The Mustard Seed

Good food, but on the expensive side. Entrees (with a complementary starter of soup or salad) were ~$ 45 for the 2016 graduation menu, which is expensive even by SF standards. You’ll have a nice meal, but be prepared to pay for it.

The Mustard Seed may be heading downhill. That’s not good for what was arguably the best restaurant in Davis just a few years ago. Still going for them is the lovely outdoor seating in the warmer weather, and the service is generally attentive. For this occasion I had the smoked salmon carpaccio, which was good, adequate, tasty with the unusual combination of orange slices. The house salad was OK. But the ribeye was tasteless — a huge slab of meat without even a bit of taste. In fact, it tasted rough, not like a good ribeye. My wife ordered medium rare and I ordered rare and they came out identically. The grilled veggies looked good but, again, didn’t taste — not that they didn’t taste good, more that they didn’t have any flavor. The cakey thing that came with the steak was, I think, supposed to be a ‘lightly breaded patty of risotto’ but it also had no taste. It was a wholly disheartening visit to a former great.

Food is awesome service went above and beyond with a last minute reservation for 7 Food a bit pricey but will worth it it was a dinning experience

Not a really good restaurant based on the price. You can definitely find ~5 better restaurants in Sac area with the similar style and similar prices. We ordered the crab cakes and puff soup as appetizers, which were just average or even a little bit worse. Duck breast and rib eyes steak were the main courses. Duck breast was prepared with some kind of berry source, which was too sweet. Rib eye was so plain, taste was below average. We ordered «chocolate soufflé cake» for desert. But what came out was more like a lava cake. Overall things were just 2 points out of 5.

Definitely my go-​to spot in Davis. Its one of the nicest restaurants you can find in Davis. Its on the pricey side but the meal is definitely worth it. Starting off with their complimentary bread and butter is absolutely amazing! The bread is super soft and they serve goat cheese butter which is just perfect! They change their menus every season which makes them really unique. I’ve tried their Gnocchi plate, Braised Beef plate and their french onion soup. I DEFINITELY recommend the french onion soup. Food can take quite a long time but its definitely worth the wait. The vibe inside is really calm and classy. I always go here to celebrate someones birthday. I will be returning soon.

My husband and I have been here on three occasions… and have had delicious food and great service every time. The restaurant is in quaint and charming with a beautiful patio. The risotto is always good and the wine selection is broad with great local wines.

The best restaurant in Davis. It would even be one of the best if it were in San Francisco. High quality food, perfectly prepared, beautifully presented. The décor and ambiance is charming, reminds me of a restaurant you’d find in Carmel. The service is excellent. I especially enjoy sitting on their patio. This restaurant deserves 5 Stars in my book. I live in Marin, eat out in SF and Marin 3 – 4 x a week, and I value high quality food in a charming atmosphere. The Mustard Seed is the only high quality restaurant in Davis and Davis is very lucky to have them.

1. Fixed price menu with published 18% gratuity. Actually charged 20% on total of food and tax. That’s just dishonest.
2. Food was just ok. Mashed potatoes had cold sections. Bad microwaving :)
3. Wine list is limited and mostly sweeter selections.
Basically just disappointed and was hoping for a nice higher end restaurant in town.

Went here for the first time last night for a nice pre Valentine’s Day dinner. I was thoroughly impressed.
Literally everything on the menu looked delicious, and we had a lot of fun with our waitress working through our decision.
Dinner started with fresh bread from Village Bakery with a tangy goat cheese spread. Accompanying the bread was an appetizer of crab cakes with an interesting Asian vinaigrette for dipping and French onion soup with a perfectly toasted cheese crust.
For the main course we got the braised short ribs per the waitress’ recommendation and the ribeye cooked to the chef’s liking. Both cuts of meat fell apart at first contact with the fork and the mashed potato side was a great complement.
We closed out our meal with 2 perfect apple tarts. The mint sprig went perfect with the vanilla ice cream and the currants in the middle of the tart, bomb.
Excellent food, excellent atmosphere, and excellent service. Would highly recommend.

This was my first experience of dining at the Mustard Seed. At first, I almost walked by the restaurant as its appearance is similar to a small home from the street views. The décor inside was very homey and intimate, with a fireplace, small rooms, and rustic wood furniture. We were quickly seated and our waitress greeted us right away. Fortunately, I ordered the Crab Stuffed Trout which was heavenly! The hollandaise sauce was lovely with a subtle lemon taste. The bread with the cheese/​butter was quite fresh and ample. The presentation of all of the dishes was inviting and the waitress continued to be attentive and helpful throughout the meal. What a very positive dining experience!

The food is really great!
But service is awful!!! Our waitress was rude and asked us to leave! She brought bill with 20% tip even not asking us!!! (In this restaurant it is 18% tip by their policy) so be careful and check your bills! She didn’t pour water to our glasses any time she passed our table! It seems like she hated us! She has some problems!
It doesn’t matter what food they serve and how nice in there until the waitress screams at you and asks to leave!!!
I bet the owner of the restaurant doesn’t even know that he hired so unprofessional people!!!

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

My boyfriend and I have dined here on several occasions back in undergrad. We would always come here for the duck. Of all the fine dining restaurants we’ve been to in the bay area, the taste of the duck stands out the most here. We graduated in 2013 from UCDavis, and back then, the duck entrée was only $ 18 which was a pretty decent price. In 2014, the duck was priced at $ 24. When we checked the current price in 2015, how does the price for this same entrée hike from $ 18 to $ 31 within 2 years? That is crazy. Despite the fact that mustard seed serves the best duck we’ve had, I do not think it is worth $ 31.

By far one of my favorite places if not my favorite to eat at in the area. Great for a special event or evening to celebrate. The wait staff is always professional, upbeat, and attentive. The food is always beautifully prepared and ridiculously tasty. Everything is made right there in their kitchen. I always feel like I’m in a cabin in Carmel whenever I’m there.
I’ve always sat at the table directly across from the swinging kitchen door and you can tell a lot about a place by the looks of their kitchen. It is always clean and well cared for by the looks of it.
We started our meal with a house salad and the tomato bisque with puff pastry. They were both very tasty and fresh. For our main course we had the gnocchi and the pork. Both were delicious. We didn’t order dessert only because we were so incredibly full. My husband always gets lemonade here since he says its so tasty. I had water. Our bill with tax and tip was a little over $ 90.
Highly recommend!

Wow delicious!!! All our meals were superb, with outstanding staff, and great wine recommended. A very special upscale meal, perfect for celebrating something special.

Service: 2 stars
Food 2.5 stars
Yikes, my husband and I were trying to have a nice dinner out so we made reservations on opentable. We arrive for our 8:00pm reservation at ~8:15 (not something we make a habit of, but sometimes life makes you late). When the waitress finally spots us, the first thing she tells us is «we’re about to close so you’ll have to order fast.» If they can’t allow guests to eat at their own pace they really shouldn’t be offering 8pm reservations? And why do they even close that early on a Thursday night?
So what was supposed to be a nice romantic dinner tuned into a rushed meal that still cost close to $ 100. If we were smart we would have left right away, but instead we stayed. My dish was pretty good (gnocchi with lobster) but the lobster was overcooked. My husband’s (duck breast) was incredibly sweet and generally disappointing.
We won’t be back.

HAVE AGAIN: the rib-​eye streak was just delicious.
NOT HAVE AGAIN: the crab-​stuffed trout was just ok, but nothing special.
The service was unattentive and I had to flag down the server several times during the meal. After clearly finishing, then waiting 10 minutes and having my dining partner depart, I finally had to ask the server for the check as she was about to clear the table next to mine! And, it took 40 minutes from when we entered the restaurant before the food was served.

Whenever anyone mention this place, I thought of a deli! You can imagine the look on my face when m friend told me it was a place of fine dining.
I have been here on more than one occasion, which each visit being wonderful! I think it’s fair to accurately review this place now.
On both of the occasions that I was here, I was greeted with a friendly smile, and quickly seated and waited on. Water was always filled to the brim and my waitress checked up on me quite often.
Both times I have come here I ordered the same dish: Risotto with sea scallops. I wanted to make sure that they didn’t lack consistency (but also because I adore scallops)! The first bite was great! The scallops had been cleaned very well and nicely crusted with the cornmeal; it was fresh and tender and paired great with the flavors of the risotto. The one thing that I noticed however, was that the rice was just a tad bit undercooked, but I ate it anyways because there was really nothing wrong with it. BUT the second time I had it, the entire dish was perfection. The rice was cooked beautifully. The scallops were once again pan seared to perfection and beautifully crusted (would you expect anything but that from the scallops though?). The overall flavor was great, and i savored every bite!
For dessert please order the bread pudding! It’s such a simple dessert, but the chef has transformed it into something of elegance. It’s very light compared to other bread puddings I’ve had, and that’s what makes it so good. It’s not too sweet, and it offers a great crunchy texture.
From what I can see, there needs to be a bit more consistency in food preparation, but this place gets an «A» in my book. They have a VERY good wine selection compared to any other restaurant in Davis, so you’ll find something suitable for everyone.
The patient and kind staff combined with the wonderful food will have me coming back as soon as my wallet can take another hit :)

As turned off by the name as I was (not a mustard fan), I’m very glad I came anyways. Only mustard from the dinner was all by itself.
Pâté was country style, so don’t look for completely smooth stuff. Came with mustard on the side, but it was still pretty tasty.
Goat cheese butter spread on fresh bread was pretty awesome.
Crab cakes were tasty. The sauce seemed to try to be Asian and was a little out of place in my book.
Had the duck, date had the risotto with prawns. The duck was by no means unsatisfactory but if I were to do it again I think I’d have the risotto.
Chocolate croissant bread pudding was on point in my opinion. I’d have it again.
A tad pricey. UCD kids, bring the folks here.
May have to try the «peach in a glass» next time.
…and finally, thanks Dr. P for the gift certificate!

A cute, quaint place. The atmosphere is so nice-​wooden chairs and tables, wine caskets, a window letting in the sunlight… The menu had many delicious-​sounding plates for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I tried the Vegetable Omelet with hash-​browns and multi-​grain toast. Everything was satisfying. I also tried the mimosa-​tasty but could not finish it (they gave us a tall glass).
The server was also great-​very friendly and accommodating!