All this rave about Four Seasons and Hometown (which I've only had bad experiences with), and people seriously aren't on this? Ding How is a quaint little Chinese restaurant in North Davis, located in the Savemart plaza off to the left side. The interior definitely speaks your typical Chinese restaurant. My first visit here, I was extremely pleased. Second visit? Only got better. The flavor was definitely on point, the service was great (surprisingly super helpful and friendly waiters...at an actual Chinese restaurant? that's rare). Take-out available. There is a serious laundry list of items available on the menu which is very normal. I have had: Fisherman's soup, Fish Fillet w/Snow Peas, Satay Beef, Braised Tofu w/Mixed Veg (definitely different from what I was expecting, out of everything this was my least favorite. A bit sour in flavor??), Special Pan Fried Noodle, Vegetarian New Year. All of it was bangin'. Portions great, pricing average. Great for groups (order dishes and rice, then enjoy). Coming from the Bay, I miss Asian food in Davis. Ding How did not disappoint. Will be back. read more

Boyfriend and I were craving Chinese food so we decided to come here. Normally we cook at home, but we stumbled upon this restaurant and decided to give it a try. They have lunch specials which we HIIGHHHLY recommend taking advantage of. We came 5-10 minutes after lunch (3PM) ended and the item prices skyrocketed. Although our portion sizes were bigger since it costs more. The food: Hot and sour soup - 3.5 stars - we ordered a "small" but the portion is enough to serve 4-6 people! They put a lot of ingredients (like tofu, bamboo, mushrooms, etc) and the soup itself was not too spicy or too sour. For $5 this was a steal! Honey Walnut Prawns - 3 stars - usually I do not like honey walnut shrimp because many restaurants put an excess amount of mayo, but this place had a nice balance! The taste of mayo was not too overpowering and the shrimps were big (although they did not taste too fresh). Beef with String Bean - 3.5 stars - this was pretty good! The sauce was delicious and blended well with the beef and string beans! The beef itself was not too fat or skinny, so it was just tender enough to chew. This place does use MSG in their food. Service was okay. We came right when lunch ended so there was no crowd or wait, but this place does get busy during certain times of the day. read more

Not sure why people are having a problem with Ding How. Seems like some people don't know what to order, only order Americanized crap (fried rice & chow mein), or probably shouldn't be eating at a Chinese restaurant in the first place... Anyway, ever since moving to SF I've been craving Ding How. It's crazy because SF has some killer Chinese restaurants (which admittedly, many are better than Ding How). However I just haven't been able to find another dish like their Chin Jiu chicken here. The spices that they use for it is sooo good. The other dish I would recommend is the fish slices w/ ginger and scallions (the nice waitress recommended it to us). Also highly recommend is the sizzling rice soup. Way better than any Panda Express nasty sweet & sour mushed up crap. Skip their spicy garlic eggplants though, that one wasn't so good... seems some of the dishes can be hit or miss, but oh well. I thought they were very nice to us also. read more

This is the oldest Chinese restaurant in Davis. The experience shows in the food and cooking. This is my update review.... Why I love this restaurant: Nostalgia; it's like the Chinese restaurants I went to when I was six. What to try: Chicken... Fried, try CHIN JIU chicken, a dry chicken with nice herb flavors. Stir-fry, try the Sizzling Ginger Chicken, flavor and fragrant in one. Beef... Peking Beef and Mongolian Beef are great here. Pork... Twice-cook pork, strong flavors and lots of veggies. (TRY THE VEGETARIAN VERSION, unique and great texture) Veggies... Hunan Tofu for fried tofu and veggies. Spicy Tofu for soft flavorful tofu. Oyster Mushroom with Soft Tofu for all of the above. THEY ALSO HAVE A WHOLE MENU for MOCK MEAT VEGANS (make sure to let them know you are VEGAN). Seafood... lots of options; but my favorite is the SEAFOOD TOFU POT, for seafood, tofu and veggies. LUNCH is only MON-SAT. Cheap, fast, and comes with a lot. OPEN-3PM. Service is alright, seems a bit under-staffed; but everyone here is nice and friendly. They do use MSG, but they can take it out if you ASK. read more

I love this place. I've been eating here for years and the food is consistently good. Their vegetarian menu is ridiculously well-rounded and I've tried most items on it and can honestly say it's all delicious. Portions are great, the lunch special is a good deal for a lot of food, and prices are reasonable. Definitely my favorite Chinese food in the area. read more

I absolutely love Ding How. Particularly noteworthy are their vegetarian menu, which offers a vegetarian or vegan version of just about every "regular" item, and their lunch special which comes with an entree, amazing hot and sour soup, fried rice, chow mein, an egg roll, and fruit. While I'm typically not a fan of fake or soy-based meats, theirs are pretty remarkable. Their beef is very close to the real thing, and while their chicken diverges a bit, it has a great flavor of its own. I find myself going back and forth between their real and fake meats, depending on my mood. Their pot stickers are perfection and their chicken curry is my (very delicious) go-to entree, though I don't recall trying anything I haven't liked there. The value is excellent and we find ourselves heading to Davis maybe once a month just for some Ding How amazingness. read more

Separate full vegetarian menu, but vegans: look out for eggy things. Hot and Sour soup sans egg is good-good. I enjoy their oyster mushroom soft tofu dish. BF likes the Szechuan tofu. We don't mind the fake meats in house special chow fun. Recently came here with my Dad and got to take a pick from the lunch specials. The orange slice at the end was hella good and friendly waitress offered my Dad another cookie when his first was missing a fortune. read more

The vegan twice cooked pork is amazing! All of there vegan meat choices are good but the vegan pork is just something else

I would like to open this review by sharing my level of surprise when their middle-aged waitress chased after me outside for tip. Now I've come here several times. But in that one extraordinary night I chose not to tip due to reasons including both food and service. I feel that the food here boasts mediocracy at best. They tend to slightly overcook their chicken and make up for that with excess amounts of sauce. Their vegetables are often oily or undercooked with lack of seasoning. And I don't ever recall their egg rolls being crispy nor seasoned. In terms of service, I feel that at least half of their servers don't regularly refill water nor ask customers if they need anything else. This place does not seem to have denominating procedures for handling customers besides seating them and passing the menu. Such a shame. 2/5. read more

I got braised tofu with vegetables, fried wontons with cream cheese, and white rice. I love the braised tofu from 4 seasons and was hoping it would taste as delicious. While driving home, all the sauce from the tofu dish spilled in the bag. :( The braised tofu was more of a 2 star because there was literally 6 pieces of tofu and way too much veggies in it. Carrots, daikon?, cabbage, and canned corn. It also didn't help that most of the sauce was gone. Won't be getting this dish again. Fried wontons were pretty good. 8 big pieces. White rice was perfect. Steamy and cooked just right. Lunch specials were enticing so I might just go back and try that out for next time. read more

Went here a couple times. MSG laden and small portions. Fail. read more

Good Chinese food. You can sit down or take out. Decent portions too! This is one of the more authentic restaurants in Davis. The ambiance is typical Chinese restaurant and the servers are quite attentive which is nice. The food comes in well sized portions, perfect for sharing with a group of friends. read more

I've had better honey-walnut prawns, and the chin-ju chicken was a bit dry on the outside, but I enjoyed my lunch nevertheless. The chin-ju was very well seasoned, and the chow mien and fried rice were not at all oily. Minimal use of oil is always a plus for me. I particularly liked how they served oranges with the fortune cookies at the end. Service was prompt, and the girl who waited on us was nice, too. I recommend this place if you only have an hour to eat lunch. read more

Major props to this restaurant for going lighter on the grease/salt than most Chinese restaurants do. Further props also for having a huge, extensive vegetarian menu. You can order stereotypical things like broccoli beef and kung pao chicken in vegetarian form, made with mock meats instead of dead animals. Very cool if that's your thing, and it makes this a great place where both strict vegetarians and meat-eaters can gather for dinner. The best soup Ding How has is the "vegetarian bowl soup." Takes longer to make than the other soups on the menu, but what you get for waiting a few extra minutes is a really deep, rich broth, generous chunks of taro and tofu, juicy cabbage, clear noodles, and a variety of succulent mock meats. My ex regularly enjoyed the soup that had pickled vegetables and pork; he was also quite fond of the chinjiu chicken, which was mild but flavorful. I normally ordered some vegetarian dish or a seafood dish and was never disappointed. Out of all the Chinese restaurants in Davis, this is my favorite. So why the average rating despite my generally positive comments? Well: I recently ordered the vegetarian bowl soup to go, only to find once I got home that I had a container of some sort of chicken soup. I called to let the staff know, and they kindly let me come back the next day for a free order of the vegetarian bowl soup. A week later, I ordered the vegetarian broccoli beef to go. Same deal - I get it home to find it's made with real cow and not mock meat. The next time I order the vegetarian broccoli beef, I say repeatedly, "NO MEAT. I want the vegetarian version. NO MEAT." Still, the same thing happens and I get real beef. No bueno. Hence, the average rating. I still like this place, however. And I must say, when they actually get my order right, the vegetarian broccoli beef here is absolutely to die for. read more

I lived down the street from this place for two years while I was in college and never went into the place. I never knew anyone that actually went here. It just doesnt look like a good place for good chinese food. I'm not sure why, I dont know what makes a place look like it has good food. So, my vegetarian friend convinces me to go here the other day. I was really impressed. The asparagus beef (vegetarian style) actually was really good and tasted like beef. The chow fun came in a huge portion and was had good flavours with meat that wasn't too greasy. They nailed the spicy salt spareribs; the size was small, the meat was very tender, and there was the right amount of salt. The hot and sour soup was alot more spicy than it was sour but it was still pretty good; although I'll probably get the non-vegetarian version next time. The food is good and you get good sized portions. There was only one waitress/cashier so dont go here when you are pressed for time. i will definitely go back when i'm in davis. read more

Of all the Chinese restaurants I've been to in Davis, I love Ding How's Hot and sour soup the best!! No one can compare. :D And I have friends and a boyfriend who would back up my claim. :P My favorite entrée there is the Club Bird's Nest! I try to order it every time unless I'm on a budget bc it can be pricey. But a little warning, if they run out of the potato crisp nest for it, don't bother ordering it! The entrée takes nasty without the potato crisp nest. Everything here is moderately priced for the portion, which is pretty large so I have no complaints. read more

I am giving it a five star rating not because I think it's the best Chinese book in Davis, but because they REALLY try hard to please everyone in that they have an extensive VEGETARIAN menu as well as a normal meat -american-chinese menu. People say the General Chicken here is the best at Davis...but I wouldn't know. read more

This place is pretty good. They have a lunch special every day except Sundays that ranges from $7.00-8.00ish which includes soup, fried wonton wrappers, and an entree with noodles and rice. They give you a pretty hefty amount of food. I've definitely had better chinese food, but for Davis, this one is (sadly) one of the best ones. My absolute favorite dish is their twice-cooked pork, which is sweet and spicy with a lot of cabbage. Don't get their peking duck -- it's not worth it. Also, be forewarned that the cook is very fond putting *loads* of garlic on almost all dishes (e.g. their kung pow chicken). I don't mind it, but some people might. read more

I won't recommend this place! Zero stars if I can! Hot & Sour soup was OK but I had better. Pork was too tough, some of veggies there so rough I spit it out. I obviously didn't eat them. Shrimp Chow Mein was OK, I found only 4 shrimp. Pineapple chicken was good. Beef & broccoli, I didn't like it. It has something that have way too strong flavor and the meat was tough. I came first and other who came later got their food first. They told me that I ordered an appetizer so I can have time to finish my appetizer so they served other table first.( I know, it makes no sense!) And they told me that any other Chinese restaurant has the same rules. They told me to tell them if I would like to get all food the same time, then they will do that. I ordered Hot & Sour Soup, Shrimp Chew Main, Pineapple Chicken and Beef & Broccoli. I didn't order an appetizer because we didn't have much time to eat. If I had time I could order Dim Sum Platter but I didn't. They kept telling me that Hot & Sour Soup is an appetizer. No, it's in the soup section. If they want to call soup an appetizer, then they can put under appetizer menu. The more they spoke the more I got irritated because they were rude! I came out super annoyed!! I won't go back! The good thing is that this food isn't great. I have no reason to come back! read more

When I think of Ding How, I think of good times with friends and yummy food. The vegetarian menu is completely separate and rivals the "normal" menu in selection and just as tasty, if not more. The price is right for the student budget and like many Chinese restaurants they offer a well priced lunch special. The perfect place to please both the meat eaters and the vegetarians in your group. read more

They have really good vegan food. But the service is pretty laughable. Like honestly I laugh about it afterwards. They take so long, some chef is moody. They make good vegan faux meats but the accompanying food is often meh. I'll come here every now and then. read more

If I could give zero stars I would. I ordered some food from them today and literally threw up while eating it. The food was definitely old or something. UGH! Disgusting!!!!!! read more

Ding How is top 3 on my list of places I miss when away from Davis. I'm not a vegetarian, but their vegetarian menu is delicious and the general chicken is a definite fav. The lunch special is great and for about $7 it comes with chow mein, fried rice, an egg roll, and entree. Plus, if you eat in, it comes with soup and those little wonton chips. Excellent! The service has always been pleasant and the atmosphere always quiet and clean. read more

Absolutely terrible service. Employee was incredibly rude and disrespectful. He didn't want to take my order, didn't want my business, wouldn't tell me how long it would take, and gave me a negative attitude in every aspect of our interaction. When we finished and I told him he might want to check his attitude, he forcefully said "NO THANK YOU." This is the second time I have received disrespectful service here. The quality of food has also dramatically declined in the past few years. This used to be our #1 spot in town for Chinese food but they will never, ever get my business again. read more

Ding How has been one of my favorite places to eat in Davis ever since I moved here. The prices are average for a good quality Chinese resturant, the portion sizes are pretty generous, and the food is all delicious. But the best part is that they have a vegitarian menu that includes a veggie version of almost every item on the main menu. And their vegitarian food is just as tasty as all of their other food! It's definitely still my go to place for Chinese takeout, and every once and a while I'll take friends to sit down for a meal there. The service is good, the owner is friendly, and the atmosphere is usually nice and calm. I highly recommend Ding How to anyone looking for good Chinese food, especially if you're vegitarian like me and tired of menus full of food you can't eat. Ding How is a nice change of pace with some of the best vegitarian food I've ever tried. read more

Cheap. That's probably the best feature about this place. Most everything on the menu is good. They give you a choice of meat/vegetable and type of noodle, neglecting the quality of neither. Their dumplings always seemed to have a sort of weird texture to them, but they are tasty nonetheless. read more

I've never had a lunch special, and from the other reviews it seems that their lunches aren't all that special. But I'm here to vouch for their regular menu that makes Ding How my family's favorite Chinese restaurant in Davis. Our favorites: 1. Hot & Sour soup. They actually put meat in here. 2. Tofu pot with pork. The sauce is great with rice. 3. Sizzling beef. Their meat is always tender. 4. Mushu chicken, or pork, or beef. Their mushu dishes are crunchy with various veggies and a great blend of flavors. Overall, I like Ding How for their Chinese favorites. No, not the take-out staples of sweet & sour chicken or broccoli beef, but the real dishes that Chinese people like. Oh, if you order rice for your table and your tub runs out, they will not charge for refills. read more

Mmmm, I can't say I've been to many Chinese restaurants to compare, but I would say this place was just alright. I mean, everything was edible. The portions were more than satisfying. But I wish my Kung Pao Chicken had more flavor to it. But it definitely filled me up, and the hot and sour soup was tasty. I wouldn't mind coming back, but hopefully to try something more satisfying to my taste buds. At least the price didn't hurt my wallet! read more

Ding How Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Davis, California

Ordered twice from the place. Got sweet and sour chicken and beansprout with pork. The chicken surprised me because it was not the typical American-Chinese kind of sweet and sour chicken. It was more like long battered chicken strips drenched in sweet and sour sauce, along with pineapple, green peppers, and onions. It was alright. Beansprout with pork surprised me, in terms of the taste and amount, as well. The pork did not taste like meat. The beansprouts were fresh. The whole dish was quite salty and oily. The amount was not worth the money I paid for. The service was really fast though; in and out under 7 minutes. Guess thats why the food was not particularly cooked well. read more

Definitely one of the closest authentic Chinese places you can get in Davis. I live near here and I would always be down to eat their food. I always get their Ding How Special Chow Fun and Egg Flower Soup. Their soup is a must have for me because of how wonderful it tastes with the tofu! I have tried their other dishes such as their fried calamari and fried chicken wings. Definitely cooked and fried to perfection! Not too burnt and seasoned extremely well. Their sizzling seafood special was fresh and tasty as well as their Oyster Sauce Veggies! I would avoid some of their items on their menu which does not say much about their dish such as dishes with the words "special" in it or "ding how". Their customer service is adequate. I come here enough to not care about their customer service as much. I have dined in there and gotten carry out and I gotta say I prefer carry out more. They are not extremely attentive to your table and it takes a while for the food to come out. However, they do know how to do their job and understands your needs. Overall I will definitely keep coming to this place for food and their Egg Flower Soup! read more

For the most part, I've always had a great meal and experience when eating at Ding How. There was one occasion several years ago where my dad got his food a whole 20 minutes before mine came (at lunchtime), but other than that, I'm impressed. Typically we come here for take out and the food is always ready in a timely manner and we usually order so much food that we're eating leftovers for days. read more

I've never actually went into the restaurant to eat but I've ordered take out a couple of times because my apartment is right next to it. The food is okay but the reason I'm giving it 3 stars is because my boyfriend and I both found dead flies (they were small) in the chow mein and fried rice we ordered for takeout :( yes...both of them... That was our last time visiting. I've gone here multiple times and the food has been decent and nothing wrong with it but... yeah...that's why I'm not giving it lower than 3 stars because the food is still okay... read more

I'm a fan of the lunch specials they have. They are reasonably priced and always a good value. The environment in the restaurant is very relaxed as well. It's quiet and peaceful, and it is always a good place to eat with friends! I love their hot and sour soup as well! :) read more

Sweet and sour pork was hard no flavor , chicken Bland, Ihad to throw it out . I couldn't even pawn it off to coworkers. read more

Ding How Restaurant - The sweet and sour pork was hard and no flavor at all. The fried chicken was the same no flavor. - Chinese Near Me - Davis, California

Wow. I called to ask if they were still open tonight and the person who answered said "yes." We get there at 9:06pm (they're open until 9:30) and she says: "Oh, we're closed." I reply that we called 5 minutes earlier to double check and she responds that "we're open for take-out." So annoying and disappointing. Why didn't the person say that when I called? I thought open until 9:30pm meant OPEN UNTIL 9;30pm. Such bad customer service. Will never go back. read more

I love Ding How! It's the only Chinese place I go to in Davis tbh. I wish service was better because workers are always sitting down and never come to check up on you but the food is so good that I do not care lol. General tsou chicken, sweet & sour soup, chow mein, etc are allllll soo deliciousssss. read more

Ding How Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Davis, California

There was a long black hair in every single dish that I ordered. I am completely disgusted with this place. I can understand that accidents will happen and a hair may end up in food occasionally but it is inexcusable to find hairs in all 5 of the dishes I ordered including the soup. I have eaten here many times and I will never be going back after today. read more

I had always loved this place for their vegetarian menu until today. Ordered 4 dishes from their vegetarian menu for take out, we must have said "vegetarian menu" at least 4 times when placing the order. The lady at the counter also counted 4 dishes at pick up as vegetarian. However one of the dishes, tomato "beef" was made with actual beef, not the soy version. I only realized after I ate a piece and it tasted so different from anything soy based - I have never eaten beef in my life because of philosophical and spiritual reasons (yes, I'm Indian). My omnivore friends confirmed it was indeed actual beef. Terrible, upsetting and hurtful experience. Never coming back to this place. read more

Service is always good and they have good recommendations. I love that they remember their customers. Best ribs and sautéed vegetables in garlic ever! read more

Great egg foo young! This is how it's made back East. We've been in California 15 years and this the first restaurant that we've found that makes it the same way back home. Big patties stuffed with vegetables and meat with the classic brown gravy, not that black sauce that many restaurants use. Looking forward to trying other dishes! read more