Beloved local spot voted Best Coffee by UC Davis students
By RACHEL GAUER — features@theaggie.org
It’s rare to enter Mishka’s Café without finding bustling, intellectual conversations and students intently typing away at their computers. Located at 610 2nd St. in Downtown Davis, the space provides a cozy café space to both the student population and the Davis community as a whole.
The café provides a versatile spot to those looking for a comfortable place for a long morning chat and to students for an inspiring place to study for hours on end. Its unique set-up includes long tables to maximize study space, smaller tables for two and several outdoor seats that line the café’s brick exterior.
Sophie Meissner, a fourth-year international relations major, said she almost always chooses Mishka’s when looking for an afternoon study spot.
“I like the atmosphere when I want to study and be productive,” Meissner said. “There’s always students there which makes it easy to concentrate and motivates me.”
Meissner, also a Davis native, highlighted Mishka’s comforting atmosphere.
“I do usually go to study, but I also go to sit and catch up with friends who I haven’t seen in a long time,” Meissner said. “If I have a friend visiting from out of town, I always take them there.”
Mishka’s opened its doors in 1995 and has since grown into a community staple. The café serves a wide range of coffee and tea beverages as well as pastries and desserts that entice customers in their glass case.
Gabriela Moreno, a fourth-year genetics and genomes major, has been working as a barista at the café for over two years. Moreno highlighted Mishka’s warm atmosphere that sets it apart from other local cafés.
“I think that out of all of the coffee shops in Davis, Mishka’s has the most community feel to it,” Moreno said. “I find that it’s a pretty cozy and homey place, and it seems like other people do, too.”
If you find yourself returning morning after morning for a cappuccino or pastry, you certainly are not the only Mishka’s frequenter — Moreno emphasized the impact of the café’s regulars, which she finds to be a special element of the job.
“I’d say the best thing about Mishka’s is the regulars,” Moreno said. “At any given time, there will be a few regulars in the café, and it’s nice to catch up with them and be on a first-name basis.”
In addition to its community-oriented atmosphere, Mishka’s stands out from other cafés in Davis due to its European-inspired ambiance. Meissner commented on how the café mentally transports her to the city where she spent time studying abroad.
“Since I just got back from a year of studying in Paris, I find Mishka’s is the place that most resembles the coffee shops I studied at,” Meissner said. “It brings me a sense of comfort.”
Mishka’s fosters the European-café ambiance in many ways: The outdoor space lined with tables resembles a classic Parisian street, and the soft jazz music hits customers’ ears as soon as they enter into the iconic brick building.
With its red-orange walls and tall windows perfect for daydreaming and people watching, Mishka’s Café is not only a coffee staple in Davis but also serves as a community-oriented hub in the heart of downtown.
Written by: Rachel Gauer — features@theaggie.org
