Silo

There was mold on my Carl’s Jr burger bun. I’m extremely disappointed and disgusted that a campus food service would even serve this to customers. It will be awhile before I ever order food at the Carl’s Jr located inside the Silo again.

I don’t know what it is but the Silo just doesn’t feel super clean to me? Surfaces seem sticky and it always smells kind of dusty and wet here at the same time.
I still come here because it’s right next to my work, but even during the summer, there are lines at Starbucks and Carls Jr. so it’s definitely not the most convenient place you can go to grab food. I feel like Coho is much quicker at cranking out orders — I’ve waited 30+ minutes for drinks/​food at Silo locations.
Seating’s also pretty hard to find but if you do find a seat there are a lot more outlets here than at Coho, so that’s always nice!
Anyway, it’s always overly crowded and the food options aren’t the best — so I don’t come here unless I have to.

Starbucks always have a looooonnnnng line! So if you wanna grab a coffee for lecture, plz come early! I like the crêpe! Strawberry crêpe is super yum! They also have got Pizza Hut, Taco Bell,… I love to grab a dessert to go for snack before heading to a late class! Close at 8pm which is kinda early! They should extend their working hours!

The Taco Bell was closed over summer =(
I found myself limited to buying snacks since the Starbucks line is ALWAYS soooo long!
Anyway, I’ll give silo three stars:
The first star is for their stock of scantrons, which saved me multiple times.
The next star, is for T-​bell WHEN it’s open.
The last star is for the hydration station, because filtered water is the BEST.
I also find it convenient that silo is right across the bus stop, and that the facility has restrooms and seating area (when it’s not crowded).
As far as the food goes, however, I would rather go to the COHO.

Silo is my go-​to if I want to just relax and get a quick meal from Pizza Hut or Starbucks or the Crêpe place.
However, the seating is limited with people constantly coming in, and there’s never a guarantee with seating unless it’s earlier in the morning or later in the day when everyone’s home or leaving. But I love the ‘white noise’ this place has, and the location is more convenient to me since it’s next to the W bus stop.

In the mornings, this place is nice to kick back with a cup of coffe or go upstairs for a comfy seat… but once it’s around 11am, the place gets packed and stays that way until the late afternoon. With Starbucks, Carls Jr., Taco Bell, Crepes and Simply-​to-​go foods, it’s a great place to pick up a quick lunch.
This wouldn’t be a great place to study since it does get quite crowded and noisy, but I like to grab a Starbucks drink or some fast food with a friend here. I couldn’t believe that this place was made from an actual silo… but again, it is called the Silo haha.
Final Thoughts: Typical college student hangout area. What more can I say? It’s on campus.

The silo consists of starbucks, carls junior, taco bell, some crêpe station, and to go sandwich/​salad items. If you’re on the south side of campus and have classes around Giedt, then you would probably come here often. If you have the time though, I’d suggest you make your way to the coho for some healthier options. There’s also Shah’s food truck. I’m personally not a fan of the silo just because it’s so hard to find open seats and tables. There is that «quiet room» on the second floor for those who do a working/​study lunch, but it gets crowded there too. They only have 1 microwave here too… they need to put another microwave on the counter. If it’s really that hard for them to do that, I’ll donate a microwave to them. I do really appreciate the clean filtered drinking water dispenser they have next to starbucks

The Silo has changed over the years. From what was once a slightly dusty place to grab fast food, the Silo feels like it’s trying to become almost fine dining.
Crepes? Yes, really. Same building as Taco Bell.
The Starbucks in the Silo looks fancy. Yes, Davis alum… the STARBUCKS IN THE SILO. Weird, eh?
Still a good place to pee while waiting for the W line to arrive.

As a new UC Davis student, I found it beyond rude that I was asked by one of the custodians to leave since they were closing when all I was doing was sitting inside and eating my lunch that I had bought. A brusque «Excuse me, we’re closed,» was the only explanation I got. Will probably not be eating inside again. Need to retrain employees in common courtesy.

UC Davis’ other Student Union (the first is the Memorial Union)!
The Silo definitely has a different flavor from the MU. It has a lot more fast food choices. These include Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and etc. They also have a kinda convenience store that you can buy a sandwich, fruit, salads and also donuts. It’s really convenient if you want a quick snack between classes.
There’s also a Starbucks located inside, but it’s not that great, but your options are a bit limited. I would go over to the South CoHo for some coffee if you can or else Starbucks works.
A little crêpe shop is located inside and this is one of my favorite places to get food. It will definitely fill you up, though depending on the length of the line it may take awhile.
For studying, it’s quite noisy inside the SIlo, so I would try to avoid it. The second floor has a lot of study areas, but outlets are very tough to find. I only study here if it’s close to classes and only very early in the morning or later in the evening, otherwise the library is close by.

They have a variety of foods, Carl’s jr, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Starbucks and a variety of sandwiches, salads, baked goods. For the salads watch out for expiration dates, sometimes they are a bit soggy. The line for Carls jr takes forever and the wait to get your food is even longer. Taco Bell I what I usually get, short lines and quick food
Plenty of outside and indoor seating but during classes it is packed and your lucky to find a good seat.

In my opinion, the Silo was waaaaayyyyy better before the renovation they did within the last couple of years. There was a great sandwich place, coffee spot, and it was not as crazy busy as it is now with the new Starbucks. As a former Starbucks barista, I hate hate hate coming to the Silo for a drink because they take so long! I personally know the management and know it is a bust spot with heavy foot traffic and they are doing the best they can, but honestly Id rather go without coffee than wait in a huge line that wraps around the tables/​chairs and then wait another ten minutes for my drink after Ive ordered. They only time I will stand in line is if there are less than 4 people already in it. Otherwise Ill just go get a bottled drink from the ready-​to-​go place.
Taco Bell, Carls Junior, Pizza Hut… I wish they had kept Silo Sandwiches :(
Location is great and convenient for me because I spend all my on-​campus time on the south side of campus, and no where near the MU. But other than location convenience, there’s really not much I can compliment the Silo on.

Whenever I came here, I was consciously aware that I was coming here for mostly fast food, or a decent crêpe — although honestly, if it wasn’t for the pretty good crepes, this wouldn’t be a 4-​star review. Oh do I miss those crepes, and the people who made them! They were always really friendly and efficient.
Good luck trying to get food within a reasonable time if you come during rush hour, and the lines just to pay can get pretty long. Seating inside can be limited, and I always tried to get a table on the upper floor just to be away from all of the commotion from the main floor. But there’s always plenty of seating outside!

As a fourth-​year UCD science major who is always stuck on campus for one reason or another, I admit that the Silo has supplied a good portion of my overall food intake over the last few years. However, the convenience is what keeps me coming here, not necessarily the quality of the food or the atmosphere.
The Taco Bell and the Carl’s Jr. are definitely decent, as far as fast food goes. Pizza Hut… not so much. La Crêpe is awesome, with great customer service, but for broke college students, it’s too pricey to eat on a daily basis. Same goes for Shah’s. Quality comes at a price. Star Ginger… meh. I used to love their green curry chicken rice bowl, but as of spring 2012, they had taken it off the menu. –_​_​– The remaining food at Star Ginger, in my opinion, is too expensive, and unlike Shah’s and the crepes, not worth the price. Starbucks is always nice, but I’m impatient and I don’t like always having to wait in long lines. Some of the UCD Grab n’ Go food is also pretty expensive, ($ 3 for a small cup of over-​ripe fruit? No thanks.) but the pre-​packaged things like water, soda, and chips are more reasonably priced.
I used to hang around the Silo and do my schoolwork here, and for the most part, it was peaceful and I didn’t have a hard time finding a seat. After the remodel and the addition of Starbucks, though, it seems like there’s NOWHERE to sit except for early in the morning and late in the evening. It also seems like there’s been an influx of obnoxiously loud people that choose to stay at the Silo and drink their Starbucks. They recently opened up the conference room (?) at the back of the top floor for people to sit, but a lot of the time, there’s STILL not anywhere to sit. Plus, it might just be my computer, but I’ve been having lots of trouble connecting to the UCD wifi in the Silo, but especially in that back room. Which kind of defeats the purpose of trying to work here. :/​
In summary: decent food, not always ideally priced, but very convenient
I will keep coming here for food, but I probably won’t miss it much when I graduate.

The silo is a staple for UC Davis students. Although the offerings are limited, the silo is always trying something new.
Food options entail Pizza Hut Express, Taco Bell express, Carl’s Jr., Starbucks, Crepes, Star Ginger (food truck), Sodexo Food to Go, and Shah’s Halal (food truck). The Silo offers enough variety to have a food cycle per week so you don’t tire on the same Carl’s Jr. burgers every day.
Recently they have moved the Farmer’s Market on campus to the new Silo location, although limited in selection, offers a great change of pace.
Seats and lines are always packed during rush hours so don’t expect to find a nice spot to eat.
It’s the same old same old with a new interface; don’t get too excited.

I’ve been at UC Davis for 4 years now so I’ve gotten the chance to experience ye Olde Silo and the Silo with the new Starbucks and new furniture. I’ve gotta say, the new Starbucks makes it look a lot nicer than it used to. However, there’s usually long lines between classes and most of the seats are usually taken until the end of the day. If you can find a spot and like to study with noise and a lot of people bustling through, then this is your spot!
For the food aspect, the only place I would eat at is the Crêpe place. Probably the most unique place on Campus. The only other venues in the Silo are Carls Jr., Taco Bell, and the UC Davis food (salads, sandwiches, parfaits, etc.). Craving some pizza or phở or bagels or real cooked food? I’d recommend you venturing over to the Coffee House over at the Memorial Union on campus. It’s not the best place I’ve eaten at, but I feel like it’s better than the Silo.
However, right outside of the Silo are these food trucks: Shah’s Halal Food truck and the newly added Star Ginger Food Truck. While Shah’s is quite affordable and is delicious, Star Ginger is «ok» and they charge $ 6 for a sandwich! Holy moly… As you can see, there are a variety of places to grab some quick food at the Silo, so it’s up to whatever you’re craving for! Cheers!

One of the first things I don’t like about it here is the fast food. I don’t eat Carl’s Jr or Pizza Hut or Taco Bell. But I don’t care much about it since I’m not the one eating this junk. The new Starbucks here is super crazy busy. Every time I go in there, there’s always a long line. Seats are hard to come by too. This place is too small.
The only thing I’d get from here are probably the Crepes. And maybe try out Gunrock Pub now that I’m old enough to drink haha. I want to try one of their salads, though it is kind of expensive. Or some sandwiches or wraps. But those are expensive too…
In fact, much of the food is expensive. I can’t afford anything here. :(To save money, I just eat what my parents buy (thankfully I still live at home) and make whatever from what they have. Sandwiches are a part of my daily life now.
I’ll eat my homemade lunch on the second floor when I don’t feel like walking all the way to the CoHo from Haring, even if it’s just a five minute walk. I like the look and feel of the Silo. It feels kind of homey, especially upstairs where there are chairs to sit by the windows. Too bad those spots are always taken when I come by.
I like it here. I can see myself eating lunch in a cozy spot (if there is one) by Starbucks or upstairs. It’s super much more better in the afternoon.
By the way, the filtered water from the fountain here tastes terrible!!! That could be in part due Davis’ water filtration systems. Or it could be the filtration system in the fountain itself. The water at the MU is pretty good. I’ll get that any day!

Our dear old Silo isn’t the way I remember it (freshman year).
Decent selection of places to grab food, café, crepes, Carl’s Jr, Tacobell and etc. Their prices are decent and the food is ok. For some reason not as good as outside of campus but when you’re starving between classes, you can’t really complain.
They used to have tons of indoor seating and tables to eat/​study/​chill but… I guess that got tired of cleaning up after careless students.
WE WANT THE OLD SILO BACK!

The two star rating really describes itself. «Meh. I’ve experienced better»
I really like the silo because it is really close to the buses and you can easily see when the buses are leaving from the outside patio. However, in terms of food and prices. it gets a 1 – 2 star rating. The only things that I would even bother getting are the parfaits in the cooler section or usuals from Taco bell and Carl’s jr (Steak quesadillas and Spicy Chicken Sandwiches). However, the prices are definitely a bit higher than the usual fast food joints and their overall quality is way worse. (How worse can you get in a fast food place??)
Anyways, as for the pros. silo accepts aggie cash and when you use it you also get a 10% discount on your purchases. The aggie cash is super convenient for freshmen to use their alloted allowance as well as the upper class men who have acquired a large balance from leftover DC swipes. There is also plenty seating in and outside the Silo. The upstairs is a bit cramp, however outside is pretty gorgeous on a nice day.

The go-​to place for lunch when you’re in the south side of campus. It gets hella busy here during lunch though and there’s always a line for the microwave.
Carl’s Jr. — express lane saves lots of time and is a good option if you don’t mind stale food. Prices are ridiculously high, but look for their coupons in the mail!
Taco Bell — every things is just a variation of the same ingredients, but I’ve noticed that they put some kind of special sauce that I’ve never had before at a Taco Bell. Meh, it’s cheap!
La Crêpe — long wait as these crepes are made fresh, but worth it! See my review for more!
The sandwiches and coffee/​pastry they offer are pretty good too!
Bottom line: there are lines everywhere! Hard to find seatings unless you’re comfortable sitting next to a stranger.