Mishka's Café — Restaurant in Davis

If nothing else a place pretending to be a "Cafe" should always display some measure of CLASS and some semblance of sophistication. For all its superficial style this place displays the exact opposite in tasteless vulgarity with graceless ease!

And for a "Cafe" offering even no delicatessen-style sandwiches or small meals this little coffee-and-sparse-pastry DUMP has absolutely NOTHING to act PRECIOUS about! Let's face it: the Twilight Zone town of Davis isn't very big at all on coffee shops and "downtown" Mishka's is just about all that's available. So Davis denizens have virtually no place else to go for a decent brew--except around the corner at a tiny, ubiquitous Starbucks, which closes three hours earlier than Mishka's, which has a lock on the service hours monopoly as well!

When it comes to CUSTOMER SERVICE though we'll take Starbucks over Mishka's anytime as the pseudo-baristas at this "cafe" for the eccentric locals(like the one who comes regularly to stretch his legs up tree trunks!)and study-hall students have yet to master even an approximation of that simple concept: polite-and-cheerful courtesy!

So we get the boot from Starbucks at closing time and promptly relocate(as is our habit)to Mishka's, taking just as promptly an outdoor table. As we had just got settled we had yet to pack away our "Venti" personal plastic Starbucks cups, mostly empty of beverage. We're nighttime regulars, you see, and boast the marked "buy ten coffee and tea drinks, get one FREE" card to prove it!

No sooner were we seated with the EXTRA LARGE blackberry Italian Soda we just bought at Mishka's did this crazed, chubby, pale and rabid creature sporting a shock of bluish dyed hair make a beeline from the inside to the outside to very RUDELY accost us in her apparent trademark OBNOXIOUS manner:

"I'm sorry," she snaps, hovering directly over us, "but outside drinks are not allowed here!"

Apparently the large buttered popcorn we just bought(and brought)from that "Varsity" cinema theatre next door was quite acceptable...

"We haven't drunk a drop from those cups," I assure her.

"They CAN'T BE HERE! They're advertising for STARBUCKS!!" she froths at the mouth!

At this point I was most tempted to say then we couldn't be there and wouldn't be back, either, and to take your overpriced, watered-down soda and SHOVE IT!!...but restrained myself for the sake of my guest...

"We can pack the cups in our bags," I suggest simply, "no problem."

"Just as long as they're OUT OF SIGHT!" Ms. Blue-Head froths further before whirling away in a frenetic frenzy something akin to the Loony Toon's Tazmanian devil...

All that was called for here, really, was just a little tact and CIVILITY...not a near belligerent confrontation practically accusing us of committing the most atrocious mortal sin since Cain killed Abel!

Besides, it's rather unsightly for any customer to be forced to witness up close and personal the very sad spectacle of a rather unlovely barista making herself even more hideous by her ugly attitude to the job!

Get over yourself, Mishka's, your dumpy little pastry joint just isn't that...

I have been going to Mishka's religiously for the past 4 years. The issue I have always had has been that the kids who work there sometimes make my order wrong--completely the wrong drink, or they won't make the modification I ask for. I have worked food service, so I understand and try to look past it especially as I am a staunch supporter of small local businesses. Unfortunately however, this has been happening more and more. I exclusively go in when it's quiet; today when I went there were maybe 20 people sitting and only one person in front of me. I ordered a matcha cold brew and did not ask for it to be unsweetened because I wouldn't expect there to be a default of sweetener in it--that doesn't make sense because additions to a drink, such as sugar, should be the modification. Unfortunately I drank half of the drink before I tasted the sweetener--I guess it had been added to the matcha, so it was more apparent at the bottom. I have fibromyalgia and I specifically am not supposed to ingest sugar or pretty much any sweetener (or dairy) at all as it inflames my organs and causes me nausea and pain. I was already at home by the time I realized there was sugar in my drink. i can't go back and ask for a refund because I need to stay home in case I end up throwing up/in too much pain. I'm now out more than seven bucks (I tipped generously) and I can't even drink half the drink I paid for. I'm done going to Mishka's because I just can't trust that they will make my drink correctly. I don't want to risk that they might use a dairy creamer or do something like this again. Normally the issue is minor (eg, they very often make a hot drink iced), but this is just too much at this point. Sugar should not be a default on a drink that, by name, should not be sweet (matcha and coffee are bitter by nature). At the very least, the person taking the order should ask if this is a common modification. The baristas should not be so inattentive. They really need to be trained better. I'm sad because I like supporting small independent businesses but I can't play fast and loose with my...

A well-loved spot for gatherings or study sessions (4/5 green stars also)

Mishka's has a nice atmosphere, lots of indoor and outdoor seating, and opens quite late (esp. by Davis standards). I had an Americano and a small piece of Earl Grey shortbread ($1). The Americano was made from medium roast beans (soured from Guatemala, Ethiopia, Peru, and one other place that I’ve forgotten because my brain was coffee-deprived when the information was communicated). Overall I liked the coffee – good flavor and not over-roasted. The shortbread was good too. A solid 4/5 for everything.

I’m also giving Mishka’s 4/5 “green stars” for social and environmental impact, based on these reasons:

• A sign in the store indicates that their coffee is fair trade and organic. Beans are roasted on site. • More info on their relationship with growers would be helpful – there’s none to be found on their website or packaging. • Plenty of vegan pastries available and plant-based milks too. • Cold cups, hot cup lids, etc., are not compostable. • Would be nice if they didn’t give lids on cups as default (i.e., like Peets) to save plastic. • Packaging for beans is not compostable. • They upgraded to LED lights to save energy – the California Lighting Technology Center at UCD calculated that they save over 10,000 kWh per year. • Provides a community gathering place and gets involved in community events.

Ever written a green star review? Please contact me if you have done so, or if you’d like...