Village Pizza and Grill sits in a 100-year-old Craftsman building in downtown Davis, and the pizza really does live up to the “Best in Yolo County” claim. We grabbed a table on their outdoor patio with our dog and watched the downtown crowd pass by while we ate. The menu surprised us — it’s not just pizza. There are burgers and sandwiches alongside Persian dishes and fresh salads, all made with bread from their own Village Bakery. Everything comes together well without feeling like they’re trying too hard to do everything at once.

The outdoor patio is where you’ll want to be with a dog anyway. It’s spacious enough that you don’t feel cramped, and the staff didn’t make a big deal about our dog being there — they just brought water and went about their day. The space gets real sun in the afternoon, so if you’re going midday, the shade from the building’s overhang helps. If you’re there on a warm day, you might want to grab an early dinner slot before it gets too hot for your dog to be comfortable.

The pizzas are solid — good crust, toppings that don’t slide around. We tried one of their specialty options and a simple margherita, both satisfying. If pizza isn’t what you’re in the mood for, the Persian options are worth trying. The sandwiches are generous and work well if you just want something lighter. Everything comes out at a reasonable pace, which matters when you’re managing a dog at an outdoor table.

The neighborhood around downtown Davis is walkable, so you can grab food here and head over to one of the nearby parks if your dog needs to burn off energy afterward. It’s the kind of place where locals seem to actually eat, not just tourists looking for a photo op.