Dosirak

For kal-​bi, Not as good as Hawaiian place at U mall but a good lunch if you’re in north Davis. Will cost you $ 11.50 which I think is $ 2 too high. The flavor is good enough to warrant 4-​stars but the ambiance is poor, it smells like smoke and the price is a bit too high. But it’s better than a 3-​star.

Yo this place is SUPER sketch. There’s literally no one here and more importantly, why are their walls neon green?! I originally wanted the spicy pork rice plate but the guy behind the counter said they were out. Ended up getting spicy chicken instead, which was pretty bad. It was all kinds of greasy and just loaded with nothing but chicken. They add ONE piece of broccoli, a sprinkle of cabbage, a jar of hot sauce, and call it a day. Ugh.

I ordered the noodles with BBQ chicken to-​go.
When I got home it was all a soupy grease mess.
There were only two pieces of not-​so-​cooked broccoli which I thought was kind of funny. However, everything was all sitting in a pool of liquid. At first I thought I made a mistake and ordered something soupy… But it was not soupy. I’m pretty sure it was just sitting in a large pool of the oil and other sauce that it all was fried in.
Not only that it just, in general, did not taste good. It had so many different textures that didn’t flow very smoothly through out. The BBQ chicken was not paired well with the other components of the meal.

I am sad because I have come here twice to get their rice triangles because they are delicious (who knew rice, seaweed, and some tuna together could taste so amazing?!?), but they didn’t have any, both times! Why are the rice triangles always unavailable?! I went once in December and the second time today (late January). I really wish they would stock their food more consistently :(My rating would definitely be higher if they had more consistency in availability of menu items.
The rice triangles are about 1.99 each, depending on what ingredient you get (there’s chicken, mild or spicy tuna, beef, etc).

Restaurant: A small hole in the wall restaurant — more a take out place — but has seating inside. Bright green walls were an eyesore.
Food: This is a review on the Jap Chae! It was made on the spot and was nice and hot! The potato noodles were flavorful, with beef, carrots, cabbage, onions, and sesame! The portion was nice and big too!
Overall, yummy for Davis! Will go back for it again!

I come here because it’s the only Korean place close to work where I can get take out during the limited 30 min I have. The food is good and quantity is okay. As for prices, it’s competitive, but I wouldn’t call it cheap. Service is always a bit slow, but everyone is really friendly. Be warned, you will smell like BBQ when you leave (clothes/hair)…even if it’s only 2 min to pick up your order. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

This is one of the two Korean restaurants open in Davis so I decided to give it a chance. I went there in the summer about an hour before closing and the place was completely empty. The service was sub-​par. The guy running the register was not particularly friendly/​borderline rude. I ordered gimbap but apparently since its summer they don’t make it so I went for the cholmyun to-​go. The noodles were still kind of watery, the sauce tasted store-​bought (not to mention there was only a little bit of it), and overall it just wasn’t anything worth coming back to. However since it is one of the only places in Davis for Korean food I likely would come back. The prices aren’t too bad and I can’t say the food is inedible.

Oh man, where do I start?
For a first-​timer to Korean BBQ, this place has absolutely shattered my expectations! The spicy chicken dosirak is something to die for, as well as the kimchi fried rice. I would definitely recommend it to anyone living in the North Davis area.
The owner was very kind and conversational as well. Definitely coming back for seconds!

Yummmm! This is one of the only places to get Korean food in Davis.
This place is more of a take-​out kind of deal… You could dine-​in, but the restaurant doesn’t look very cozy or welcoming. I was starving, so I decided to just stay and eat right away.
Dosirak is a mom n’ pop shop with authentic Korean food that is cooked right behind the counter. So you can see them grill up that delicious bulgogi for your bibimbap or rice bowl… droooool
Food takes a while to be cooked, but it’s definitely tasty! The rice bowl comes with a good amount of meat, a little too much rice, a piece or two of broccoli (because you need your veggies!), and a good amount of sauce… mine was actually overly drenched in sauce. Their dukboki is yummy too!
The owner gave a super cute little Korean girl a free kimbap, probably for being so dang cute, while my college-​aged self was wolfing down a rice bowl a table away. BUT! Right when I was about finished with my meal, one of the workers offered a bowl of miso soup! Woohoo!!!

I’ve been to Dosirak several times. I’ve never been overly impressed or absolutely underwhelmed. The restaurant is very clean and the food is decent. More recently, I tried their Chicken Crunch Dosirak and their Spicy Rice Cake. I had originally intended on ordering one dish but the restaurant requires a $ 10 minimum charge for all credit card uses, which led me to ordering the Spicy Rice Cake as well. Everything was decent and filling except for the sushi, which was really really bland. The wait was probably around 10 – 15 minutes with a maximum of two people ahead of me.
Just a precaution, the owner (?), a serious-​faced Korean man who mans the cash register doesn’t speak very much English so asking him questions about certain dishes might prove difficult. Also, there were certain items on the menu that aren’t served anymore.

I loveeee Korean food, and I was so excited when I found out about this place in Davis. Let’s just say that, after I tried this place out, I can seriously confirm that I’ve experienced better. Much better…
On my first visit I ordered the bulgogi bowl to-​go. I opened the lid to the bowl and literally thought, «did I order teriyaki beef??» Yes, yes. That was what it looked and even TASTED like! The order came with a huge amount of white rice, a good portion of beef, and some steamed broccoli. Overall, the beef just didn’t taste right. Was it the marination? Quality? I think it’s a mix of these two.
Since I really wanted this place to be good, I decided to give it another try. I went there again for dinner this week and ordered their BBQ spicy chicken dosirak. It was DRENCHED in oil… OOO the calories –_​_​_​– The spicy flavor of the chicken also reminded me of Sriracha. I guess I’ve been too accustomed to how spicy kimchi can be to where I don’t think this dish fully satisfied the «spiciness» component as the name suggests. The mandu that also came with the meal was overly deep fried. The meat inside was basically completely dried.

I think the first owners sold the place because the menu and people here are completely different now. I use to love the Beef Bugolgi noodle but now it’s something completely different. I haven’t gone here ever since. What happened to the old place anyway? –_​– The korean ladies were really nice and helpful, now it’s just some dudes.

The food’s aight.
I got the dositrak (spicy pork). I would say it’s a pretty good value for its price, so muccch food: x
One down was that my spicy pork was semi burnt, but whateverrrr. Another down was talking/​ordering/​communicating was semi difficult, merp: C You also bus your own table.
The décor aint that bad, small place though.

If you have ever had DELICIOUS Korean food… either from South Korea, from the bay area, from Sarangbang, or straight from a Korean mama, then you know that Davis lacks good Korean food. At least, until now.
This family-​owned small business in North Davis, where Baskin Robbins used to be, is staffed by a legit Korean family. I’m talking about korean mom, pops, grandma, and the girls status. The k-​mama was adorable when taking our orders. She mentioned how the takeout boxes were pretty expensive for their small business, and we said we were happy with taking dine-​in bowls anyway. (Always good to help a small business out too!) :)
Here are a few things to know before going:
1. Not good for large groups since this place is SMALL; it looks like the interior of a tiny taqueria to be honest. There are tables that will fit four (no more than five) each. There really is no room to maneuver the tables either, unfortunately. (Think tables placed in a hallway.)
2. There are three patio tables right outside which might fit a larger party nicely, especially during the nice weather of the summer.
3. Don’t go in expecting gourmet or mind-​blowing food. Don’t go in expecting the traditional appetizer side dishes that you get at Korean restaurants. Don’t go in expecting a free dessert sweet rice drink. You won’t find any of these.
4. What Dosirak is is a great place to grab quick (and still tasty) korean to go or for a quick meal. (Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t fast food… they still cook it once you order it. But the way it’s served and the ambiance of the restaurant just reminds me more of a fast food style.)
5. Prices range anywhere from $ 4 for the gimbap (sushi) to $ 8 to $ 12 for some of the rice bowls and noodle dishes. Portions are decent. I would not recommend getting seafood dishes since from my experience it’s basically just a shrimp dish (with only a few pieces of shrimp). The beef and chicken dishes are excellent. Go for those.
6. Be nice. Tip. Support them. Anyone who has been part of a family-​owned business or has tried to start their own business or knows someone with a family-​run restaurant will tell you that it ain’t easy. And that’s the truth. The food at Dosirak is good for Davis standards and the staff is very friendly. I love supporting small businesses, especially mom & pop ones, and this is the perfect example of it.
I’m glad to have Dosirak aboard in the Davis restaurant community. Give them a try and support them!
p. s. their machine makes hot chocolate and cappuccinos for 50 cents… haven’t tried it but thought that might be worthwhile in the winter time.

So the food isn’t mind-​blowing or crazy different. But the portion size they give you for the price makes this place a great place for lunch or dinner. Normally, I get the beef bulogoi or BBQ chicken over rice. But I recently tried their seafood noodle, which makes me reconsider the rice plates, only because I am a fan of udon noodles.
The best part about Dosirak is that the women cook the food after you order it. The chicken might be pre-​cooked and they just add the BBQ grill flavor but still better than scooping it out of a hot chaffing dish.
What I recommend:
BBQ chicken
And if you are sharing with roommates beef bulogoi, japchae, seafood noodle. Maybe throw in some gimbap for those times you just want to use your hands.

Don’t get the bibimbap… it’s just paying $ 8 for vegetables and rice with no flavor… and seriously only ~5 pieces of meat… TINY pieces of meat, I might add. I’m so mad at myself for spending so much money when I could buy a bunch of those ingredients myself and make that for four people.
Dosirak, c’mon! you have so much potential…

The boisterous cacophony of Korean voices not only filled the restaurant, but filled me with hope of what was to come. There was also a cute little coffee vending machine that serves tiny cups of hot chocolate or vanilla latte for 50 cents. I just had to use it. Holding that small paper cup, sipping the sweet coffee, I can close my eyes, and with the background noise of Korean voices, it brought me back to those days standing by the vending machines while waiting for the subway at Seoul.
Dosirak is the Korean equivalent of the Japanese bento box, and since it is also the name of the place, I assumed it is their specialty and asked for the BBQ Chicken Dosirak while my friend ordered the Bulgogi noodle.
The meal took a while to come out, which is a good sign that everything was made fresh to order. When I finally received it, I found what was essentially a terriyaki chicken bento box, complete with a japanese style salad (sweet creamy sauce and all) and gyoza. My friend’s noodle dish looked like beef chow mein – and here’s the kicker – over rice! The noodle dish is not a good value with probably three pieces of thinly sliced meat. She said it had a hint of sesame oil, which she liked because it differentiated itself from standard chow mein to a small degree. My chicken was nicely cooked.
Contrary to typical Korean restaurants, no side dishes were offered. In fact, the kim-​chi was a separate $ 1.99 order! This might actually make Manna a better value overall.

As soon as my roomies and I heard there was a new (ish) Korean restaurant in Davis, we sped out that weekend to try it out.
Spicy chicken bowl — spicy indeed! Lots of rice and chicken, but the 2 sprigs of broccoli made this nonstop-​vegetable-​eating-​machine (me :P) rather sad. The menu said the dish came with steamed vegetables. They might as well have written «steamed vegetable».
Bibimbap — plenty of veggies AND gochujang! The sesame oil wraps everything up together well, but the dish itself was not spectacular in any way.
Perhaps I will revisit when I am craving Korean, but I will not go out of my way just to eat here.

Finally! a decent korean place in davis!
When we stopped by on a thursday night, there was only one other person in the restaurant ordering take out. The first thing i noticed is their brightly colored furniture. Oh my! reminded me of a dessert place! :)
We ordered the spicy chicken dosirak (which im assuming is korean for bento box) and the house kimbap.
Our order was ready literally within 5 minutes. Within 2 minutes of ordering the lady had already made my kimbap and brought it out to this really cool looking machine that sliced each piece into equal pieces. She then spent the next 3 minutes neatly placing each piece into the box.
The Kimbap wasn’t bad, tasted like there was more rice compared to the ones at Kim’s mart but the order seemed alot smaller than the ones i usually get at Kim’s. The spicy chicken was REALLY GOOD! Let me tell you, the looks are deceiving! At first we didn’t think the chicken was going to be spicy at all. But once we started eating it the spicyness really kicked in!
I’ll definitely be coming back here to try the rest of their menu!

I was a bit sad that the Baskin Robins left, and after eating here I think they should come back.
After viewing pictures of this place on Daviswiki, I had very low expectations. The food just didn’t look appetizing, but gave it a try. Wanted to see if this place would beat Manna’s. Well, I thought the ladies working there were nice. Usually I get crap service from Korean people. I like what the did with the place. I was worried that there would be anywhere to sit and eat.
I think there is a language barrier. They gave us the wrong order, but at least that’s what they charged us for. The food was bland-​ish and nothing spectacular. I probably wouldn’t come here again.