Best Thai food in Merced. A common dining place for UC Merced students and professors. Also good for families. The food is of very good quality. It can sometimes be slow to get a seat, order, and eat, but there are off times when only a couple customers are present and the food comes quicker. Sam, the owner, is often there and is very friendly. If you don't like your dish, he'll go and change it for a new one! The atmosphere is nice (if not tacky, with pictures of the homeland and buddhas with fruits). They usually have the karoake screen going with catchy Thai music. For a first time, definitely try the Pad Thai (noodles), can be ordered mild to extremely spicy. Their curry is pretty good too. Drinks are good to balance the spiciness. read more

I have never seen food come out of a kitchen so fast and it was super hot so I know they made it fresh. We had the shrimp fresh rolls, pad see ew, thai iced coffee and not a single complaint. The owner was very present in the restaurant and I saw him visit every table before thanking both myself and the other customer waiting for to go orders. While I was waiting the biggest bowl of soup I have ever seen was carried by and if I lived in town I would go back to try that (with a small army) and enjoy the warm and hospitable environment. read more

This place is extremely oversold. Sam seems like a really nice guy, really friendly. The food is not very good though. I really can't understand the the praise I hear about this place. I've given it several shots and I've been very disappointed every time. read more

The horrible experience at Sam Cafe is the reason why I started a Yelp account. I was in the Merced area and searched on Yelp for a Thai restaurant to try. Based on the raving reviews my boyfriend and I decided to stop by this place. I wanted to order a seafood pad thai but it was more expensive than the combination pad thai that had chicken, beef, and shrimp. So I ended up ordering a tofu pad thai instead and it was a total disappointment. When the dish came out the color of the noodles did not look appetizing. The noodles were so tough that I could barely chew it. I have never sent a dish back before but this plate was inedible. When the dish came back the texture was a bit better but then it no longer tasted like pad thai. I picked out and ate the tofu but left the noodles. When the waitress asked if I wanted t a box, I told her no thanks. As we were at the cashier paying for our meal my boyfriend saw a waitress scavenging through a guest's old plate and she picked out some vegetables and threw it into a bowl to reuse. As we drove away I thought to myself maybe I should have packed my leftovers to throw away outside so that my noodles would not be reused. read more

I would give 4 1/2 stars, but I guess if I had to choose between 4 and 5, it would be a 4, only because it took them awhile to refill our waters and give us the check. However, the food was good. Thumbs up for the pad thai; the noodles were cooked perfectly and packed with meat. Yellow chicken curry was good, but nothing like the pad thai. sticky rice could have been stickier, but i liked it still. Portions are a bit smaller than usual, but we managed to walk away full. We usually have food leftover when I eat with my friend at other thai restaurants, but our plates were empty in the end. (which could be a good thing because its a sign the food is good) Decently priced, bill came to about 22 bucks for pad thai, chicken curry, thai ice tea, and sticky rice. Place is spacious, nice, and clean. The owner is real friendly and chill. I would recommend this place for anyone looking for asian/thai food. read more

I absolutely love this place. The food is delicious and you can choose your level of spice for your food. The staff is so friendly as well as the owner. He came out to our table and chatted it up. He asked us how the food was and if we would change anything. When I usually go to thai food restaurants I ask them to add tomatoes to the drunken noodles dish, but his already came with fresh tomatoes. Love that. This place is definitely on my list of "go to" restaurants in the Big Mer. read more

This place was super yummy. My husband had the pad tai and he loved it. I had the Tom Yum Gong soup, it was good just a little too spicy. I would of given this place a 5 star had my spring roles had more substance to it, rather than just too much lettuce and less noddles or shrimp. My friend also orders the pho and said it was amazing! The restaurant is a hole in the wall, so don't expect it too be super glamorous, however, expect to have some tasty food. The owner was nice, he came and talked to our table and told us he was from Los Angeles. I thought that was a nice gesture. read more

Food was delicious! I love that they ask what level of spicy you want for for the pad thai. The oriental rolls were also super fresh and delicious! The only bad thing was that they forgot about my order....it's understandable because I was with such a big group of girls, but I felt uncomfortable when girl's were already paying and I still did not get my food.... Also, they added tip and didn't notify me, so I probably gave like 35% tip T_T read more

My friends came to this place after taking a trip to Yosmite. We were looking for a place to eat and this was first on yelp. So we came here for a try. I wasn't too crazy about the decor of the place, but the place was nice and roomy. Service was a bit slow. They only seemed to had one waitress when we were there. We had to wait for the menu which didn't make it a good start. The food had large portions with inexpensive prices. That was a plus. Food was decent, you get a wide range of stuff from Chinese, Thai, and even Laotion. The owner Sam, was really friendly for he came and himself and chatted with us. He told he can customized our plates from spicey to nonspicey. So I not going to knock this place even though service should be a bit faster. Sam was cool and not a place to try in the area. Sam works hard. read more

I have been going to Sams Cafe for well over 10 years now!! And with just one more visit that I made the other day. They never cease to amaze me! The service is always excellent! I have yet to order something on the menu that was not the best authentic Thai Cuisine I have ever tasted bar none!!! As far as I'm concerned,,,there is no better place for Great Tasting Thai food within 100 miles North or south! I Highly recommenced the Pad Thai extra Spicy, Particularly a favorite of mine!! read more

I've eaten here several time and everytime it's been great. It's my favorite place in Merced to eat Thai Food! I love their red thai curry with sticky rice, the flavors are so unbelievable. Whether it's dine in or take out, I've never been disappointed with the food. Sam, the owner, is always very friendly and makes sure to check on the customers to see how everything was. P.S. I love the thai tea with boba, it's probably one of the best in Merced (along with Mel's Cafe) When ever I'm craving Thai food, Sam's Cafe is where I will ALWAYS go!!! read more

I recommend the Thai ice Tea. The food was pretty good, but the portions were on the smaller side in my opinion. I had the spicy shrimp, fried rice, imperial rolls, and the pad Thai. read more

Pros: absolutely great food. You must try the chow mein. The pad Thai is kind of too sweet for my taste Cons: Decor is outdated. The neighborhood doesn't seem safe at night. It's very dark. read more

I'm sure many agree that Sam Cafe might be the "best Thai in Merced", but that doesn't mean the food there is good... To be honest with you, I don't know how this place is rated four stars. I'm sure a few of those stars are attributed to the friendliness and personality of Sam, but other than his hospitality, there isn't much to like, cuisine or atmosphere-wise. The restaurant is dingy; like a cross between an old bar and a hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint. The bar is bare-boned, with only a few bottles of random liquors sprinkled here and there. I'll admit the place just looks dirty. The food isn't much better. When you order the Pad Thai, your waiter asks what kind of spiciness (between 1 and 10) you'd like. The scale is definitely skewed towards the spicy side. Ordering your Pad Thai at "3" is enough to make most peoples' mouths and lips burn. I can't imagine how ridiculously spicy the Pad Thai can get on down the scale. To top it off, the Pad Thai is unusually soupy, almost watered down. I don't expect to finish off my plate of Pad Thai and see a lake of sauce at the bottom of my plate, but that's exactly what I see when it comes to Sam's Pad Thai. I've also ordered the calamari appetizer, which wasn't hot like calamari appetizers should be. The calamari was unpleasantly warm and often difficult to chew. The sweet and sour pork plate wasn't up to par either; heavy on the sweet and sour sauce and light on the pork... If you think this is good Thai food, then I beg you, please try Thai food outside of Merced. Maybe when you're traveling through Sacramento or if you're going to the Bay Area; either of those places has MUCH better Thai food. read more

After looking through reviews for different Asian restaurants in Merced, I finally decided on this place. The reviews were pretty good (generally speaking) so I had faith in my fellow yelpers! They did not disappoint, but this place wasn't OUTSTANDING. But I would definitely come back. I thought their prices were really fair and the food was relatively fresh. I didn't have any complaints with my beef noodle soup and my mom said her pad thai was pretty good (and they were accommodating, she wanted fat noodles instead of traditional pad thai noodles) Sam, himself, came out to greet us, and he was really nice and down to earth, chatting as though we've known him for eons. Overall, I liked the ambiance and the fresh food. Their menu is huge, and I love trying new things! btw, their egg soda was pretty good :) read more

In the bay area, Thai restaurants are a dime a dozen, so if you don't like one you go on to the next. In Los Banos/Merced, I assumed good Thai would be so much harder to find so I scoured Yelp vetting a good Thai place for my Thai mother in law---no pressure, right? Sam's Cafe was where I landed. All the good signs were there: lots of reviews, star status, Thai family owned restaurant, and lastly, Asian reviewers--sorry, but for an Asian joint, that's key. Wow, Sam did not disappoint. Not only was he and his wife extremely friendly, their food was so....... Soulful! Every dish was well balanced in spice, sweet, sour, freshness.. Alllll 5 stars!!! I really wish Sams Cafe was in the bay area. I'm totally jealous. Maybe I'll consider going back to school to uc Merced, it was that good. We got level 5 spiciness and I didn't think it was spicy at all. So next time, and there will definitely be a next time, I'll kick up the spiciness a bit. Thanks for everything, Sam! And thanks for being so nice to my mother in law! We had a great time! We ordered beef salad and papaya salad--both were amazing, egg rolls for my non seafood eating husband, kao soi, larb, yum and sticky rice. Bests dishes were the salads. The sticky rice was perfect. The service was also perfect. read more

This is the first place I've eaten at in Merced. Sam is one of the nicest people you would ever meet and he takes care of all the students both UC and JC as if we are one of his own. Recently, I came here with a party of roughly 30 people and the he served us was amazing. He even helped us split the check. I ordered the pad Thai level 7 and it was beautiful. I really enjoyed it! read more

I was on a work trip with my 5 other co-workers down for a presentation in Fresno. Then all of a sudden HUNGRY hit us. So I went to my trusty Yelp app and found Sam Cafe. I being half Chinese am not afraid of a good hole in the wall. Which I do have to say the area that Sam Cafe is in - is not the most aesthetically pleasing area but hey were in Merced. What do you expect? Safe to say the bosses along with co-workers let me do the ordering and we had an awesome lunch stop on our way to Fresno. read more

First of all, Sam, himself is amazing and never forgets a face. As for the eats? Delectable Thai food with enough kick to make your nose run and your heart swell with delight. I always stick with a classic Chicken Pad Thai and a side of their sticky rice. My only complaint is that their portions are smaller than I would prefer and I don't know if maybe I recently caught the servers on a bad day, but they could definitely be a little friendlier to their guests. read more

This place is great in comparison to the other places in Merced. The atmosphere is great. Sam, the owner, is always there and sometimes even takes people's orders. The customer service is the best. The food is also great for the price. One thing I can complain about is that there are a few dishes that are very small but have a high price. Other than that, I would definitely go there again and again. One tip is not to go there too late at night, its pretty unsafe. read more

So unexpected! I never expected to have such amazing friendly service in Merced, I love that Sam comes out and talks to customers, the rest of the staff is also friendly. The food was good, I would go back again! read more

So bomb, sketchy neighborhood and strip mall but this hole in the wall is legit. The owner walks around talking with patrons and taking special orders or doing modifications to meals. But--Thai spicy means Thai spicy so don't be surprised by the heat. read more

After finding Sam's in September of 2015 we are still visiting there once and a while. Granted my last several visits were far more frequent than normal. Sam's is still awesome. I have recently found my new favorite, the yellow chicken curry. I actually get it without onions and a 0 spice level, it's almost like a soup sometimes and I find it wonderful. Every time it hits the spot. I also order sticky rice and find it to be a good compliment to the curry. We've also ordered the calamari and chicken satay and wow, so much yum factor. Their sodas and drinks are always nice and cold, and don't taste watered down. Depending on the time you visit Sam's can usually be found to be relaxing and quiet. I don't like to eat around a lot of people in general and having a nice quiet meal is appreciated. The servers here have been attentive and it can seem like we're waiting a couple minutes for a drink refresh, but nothing out of the norm. We've never noticed them to be below service levels, other than a little slow sometimes. We still absolutely love this place. read more

Sam's is a great place to eat out very good food I recommend the beef salad but don't get it too spicy and their wings are to die for

Come here all the time, love it! The quality of Sams cafe is unbeatable, I come here all the time and it's worth every 30 minute drive

Has great pad thai especially if you are looking for something spicy. The curry is also great but they all taste the same. However everything else is just mediocre. The noodle soup is not that great. read more

I got the spicy shrimp dish LEVEL TWO and it was way too fucking spicy to even enjoy, good god. The spring rolls were a damn let down, TWO shrimp per roll, noodles, and greens. thats IT. no carrot, no seasoning, NOTHING. probably the most boring spring rolls I've ever had in my life. come on dude, step your game up how hard is it to put some love into spring rolls?! BUT-----Pad thai was DEFINITELY legit, must try. I mean, for what it is and where its located in a shit no where town, its good. the thai iced tea was definitely on the sweet side, but good. very nice owners. i loved that the dishes were NOT on the greasy side which was a great surprise. will be back for the pad thai. everything else is a miss it seems. read more

Being here twice. Each time the place was not crowded. Service was good, and the food was delicious. Would recommend the tom yum soup and the curry chicken. read more

What can I say but the food is excellent. Sam knows how to run a restaurant, cook and interact with customers. The food is always excellent, and I usually overeat. Thank you Sam and crew! read more

I love Sam's! The food always taste really good and the service is great. It is definitely out of the way though and in a sketchy area of merced. read more

Great food and friendley service. The papaya salad is delicious as is the red curry. One thing I really like about this place how spicy the chef will make the dishes if requested. Outside of Thailand it is nearly impossible to get the staff at a Thai restaurant to take you seriously when requesting heat. Sam cafe is not expensive, the food is great and comes out with a quickness. read more

If your Merced and looking for some Real Good Thai Food It's a Must to Visit Sams Cafe. I Love this Place, I Love the Food and of course me and my Family Love Sam. What to Try 1. Pad Thai of course I get it Spicy.... My other favorite the Mussels actually everything is Good!!! Great Service, and Great Food Thanks Sam.... read more

Always a great choice. They have been struggling with employees since COVID (just like every other restaurant) so it takes a little longer but Sam is always on top of it. Pad Thai Combo is always a good choice or the Pla Goong salad. Kids always get the pork fried rice or orange chicken and love it. Can't go wrong here. read more

OK food. Decent Prices. GREAT owner. Personally, I prefer Thai Cuisine II's food over Sam Cafe. I feel like Sam Cafe's food relies too much on sauces (or msg) and oils so that it tastes a little on the heavy side and less like the food that the sauce/oil is ON. The food is not horrible, just not refined. Sam, however, is very friendly and I'd imagine that's why this place does so well. Definitely try their tilapia dish, that's the best one I've had. read more

Came here with a colleague for a lunch and a dinner and between both visits, I get about a 2.5, star-wise - pushing for a three-star! The place has a nice ambient and decor; the owner is very nice to all of his customers - which is really, really great in my book. His staff, however, is somewhat clueless when taking orders, looking confused when requesting input on dishes or beverages. On both of my dining occasions, the owner had to come and help the poor waitress sort out what it was we were asking for! As for the food - it was just okay. Not as spicy as I figured, considering the owner went to great pains to describe the hotness to us on a scale of 1-10 (funny aside - he insisted I "looked" like I would probably not like my food hotter than a 5; I ordered it at 7 and still it tasted bland to me!!). Had the Pad See Ew for lunch once - way too dry, meat overcooked; Pad Thai the next time - again, much to dry for my tastes. I'm guessing it may depend on the time of day and who's manning the kitchen. I'll come back and try other dishes and see - this is Merced after all - not the BIG city! read more

Just ate at this spot last night on the drive back from Yosemite. We're seated in front by the stage with an old school big screen tv, projector screen, two saxophones, a guitar, and two huge ivory tusks. Sam immediately pops out and starts cracking jokes. We order drinks, delicious Thai iced tea and two Singhas (although we asked for other beers, Sam convinced us that Singha was the best option by telling us a story about his trip to China). The menu is big so we couldn't quite figure out what to get and Sam came back and cracked a few more jokes for us while we decided. We also realized along the way that karaoke track covers of "dust in the wind" and "imagine" and a few other classics were playing in the background. Definitely go for sticky rice. You can order anything spicy on a scale from 1-10. Sam says 3 is medium, so we got mostly 5 and one dish as a 6. That's bearable, but pretty damn spicy. 5 stars because it's some of the better Thai food I've had (and it's in Merced) and Sam is the man. Highly recommend if you're driving through read more

Love everything! Best tom yum gai soup, lemon chicken & the best pad Thai you will ever have!!! Thai tea is perfect too!

I love this place because Sam, the owner, is very friendly, makes sure eveything is well with the food, and makes sure you are happy. The Pad Thai here is my favorite thing on the menu. I like how there is a combo plate so you can have every meat for a good price. The only thing I have to say is that recently my portion size has been smaller than what I used to be served. One time I came on a busy day and didn't get my food until an hour after I orded it, I thought about walking out, but I stayed because I like the food. Maybe because Sam wasn't there had something to do with it. Not to mention Sam is my landlord ... read more

If you are HWY 99 and need a decent meal this might be a nice place to stop. They are very friendly, the food is pretty good and the coconut juice with coconut pieces is very refreshing (just like Mexico). We came here for some flavorful food at fair prices. BTW: It is not a pretty restaurant, it could use a LOT of updating and even some cleaning. If it were cleaner and prettier, I might have enjoyed it enough to rate it higher. read more

Sam Cafe is awesome. I don't understand why it doesn't have a 5 star rating. The Pad Thai here is unbelievably deliciously overwhelmingly awesome. It is SOOOOO good. I will never leave Merced without buying the Pad Thai here. The owner Sam is very attentive and cares about his customers. He's always walking around talking to customers making sure everything is perfect. Love love love this place. Best Thai food in Merced, no doubt about it. The beef larb is also good. They use real, legit beef tripe, not the fake stuff that tastes like rubber. read more