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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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

Thank you for the authentic Thai food. We enjoyed the chow mein, fried rice, basil chicken, and Pad Thai noodles. Thank you Sam we will see you soon once our son starts at UC Merced in the fall. read more

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

Walked in for the second time since their is limited pho restaurants in The Valley. First time was average and made it to a second one and once me and my husband were in I went to the lady's and when I got back to the table told him "we should leave" I felt something was off. My husband already asked for his drink so we decided to stay. We ordered 0. Chicken wings and they were to dark and didn't taste good. I ordered them first time we went and didn't look the same. 1. One pho soup just rare meat and had big chunks of beef not good. 2. Combination beef pho and I got a wrong order and I just told them it was fine because in the back of my head I new they got it wrong for a reason. And remember that before we got our orders the whole restaurant smelled really bad like SHI$&@ literally and I figured something got spoiled. And heard them talking to each other. Last time here For sure. I noticed food around The Valley to be a hit and miss. read more

This is a real Merced secret that needs to be acknowledged and deserves recognition for their awesome food! Sam the owner (with his wife!) greets you warm and tHanks you for coming in. So right off the bat you know you're going to get a good experience because he's just so happy to have you in. You order and can choose how spicy you'd like your dish, the food is brought out promptly and hot! Awesome service - yummy food from someone who's been to Thailand and knows authentic vs the crap they are feeding the UC student up at the promenade come eat at a hole in the wall restaurant that is truly an adventure. Most wont have the balls to go west of the 99 - but those who dare - worth it! Try the real Merced :) read more

Sam Cafe - Shrimp appetizer - Thai Near Me - Merced, California

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Sam Cafe has some of the best Pad Thai in town. Constantly receiving excellent service and is one of my favorite places to order take out.

So amazing! Sam and his family run this place and oh my goodness! This is some of the best Thai food I've had... And I've lived in Thailand. The service phenomenal and the people everything you could hope for. They are amazing! read more

Best Pad Thai I've ever had! Been coming here for a few years now and I have to always get the pad Thai. I moved a while back and anytime I am in the area I HAVE to have some. read more

I have tried all the Pad Thai's in Merced and this place makes the best one. I recently tried the Spicy Beef Salad and on my is it delicious . It has become one of my favorite dishes here. read more

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

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**Nice staff, delicious food, and cheap prices** Sam Cafe has never disappointed me. Sam is a considerate and kind man that always goes around to greet each and every customer when he is in the restaurant. The family-owned establishment gives off welcoming vibes. Certain dishes are more delicious than those of other Thai spots in town. I can't say the same for some of them, but the Pad Thai, Fried Rice, and mango with sticky rice are all tasty--more so here than at the other places. The Pad Thai is not too dry or too soggy. It blends well with the crushed peanuts and bean sprouts on the side to be both crunchy and tender. The Pineapple Fried Rice in particular exceeded my expectations when I had it the first time--the pineapple was sweet, while the meats and rice were savory, but were still great together. It's a good choice if you want something extra in your fried rice (as opposed to getting, for example, the Chicken Fried Rice). One dessert that I highly recommend is the mango with sticky rice. It is only available during certain times during the year, but is a must-try. The dessert is a great way to finish off the meal. I enjoy taking small groups here when they (family or friends) visit since Sam Cafe doesn't have many servers. The food at Sam Cafe is not the best Thai food I've had, but it does not fail to satisfy. read more

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The best Thai food in Merced!!! My favorite is Pad Thew. Very flavory:))) I'm moving to long beach soon so I'm gonna miss this restaurant so much:( the pad thew is going to be my last supper in Merced. Lol They serve pretty fast too. I've never waited so long. My boyfriend likes their Thai coffee too. If you like sweet, milky coffee then go for it. read more

Roadside Yelp Assistance. Search: Thai Location: Merced, CA Top Pick: Sam Cafe You gotta love Yelpers. Lots of times you come across positive reviews of a place, then go there and get disappointed and wonder, " did I go to the right place?" Most of the time I get mad because I have expectations going in... granted, that's my problem, but it's a susceptibility that we all encounter when traversing this site. Thank God Yelpers got this one correct. It is situated in a sketchy "looking" neighborhood. But I didn't feel at risk one bit. Also, the restaurant itself isn't the most glamorous looking of places. But if these two things are tops for you and your stomach.. then you have no place here. Good food is good food is good food. Especially when on the road and all you see is McDonalds and Taco Bells. Anyways, they have a huge menu so you'll most likely be able to find something that everyone will want. My family was only stopping for a quick bite so we didn't get much..but what we got was awesome. Crispy Egg Roll & Spring Roll: Both were pretty standard, nothing that blew my mind, but I will add the Spring Roll was better than I expected (I don't like spring rolls) Plus the sauce they give you on the side was fricken good. Chicken Wings: Now this right here blew my mind. Lots of asian places over fry their wings...add too much batter, crap like that. This place did it exactly how I like it. Lightly battered, not in the fryer so long that it's dry. Perfectly done with crispy skin and juicy meat. The star of the show in my eyes. Some soup I forgot: It was good...I forgot what it was so..sue me. Pad Thai. I was equally impressed with their pad thai because a lot of times thai places make it super dry. I don't know if true pad thai is supposed to be like this, but I don't like it. Sams Combination Pad Thai with chicken, beef,shrimp and pork was spot on, not dry or sticky. This is how I love my noodles. Conclusion: If you're on the 99 FWY and want some Thai, don't pass this place up. PS - Sam himself is a super nice guy who greeted us.... and seems to have a huge following among locals. Say hi for me. read more

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I was really impressed with the yellow chicken curry. I've tried other local Thai restaurant. Sams cafe has the best yellow curry I've had so many flavors, creamy and rich. read more

10/10 every single time I go. Amazing food. Love that you can make a dish as spicy as you want (or not spicy at all). They really cater to the customer! Absolutely love the environment and service as well! Sam is great! read more

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

Super sketchy neighborhood but the food was DELICIOUS & AUTHENTIC!!! Great stop for lunch if you are headed to/from Yosemite to the Bay Area. [FOOD] - Imperial Roll (3/5): Comes in 4 and sweet peanut dipping sauce. They are smaller than the Vietnamese spring rolls but with very similar ingredients (shrimp, vermicelli, lettuce, etc). These rolls tasted a bit dry, but good portion size for appetizer. - Pad Thai (5/5): RECOMMEND! Comes with fresh bean sprouts and peanut crumbles on the side. The noddles were very chewy and the sauce had the perfect balance of sweetness and savory. One of the best Pad Thai I've had. Very healthy. - Pad Kyee Maw (3/5): Good balance of vegetables, meat, and rice noodles. We asked for 2/10 spicy level, which still gave the dish a hint of spiciness but it wasn't anything unbearable. They might have added a bit too much soy sauce, because the dish tasted pretty salty to us. - Mango Chicken Fried Rice (4/5): Good portion size and amount of protein. They may have added a bit too much grounded pepper because the dish smelled extremely smoked. Could have added more mango and cut back on the oil, but overall a still great tasting dish! [SERVICE] - We came for lunch on a Sunday and the restaurant was pretty empty. The inside is pretty big and looked very authentic, and there is a section decorated for special occasions (ex. wedding, parties, etc). We had to wait a good 15-20 minutes for food. The food was delicious though. The waiter was very nice and looked very kind. [OVERALL] - One of the best Thai food I've had! Great food and experience. This will now be my to-go pit stop whenever I go to Yosemite. read more

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Would be nice if they were actually open & would answer the phone. Last couple times I've tried coming here they don't answer and/or are not open like the posted hours say. read more

Best pad Thai in Merced and the owner is so kind. He's a pillar in the community and always donates to community wide events.

If you follow my Yelp reviews, or just click on my profile, you'll see I am one stingy fella with my ratings. To earn a 5, you have to be near impeccable in regards to service, quality of ingredients, taste of food, and would I come back in the near future. For Sam's Cafe - I'm going to give this place 5 stars for 3 reasons: 1) This is the ONE (only?!) place in Merced that I know has EXCELLENT/LEGIT Thai food, and can keep me coming back. 2) Management/staff are awesome people, (Sam, the owner - speaks Lao/Thai fluently) and treats you like family. 3) My standards are high, but for this "city" - this place is it! Every time I come up here to visit my sibling, we come here to eat, chit chat with the owner, and indulge in some legit Thai and Lao cuisine. If you are from those 2 countries or speak the language, it feels like they sprinkle your food with some sort of magical serum that makes you feel like you're home. Like I said - legit. I have thus far tried the pad thai, pad see ew, beef salad, Thai tea, and .. yeah. All of the ingredients taste fresh, it's hot and steaming when it comes out to you, and they are on you like flies to a meal when you pop your hand halfway up. Yup, halfway. Love this place. Keep it up Sam and family! read more

When into day for lunch, and met Sam for the first time. He made a suggestion, when I told him I liked Vegetarian, he took my order and a lunch to rave about. Looking forward in coming in with a large group and sharing plates. read more

I've been to Sam a few times and after a few years, it's still the same. Great food, very friendly owner and staff, and accommodating. I've had their Pad Thais, but I ordered a Pad See Ew (with chicken) to change it up a bit. Pad See Ews are often overshadowed and not respected as much as the Pad Thai. My dish was DELISH! The thick "chow fun-like" noodles smothered in soy sauce based "gravy" with lots of fresh veggies. Not greasy, and the portion was just right. Sam asked if it was spicy enough for my liking and suggested to go wild on the Sriracha sauce for an extra adventure. THAT is a awesome man right there! Other restaurant owners should take notes. Don't let the ghetto location drive you away. Haven't made a trip to Sam yet? What the hell are you doing then? GET YO' ASS OVER THERE! read more

Sam Cafe - Chicken pad seew - Thai Near Me - Merced, California

I love this restaurant! The food is amazing! Try the pad Thai and the curry fried rice. If it's not on the menu they will make it for you. Staff is always friendly. read more

Best Pad Thai in the valley. Very good quality. Family owned and operated. Love this place. One of the few great restaurants in Merced. Would not hesitate to recommend this to any of my friends of family. Sam knows how to make great food!! (Updated Nov 08 - Sam now has Free WiFi!!) read more

Sam Cafe - Sam's Pad Thai! - Thai Near Me - Merced, California

After being loyal customers at Sam's for more than 10 years, today we're done -- thanks to an attitudinal, dim waitress. Our food took forever to arrive. When it did, we had no silverware or napkins. That wasn't the problem. Here's what's upset me: I asked the waitress for silverware and napkins, and she totally rolled her eyes and copped an attitude. I requested steamed rice, which she very begrudgingly dropped at our table -- and then ignored us the rest of our visit. Call me crazy, but I think asking for silverware, napkins and steamed rice is a reasonable request. In addition, we asked for low spice -- lower than 5 on a scale of 1 to 10. The food was so amped up on spices it was barely edible. Never going back. Very disappointed, as this used to be one of my favorite Thai spots in Merced. read more

HOME away from home! Sam is awesome, I have to stop by his place every time I'm able to make it out to Merced, which isn't very often seeing it's a 4 hour trip from LA. I'm one of those thai gals who are sick and tired of pad thai. I'm just not a fan and you won't see me ordering it anywhere except for Sam Cafe. I love the pad thai here and it's the only pad thai I'll ever eat! He makes everything to your liking and adds what ever you like and substitutes what you don't like. Seriously the best Thai food in Merced! Only downside (sorry Sam) it's a bit pricey. They should have lunch specials or student specials seeing that it's so close to UC Merced. Other then that. I wouldn't change a thing! Please move down to LA Sam!!!!! read more

Strolled in last minute, visiting through town. Met Sam, Sam is the f ing BOSS. Made excellent recommendations of Pad Thai and Monholian Beef. Both Excellent! I had to get to go cause it was late, but will definitely come back! read more

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

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When coming back up from LA, we decided to take the road less traveled: CA-99. After driving on newly unchartered territory, we became quite hungry and decided to hit up Merced and see what the city offers. Since it's a new college town, there had to be a couple of options, and we ended up choosing Sam Cafe. Now, I'm not going to lie to you, I was pretty creeped out during the short drive from the freeway to Sam Cafe. We decided to roll through Compton a couple of days before, and that was nothing compared to how sketchy this area was. However, I calmed down a bit as we walked into Sam Cafe. I tried to steer clear of generic Thai food and try something different, but I was craving Pad Thai for some reason, so I decided to get the Pad Thai Combination. I like how they have a spiciness scale from 1-10, but somehow it didn't work for me. I ordered a 3, but it came out tasting like at least a 5 or 6. My friend got a dish that was 7, and the spiciness level was pretty close. The dish itself was full of flavor and tasted really good, but just way too spicy. Probably a mix-up at the kitchen. Their coconut juice is also REALLY good. It tasted a bit like it's out of a bottle or a can, but it's still amazing. Also, Sam is a really great guy. Like with most people who reviewed Sam, he came out to talk to our table and thank us for coming out. At first he assumed we were all UC Merced students, until we told him we're actually visiting on the way back to Cal. This ensued a whole conversation about Thai restaurants in Berkeley that went on for a good while. Sam really cares about his customers and makes that personal connection with each and every one of them. This makes this place just that much more awesome. read more

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Difficult to rate tonight's experience. Food was great, but service was almost non existent. Started off good, drink orders, appetizer ordered then the three of us were only brought plates/flat wear and napkins for 2.... Entree orders taken and we still needed to ask for extra set up for the third...after that no one ever came by...no water refills, no "how is everything" heck we had finished eating and waiting a while before finally giving up and walking to them to pay. the Food was great...fresh rolls, spicy shrimp, sticky rice, fried rice, a curry and some noodle dish were ordered and all thoroughly enjoyed. read more

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For Thai food in the sleepy town of Merced, this place is surprisingly good. We ordered Pad Thai, spicy pork with basil and bamboo, yellow curry with chicken, and fried eggs (not on the menu). Pad Thai was cooked more like Lao style. How can you tell? Its less sweet and doesn't have the bright orange looking color to the noodles (due to food coloring). Spicy pork was good, but lacked the abundance of...pork! The dish mostly had onions and bell peppers with a few strands of bamboo shoots. The yellow curry tasted good -- had a slight debate with my company if the curry used was either the indian-based yellow curry or the Japanese style. IMO, tasted like the Indian one. Last, but not least was the fried eggs. In a nutshell, the eggs were "fried" like sunny-side up eggs. I typically like the eggs with spicy dishes such as the spicy pork with basil. The ambience of the restaurant "felt" very Thai with a little stage (hoping that a Thai Elvis would start singing Jailhouse Rocks since that part of Merced felt like I was in a prison cell). The owners of the place are actually Laotian. Overall, I would give them 4 stars, but I felt rushed eating my food because the employees wanted to go home and they ran out of Beer Lao (how dare they? LOL), so instead, they'll get 3 stars. read more

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My nephew rated this restaurant 5 stars, and he is the pickiest person I know, and I agree with him. Thank you for your amazing service!

All a La carte menu so it can easily become expensive for a quick lunch. orange chicken was good, but for $15 that's all you get. Not even rice. read more

I absolutely love Thai food and this place is amazing. My brother went to UCM for college and the few times I've visited with my family, we generally went here for dinner, for a variety of reasons. It's a family-owned restaurant and the owner is awesome. Very friendly and a really great guy, kept my brother well fed and alive throughout his college years (or he would have lived on instant noodles, "Mexican cereal," and TV dinners). He comes around every table to make sure we're happy with the food and the service (which is also great :D ). Prices are definitely reasonable, and the food is great! :] They have a 1-10 scale on the spiciness scale for the curries, but we usually order on the milder side (my parents are not fans of things that are spicy), and the restaurant is usually populated by UCM students. It was definitely my brother's favorite place to eat at before he graduated. He shares the same name as the owner, so I believe they have a running joke about this. read more

There are some Thai food places where the entrees come out dry and even after dousing the food with sauces, it doesn't taste much better than some carbonate dipped in sauce. This place is far from one of those places! I ordered a chicken Pad Thai and my friend got a pineapple fried rice to go with sweet and sour sauce and vinegar on the side. Both dishes were super tasty and moist. The total price was barely over $20 and portion size was good enough for us to have some leftovers. Sam was such a funny guy who greets all his customers with a cute little smile (:. We chatted for a minute and he definitely helped make my hanger dissipate! He even took an extra glance at the food to make sure there were no peanuts since my friend is severely allergic. I would definitely recommend anyone drop by if passing through the area! read more

Saying that this is the worst mango and rice I ever had is an understatement!!! I was born in Asia and I went to Thailand before so I know what mango and rice should look/ taste like. As soon as I open the box, I can immediately tell something is wrong. The mango is unbearably sour, and the coconut milk smells old. The worker is unprofessional as well. The Asian girl that works at the front desk keeps talking to the phone so I have to wait for her until she is done. This is just a bad experience overall. read more

I was looking for a place to eat lunch in Merced so I went to Yelp since I haven't been here for a couple of years. Sam Cafe had great review and I wasn't disappointed!! The Pad Thai was incredible! I met the owner and his nephew who are both delightful which explains their strong local business! I can't to come back! read more

Sam Cafe - Thai Near Me - Merced, California

Hands down best Thai restaurant in town. And there are some good ones. Sam is the classic restauranteur, a rare breed these days.

Thai. None come close to Sam's and I've tried it all. Don't be Leary about the location, it's worth it. Pad Thai, Pad Prik, and Tom Yum The Tom Yum soup had an authenticity that surprised the taste buds. A slightly thicker sauce with tons of flavour! I love the mushrooms they use too (the small brown ones w the smooth tip). The best part of the meal was the server Ken and owner Sam. What a special story they both have to tell. read more

Definitely one of the best Thai food places in Merced. We've eaten there for years and I've never had a bad meal. Friendly staff good service and excellent Thai food. read more

I actually found this place on Yelp. I just moved to Merced and my boyfriend and I wanted to eat out, so we searched for restaurants in the area. We read the reviews and liked what we read so we decided to eat here. Honestly, I was getting pretty nervous because of the area, which seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere. It's such a tiny place that we missed it the first time. When we actually arrived, we were told to sit down anywhere we wanted by some old man. We found out that that old man is Sam (the owner), who is also the chef. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer, Pad Thai, and Panang Curry, with a number 6 spice. Oh my goodness, let me tell you, HANDS DOWN THE BEST PAD THAI I have ever eaten! It was sweet and spicy and just perfect! I absolutely loved it. The Panang was just okay. It's weird because there's some places where the Panang looks orange, but their panang here wasn't at all orange. I prefer the "orange" panangs better. Also, the calamari wasn't really worth $8, because it was so simple that you could do it at home yourself. There wasn't anything special or different about them (the sauce was good though). The service was good and we were entertained by the owner himself. He's very friendly and easygoing. He even shook my boyfriend's hand and thanked us for coming. What a cool dude. He knows his marketing skills =) Even though I wasn't a fan of their calamari appetizer and panang, I will definitely be back here for their Pad Thai! read more

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