Restaurant and sports bar by day, The Davis Graduate at night is, and has been, the city’s best place to dance.
“It’s probably the busiest place in NorCal on a Monday,” said Danny Ramos, general manager. “I mean, where else are you going to go for a good time on a Monday?”
Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday are country nights, and Tuesday is salsa, leaving only one evening of the week not designated for dance.
If line dancing and salsa are a bit out of your comfort zone, fear not. The Grad has a regular dance instructor and provides lessons.
According to Ramos, the average attendee is 18 to 25 years old, and many attendees are students.
“At nighttime you’ll see about 90 percent students — they may not be UC Davis students, though. We see people from Solano, Woodland, all over,” Ramos said.
The Grad is for the 18-and-older crowd, except for Sundays, which are open to all ages.
“We’ve been doing it for years, so the police are comfortable with it,” Ramos said. “There aren’t that many places where you can have 18-year-olds with over-21s and alcohol.”
Amber Nelson, a fourth-year math and philosophy double major, said The Grad has an active atmosphere with friendly patrons.
“I went last Friday night for line dancing night,” Nelson said. “It’s a lot of fun because … I don’t know, you just line dance!”
Those looking for different dance floors can walk down Second Street to find second-place winner Our House and third-place winner Tres Hermanas.
— Naomi Nishihara
