this place. I don't know why we my friends and I keep coming back. The last night I tried their food, I got some kind of clear noodle and it was extremellyyyyyyy salty. I decided from that day forth, I wouldn't be going back for their food. I've stuck to my guns. I do go back every once and awhile for their deal with Ket. For every 10 bucks you spend, you get a free admission to Ket. Pretty much, if you don't wait around at the crowded bar at Ket, you could go to Red 88 and buy drinks there. Drink. Spend 10 bucks and get into Ket for "free". Service is really crappy. When they know you're only there to drink, the service is bad. They basically ignore you. Drinks taste like juice. 90% juice 10% watered down alcohol. What is this CASH ONLY crap?! Get with the times already. I do believe they have an ATM machine but probably charges you an arm and a leg to withdrawal money. Yeah, this place blows.
(1)Amy G.
The food is not bad but its not the best either. The service was great and attentive but does not mean that they can charge that much for noodles and fried rice.
(3)Larry H.
Despite its name, Red 88 does more than just noodles. They've got a selection of rice dishes, appetizers and other goodies. Red 88 does nothing wrong, but also does nothing spectacular. Well now, ain't this place a little dim? And whomever thought that wooden booth seating without cushions was comfortable was wrong. Had I not checked the time, I would have thought it was 10 p.m. and time for a few cocktails. The Asian Style Fries are an interesting twist on regular old fries with spiced ranch, and garnished with bacon bits and peppers. Fun. Pork dumplings were good as well, but not 6 dollars good! Time to talk noodles. I had the Roasted Duck Soup. The broth was good and flavorful. Need that extra kick? Ask for the spice rack. The roast duck cutlets that were in the soup were already de-boned -- much appreciated. But the noodles... I don't believe the noodles were made in house or made fresh at the least. The noodles clumped together -- reminiscent of the prepackaged egg noodles you can find at the supermarket. The service was friendly and attentive -- casual folk, ya? They have a stamp card with which you can take $10 dollars off your next bill once you've got 10 stamps (10 items) on the card. Not bad, not great, and certainly not memorable.
(3)Jessica Z.
The douche bag bartender didn't know how to make a Mai tai which is a bar norm. As he was looking at his notebook of recipes I knew it wasn't going to turn out rt. so I gave him the benefit of the doubt and waited patiently for him to finish. I get my drink, taste it and it's like drinking straight pucker! I have my friends each take a sip just to confirm before I go back to ask him to fix it. Everyone of them agreed it was not made correctly. So I go Back and politely ask him if he could remake the drink as it did not taste right. Immediately he gets defensive and snaps back at me saying it was made right and that he wasn't going to remake anything! I was astonished bc if you go to any other reputable place, if you say anything is wrong with anything they will ask no questions and fix it. But oh not him, he must have felt confident since he had a notebook to guide him. Ha! My friend had gotten a speciality drink that had whipped cream that was stronger than mine, plus it was about 1.50 cheaper which still baffles me. The bartender then instructs me to speak with the manager (yet another dumb douche bag frat boy) if I want to complain. I go over with my friends drink in hand (she didn't want it anymore saying it was too strong for her) and I let him know the situation. He tells me if I wanted it strong I should have asked for 2 shots. I replied and said uh NO it tastes like there's no alcohol whatsoever. I myself am a lightweight and have no desire to have my throat on fire after a gulp of any drink. So then in frustration I say forget it just make me what my friend has, he says ok and storms off to the bar. As he is talking to the bartender telling him to remake my drink I demand for a refund of the diff in the price of my drink and my friends. He says NO bc he's remaking me a drink already (wtf is that about? Is it MY fault your bartender doesn't know how to make a simple drink??!) this was more so about the principle not a measly $1.50 but he refused that as well! I said eff it, watched the bartender remake my drink like a hawk and downed it. The manager happens to walk by and say, oh and btw I tried the drink, it was made rt. I said WHAT?! Like he actually put his lips on a total strangers cup to TRY a drink? I told him he was foul and oh and that I had herpes, bastards.
(1)Ida T.
My boyfriend and I always have a great experience eating here. The food's always good, and the waiters/waitresses are friendly. I've never had anything here that wasn't tasty. I love how more times than not, the staff is concerned with getting the spice level of the dishes up to my desired level of spicy (unlike other restaurants that seem to disregard my request for making a dish spicier). We never have to wait long, and they have reasonable prices. I'd the mixed fries appetizer, the pork or shrimp dumplings, the roasted duck noodle soup, the spicy pork noodle, and the pork with silver noodle dish. Not sure why everyone else on yelp seems to dislike this place, but it's one of my favorite places to eat, and I happen to be a very picky eater.
(4)Elizabeth S.
Pretty good, standard service, pretty okay food- the appetizer sampler was kinda gross though; definitely microwaved. Duck soup was pretty tasty, and their bottomless Thai Iced tea is pretty okay. Nothing really stands out for me here, though.
(3)Jennifer Y.
I don't know why this place has such bad reviews, the food really is good. It is so difficult to find a restaurant that makes a vegetarian pho (normally, the broth is beef or chicken stock), but this place has quite a few vegetarian options, easily identified on the menu. The veggie soup is the most similar to a legitimate pho (despite some of the veggies being different), and the curry noodles are pretty good too. I came with a couple of carnivores, and they did enjoy the meat-based options as well (especially if you're a fan of spicy food). We were here for the happy hour deals, which aren't that good. Their specialty drinks were ok. Didn't have any problems at all with the service; our waiter was very attentive and understood our wanting to wait a few minutes for the happy hour. He was also able to give us free passes to Ket! The only complaint -- he could have mumbled less, but not a big deal at all.
(4)Mai M.
I ordered Wonton shrimp soup & the BBQ pork. The soup was absolutely disgusting!! There was basically no shrimp in there, just a tiny pea-sized shrimp and the "wonton" was just random flour noodles thrown in. Basic ramen noodles taste better than this nasty dish. The BBQ pork tasted okay, but for $8 I only got a few pieces. Waste of my time & my money! This place is way overpriced and the food is not good. There are way better places to eat in Davis than this.
(1)Stan T.
This place open late on the weekdays until 3 a.m. so it's definitely a good place to go to if you have late study sessions. All their dishes are average just like other restaurants. The noodle soup items are a little more unique. Each has its own flavor. You can mix some up yourself with the sauces that they'll bring to your table. The appetizers are a little pricy for the portion you'll get. The only good one is Asian style fries (pretty expensive at $6). The ambiance can be romantic and intimate. Could be a possible place for a date but only during early dinner. As it gets toward 9 p.m. it can be pretty loud. The place serves as an 'off-site' bar to the 'night-club' Ketmoree across the street (operated by same owner). +1 for bottomless Thai iced tea. Conclusion is it's a good place to go to late at night if you want something a little more decent than the regular fast food.
(3)Roxanne B.
This is a very simple cafe-like restaurant with excellent food. I am addicted to their Rad Na...that broth, the spices...the noodles. I love it. I'm sure other things on the menu are good too; I just need to tear myself away from the Rad Na long enough to order something else. This place is one of the few late night eateries in Davis too.
(4)Aileen Y.
I've had one thing here: Shrimp dumplings. There were about six dumplings on the plate... six, oh so tiny dumplings. I think I paid around 10 bucks for this meal, including tax and tip. Will I be returning? I think you, fellow Yelper, know the answer to this question.
(2)Stephanie T.
Finally got around to coming here one late night after bar hopping. Great that it's open late but unfortunate it's CASH ONLY. Tried the Asian style fries, jalapeno poppers, and their spicy popcorn chicken. Portions were decent, possible to share with another person. As for taste, it was mediocre. Definitely had better elsewhere but when your trying to sober up, anything tastes good. An A-OK place with A-OK food.
(3)Stacey P.
Good Happy Hour Deals $2 Bud Light $3 Blue Moon/Fat Tire $3 Wells I can't say much for the food since I didn't try anything but the Red 88 Noodle Bar had a nice ambiance and it quickly got busy around 10PM on a Saturday night. Good spot to get your drink on and start your night!
(3)Fiona W.
I actually really like the food here. If I want to eat a meal the roasted duck noodle soup= BOMB.COM. Other than that bottomless thai iced teas?! HEAVEN! I think the appetizers are a little overpriced, but they're worth it during happy hour! Other than that I think my friend ordered shrimp dumplings and shui mai before, and they were really good, but like I said they're pretty expensive for dim sum, in my opinion. ALSO! Their chicken wangs are pretty bomb toooo! I don't think I've ever eaten anything here that I didn't like... I just had to knock down a star because one time my friend had a drink and they took it away at 1:57am. LOL hey she still had a full 3 minutes to finish it!
(4)Robert S.
I love this place. The late night staff and the owners are are very friendly and with the great service, I will keep going back. I have had ... Spicy Pork Noodles 5 Star Chicken Chow Mein 5 Star BBQ Pork 4 Star Rice and Fried Egg 5 Star Pork Dumplings 5 Star Crispy Won Tons 4 Star Nutella Won Tons 4 Star Corn Cakes(tod mun) 5 Star
(4)M See Y.
Hum...slightly over price for Asian truck driver food. The joint is limited in lighting, apparently. We sat at the booth so we had the glowing neon light from the bar and street lamps. We order: 1) Thai fries (translation: fast food fries w/ the typical 'special sushi' sauce and chili flakes) 2) Thai wings (translation: the same darn thing as the Chinese spicy wings!) 3) Duck noodle soup (translation: Pho broth w/ more star anise taste and duck meat from the Chinese restaurant) Verdict: Over all the food was "OK" - hence my rating above. Nothing killer (unless if you're talking about the chili tray which may very be killer in a different form). I guess after spending no more than 8 bucks on noodle soup from SF and Oakland, the Red Bar was over priced. But a buck or two more ain't that bad. I won't be heading back. It's one of those places that is jam pack w/ loud stupid college students so you just have to experience it ONCE and then on to the next one.
(3)A S.
I would give a 0 star rating but, sadly, I cannot. There are many options in downtown Davis and none could be as bad as this place. I stopped in for a quick lunch, ordered a noodle dish, and was served an over-spiced dish that could only have been the result of a trip-n-spill accident in the kitchen. There was so much ground pepper on surface, that scraping it off was an ineffective means of defense. When I complained, the manager/owner/whatever she suggested she could replace part of the dish, but could could not replace the meat. I felt bad for the lad who had to deliver me this news, but not as bad as I feel for any future customers who go here. If you make a mistake on someone's order, you should fix it!
(1)Herbert S.
There is one important feature to Red 88 that I forgot to mention in my previous review, something that is phenomenally important, and incredibly dangerous. They have a coin operated breathalyser. Pay 50 cents and the machine will tell you your blood alcohol level. While this may not seem so important to you now, that's because you're sober. After a few drinks, you start to wonder just how drunk you really are, and so it begins. You pay the 50 cents, blow in to the straw (BYO, don't worry) and get a reading. Someone at your table wants to try to top it, so they give it a go. Soon everyone is trying. It becomes almost a competition. Another round of drinks is ordered. The night continues in this pattern until someone blows a nice round number, or else gets horribly ill. That's if you're lucky. If you have my curse of being analytically minded, you might try to map your 'Drunkenness Logarithm'. This brilliant idea of mine came about one night of decadence, wherein I realized that I can have one drink to little effect, two drinks and it starts to build, but at three, all of a sudden I'm three sheets to the wind. Strange thing is, beyond three or four, it doesn't seem to progress much further. This discovery led to a somewhat unfortunate evening spent trying to plot out the exact nature of this curve, to graph my drunkenness. The results of this experiment are now available in PLoS ONE.
(3)Johnny A.
I'm a moderate eater..135 lbs. Got the spicy ramen and BBQ pork, which was okay, nothing special; but it wasn't satiating at all. I continued eating immediately once I got home. Waiter/waitress who served us were nice. However, as a waiter passed out water, he spilled ~10 glasses of ice water on me and I was drenched, I didn't get mad cause it was unnecessary and it was just water; accidents happen. Some water got on the birthday girl next to me as well. They apologized, but I wish I had a discount or something free. I paid about $8 for my meal and $4 for tax/tip, which is about half the cost of what could not even satisfy me when I was barely hungry. Feeling jipped.
(1)Keith R.
Have again: The spicy Thai wings are delicious - great sauce. Silver noodles with ground pork was quite good.
(3)Richard J.
Red 88 seems to be a great restaurant with mediocre food. Came with a friend for dinner and had excellent service and an okay atmosphere, but the food left us wanting more. We ordered two vegetarian meals and in both the flavor was really lacking and it really seemed to focus on the portion of noodles you get. I would be fine with this if the noodles were flavorful or unique in any way. I wanted to be impressed!
(2)Jenny W.
Great place for late night eats, but get ready to lower your expectations. The waitress with the red flower in her hair is always really sweet. Even when you order to-go, she offers you water and checks in to make sure everything is ok while you are waiting for your food. Now, onto the food: - Asian fries: I think this is a play on Thai Fries at Vito's, but they have BACONNNN sprinkled on top, which means they win. The portions are a bit tinier, but just imagine french fries with spicy ranch, bacon, green onions, and spicy red peppers. Delicious! - Lamb spaghetti: False advertising. I actually imagined something with spaghetti sauce, where the meat was lamb instead of beef/pork. It's just spaghetti noodles served under ground up lamb with spices. They recommend you sprinkle some of their garlic chili oil on top, which I did, and then I almost died because it was sooo spicy. Not for me. - Crispy tofu: Blah, served with sweet thai chili sauce. Not worth the $4. - Spicy Silver Noodles: No flavor at all! There were some veggies like snap peas and some ground pork mixed in with the noodles and a generous dash of pepper, but other than that there was no flavor at all! I would have welcomed the "spicy" part of this dish. - Ka Ree soup: Basically, curry that is watered down and called "soup." This really hit the spot after a night at Suds!
(2)Amy Q.
Mr. X had the bacon fried rice and I had popcorn chicken. Good standard food, popcorn chicken is actually super saturated with flavor and spicy but kind of dry..not crispy. The rice seemed pretty easy and standard with the nice Hawaiian influence with a fried egg on top. Good portions, great late night bites and great girly fruity drinks! Same owners at KetMoree, sweetest people ever! And the bartenders will honestly get you messed up...
(3)Simei Y.
Was walking by last Thursday after Davis Beer Shoppe with some friends a little after 5 (let's say 5:15); we were hanging by the door trying to figure out when their happy hour was. Waitress told us it had just ended at 5, but they must've been hurting for a little business as the manager extended it to 6 for us! We were the only customers in the place (now I understand the other comments about the place being empty) but company was enjoyable and best of all, we found out THEY HAVE A CRAZY SINK IN THEIR BATHROOM. If anything, go and check it out, it's like an angled piece of glass. As usual, friends who were new to the place thought duck fried rice was (expletive) amazing (but a little pricey), go check it out!
(4)Monica T.
This place is right on G street but it seems a bit hidden considering I have known Davis as my home away from home for the past 4 years and never noticed it. The food is super yummy and the service is friendly enough. The #1 reason I love this place though? Happy Hour= $3 Blue Moons. YES
(4)K D.
Being a sister restaurant to KetMoRee, I had to give this new place a try. We started with the thai spicy chicken wing appetizer which was really good. It was drenched in this sticky sweet salty and spicy sauce...yummy (it reminded me of san tung's dried fried chicken wings in SF). I ordered the thai boat noodles and my two friends ordered the tofu rad nar and the ka ree chicken noodle soup. The beef in my soup was pretty hard and tough. Both the ka ree soup and my soup were very tasty and loaded with seasoning. The rad nar was okay but I had better. The portions are pretty small, so don't come here if youre starving. Our waiter Bryan was very attentive and welcoming. The dark and trendy wooden decor is relaxing. Definitely not authentic thai food but still tastes good. I will come back to try their popcorn chicken and duck noodle soup. This place opens late wednesdays thru saturdays until 3 am. Great for after partying in downtown davis.
(3)Miles M.
I ordered duck soup and the service was great, way better than the time before, where I only tipped a penny. But then I found a fly in my soup. They offered free dessert but I wanted my soup to be taken off the tab at least. The manager came out and made a big deal and everything really difficult until he finally agreed to give us the free soup. Never going back.
(1)Brad M.
HORRIBLE service here!! WORST RESTAURANT IN DAVIS!!!I arrived at about 9:45 on a Saturday night, and there was hardly anyone at the bar and just a few people at tables eating. The waiter came and rudely asked for my ID, then purposefully knocked over an entire glass of water directly into my lap by slamming the 21+ stamp on my wrist. I was shocked and expecting an appology or at least some towels to dry off and clean up-- but received neither! The wait for the food was over an hour, and the staff never even seemed to care about me being drenched with water. My waiter then stormed out of the restaurant, and explained that he was mad at himself.... but again, never got around to apologizing. All in all, the food is BARELY decent... definitely not worth the $30 I paid for me and my friend. I have NEVER experienced anything like this and will not be returning to this businness. I would suggest any one of the many other Thai/ noodle spots in Davis over Red 88!!
(1)Héctor G.
Great service and Friendly staff Savory and delicious foods! Outstanding happy hour specials!
(4)F. P.
Stopped in Davis on the way back from Tahoe. Was craving pho but turns out the Vietnamese restaurant was closed. So headed a few doors down to this place that looked nice but was empty. Apparently it's more of a late night college spot but still... The Thai Noodle Soup wasn't bad and hit the pho-craving spot. The Shrimp Wonton Soup with Egg Noodles was just ok. Enjoyed the shrimp wonton appetizers with cream cheese. Very unusual but went well with the accompanying sweet plum sauce. The Asian Style Fries were covered in all sorts of sauces and hot peppers. Again, kinda unusual but this one didn't work out as well. Wonder what the place is like late nights butservice was great and attentive. Cash only.
(3)Hans M.
Friendly and quick service. The dishes are pretty good, but the size could be bigger.
(3)Yumiko H.
Do not go here unless you want to be urinated on, exposed to a drunk customer's genitalia, and receive horrible service. Saturday night, I was waiting in line behind two men to use the restroom. They both entered the single bathroom when it opened up. Suddenly, a bouncer ran in and dragged one of the guys out (he was peeing in the sink). I got a full frontal view of his dangling penis, which was still in the process of urinating because the bouncer didn't give him time to zip up. Some of this urine splashed on my dress, as the guy was still trickling while the bouncer dragged him into the hallway. I only received a casual apology from the bouncer when I confronted him, which I felt was not adequate, so asked for a manager. The owner (who runs both Red88 and KetMoRee) came to my table where I was sitting with a group of friends. Her apology was also tepid. Not only that, she defended the bouncer, who she had brought over. My friends and I got upset and began to yell at two of them. The owner then asked if I wanted to have the customer, who urinated on me, apologize. She pointed out that "clearly, the man was drunk and could not control himself". The bouncer in turn got aggressive and told me "what do you want me to do, get down on my knees and ask for your forgiveness?" In my heat of anger, I poured a glass of water onto the floor (I guess my symbolism of urinating) and stormed out of the restaurant knocking a chair down on my way out. I was restrained by another bouncer, but let go. I went by to KetMoRee the next morning to try and speak to the owner. She called me and left a message, so I returned the call. But she put a manager on the line even though she was present. Not only is this horrible business practice, it's cowardly. In response to my comment about being urinated on, manager basically replied "well, you know, people are quite drunk at that time and things happen." So, Red 88/KetMoRee, are you saying that having individuals urinating in places other than in your restroom is not a big deal during hours when the majority of the people there are intoxicated? Let's now discuss your bouncers and their clear lack of cognitive ability and over saturation of testosterone. If the bouncer had any sense, he would have waited until the customer was finished relieving himself before kicking him out. Instead, he tried to make a heroic scene of dragging the bad guy with his dick flopping everywhere out of the restaurant, humiliating a customer who had to see a random individual's penis while getting pissed on in the process. His lack of rationale caused not only an indecent exposure, but most likely violated a health code when he dragged a urinating individual in the vicinity of dining customers. Clearly, the bouncers are NOT doing their job if they are allowing over-intoxicated people into the establishment. The least Red 88/KetMoRee should do is fire the bouncer. I was also shocked to discover the owner had such poor customer-service skills. I strongly believe these two restaurants are still in business because the majority of the clientele are students, and thus the turn over is quick and the circulation of horrible events such as this is minimal. In the end, what did I get? A half-assed apology and a urine stained dress. Thanks, Red 88/KetMoRee. I'm never coming back. Ever.
(1)Steve M.
This place isn't terrible, but it's nothing to rave about either. They offer different dishes ranging from Chinese-style fast food, Vietnamese and Thai. The quality is not bad, but I've experienced so much better Asian cuisine, in and out of Davis. The Spicy Beef Soup has a tasty broth, but the glass noodle dishes get very clunky and stick together. Come here for a quick, late night bite, but don't expect any culinary wonders.
(2)Richard P.
Richard Pro here with another review. Remarkably unexceptional. Prices are high, presentation is pretty good, but taste is meh. Got the Red 88 Fried Rice (I believe that's what it's called) and I found a nice lump of undissolved chicken broth mix inside. While that lump of msg tasted nice, it completely ruined the authenticity of the dish. It's like when you order chili and you find a lump of undissolved tomato paste drowning away at the bottom. Portion size is borderline and I think it ended up costing me about $11-14. Nothing memorable about the flavor whatsoever. For the heck of it, tried some appetizers and desserts. The eggrolls were surprisingly fresh and crunchy, though lacking in taste. The crunch definitely gave it a kick though, but whether that kick is worth $4 is up to you. Popcorn chicken--horrible and you get like 20 pieces for $4-5. Dessert-thai iced tea with ice cream. Comes in a very small cup for $4. Decor and ambiance--dim and the restaurant tries too hard to be classy. Your waiter is dressed up nice and quite professional but something is off. Maybe the fact that this is davis and we're just a bunch of college kids who want food. Or maybe it's because around 1am you start winding down and aren't ready for a classy meal. 2 stars. Misses the mark at trying to be an expensive fusion restaurant and instead it just feels like the chefs try to salvage creative cooking with great presentation.
(2)Greg H.
Overpriced and underperforms. The noodles are just so-so. The atmosphere can only be described as weird. A small space filled to the brim with square tables under the cold glow of 6 (!) plasma TVs? Come on now, no one wants to eat in the sales area of a Best Buy. The owner/grandma who was doing some menu development came out and gave us a sampler of newly-developed fried treats which was thoughtful. Unfortunately, I don't think I will go back.
(2)Jade R.
This place is okay...lol. Nothing really that special. I've been here a couple times, the most recent time being yesterday. I ordered the duck noodle soup without cilantro, and the pork dumplings. First of all, the pork dumplings are not dumplings at all- they're pork shu mai. TOTALLY DIFFERENT D: I was kinda disappointed when I opened my to-go box and found a bunch of shu mai staring me in the face. The shu mai skin wasn't very good, either :( The redeeming quality was the noodle soup. I liked it :D the flavor was pretty good (though I did add a lot of spicy to my soup), and there was a lot of noodles and a lot of duck. My only complaint was that the duck was cut in such a way that it was kind of tough to eat. But at the same time, I was trying to avoid eating duck skin (soooo bad for you!!). It felt pretty fatty for a noodle soup, too :( I can't say I've tried their drinks, though. I'm too young xD
(3)amalia E.
I ate at Red88 last Saturday. My friend and I both had the Thai Boat soup. The place has a nice atmosphere but the food is lacking. It's okay and decently tasty but nothing that makes me want to go out of my way to eat here again. There were only two people in there other than us when we first arrived. Not sure if this is a place that is good for mainly late night or if they just aren't popular. They do have the cream cheese crab wontons. Those were pretty good. The downside, I was charged twice on my card for this semi tasty meal. I just tried to call them to see if I could have this fixed and no one is answering the phone.
(3)Natalie D.
I'm surprised this place has such low reviews. I came here with my boyfriend for the first time last night for a late dinner. We are both vegetarians and have a hard time finding places that are vegetarian friendly, but their menu has many vegetarian options and we were happy to actually have a selection to choose from. We ordered the veggie soup and the tofu rad nar. They were both very flavorful and large enough to fill us up. Service overall was attentive and polite, even for a slow Tuesday night, but it took a while to pay since our server was fiddling with the tv for some reason. That said, we were pleased with the overall experience and would recommend others to eat here. Also their happy hour menu looked very tempting and we are looking forward to giving that a try.
(4)Harry T.
Wow expect the slowest service here.... Here with a few house mates order bottom Thai ice tea and took literally 20 minutes? Sorry but does it take that long? Service was okay, they are nice people i guess its the chefs that took long? im not sure i want to give them a good rating but since my pass experience this is want i gotta offer. maybe next time Red 88.
(2)Patrick J.
My friends and I came in a little skeptical. The place was a little empty, but it was a Monday night. We were quickly seated and served, and the staff was very friendly and polite. The atmosphere was quite trendy, a bit too dark and a bit depressing with nobody there. The food came out after about a 10 minute wait, and the soup was no longer hot, but the taste was very good. All of my friends thoroughly enjoyed their meals and made sure to tell me so. Probably a good place to bring a date, but dont come hungry because the portions are not proportional to the amount you pay, which is 8-10 dollars.
(4)Nelly A.
The place is good. Service is good. We surely enjoyed our dinner. We came there and sat anywhere we want, within five minutes someone took our order. Shortly after, we got our drinks. Five minutes later got our orders. We enjoyed our order crab wonton, jalapeno poppers and roasted duck noodles. They were delicous. Nice atmosphere, clearly for college student or even maybe for annoying drunk people as well (depending on the day). We went there on Saturday night, so we expected them there since it was closed to a bunch of bars and clubs. We'll sure be back again.
(4)Kimmy T.
Not sure how useful my reivew is since I didn't eat there. We walked in, got seated, looked at the menu, and walked out. We thought it was a Thai restaurant. Nope, it's overpriced noodles in a nicely decorated restaurant. Plus, it's cash only.
(3)Leah J.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this place! Spicy silver noodle is amazing. I'm gluten intolerant and they gladly switch out rice noodles for the other wheat noodles. The flavors are so good in all the dishes! Prices are reasonable. My husband and I eat here about once a week.
(5)Roxanne K.
I saw this a couple weeks ago and have been wanting to try it because I love noodles and soup (and the weather lately has been a bit chilly. perfect weather for a hot bowl of soup!) We ordered the spicy popcorn chicken as an appetizer (pretty spicy, but tasty.) I think we should have ordered the crab meat cheese wontons - next time probably. I had the Ka-Ree chicken soup (chicken curry soup with udon noodles). It tasted like ono kaukswe (a burmese chicken curry soup) except not spicy. I added some of the red pepper chili sauce to my bowl to add spice, and it made it SCRUMPTIOUS!!!! I couldn't stop eating! lol. We also got the spicy pork noodles (thin noodles and ground pork). That was pretty good too - it is kind of like pad thai. Service was quick and our server (Christian?) was attentive without being annoying. haha. The staff was really nice and was happy to change the station on two of the tv's to show the NFL game we requested! I guess, we were one of two other customers... but still. Oh, so the flat screen TVs, they have 4. Two facing the front door, and two facing the right side, so wherever you sit (as long as it's facing the bar), you have a view! I'd definitely come here again and take my friends! Perhaps try out their happy hour too. The fact that they're open til 3am from Wed - Saturday is also amazing! hahahaha I don't know if I'll ever stroll in on such an occasion, but it's nice to have the option. The only real reason I didn't give the full 5 stars is because I wish I could choose the noodles that came with my soup. The udon noodles were too slippery and not my favorite type anyway. I'd've probably liked the egg or thin noodles better? I wanna try their other stuff too! Portion size is just right for one person and costs about $10-$12 with tax and tip. So glad there's a place to get noodles that isn't full of MSG (although, I love it too!) and has a nice ambiance!
(4)Jessica B.
The staff was wonderful. Free Thai ice tea refills! The menu selection is relatively small. Not the best Asian food in town but a nice alternative to regular bar food. Noodle dishes are great. Good veggies and not too greasy.
(4)K D.
Duck soup good very ducky-
(3)Ruth A.
When we first discovered Red 88, We were delighted.. The endless Thai Tea refills.. Yum, Yum, and the unusual dishes waitress & bartender were always very friendly as well. We were excited to find such an unusual little restaurant in our neighborhood. We would buzz off into the night. Thai tea has a lot of caffeine. We went there at least 8 times.. Then, they closed for a period of time around the New Year. My husband and I went for dinner last night. the place was bustling... The waitresses nice enough.. but the food was an incredible disappointment. YUK! I ordered the Chicken Chow Mien. The dish was covered in some sort of seasoning salt. It tasted just like the steak seasoning I buy at Costco and was Very Salty! I mentioned the saltiness and the fact that the dish tasted much differently from the other times we had been there, to the waitress. Her chipper reply was " Maybe we have a different Chef tonight". Additionally, I had to forage to the bottom of the noodles to discover the chicken which was tender & cooked just right. The salt though, was so overwhelming that it obliterated any other flavors that might have been present. Initially, the noodles seemed overcooked but midway through the dish they deteriorated to plain Mush! All of this loveliness was swimming in a bowl of some sort of cooking oil. By the time we left, I had an stomach ache, and was in a bad mood and regretted not going to Thai Canteen! My husband's dish, which I tasted, was a new Eggplant dish on the menu. It was delicious!,,, Yet, he mentioned that it was very salty, as well. I should have returned the dish but the waitresses response, and the change of tone after I made my comment, made me not want to draw attention to myself. It is a small restaurant. We will not be returning any time soon! Although that Thai tea is something to write home about!
(2)Thuy T.
As a protégé of KetMoRee, Red 88 Noodle Bar was trendy as expected. It had a dark ambiance with wooden benches lining its maroon walls. My roommates and I started with the chicken wing appetizer, which was very crispy and covered in a sweet, BBQ-like sauce. It's originally $6, but only $5 with our noodle order. I got the shrimp wonton noodle soup while my friends got the roasted duck soup and chicken soup. For $7-$9 per bowl, the portion was small. However, the taste of the soup was so good that we agreed it was definitely worth trying. While I loved the soup and egg noodles, I did not like the wontons. They were too mushy and tasteless. I tried some of the roast duck soup and that was pretty tasty. I'm usually not a fan of duck but I do like roast duck. For those of you who are the same, you'll enjoy this dish. The chicken soup was also good and comes with rice noodles (like Pho noodles). The service is good and food came out in about 10 minutes. I got a tiny bug in my soup - not a big deal since it's likely to happen anywhere. The waiter was polite and replaced my soup within minutes. Overall, the place is worth trying but not an everyday joint since I can't afford it. I will be back though, when it's another cold night and I'm craving a hot, delicious bowl of soup.
(3)Mike P.
Just rating the food b/c thats what I went there for. I mean I guess I shouldn't have expected much, but it was pretty underwhelming. I had a lamb dish with noodles, my lamb was very overcooked and the noodles looked like they got minced up. Not legit by any means and I'm not even a picky eater. I would say, just stick to appetizers and enjoy some drinks, eat elsewhere.
(2)Michelle L.
I recently started going to Red 88 more. Before, I'd be here just passing by after being out late in downtown Davis, but recently I gave the food a try and I have to say I'm hooked. I especially like the Spicy Silver Noodles and the specialty Red 88 fried rice? I forgot what it is called but it has barbecue pork and a fried egg on top. The sauce that comes with it plus the cilantro MAKES the dish. I rarely order rice dishes but I HIGHLY recommend the fried rice here. I promise it's worth it. The ambiance of the restaurant however is mediocre. It gets super loud at times because there is a bar in the restaurant so sometimes there are a lot of drunkies running around. It is always the place that opens later than a club/bar (Ket Moe Ree) across the street so everyone always comes here after it closes. The service however never seems to slow down or get worse when there are a lot of people inside which is nice. I like Red 88 a lot. The service and the food keep me going.
(4)Sara T.
I've been in here twice, at odd times so they were almost totally empty. I've had the chicken udon noodle soup and it's really good, but I find it's even better with some of their spicy garlic oil mixed in. The service is extremely fast, though this could be the result of being there at off hours. They are cash only, which is unfortunate. Also, I was wary of their cocktail list- everything sounded extremely sugary. But, this is a great place to stop in for a quick and satisfying meal.
(3)Van C.
The Short- Food is good, Service sucks. The Long- Food at Red88 is decent, nothing too special, but not bad. Service, I hope for the servers sake that shes inexperienced, not stupid. Being asian, we went with a coupon we found in the local coupon book. Before we even sat down, we gave her the coupon. The food came out quick and was piping hot. But once we were done and didnt want dessert, we waited a good 40 minutes and asked 3 times for the check to come. Their reasoning for taking so long was for coupon the needed to be approved by the manager. After waiting so long, she comes back and notifies us that we needed $20 for the coupon to work and we were 75cents off. She could have told us that while we were ordering or sometime during that 40 minutes, especially since we gave her the coupon so early on during dinner. So we ordered a box of cooked rice for $1 to go. Not that it helps anything, but cool sink in the bathroom.
(2)Jordan S.
This is a nice place to get a drink--decent prices, usually not too crowded (I guess I shouldn't write that or all the douche bags will start swarming the place). They've got pretty good late night appetizers too. Their drink selection is kinda weak.
(3)Ice Cream S.
Their duck noodle is delicious!
(3)Tammy M.
I'm sorry how do you mess up a thai iced tea. Don't get their thai iced tea I got it WITHOUT cream or half and half or whatever they use and it taste like they put syrup in their thai iced tea and had the decency to tell me that the tea always tastes the same. No it doesn't Ive had the tea here and a million other restaurants and today it tastes different. Oh and your plates are dirty... Please clean them. And it's dead in here how does it take 15 mins to receive your appetizers which are "Asian styled fries"? Oh my wow. We finally came to the realization that it's just not worth coming here anymore eventhough it's opened until 3am. It's not cutting it-the horrid service and inconsistency with food makes me want to eat at del taco instead (thr cashiers are nice eventhough they don't make any tips). Then again maybe it's just because I work at a restaurant where everything we do revolves around our patrons and we're accommadating as hell so I compare every restaurant I eat at to the same standard. Or it's just that they need new staff here, whatever it is we'll be going elsewhere from now on. I really hope management fixes this problem since it doesn't seem like they get good business. Oh well! Just don't eat here unless you are hungry after Woodstocks closes, you're sick of fast food or you're so drunk you'd think it was a fine dining establishment :) note to servers-everyone can hear your very colorful conversations on the opposite side of the restaurant. And yes dropping by your table more than 3 times is not a bad thing to do.
(1)Melissa M.
A perfect mid-car trip stop for the family. Kids ate ramen noodles and the waitress totally understood how kids hate to wait, we also had the veggie spring rolls (nothing special) and the stir-fry special vegetables without the pork, which was made perfectly and was nice and garlicky. Also my favorite draft been (Blue Moon). And, of course, there is the bathroom sink!
(3)Sephiria L.
My friend and I went in on a Saturday afternoon. We were the only customers and so we had our choice of tables. Our waitress immediately asked us what drinks we would like. Now to the food - I ordered the Duck Noodle Soup. The only things that stood out was that the soup was very brothy to a point it was almost tasteless but the duck was surprisingly crispy and okay. There were obviously some spices generously sprinkled onto the soup but somehow, there was still no taste. So I had spoonfuls of their chili sauces added into my noodle soup just for some flavor. If you are craving duck and don't mind eating a noodle soup with questionable ingredients, go for the Duck Noodle Soup. :) They also really like to keep the place clean. While we were eating, the waitress took a feather duster and started sweeping the dust off the ledges. But even though cleanliness is great, they could have at least waited until we were finished eating to start spreading dust everywhere.
(2)Alina K.
Pork dumplings were still frozen on the inside!
(1)Isak H.
Nothing special. Had the shrimp dumplings and spicy pork noodles. Noodles had sat a while and stuck together. Dumplings were ok but tiny..
(2)mishy l.
I hope it's not the effects of MSG that's making me crave their duck noodle soup all the time...I mean, it's reaaally addictive! Pair it with the garlic flavored spices and you're sold! I also love their cream cheese wontons & fried chicken wings :) The servers were always friendly (and charming too!) There was this one time when a female customer fell unconscious on the floor in the middle of her meal. While her friends were freaking out, the bartender/server called the ambulance really quickly, and handled the situation very calmly and professionally. Kudos to him! Oh and, when I went there with my friends last time, the owner was so nice she offered us an appetizer sampler for free. LUCKY ME :D I like this place and I still don't understand why Red88 is often empty during the day.
(4)Daniel G.
I dont know about the other menu items but I had the curry soup and it was worth the price. Quite filling really. This place is open till 3am but i cant imagine ever having the drunk munchies and wanting a noodle soup when there are pizza places nearby.
(3)Wilson S.
The best things about this place are the interesting dishes, especially appetizers and desserts, great service, and atmosphere.
(5)Letia G.
I was passing by this place on my way to another place when I stopped to read the menu and the waitress engaged me. She seemed nice so I figured I would try it. The menu is limited but that probably makes for easy prep. I had pork dumplings and the shrimp wonton soup. The dumplings had good flavor but didn't seem very fresh. I didn't really care for the soup, the broth was too sweet. The ship had good flavor but the wontons have too much dough. Also, there is a big bowl of noodles at the bottom and I would have preferred to just have more shrimp-filled wontons. Then I go to pay and they tell me in order to use my card it has to be at least $20. In order to avoid ATM plus bank fees (or going to the bank since I didn't have time) i went ahead and had her charge me $20....well it was $20.66 which makes me think she could have just made it an even $20 and not tack on the full $4 but oh well. The meal I got was definitely not worth what I paid.
(2)Shirley C.
porridge with thousand year egg, FMLs, the "not so dark shirley" made by christian the bartender.... i will miss this spot. the staff is great & if you buy $10 worth of drinks/food a person you get a voucher for Ket Mo Rhee... good for those who don't want to pay cover for Ket.. especially alumni who are still in the are =]
(5)audrey s.
cool that it's open late after bar hopping, but the food is mediocre. tried most of their appetizers and was disappointed. also, they yelled at me for taking a sip of my friend's Thai iced tea. chill out, was just trying it.
(3)Arnold L.
I came here with a few friends a couple weeks back after a night of bar hopping because it was close by and looked classier than jack-in-the-crack. I had my reservations about Red 88 since I had passed by it on more than one occasion to find it nearly or completely devoid of customers, but now it was 2 am and there were actually people inside so we decided to give it a try. One friend recommended the spicy bacon mac and cheese, lauding it as a hearty comfort food that would fill me up, so that's what I ordered. One friend did the same, and the other two got ramen with roast duck and a chicken burger with fries. The waitress that greeted us was friendly and served us promptly. When our orders arrived about 15 mins later, I was surprised to find that they had used penne pasta in place of traditional macaroni used for mac and cheese. The pasta proved tougher than I was used to since it was not quite cooked to al dente. Also, that they had used cubed ham in place of bacon, which wasn't bad but certainly wasn't bacon. Though the dish was creamy, tasted decent and certainly filled me up, it wasn't at all what I had expected, and for the seven bucks or so (my friend) paid for it, I couldn't shake the feeling that it would have been money better spent at Burgers and Brew just a few blocks down.
(2)Elena Z.
After coming here three times, and always ordering the same item, their veggie soup, I realize I like this place because they are the only restaurant in Davis with good, filling soup. If you add some of the chili sauce and the other spicy one (not the homemade one), it's delicious! I believe they also have a good selection of mixed drinks and appetizers. Their portions can be considered small, but I have a large appetite and never leave hungry. The Thai iced-tea is definitely too sugary, but it does come with free refills. They only accept cash but it's right in downtown Davis so it's not hard to hit up your bank before you come.
(4)