A friend heard about the live jazz sessions they hold here so we drove up from Fresno to check it…read moreout this past Saturday. The area & shop were very low key. There was a spacious parking lot next door as well as street parking. We loved the ambiance inside the shop & the strawberry matcha we both ordered was delicious! The staff were very friendly & the jazz session was a great time. People of all ages were present & either vibing to the music, working on their laptops, or chit chatting. 10/10 experience all around, we will definitely be coming back!

Stopped by here on our way to the Bay Area. This is the cutest shop for times you may want to study…read moreor work on some things, the other side of the shop has beautiful art pieces. We got the Golden Money and Honey Lavender Latte, both were really good and the service was great. It's a little bit on a pricey side but was a great treat.

Great local spot in downtown Merced. Place is super clean and the employees are really friendly…read more Coffee was very good. I went with a classic hazelnut latte with almond milks Will be visiting again

Back again for a visit and had to stop in. Love the laid back vibes of this place. They have some…read morereally creative drink options. Unfortunately, this time around I had to keep it basic with an almond milk latte. I do love that they have multiple sugar free syrup options. I just did vanilla but they have about five other SF flavors to choose from. If you are in merced, this is a great independent shop to try.

From the moment you walk into Hola Cafecito you can feel the warmth and something special about…read morethis place that makes you want to come back for another visit, and you haven't even seen the menu yet. I'm visiting in town and someone local recommended this location sharing that it's the BEST COFFEE SPOT in Merced and I now that I've visited, I AGREE! I love visiting local, family owned mom and pop shops on my "adventures" near and far and I use Yelp and Google review to help me when I'm out and about on my journey beyond my local community. Hola Cafecito has the BEST AVOCADO TOAST I've ever had, and I try them at little breakfast coffee houses everywhere I go! I added feta and bacon to my order, but it would have been delicious even without those addons. They have a homemade chili based oil that they drizzle on top of it that is absolutely amazing. I could not decide between any of the drinks b because I wanted to try five of them...so Greg helped me narrow my selection down. I ordered the Cafe Con Leche with the vanilla cream and it was perfect... It was so good.I think I want to take an Iced Dirty Horchata to go! I highly recommend this special little spot on Main Street, anytime you are in the Merced area. I personally think they should open up a second location near UC MERCED because we all know college students need an extra dose of caffeine on those late nights and early mornings. Shout out to the WHOLE CREW working this morning for their intentional hospitality and for taking care of this business as though it was "their own"...Baristas Greg and Lurray, Bobby taking care of the front of the house and supporting at the barista station too... plus YOU CANNOT FORGET Yanet, the kitchen manager and the INCREDIBLE CHEF LETTY for making the best avocado toast in the universe!

I tried this spot for their coffee since it popped up as somewhere to go on Yelp. The coffee was…read moresuper fresh and it was sweet, but not too sweet if that makes sense. Service was really quick. The actual location is packed the day that we went. There was a bunch of people here there's plenty of seating for everyone. There's also a cute photo opportunity kind of towards the back that has this really cute sign. The workers were friendly and were really quick surprisingly. They also offer food here which I don't think I saw when I first looked it up. A few people had Chilaquiles and they looked really good. Definitely recommend their coffee, but would love to try their food if I'm ever in the area again.

This was our must do bucket list while driving down to Fresno, this time with pictures!! Service…read morewas kind and friendly, offered to help when we were at the kiosk and to other customers. The ambiance is super cute and thoughtful! The drinks were hitting they tasted so good. We got the matcha raw coconut, mango tango, and taro. Place got packed after we placed our order -- happy we stopped by!

Came here while I was grabbing lunch at a place nearby and figured it'd be nice to get some milk…read moretea as well. There is ample space inside of the facility with plenty of seating, alongside a claw machine and a shelf with board games. The menu was a little overwhelming (the default drink is that they let you pick multiple flavors and I didn't want to risk messing up my own order), so I went with one of their specialty drinks, the Caramel Camel. I set the sugar level to light, yet it reached a level of sweetness that was so intense that I had to get it redone. Even with an ever lighter level of sweetness, it still tasted excessively sweet. Overall, an interesting experience. If this is the best that Merced has to offer, I feel kind of bad for everyone in Merced for not having access to better drinks. Not sure if I'd get the chance to return as I don't normally go to Merced, but on the off-chance I end up in this area again I'd hope that maybe one of their other drinks was better.

After a not great experience with their açaí bowls- I decided to try a smoothie instead. Seriously…read morethe worst smoothie I've ever had. It was the peaceful strawberry smoothie. It was flavorless and grainy. It felt like drinking almond milk, ice, and sand. I've just learned that this place is not for me.

Such a beautiful addition to downtown Merced! Kind Neighbor has a community focused vibe and they…read moresell local organic produce. They are the only place that sells fresh juice and natural smoothies and bowls.

When I came here over the weekend, the first thing I noticed was how the store was set up to take…read moreorders at the door like it's still 2020. Other than that, the bagels were made fairly quick, and you can dine on their outdoor patio. * New York Lox Special - 3/5 stars. I'll be frank, I took a bite and another bite but it didn't AMAZE me. It's your average lox bagel with tomato, capers, and red onions. The wait was about 10-15 minutes but there was a small line shortly after I ordered. Overall, I wouldn't come back if I were craving a lox bagel to this place because the total for 1 lox bagel came out to be $15 with tip, but it was convenient as this store is located near the highway.

They messed up my order, added cream cheese when I had specifically asked for no cream cheese…read more I brought it back and they made me a new one, but accidentally charged me for it. They also missed on my son's order, he ordered two bagels and only got one, so he had to go back and order the second one again. The bagels themselves were good, and the place has a nice independent vibe. I wanted to like it, and would go back, just wish they would listen better.

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!

I had the Papaya Lady bookmarked for a long time when I finally had the opportunity to try them on…read moremy way home from Merced. Located off on the corner of 16th Street and G (same plaza as Little Caesars), the Papaya Lady is actually tucked away inside a carniceria. The aisles of the market nearly block the counter to this little kitchen. It's the neon sign of "The Papaya Lady" buzzing that guides you to the back. We came in the late afternoon on a Saturday and they were already out of the fried chicken and sticky rice (next time!). We ended up ordering: Papaya Salad (extra spicy) - The little peppers in this gave the dish a nice kick. Super refreshing on a hot day. Nam Khao (crispy rice lettuce wrap with pork skin) - I highly enjoyed this one with all the crunchy textures and flavors. Will 100% get again. Khao Poon (noodle soup) - This broth had a subtle peanut flavor which was delicious. Wished it had more toppings. Nam Vanh (tapioca drink) - My drink seemed to lack the other jellies that I saw in other pictures and only had the lil tapioca balls, sweetener and coconut milk. It felt like it was missing something for sure. The owner is so nice and friendly. I don't know if it's a psychological thing, but every time he acknowledged or spoke to me, he used my name. It just felt automatically more warm and welcoming lol The price per portion is also legit. You get so much for what you pay. Our order kept me and the SO fed for almost 3 days. So nice to have some good Asian food in the Central Valley. Will definitely be back!

Just needed a bite to eat while passing through on our way out of town. This popped up on the map…read more Never heard of it.. such a cute place outside and inside. Nice selections of bakery items! We were greeted promptly and seated. Their menu is a great selection of sandwiches, salads, burgers. My husband had the Salmon salad 2.0, I had a grilled vegie sandwich on focaccia bread. Got the food fast. We were shocked at the size of the salad! It was plated beautifully! My sandwich was delicious. Only tiny complaint.. I wish there were more vegies on it. The fries were crazy good and crispy! Crinkle cut.! There are other options for your sides. I got a piece of pumpkin roll to go. Had to take a bite as we were leaving.. it was divine!!! I can't wait to stop again. The ladies were so attentive and fast. Please stop by if you're in Merced.

Perfect family friendly breakfast spot…read more We got the chilaquiles and chicken fried steak. Both were really good! The chilaquiles actually had a hint of spice which we really liked and the gravy on the chicken fried steak was so good. We also got their pumpkin bread on the side which was made in-house. Everything was just great. Really enjoyed having breakfast there. Friendly service and a great mom and pop shop. We'll definitely be back!