Houa Khong 2

The Papaya Salad is so fresh & full of summer vibes! Highly recommend! Bonus- the couple that owns…read morethe restaurant is the sweetest!

When my sister went to school in Merced, we always made sure to stop by Papaya Lady whenever we're…read morein town. Since she has graduated, I won't be in town anytime soon, but I highly recommend them for some good Thai and Laotian bites if you're ever in Merced! They have a selection of delicious dishes and I have loved everything that I've tried. My go-to orders are the Papaya Salad and Khao Poon. The papaya salad is a must and the spice level was the perfect amount. The Khao Poon is a coconut curry based noodle soup that is so flavorful. I've also come to really enjoy the Nam Khao (Laotian crispy rice salad), each bite is crunchy and absolutely delish. Your Asian comfort food cravings will definitely be satisfied here. Wishing The Papaya Lady continued success!

Nam vanh

Nam khao

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Nam Wan

Houa Khong Restaurant

3.9(145 reviews)

2.6 mi

Food and Ambiance was both authentic. Portions were huge! Service was attentive…read more I got the green curry lunch special. It was hot and went well with the rice. The drunken noodles were too wet. The tomatoes might have added too much water. The combination pho was nice, the broth had a little sweetness. Thai basil would have made it better. The spring rolls were a tasty snack on the road.

The food here has to be the best Thai food I've ever had. Really. They are consistent and each dish…read moreis bursting with flavor. My wife thinks it's because they grow their own vegetables and pick them fresh and ripe. We saw their garden in the back so I think she's right. I recommend the Tom Kha, it's like a creamy sweet and sour soup. Very good and tasty. I also recommend the red curry, it comes with your choice of meat. I got the shrimp today and it was really good. The flavors are very well balanced. I love the sticky rice here too. I'm not supposed to have it, but I indulge when I'm here. The server was a sweet ole lady who was attentive and nice.

Back room dining area

Spicy wings with sauce on the side

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Coconut Cafe

4.2(264 reviews)

1.9 mi

The food is amazing and flavorful. Chicken Pad Thai or Rad Na...can go wrong with any of it …read more Spring rolls are a great starter with a Thai Tea. Enjoy

I went to dine at coconut cafe and I was incredibly impressed with the entire experience. The…read moreservice was excellent and everyone was very nice, attentive, and our food came out pretty quickly. The food tasted great, fresh, and unique. We finished every last bite and can't wait to come back to try more things on the menu, thanks!

The seating.

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Inside

Sam Cafe

4.1(489 reviews)

2.6 mi

Our family went to Sam's Café tonight. The staff were very friendly and the food was delicious. I…read morehad the Pad Thai and we shared the imperial roles. The imperial rolls were great! So was the pad Thai, several family members had other dishes and we were all pleased with our choices. It will be a place that we visit again!

Food was made fast and the flavors were perfect. Will definitely return. Waiter was attentive.read more

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New Thai Cuisine

4.0(429 reviews)

2.3 mi

I love this restaurant so much, it has amazing food and great costumer service…read more The atmosphere is very lively and distinguished.

I am so glad a "local" recommended New Thai Cuisine! I love adding locals about their favorite mom…read moreand pop restaurants and coffee spots when I'm out of town or in an unfamiliar area. New Thai Cuisine hit the spot! I ordered their Calamari and it was light and fresh and a great size portion for my appetizer. I ordered the Pineapple Fried Rice that has seafood and all of the meats and it was soooo good! I HAD ENOUGH for my lunch and dinner too. I will be back to try the Pho and other menu items soon! The young lady that greeted me, was the hostess, the server, and the cashier! She held her job down! The setting was perfect for a local, delicious Thai Cuisine spot. It's not decorated with fancy decor, and I didn't come for that! I came for the FOOD and it was EXCEPTIONAL!

Dining room

Pad See ew

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Red curry with shrimp

Kua Lao Thai Kitchen

4.8(68 reviews)

36.0 mi

What an amazing experience. We came into this small grocery store, expecting a restaurant, but we…read morefound a smaller Service counter in the back of the store that they have a little kitchen with the most amazing food you ever had. If you love Thai food then you need to really get yourself out and try the food. The Nok, was so hospitable and working in the kitchen, actually all the ladies that were working in the kitchen were charming and helpful and guided us through the menu and the flavors were so believably wonderful I really missed having true ocean food and this is the destination. You can go to nice restaurants with candles and music and get bad food you come to this quiet little place and sit down and have one of the most incredible meals you've ever had. We are packing a lot of food to go because we live so far away and believe me it will all be eaten with the love of the food and the smiles of the Laotians that made it.

Wow! What a great place. From the outside it looks like a non-descript grocery and purified water…read morestore but inside lurks a very authentic and delightful restaurant! Walk right through the near windowless building and walk back to the right rear corner of the building. The delicious aroma should be your guide. I ordered the Pad eggplant with pork and my partner ordered the Pad Woon Sen. It's also nice that they allow you to pick the protein, Beef, Pork or Chicken. They also ask for your preferred spice level. I say choose carefully as my spice experienced partner confidentially ordered "Spicy". He ended up looking like he got caught in a downpour and was drenched in sweat! lol The woman who took our order was very friendly and helpful! She answered all of our questions about the food with confidence and personal knowledge! The prices are stuck in the early 2020's and the amount of food in the serving is generous! The building is old but the store and the restaurant are spotless! No clutter, all products neatly stacked and the shelves loaded with food items were neatly stacked and arranged. I'll definitely be stopping by again to try the Pad Eggplant with a different protein or maybe to try something new. They also serve drinks. The Thai Ice Tea was very good!

Pork spring rolls

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Eggrolls!

Bangkok Thai Restaurant

4.0(253 reviews)

2.2 mi

Incredible food! Got the green curry which was delicious and well seasoned. Great eggplant which is…read morehard to cook right. could benefit from some lighting/ambiance changes but don't let that stop you from trying it!

Service was great, the staff were friendly and quick! My favorite dish was the seafood salad. Wish…read morewe had a spot like this closer to home.

The restaurant

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Chicken stuffed shrimp rolls

Blú Lotus Lao & Thai Restaurant

4.3(322 reviews)

31.2 mi

Really enjoyed our last meal at Blu Lotus! The basil crispy chicken was absolutely delicious!…read more Whenever I'm in the Ceres area, it's my first choice!

The staff is so friendly and helpful! 5 for them…read more The decor and spacing of tables is great! I appreciate that we weren't too crowded. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed with the food. The Tom Kia Ghai was very lime forward with very little coconut milk creaminess that I enjoy. The chicken was a bit tough too. The green curry was spicy, but beyond that it didn't have much flavor at all - not even salt. My husband's eggplant stir fry with chicken was the highlight of our food for sure! It was delicious.

Inside

35. Spicy Fried Rice Tofu , no eggs and no fish oil

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Sticky Rice Restaurant

3.9(439 reviews)

31.9 mi

I really don't like giving 5 stars from one visit. I like to give the 5 stars after a few visits,…read moreto ensure there is consistency in all the things, but I couldn't help it. This restaurant is off of Mitchell, which is a busy street, so it is easy to get to. It is part of a large shopping center so lots of parking. The restaurant itself it pretty spacious and has lot of seating. Could very well accommodate a larger group. We were greeted and seated right away. The lady that seated us was very pleasant and met us at the table with iced water and our menus. We ordered: 1. Thai teas: refreshing and delicious. 2. House Special: came with fried shrimp, fried broccoli, Laos sausage, fried chicken, beef jerky and fried egg roll. All fried to perfection and a great plate to purchase to appease most palates. 3. Large sticky rice: which is a must! 4. Laos papaya salad (mild): this comes with 6 Thai chilies and was perfect heat. It comes with a side of fresh cabbage. It was all the things we needed the salad to be. The sauce was dark in color, salty and that danky goodness! 5. Laos sausage: ordered this on accident because I didn't realize there was some sausage that came on the house special platter which was fine because we knew we were taking stuff home. 6. Crispy pork belly: marinated perfectly and fried to perfection. Dipping sauce complimented it well. So much food and I believe the bill came in under $90. A good amount of food, delicious and filling. Glad we stumbled upon this place and don't think it will be our last visit!

Everything was overcooked Chicken wings were disgusting…read more They were hard and freezer burned. The server didn't interact with us. Just a really weird experience that was memorable for all the wrong reasons. This restaurant is clean, though, in the surroundings are pleasant.

Papaya Small Platter

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Seafood Radna

Thai Wok Fusion Of Flavors

4.8(41 reviews)

32.0 mi

Visiting from Oregon and having dinner with my bestie. Everything was closing early in Turlock, and…read morein Modesto they'd close soon after. I saw that this place was open later and it was not Mexican food. That's the majority of the food around heres. We looked inside as we parked. Ok, not terribly busy. We were hungry and looking forward to some good Thai food. By the way, there is plenty of parking and it's super easy to get to from 99. Mike sat us down quickly. It's not a huge place, but there's enough seating to dine in. We sat in a booth. He served us our waters and menus. We ordered the red curry with chicken and pad thai with chicken. Both with medium heat. We wanted mango sticky rice, but Mike was not happy with the mangoes and did not want to serve them. I appreciate that he valued quality of food for his customers over making a buck. He apparently got slammed with online orders just before we arrived. He offered us some free appetizers since he felt it was taking longer than usual. We actually declined. Bestie and I were catching up and honestly didn't notice that the food was taking a while to make it to our table. It was a nice gesture from Mike. As the food came out it all looked great. We dug in and yum. Being from the Bay Area and now living in the Portland OR area, I have a certain standard with the food I consume. Honestly, I was not expecting too much from a place in Ceres. I've traveled to many small towns throughout the country. But I was pleasantly surprised that this place was up to par. And you know what topped it off? Mike's personality. He was such a pleasure to chat with. Me, him and my bestie had some good laughs while eating this great food. I love having my "go to" places while I travel and I think this is my spot now. Thanks Mike, me and "Kimmy" will definitely visit again. And hopefully mangoes will be in season.

I'm so happy this little place opened up in Ceres. As a Ceres native, it's good to see business…read moreopen up in my small town since it's always been known as a commuter town. With that said, the food was good. Hot too so you know it's fresh. I got the Rad Na with egg rolls as my appetizer. They'll ask how spicy you like your food so that's nice. Service was kind. Ambiance, it's a small little shop. Not big enough for big groups but they're good for takeout.

Papaya salad, Lao style

Beef laab salad

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17 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Viengmaly S.

9 months ago

Houa khong 2 , now is under new ownership and new management. The new look, new colors is nice and clean. It's really nice place to brings your family and friends to enjoy delicious foods. The workers are very nice and friendly. I would recommend this place for everyone to go and try it out. 5 stars for me. read more

Jose B.

3 years ago

My soup had a hair in it and my roommate's noodles weren't cooked well. I advise anyone from the UC to take their money somewhere else. When we asked for a refund the owner of the restaurant disrespected my housemate and told us racial slurs. Never going back ever again! read more

Jo L.

3 years ago

Really nasty food and doesn't taste authentic. Their are way better places to spend your Fin aid at. This place was very dirty. The floors were very sticky and their were lots of flies in the business. Beware of this place. read more

Medaro O.

3 years ago

Nasty food. Not sure why my review was taken down. Seems like the owner Is paying Yelp to take down their negative reviews. Super nasty food and dirty environment. The walls had mold and a bunch of flies. read more

Mario V.

3 years ago

The business has mold around the walls. It isn't safe for anyone to eat there. If your a college student I recommend you take your financial aid money else where. The food was soggy and nasty. read more

Mario V.

3 years ago

The nastiest food and environment you can ever eat at. The staff and owner wanted money for tips. The food Is disgusting. The floors are sticky and dirty. The food tastes like chalk. read more

Rose G.

3 years ago

I have been coming here for 3 years now and they never disappoint me. The portion is great! I always order the Pad Thai, Basil Fried Rice, and spicy chicken wings read more

Victoria G.

5 months ago

Food was pretty good. Good portions, staff was very nice! The ambiance was amazing. One of the ladies was soo sweet and had patience with me while I was ordering read more

John C.

5 months ago

Disappointed in this particular once again! Doing a particular particular is A waste of time- especially if it it is done over and over! John read more

Don B.

9 months ago

Houa Khong 2 is open daily with new owners and management. Their food is amazing. I recommend you check out the new vibe and food.

Yagi M.

14 years ago

outstanding taste with exceptionally reasonable prices. Very attentive service. Excellent cuisine experience!

Kay B.

6 months ago

The food it's really good and the restaurant is super clean, cozy very nice fresh flower good customer service

Panitchada O.

1 year ago

Amazing food in town! Service was excellent, and kind and the food is good!! Love it. Will back for sure!!!

Thang Y.

7 years ago

Excellent customer service and fast service as well! Definitely coming back! And the food were delicious

Kelsey M.

362

10 years ago

Always order their pad thai to go and its delcious!

Alex V.

101

11 years ago

Joe makes the best Pad Thai ever.

Pat O.

14 years ago

Not good

Houa Khong 2 - thai - Updated October 2026

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Food was made fast and the flavors were perfect. Will definitely return. Waiter was attentive.read more

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Service was great, the staff were friendly and quick! My favorite dish was the seafood salad. Wish…read morewe had a spot like this closer to home.

Thai Cuisine II

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I've been here a couple of times and I always order chicken pho and spring rolls. The chow main is…read morealso good, flavorful and it has a good portion! I tried 2 alcohol beverages from the bar (I'm not sure if it operates separately) I think one of them was a Moscow mule and it was very very strong. Then I had a Paloma which wasn't very good.

This restaurant has been a family favorite since they opened. There is usually a good dinner crowd…read moreand they have plenty of meals that are drool worthy. The only reason I gave it 4/5 stars is because some days the Pad Thai is amazing and others the tofu is old and hard. Worth the gamble though.

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Their spring rolls hit the spot every time! Very filling but do not make you feel weighed down. I…read morelook forward to my Friday Springgies

We eat at great spots everywhere we travel. Yummy Thai is usually pretty solid. HOWEVER, when…read moreordering through Door Dash or Grub Hub you cannot write in anything special (Like leave the onions out). I called when I placed the order. The very nice person I spoke with on the phone promised she would get the order right with no onions. Grub Hub delivered, and here we are with both meals full of onions. I called the restaurant and have been on hold for almost 20 minutes. My husband will be eating our spring rolls and neither of us will be able to eat the two orders of Pad Ke Mao. Very disappointed.

Thai Cuisine

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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.

Came here for dinner on a Sunday and it wasn't too busy. Ordered the fresh spring rolls (a bit…read morepricy) and spicy green beans (rice not included). Bf got the pad kee mow which had good spicy flavor. Green beans were lightly cooked which I requested. They were good, but missing some flavor. Server was nice and ambiance was fine. Prices ok. Located in a small strip mall with small lot.

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The orange chicken here has to be one of the very best I've had. Must try. A hidden gem.read more

Hey Thai Star! Can't…read morebelieve I haven't left a review for you considering how often I've come by. What I like about you is that tho you are a small shop tucked away in a plaza no one seems to go to... Your Thai dishes has always been on the better side others in the area. My favorite and a bit unique to you is the Green curry noodle. When I feel like curry, having it with noodle rather than rice just hits different. I've also had many others that were pretty solid. Eggplant chicken Garlic pepper chicken Pad Thai tofu Lemon Grass Pork Basil Fried Rice - Chicken Lemon Grass Pork A little shoutout to the fried tofu in your pad Thai too. If I ever pick tofu over meat.. you know you are doing something right! Or that my health is not good and I'm trying to eat better.. or a bit of both Good stuff!

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They moved their food truck a few months ago, closer to the brewery (a few feet away) but same…read morearea! I'm officially a loyal customer because I feel like the quality of the food got even better when I came back and I didn't think that was possible. The angel wings were mindblowing, honestly the texture was better than any wings I've had in my life. They legit brought me to heaven! The batter is light and crispy, the sauce is sweet and savory. My friends loved the wings and fried ribs soo much we had to come back and order more! The owners are so genuinely sweet and hardworking too. They have a passion for making amazing food! Sticky rice portion is hearty too. They also have a long table for seating and provide napkins. Thai teas were also authentic and really good. I highly recommend this place. Easily the best Asian food I've had in NorCal.

Tried their wings Really jumbo size wings and delish…read moreWill go again to try other items on menu

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