Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Houa Khong 2

    4.0 (172 reviews)
    ModerateThai, Laotian
    Closed 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM
    Updated 2 months ago

    Houa Khong 2 Photos

    HOUA KHONG 2 ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

    You might also consider

    More like Houa Khong 2

    Recommended Reviews - Houa Khong 2

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Raw beef Larb my favorite and Pad Thai
    Mai Y.

    I didn't know they had a second location because my friend took me to their first location once. The day I went they were closed so I drove to their second location and was not disappointed at all. The raw beef Larb was made perfectly in texture and flavor. The Pad Thai was also very good but I was most impressed with the duck curry bc they were very generous with the duck. Most Thai places would serve duck curry with very limited duck meat but this place made it worth the order. This will definitely be my go to place whenever I'm in or around Merced area.

    Combination Pho
    Mich M.

    We were frequents of this place prior to it changing ownership and we absolutely loved this place. We finally decided to try it since the ownership change. Let me tell you-from the second you walk in being warmly greeted to the second you walk out with warm "thank you for coming in, hope to see you again soon" , it's amazing! The ambiance and decor is warm and bright. It's tropical feel with the mix of burnt salmon orange and cool pops of aqua are inviting. It's clean and modern. It's cozy and feels home like. The place was updated with new tables and chairs, nice navy blue table cloths, chairs and bench seating, a new check out counter was all tastefully done, the dishes are clean white "china" with gold trim. The glasses are like a dainty goblet and you feel like you are in an expensive, ritzy place. You can sit anywhere you'd like. You are greeted and conversed with, taking your drink order. The drinks are brought to you with a smile and you tell her what you'd like to eat. If there is something you aren't sure of they are excited to explain. The presentation is absolutely amazing! We eat with our eyes first and let me say that my eyes were very excited and happy! We were used to the cuisine we had before and so we didn't know what to expect. Our dishes didn't disappoint! I had my usual, Panang Curry with chicken and added mixed vegetables and sticky rice. My husband had BBQ Beef. My sons had the combination pho and chicken satay. From the first bite to the last it didn't disappoint. The Panang was gorgeous and flavorful! The veggies were perfect and I ate until I couldn't eat anymore! The BBQ Beef was tender and perfectly seasoned. My son loved the pho, it looked and smelled amazing and tasted so good! My younger son didn't waste any time with the chicken satay. It was tender and flavorful. We will definitely be back. It is STILL our favorite Thai restaurant. It's a gem in Merced.

    My friend and I decided that we wanted to switch up dinner plans and came here unplanned. The service was amazing, the staff were routinely checking in on us, and very hospital. The food itself was delicious, it was fresh and flavorful. We ordered the pineapple fried rice, drunken noodles, and the yellow curry. Like it was so good. The restaurant itself is quite small, and perfect for families and friends to go and get a warm meal :)

    Menu items
    AA J.

    Great food. The restaurant provides excellent service. Small space but great ambiance. It is a place you must try.

    Phat Thapow
    Philip J.

    The pictures don't do it Justice, the serving sizes are very large. Authentic Thai cuisine here. So many people come here for lunch and take to go. Legit spot! Each spoonful is bursting with flavor If you want hot, 7 is pretty standard. 8 is super hot. Great service here, very nice staff. Cozy spot that is clean

    Roach is on my spoon

    My favorite place in Merced changed after today. Been coming here for years just to find a roach in my $35. Meal Never again

    Shorty T.

    To me, Houakhong 2 is a hit or miss. Some of their dishes are good, but some are a disappointment. For example, I wouldn't order the deep fried tilapia again. I ordered the curry sauce on the side, which was probably a mistake as well. The fish was pretty dried and overfried. Not much flavor to it.

    Pho condiments

    See all

    1 month ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Don B.

    Don B.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Be N.
    288
    138
    384

    10 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 month ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Don B.

    Don B.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mich M.
    109
    16
    20

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of John Z.
    137
    13
    0

    3 months ago

    Kay gives amazing service and the Massuman curry is incredible. This a restaurant I can't recommend enough. Highly recommend!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    It's not the same. Did not like anything! We ordered a lot and everything was disappointing.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Alex L.
    385
    12
    16

    5 months ago

    Under new ownership, the hot wings are not what they used to be. They're not as crispy and not as hot. Very sad.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of AA J.
    3
    262
    267

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Shorty T.
    33
    57
    36

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    this food is nasty. has bugs in it. my food has a maggot was cold. and their customer service is horrible. DONT GO. REVIEWS ARE DAKE

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of C H.
    0
    20
    12

    2 years ago

    Great service and excellent food. I highly recommend this restaurant! I usually get the pad Thai

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ruth P.
    0
    53
    46

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of TerceS A.
    0
    216
    911

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    They have the best Thai ever but they're very best is their soups specially, their soups super delicious

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Navjot K.
    233
    34
    63

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Nasty food. Take your money else where like the reviews are saying. The business Is a health hazard. We seen multiple bugs crawling around.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 5

    Ask the Community - Houa Khong 2

    You might also consider

    Thai Cuisine

    Thai Cuisine

    4.0
    (140 reviews)
    2.3 mi
    $$

    This coffee is delicious!!!! The Vietnamese coffee is slightly salted but sweet, and the banana top…read moreis delicious. Mix the 2 in and it's like sipping on a slightly thick smoothie. Both the coffee and the banana complement one another! Will definitely be coming in to try other drink combinations in the future. I also tried the combo pad thai and it was good! One thing I did notice is that the pad thai here has a generous portion of protein. I don't think I had a single bite that didn't have a piece of protein in it! Unfortunately I forgot to snap a picture of my pad thai.

    We got vegan pad kee mow and vegan pad khing tofu…read more The vegan pad khing tofu comes with tofu, mushroom, ginger, onion, garlic, and bell pepper. I really liked this dish. We got steamed rice to pair. Next I tried the vegan pad kee mow and especially after the previous dish, the spice level on this really hit! I would say it's definitely on the spicier of spicy side. My partner eventually got hit halfway through the dish where the spice really started accumulating. Both were very delicious though! We came in on 4th of July for lunch and it was very busy. There was just one server so there was a bit of a longer wait for us to order after we were seated, but I could see how busy she was, seating people, checking out their bills, answering the phone, serving dishes, and handling takeout orders. Eventually towards the second half of our meal, a second server arrived. Empty tables got cleared much faster. We were just passing through Merced so very glad to have found this Thai spot with yummy vegan options as opposed to resorting to some unhealthy fast food. I recommend!

    Photos
    Pad Thai, Thai Tea
    Pad Thai, Thai Tea
    Crab Rangoon
    Crab Rangoon
    Mango Sticky Rice

    See all

    Mango Sticky Rice
    Sam Cafe

    Sam Cafe

    4.1
    (486 reviews)
    2.6 mi
    $$

    Family owned restaurant. Great food and service. All of our dishes were good . Would go again …read more Check them out.

    Upon arrival, the restaurant had plenty of space and a friendly, booming owner to welcome us. We…read moresat wherever we wanted, and menus were brought over quickly. We chose to order: - Imperial Rolls (chicken, shrimp, a lettuce, cucumber, cilantro, and bean sprouts in rice paper wrappers) with a delicious peanut-soy dipping sauce; - Tom Kha Kai soup (Coconut Chicken), Spicy 3 (1-10); - Chicken Pad Kee Maow (Drunken Noodles), Spicy 3 1-10). The food came out quickly and very fresh. The Imperial Rolls were tightly wrapped and stuffed well (albeit more like cigarillos than the larger egg roll size you'd expect). And they had 2 small shrimp in each, as opposed to the pictures in the menu which showed 3 shrimp lining the insides. Cuts happening everywhere. ‍ The Tom Kha Kai was well-blended (coconut and broth melded beautifully and creamy!), chicken, mushrooms, and white onion slices were perfectly cooked in a serving bowl and not the usual sterno-fueled soup contraption. It was mildly spicy and probably the best I've ever had! The Chicken Pad Kee Maow was different than others I've had. Sam Cafe adds in a little sweetness (Tamarind?), broccoli, chunks of cabbage (also slightly sweet), carrots, onions, red peppers, tomato chunks, and basil...along with the requisite large rice noodles and white meat chicken. Truly satisfying and delicious without feeling super oily, burnt, or lacking sauce. The entire meal was a great deal and an amazing find in the middle of the Central Valley! Next time I'm up this way, Sam Cafe is on my itinerary!

    Photos
    Sam Cafe
    Sam Cafe
    Orange juice

    See all

    Orange juice

    Houa Khong 2 - thai - Updated June 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...