Guys... please do not miss out on Sam Cafe. This is the absolute BEST that it gets here in Merced. I mean it. Not just because of Sam -- btw, Uncle Sam if you're reading this, I hope you remember me from HackMerced :) I miss you every day and hope you're doing well!!! The food here is FANTASTIC. Best in Thai Food Merced hands down. Call me basic but I highly recommend the Pad Thai. You can never go wrong with it. It's always packed with flavor and they really do not skimp out on the toppings which bring everything together. Noodles are always perfectly cooked, and the sauce isn't too overwhelming like most in the area. The interior may not be up to date but the food is absolutely worth it. I left Merced after graduation two years ago and every single time I think about Thai Food back at home in San Diego I yearn to come back to this place just to be eating the delicious and tasty tasty TASTY food here. I'll let you guys in on a little secret... I hosted HackMerced, an annual hackathon serving a couple hundred students over a weekend, for three years. Sam was and is always more than willing to help students out, even at his own expense. I wouldn't be surprised if he broke even or even lost money when supplying HackMerced with food. He absolutely cares about the education and wellbeing of all of the students and treats each of them like family. Sam has always treated me like his own son and I'm sure he will treat you as his own too. Please pay him a visit! He's a legend! read more

This restaurant has super authentic! I love how open the whole place is & how accommodating they are to the customers. My mother can't eat meat so the substituted for vegetables which was really nice. The only thing that really makes me not give it a full 5 is how long server takes to check up on you or to give you refills. Me and my family drank our drinks within the first 10 minutes of getting there and we didn't get another until the close to the end of our meal ... which we did have to get her attention for. read more

Sam Cafe - Thai Near Me - Merced, California

Yesterday... I had a fabulous Red Curry Chicken With my preferred spicy level 7 . One of the best meals I have had all summer Also enjoyed sticky rice with Sam famous dipping sauce. You must try!!! Always delicious at Sam Cafe read more

Great local thai place with alot of your generic thai dishes. I just got back from here where I ordered a Chang beer which was super cold and came with a cold glass. I ordered the pad see ew with combo meats and i requested a half order of the mussels that weren't on the menu but my request was easily granted which was super cool (always a major plus considering an ideal customer doesn't request custom orders). I put in spice level of 6 out of 10. Shortly the food came and dammm.... spicy! thankful I didn't do 7 level because 6 was definitely more than enough. the combo meat had shrimp in there and tons of chicken and pork i think. The noodles were large which I prefer. The mussels were plump and flavorful as well. Good by Merced standards! read more

Sam Cafe - Mussels - Thai Near Me - Merced, California

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My go to place for pickup. I order here at least once a week and everything is absolutely delicious. I love

Just went from dinner we're from Oregon and we love Lao food this place was good good service friendly family owned definitely recommend I'll come back next time I'm down! Larb was good and the papaya salad is amazing read more

Great food. Freshly made, no shortcuts. The service here is excellent, and feels personal. I'm far from home in Merced right now, and Sams Cafe really made me feel at home. I got a take-out meal today, though I ate here last in 2018 with family. The restaurant feels like home. It smells like a home kitchen on the inside of the restaurant. The staff is attentive and caring. But, the food. The food is excellent. Part of me wishes I had stayed in the restaurant to chow down because of how good the food is. The spices are perfect, every bite makes your mouth water, and the food is visually appealing. I will come here again whenever possible. In person next time, too. Some might look at the location of Sams Cafe and be apprehensive--especially if they come from a rich town somewhere in the Bay Area or SoCal--but the restaurant is really safe. What's going on outside doesn't happen inside. Thank you for the good meal! read more

I came to Merced for the weekend with a bunch of other friends so we decided to come here for dinner. It was supposed to be 40 of us but about 20 of us came and the folks working were so kind to us. They were funny, attentive, and so helpful! I can't remember the dish I got but it was the spicy wide rice noodles. It was delicious. Such a big portion too for less than $9! We had a huge group yet they took such amazing care of us. I'm so satisfied with the food, service, everything! read more

Sam Cafe - Can't remember the name but these were the spicy rice rice noodles! - Thai Near Me - Merced, California

The best pad thai in town! Always delicious and full of flavor. My go to for glorious gluttony read more

Sam Cafe - Pad thai - Thai Near Me - Merced, California

Haven't visited this restaurant in over 8 years and it's still the same design with no update very dark vibe older furniture. Usually, I would say their pad Thai is one of the better pad thais but with the recent visit it probably got knocked down. Pad Thai: 1.5/5 pad Thai served was a darker brown color and I did order spicy level 7/10. Let me just say I had to add on 4-5 spoons of the dry pepper condiment on the table. I was not feeling the spice and the pad Thai was in a gooey sauce like a gravy style dish. Co-worker order the same thing but a 10 def wasn't spicy. Papaya Salad: 1.5/5 very salty padek Fried Rice: 1/5 rice was mushy and the dish was overall not that great Eggrolls: 3/5 decent eggrolls Overall, the waitress/waiter were nice but also didn't check in or refill our waters much. It was during lunch time but also there wasn't that much customers. Overheard that the owner Sam is no longer a cook there bc he's at another location. read more

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Great food! Best pad Thai in Merced and customer service is always awesome! Definitely come here if you want some good Thai food!!

The food are ok. I think they change some of the dishes to fit local appetite. Didn't set high expectation so it is ok. The good thing is the food are exactly like picture in the menu. read more

Delicious as always. Had the pineapple fried rice, combo pad Thai and mango sticky rice.

I love going to Sam's when I'm in town. Great Thai food and they will make it as spicy or as mild as you choose. Sam likes to visit with customers and it makes a nice and personal experience. The location may look like it's in a rough area, but don't let that keep you away. I've never had any problems going here. If you want authentic Thai then go to Sam Cafe. read more

Best Fried rice & Pad Thai in town!!!! Great cold beer and delicious Thai Tea! Go find out for yourself! SAM IS THE MAN!!! read more

Sam Cafe - Time to feast! - Thai Near Me - Merced, California

Great tasting, authentic flavor, fast and friendly customer service. We've tried the spring rolls, pad see ew, red curry, and orange chicken. All super yummy. And best part is they can make any dish you want even if not on the menu! Will for sure come back. read more

Super fast, food is always so flavorful, staff is super friendly. Restaurant is low key .

I used to love eating here before the pandemic hit. Unfortunately, Sam's cafe has been charging more and giving customers less and less food. I love their Khao soy but the amount for the cost is at a loss. Very disappointed, will not be going here again. read more

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I like the nice Thai touches they have around, but it needs dusting. I think they could do better with some more help. The wait to-go was long. So wished I had called ahead. Wanted to dined in but place is too hot to sit. The restaurant does not have AC so To-Go is best good for me & good for them. I didn't like the after taste of the Tom yum soup.. msg? The pad see euw was good, Just that the good sauce spilled out in the bag in the drive home :( I didn't like the price was higher on my bill than on the menu. They need to make it clear and update the correct price. I didn't mind paying but to see something expecting that and forced something else is no-no. like Tom yum I wouldn't have gotten if I knew it was expensive $15.20 when I thought it said $9.95. They didn't have the dish I came for so I may only come back to try their much-raved about pad Thai. read more

This place has been around for awhile and is still some of the best food I've had. The owner is very welcoming and so nice to talk to. His food.... Was to die for. I'll always come back. We order yellow and red curry which was the best I've had. Just go try it. read more

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The owner is witty and always has a good comeback and a great disposition. The great food is the icing on the cake late. The broth in the chicken pho and tomyum is awesome; throw in some spring rolls and you'll have a full and satisfied belly. read more

The good: The fried shrimp and egg rolls were good. Service was also good. I found the Spicy Shrimp dish I ordered to be lackluster. It was spicy, but it did not have any other flavor. The dish overall was very disappointing. My friends ordered food that looked far better, and not just that, one of my friends is a vegetarian and ate a vegetarian Yellow Curry. I also found the lack of Seafood options to be disappointing due to the limited options. However, I would personally give this place a 2nd chance if I ever came here again and try one of the curries and make it vegetarian. read more

The food was amazing. The waitress was very kind and helpful. Me and my coworkers enjoyed the meal very much. We will try spicy level 10 next time! read more

Sam Cafe - Chicken Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - Merced, California

i was at my Friends Slab in Merced at a "HATE" "PARTY" and decided to go out for Thai . So we jumped in my Friends Whip and rolled to Sams Cafe . Sams is located in a Strip Mall so we had plenty of parking to choose from . So we parked right in front . We rolled in and grabbed a Table. A few minutes later a Waitress dropped off some menus for us to Peruse. I ordered the Combination Pad Thai -Very Spicy !!! We ordered Spring Rolls for an Appetizer . I also ordered a Thai Ice Tea . The Spring Rolls arrived a few minutes later with a Peanut Dipping Sauce . It was very Tasty. The Rolls were Nice and Crisp. 5 Minutes Later my Combination Pad Thai showed up . It was nice and Spicy and very Flavorful . Very Fresh ingrediants. I would eat at Sams again . Ours Server was Nice and Friendly. S.F.F.S. read more

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Good customer service. The owner was friendly and welcoming. The food was delicious. Great restaurant.

I can't stop by Merced without getting a pad Thai from Sam's Cafe. Still the best pad Thai I've ever had, including when I went to Thailand. In addition to the great food, Sam has always been a father figure to local hungry students. When I was going to the UC and broke, he would give us extra in our portions so I could share with my girlfriend. This is the quintessential local establishment that makes a town run and makes those of us that leave the town come back and write glowing reviews like this. read more

Love the chicken pad Thai & pork egg rolls. Food is so good .. always worth the drive. read more

Sam Cafe - three plates of food on a table - Thai Near Me - Merced, California

Best pad Thai ever! Friendly family run business. A bit dark indoors but I still prefer to eat there than take out. Spicy 1-10. I get 7. Yumm. Everyone I've taken there has been impressed. Older part of town but worth the visit! read more

Love Sam's best Pati always fast for to go orders I was not a Thi food person but now I am

Sam himself prepares the best food. Customer service is great. Bar-B-Que pork is a great appetizer Or spring rolls are great also. read more

Ordered to go otw back from Yosemite and everything is quite decent, except for the beef pad see ew portion which is super tiny. It's only enough for 2 of my toddlers to share. The herbal duck soup (ba mi peht) tastes just like pho I was expecting more Chinese kinda herb in the soup but I think it was referring to only cilantro which comes with beansprouts and lettuce on the side. Their spiciness level is no joke. I read that 3 out of 10 is spicy so I ordered level 2 for my pad Thai and it's still quite spicy. Next time I'll probably order regular pad Thai instead of combo, which comes with 3 shrimps. read more

The pad Thai here is delicious! Definitely the best in Merced by far! I love coming here because the food is always the delicious and the customer service is always great. Sam is such a great guy to talk to and he really values all of his customers. Can't wait til my next trip to Sam Cafe! read more

Sam Cafe - Pad Thai & chow mein (rear) - Thai Near Me - Merced, California

You know it's good Thai food when your Asian workmate, who commutes from San Jose, says it's good, and has to pack up a bunch of take-out whenever she's here to take home to her friends. There are a couple of things on the menu I'm not wild about, the Pineapple Cashew for example, but any of the curries are *great*. Don't let the run down mini mall worry you any. Think of it as ambiance. And, for the purposes of planning ahead, they do have a well-stocked bar. read more

I ordered fried rice, orange chicken combo also chicken fried rice, BBQ pork combo. Rice is very good not dry at all, BBQ pork very good, orange chicken is very very fried its okay, overall good food here, yumm read more

Sam Cafe - Fried rice veggie, orange chicken combo. Orange chicken was too fried to enjoy, not commented. - Thai Near Me - Merced, California

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My second kao soy experience was here, and it was unique. Like the others, it's a wide-rice-noodle soup, but the soup here tastes noticeably different from the other two I've had; at least it was much more memorable. The ground pork... was ground pork, but it came with bits of mushroom. Shitake mushroom to be specific, before I forget. The broth had elements of miso (well, the Lao counterpart to miso) and was topped with this flavour, this richness, that I couldn't immediately recall. It was lard. The mix of mushroom and miso flavor was one that I haven't had in a long time. The lard was a bit rich for me. Pay at cashier. read more

Seriously some of the very best Thai food there is! Everything is made to order. The sauces (all homemade) are super tasty - the Imperial Roll sauce is so so good! And, friendly service! Sam greeted us when we came in, as if we were old friends. Can't wait to go back! read more

Food at Sam Cafe is different from food at Sam Cafe when served at UCM. 1. We were hungry and luckily found the only Thai restaurant that opens until 9. Sam Cafe is located in a sketchier area of town. We didn't think it'd be far and got confused when waze took us onto the freeway, but only to get off at the next exit. 2. Sam is a great guy - very friendly, chatty, hospitable. 3. We ordered a beef pad see ew and chicken pad thai ($20 before tip). 4. Beef pad see ew had less food than the chicken pad thai. Level 5 spice is really spicy. The beef used is drier than most beef I've had in other pad see ews. 5. Chicken pad thai was disappointing because I was expecting a specific flavor in the noodles, but ended up with a more sweet than savory dish. 6. The place is very dim. Half of the restaurant's lights were off. 7. Plates used were plastic. My bf described the food perfectly - "if you went to a Thai person's house, this is what they would serve it to you on." I'm personally not a fan of the plastic plates but if this helps to create a homey vibe, then I'm all for it. read more

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Great food, friendly service, excellent value. The Tom Kai Gai soup was the best we've ever had.

My daughter attends UC Merced, I came to visit her and she suggested Sam Cafe. The food was great! We had Pad Thai and Imperial Rolls, fried rice and lastly sweet mango rice. All of which were delicious! When we're back in town we will definitely be back! read more

Green curry chicken and imperial rolls!! The only thing I can say is... Wow!!!!!! Amazing Definitely some of the best Thai food I've had. read more

Sam Cafe - Green Curry! Some of the best I've had - Thai Near Me - Merced, California