Segundo Dining Commons

Its mind boggling that this dining common is ranked as one of the best in the nation. Let’s just say I would hate to try the food selection at other universities.
What to eat:
I only recommend coming here for breakfast. And during breakfast, there’s only one item I recommend getting — the omelette. The omelettes are made-​to-​order over gas fired stoves, and filled with a selection of protein and veggies of your choice. There’s generally the same veggies each day while the protein selection is rotated daily. The best meat is their spicy chorizo, while their worst is leftover cut-​up steak from dinner the night before.
Oh wait, there’s also the salad bar. If you’re into all that green stuff this is the place. With three rows of salads, dressings, vegetables, and soups, you’re bound to make a salad that suites your palate.
What NOT to eat:
Everything else that is served here is certainly edible, but quickly becomes disappointing when eaten too often. Sometimes, too often means once. The pasta, burgers, basic grilled meats, wannabe-​Asian dishes should be avoided at all costs. Some dishes such as steak are definitely hit or miss. Try them once if you dare, but don’t blame me when you have to carry 5 full plates of food to the disposal area.
Catering Services:
For some reason, the food provided through their catering services is miles above what is served in the dining commons. From BBQ chicken, to mac-​n-​cheese, to ribs and steak, their catering food is definitely 4 stars. I guess they serve their worst work to students.

Our Dining Commons are ranked #17 nationwide and they definitely deserve it! There’s so many different options available, and they try to accommodate for all sorts of different dietary needs and even religious needs! Our chefs are amazing. The food is really tasty. And there’s a huge variety every day. Sometimes you might not like any of the new dishes, but there’s always burgers and the tasty salad bar. Or cereal any time of the day. And the late night cookies are amazing!
Tercero might be closer to campus, but if you’re planning on driving to campus, this (or Cuarto) is the easiest. Park across the street, pay a freshman $ 5 (maximum) for a swipe to get in, and then it’s all you can eat. And after you’ve finished gorging yourself on all the food, you can head over to the ARC and burn some calories. Only kidding. But it is that close!
Some people say that they get tired of it, but the food is healthy and delicious! I actually lost 10 pounds my freshman year eating here and enjoyed it. I mean, would you actually rather be eating at Crossroads in Berkeley? Didn’t think so.

The other two DC have not yet open during summer session, so everyday I eat at Segundo DC. The food is pretty good and the staffs r super nice!

This place has pretty good food. I love the sausages during breakfast (breakfast in general is awesome). The food here is pretty regular but for how many people they have to serve its really awesome. And if you like something chances are a lot more people like it too, so come early ;)

Recently, and for the third year in a row, we took a large group (188) of 8^th graders from Southern California to UC Davis for a campus tour and dinner. The entire experience was A+!
The students had a delightful time gawking at the hundreds of bicycle riders (and felt they were in the middle of a «frogger» video game). The campus was beautiful and the Student Store, under renovation but still easily accessible, combined with the ARC and short Q&A sessions with the guides and university students along the way made for a wonderful time.
Dinner at Segundo Dining Commons was perfect for the students. The greeter at the entrance along with the rest of the staff made the students feel very welcomed. Terrific food with an amazing variety suitable for every taste bud gave the students and chaperones a delightful experience.
We look forward to next year’s trip.

Segundo in my opinion is the healthiest DC! They have a huuuge salad bar and two stations to grab healthy options (both by the Mongolian BBQ) I go here for mostly salad. Might not be the best for late night though. Go to Cuarto for that.

Good for late night. Sometimes they have good food other times they don’t have anything. I like the teriyaki bowls and pizza is decent. I always get a sandwich and cookie though.

Well, I just found cardboard discs hiding in the mushrooms of my omelet this morning.
«The only word to accurately describe my initial reaction was ‘Wow’» –Erin Loury (appropriately taken from the Segundo Dining Commons website homepage) I bit into something chewy that tasted like wood and found out that it was not food at all. It was in fact, mushroom-​sized discs of cardboard. Wow. As I am writing this review, I am feeling a headache and moderate pain in my stomach, most likely from the strong chemicals.
Cardboard is not food because it is not edible. Not only that, it is highly processed, full of chemicals, coloring, bleach, and is just plain disgusting. Now those pieces of cardboard were cooking with the whole batch of mushrooms. Think of all the chemicals seeping out to the rest of the batch. The worst part? They carried on serving those same mushrooms, yes the cardboard and chemical contaminated ones, to a line of hungry students. No wonder America has a problem with cancer. Cruel.
Also, I’ve found the quality of breakfast is just plain filthy. If you follow the hands of the breakfast server, you will see contamination of raw and cooked all over the place. For example, the server will spill some trailing egg whites over the counter and sides of the pan and use the side to position your omelet because he forgot to put enough oil and all the contents flopped out. And then you proceed to take the plate that he touched with his egg-​y hands. He will then proceed to wipe the pan with a dirty rag. What? For anyone who has studies infectious diseases, this is a recipe for disaster waiting to happen.
Also, they never cook the yolk fully, even if you ask them to. It is because they are in such a rush so they keep the stove on way-​to-​high heat and simply crack the yolks. When you cut the egg, the yolk just gushes out.
Just a few weeks ago, I found a knife that had dried food and sauce in the container for clean utensils. It was touching most of the other knives. Coincidence? I think not.
Bottom Line: On the surface, this DC seems nice and has good-​tasting food; however, the quality and sanitation is seriously suffering. What more could be expected of Sodexho? Yet, still unacceptable at a place where food is served.

The Segundo Dining Commons staff was über accommodating to a gluten free diet request on absolutely no advanced notice. Within 15 minutes they made a gf pizza, provided a menu of options for the evening meal and presented a tray of gf pastries to choose from. They have a special gf mini frig stocked with gf bread and a dedicated toaster for just gf bread.
Everyone working at the Commons is amazingly friendly, helpful, and cheerful. The food is average college fare with a fairly decent selection to choose from. All the menu items are labeled clearly for vegan, vegetarian, gluten, soy, nuts, dairy, etc.
Could totally live off just the salad bar offerings for some time.

Wait… do people actually rate the DC?
Not sure what to say about the DC other than I def got sick of it freshman year and that santa fe chicken salads are THE BOMB.
Segundo is slightly annoying in that the bathroom is past the swipe-​point so you have to let them know if you need to go and want to go back in to finish your meal. They also have some seating problems sometimes as Segundo seems to be the most popular DC to go to, especially for those who aren’t freshmen.
Food choices here are usually pretty on the meh side with some exceptions (Santa fe chicken salad. Do it.) that shine, but you cant really decide on that unless you check the menu (
) beforehand.
My favorite days would be the times when freshmen would shoot me a text telling me there were santa fe chicken salads and offer to swipe me in, but those times are long past now and will forever be a memory. Hopefully, I’ll be able to go for another Santa Fe Chicken Salad again one day, but if memory serves me right, they were only available for some tuesdays at lunch, and with work and things, it kinda makes things impossible.
Anyways, distractions aside, the DC is cheap for a buffet, even if the food isnt really the greatest. The ~$ 10 price tag is actually pretty worth it, but you can usually find some friends or hit people up on the swipes fb group (though technically not allowed) and get someone to swipe you in from anywhere from $ 1 – 5 depending on how far into the year it is.

Out of the three dining commons on campus (Tercero, Segundo, and Cuarto), I would say Segundo is the easiest to access! It’s right by the ARC and parking lot. Also, It is as spacious as Tercero, and I feel like it does provide a good variety of food.
Someone like myself, may be concerned about the «Transfer 20» or «Freshman 15», but honestly, the dining commons have both healthy food and unhealthy food. I would say the portions are decent — not too much or little. You can always ask the chefs to customize to your needs too.
My Favorites Here:
— MONGOLIAN BBQ! (But expect long lines)
— Supply of Cherry Tomatoes (Salad Bar)
— French Fries (Near the burgers. Tastes a little bit like chicken salt)
— Fish Tacos
— Unlimited coffee & creamer
Unfavorites:
— Vietnamese «Phở». It wasn’t even phở, it was just some sort of non-​Vietnamese chicken soup.
— Frozen Yogurt
— Only providing orange juice in the mornings
Note: The food quality varies day-​to-​day. Check online for the menu before you visit!

As much as I want to give this place a higher rating… I just cannot. If you are not a resident here and you are actually paying for a meal at the DC, then you might as well pay a little extra and spend it elsewhere. Yes, it’s buffet style, but even then I have definitely been to better buffets.
The food:
Pasta/​Spaghetti (in general) — lacks flavor and is almost always watered down. Rarely will you ever find the pasta with meat in it too. It is just no good.
Pizza (in general) — is okay but a little bit on the greasier side.
Cereal (in general) — there are many options! Once you have been living here for a long period of time, you will begin to swipe yourself in just to eat cereal as a meal.
Soups (in general) — I recommend either clam chowder (with few to no clams), cream of mushroom, OR MY FAVORITE — creamy tomato (this one is actually good)!
Mongolian bbq — I have not had this in YEARS. At first it may seem appetizing, but after a while it just feels super MSG and oily.
Ice-​Cream (in general) — it’s okay, not too many options but is decent enough.
Burgers (in general) — fresh (even though eating a burger is not typically part of my daily diet).
Salad bar — this is actually good — they provide many different dressings and a variety of different toppings.
Rice plates (in general) — best thing in the DC in my opinion! Although it is a bit hard to digest afterwards and normally it makes me feel bloated. BUT there is actually flavor unlike the pasta.
REGARDLESS OF ALL THIS NEGATIVITY: my favorite meal at the DC has to be breakfast (which is why this place even deserved 2 stars). This is something that is actually worth paying for. It is not THE best «breakfast joint,» but you get to create your own omelette and on good days they have bacon or sausage patties (I will say that I miss tater tots from their menu though).
I also enjoy SOME of the DC’s theme nights. mainly because it is creative, but the food is still mediocre.
Overall, go if you are desperate or if you have swipes. but otherwise, spare yourself the money and time!

I feel like all the dining commons here at UC Davis are the same. It’s just really a hit or miss when you go. I hate Mondays for many reasons 1. School 2.-100. School and the dining commons just gave me another reason to hate it. Meatless Mondays?! What in the actual F$CK? For one I do not eat the food that my food eats. Two, black bean burger?! I accidentally mistook this for a real burger and as I took my first bite I could taste the LIES, my heart almost stopped from being clogged with it. No one should ever have to go through what I went through… That’s meeeessed up. How dare they besmirch the beautiful word that is… «burger.»
How about a Meaty Monday? I can get down with that.
On a side note other days are slightly more tolerable. Avoid Mondays at all cost.

5 stars in comparison to the other 2 DC’s. Segundo is the best DC at Davis! But I’d have to say Cuarto is pretty close. Although I do think Cuarto’s brunch on the weekend is bomb, Segundo’s dinner cant be beat. They just have more options and the food is prepared pretty good. I have nothing really to complain about because it is a dining common after all. It’s my go to lunch and dinner dining hall, no questions asked.

I just graduated, and I will miss the food here for sure!
The main reason I came is to eat at the DC was when they were serving Thai noodle peanut salad. IT WAS AMAZING. I always paired it with a salad that I put together and it made my taste buds holler! I wish the recipe on how they made that was available!
The other food was tasty too but not that amazing. They usually have burgers, pizzas, soups, and the Mongolian noodles (which is really popular during lunch). They also have sandwiches, cereal, tea, salads, fruit, etc. It’s a DC, and it is sort of expected.
There is an online menu that you can look at (
), or if you did not look online, there are always plates of food displayed to see which catches your attention.
With all the food they offered here, I definitely took advantage of eating here. Especially during Spring quarter when the Freshmen needed to get rid of their underused swipes.
Good times that I will surely miss.

Now that I have graduated UC Davis, sometimes I miss the dining commons.
I was one of the first class to experience the new renovated dining commons. I am a big fan of Segundo. I did eat here for at least two entire years of my undergraduate experience.
I came back the other day, and I still love it.
My absolute favorite item at the dining common is the turkey tortilla soup. SO GOOD! Okay, so it was a little bit more salty than I remembered but still so good!!! I love the tortilla chips with it, and I add a little bit of pepper, and it’s delicious! It’s a great consistency!
I also love the mongolian BBQ.
Tip: If you want a vegetable in your mongolian wok dish, just go to the salad bar and get it and add it in. Sometimes, I want corn or mushrooms, and it’s not always there. So salad bar, here I come!
I think the pizza, burgers, fries are mediocre. If I see pesto pizza, I am taking it. They aren’t amazing but they’re edible.
I like the salad bar, there’s enough options to keep me happy. There’s also UCD brand olive oil and such on the side so you can make your own dressing with quality products.
I just learned there’s hummus and the bread with the hummus is so good. The bread is so crispy, warm and chewy. Delicious!!!
I am a big breakfast person, and I love cereal. The dining common has bunch of breakfast items, I love the cereal. I am glad it has cream cheese, jam, etc. I just found out there’s granola as well! Yum.

I remember hating the DC so much as a freshman, but now I get excited every time I can get swiped in.
I prefer the Segundo DC over the Tercero and Cuarto, even though Tercero brings back great memories.
I love the selection of healthy food! I always leave super happy after filling my stomach with organic fruits and veggies, whole grains, and other good eats. They have such a huge selection of food, that you’ll be covered no matter what you prefer. I used to eat anything so I was content with their pizza, burgers, and plentiful desserts. Now that I live a more healthy lifestyle, I am still satisfied by their variety of fresh vegetables and healthy dishes! I always leave happy.

Segundo DC, I feel is better than Tercero and Cuarto DC. I don’t know what it is, but I always feel more satisfied when I eat here.
Back in Freshman year, the food was really good, but slowly started to decline in quality as the year went on. I might have just gotten sick of the food like many other freshmen, but who knows. Now, as a senior, I can’t say that the food is any better still. It’s food that’s made fresh for you and it’s all you can eat. Whenever I go to the DC nowadays, I’m just like, «I don’t have to cook today.»
Every now and then, the DC will hold theme nights from Italian to French to even Harry Potter night. Those are the days you definitely want to go, as the food will be different and normally better.
Overall, the Mongolian BBQ has been consistent throughout the years for lunch. The Santa Fe Chicken Salad has also been one of my favorites! Once Freshman year, they served fried chicken and cheddar mashed potatoes for lunch. Long have I been waiting for the day they will do it again, and I still wait…

This is the best DC compared to the Tercero DC and Cuarto DC! So if you are out of town and wonder which one you should go to, go to this one!
Cheap, good buffet. I love the special events that they have, such as Harry Potter night, steak night and etc. Those are the events you should look out for because they cook up different kinds of food that they don’t usually serve!
Selections they typically have:
Pizza — pepperoni, combo, cheese
Hamburgers/​Veggie Burgers
Potato Fries/​Yam Fries
Soups — tomato, clam chowder, chicken noodle
Frozen Yogurts/​Ice Cream
Mongolian Noodles (served during lunch hours; my personal favorite)
Sandwiches — variety of deli meat
Cereals
Salad bar with a variety of dressings (their Cesar dressing is made fresh & really well!)
…and many other dishes!
They change their lunch and dinner entrees on a daily basis!
I love this place when I personally don’t feel like cooking for lunch and am starving on campus!

GOD DAMN!
The food at Segundo is ridiculously good. I only visited this place once in the last decade and can only compare it to the DC at UCSC. Davis BLOWS AWAY UCSC’s DC at College ⁹⁄₁₀
Pepperoni Pizza: Hot, cheesy, delcicious
Chow Mein: Meaty, not too oily, delicious
Cheeseburger: Thick, hot, a myriad of toppings available including onions lettuce and tomatoes, delicious
Frozen Yogurt: Real stuff, Dreyers brand, Delicious
Fries: Some were small and not potatoey. Many were burnt. However, decent overall.
Grilled Chicken and Carrots: Chicken was a bit dry but still pretty good. Slices of steamed carrots were great. Delicious.
The Segundo DC Is HUGE! The selection is amazing. the building’s interior is super modern-​looking.
Live here. It’s ridiculous.