My first visit to the weekend Street-Food. It was BBQ galore... it's your mom and pops selling…read moretheir homemade food. The aroma in the air is enticing. Freshly cooked skewer meats, sticky rice, soup and drinks. You can buy veggies and fruits too. Wow... it was amazing. In addition to the grilled foods, there was a Jamaican vendor that sold oxtails, chicken and more. Must try when visiting... his food was bold and delicious. Parking is available on the streets. Bring your own chair if you plan to eat outside. BRING CASH... no tax... no restroom...

A wonderful open air market located at Angel Cruz Park offering eats and produce from the Thai,…read moreLao, Cambodian and Hmong community...along with a few non-Asian food stands such as BBQ with loaded baked potato, another with Southern fried fish, and Mexican food vendor offering birria tacos and their specialty 5lb super burrito for $20 Approximately 30 stands: :: Homegrown produce, plants :: Prepared foods - variety of meat skewers, lao sausage, papaya salad, stuffed wings, egg rolls, wrapped shrimp, Laotian nam khao (crispy rice salad), larb (salad with ground meat and herbs), pad thai....etc SWEETS Hmong - Naab Vaam - sweetened coconut dessert with tapioca, sweetened rice cakes, coconut-sticky rice with banana, fried banana, taro, and sweet potato, various Asian fruit (lychee, mango, taro, ube, dragonfruit, sugar cane) juices, milk teas and boba FAVORITES: :: SOPHIA'S SAUSAGE (located on the corner) - Cambodian-style chicken skewers and (ready made) nam khao - one of the bigger stands with plenty of dishes. Chicken wasn't glazed in sweet sauce while being grilled. Lots of caramelization from the sugars in the marinade. With hints of lemongrass, fish sauce, garlic. :: K.S. ASIAN FOODS - only stand that makes food "made-to-order" so you'll get a fresh, hot item! Pad Thai was delicious! I wish I found this stand first as they offered larb, nam khao, noodles hot! :: BBQ STAND - 9Tailz Smokehouse - nice smoked ribs with loaded baked potato and jalapeño mac and cheese - great smoked meats without sauce! Chef super friendly and offers samples :: KHAO POON stand - only one selling Lao rice noodle soup with chicken, coconut milk with depths of flavor! So delicious. Once you go, you'll find your favorites and remember for next time. One stand selling Lao sausages (pic provided) was good but too sweet for my liking... All stands are mom and pops so don't have signage with a name and most likely not permitted. This is truly Southeast Asian street food. So if you're squeamish about people using gloves and cooking from an inspected kitchen this place isn't for you. I had one friend who wasn't eating much....and yeah, you're taking your chances with ANY street vendor. TIPS if visiting from out of town: :: NO RESTROOMS. Closed due to an unhoused torching it - find one after exiting freeway before heading to the park :: CASH only - mom and pop vendors. Most Southeast Asian items $12 and under. Skewers $2 :: UTENSILS, paper towels, storage containers :) Bring your own. Some provide but most do not :: COOLER or INSULATOR bag - plenty of good food to take home! :: Hand wipes or sanitizers for before/after you eat No tables so you end up eating in your car unless you bring chairs. SATURDAY VISIT 11:30am Plenty of street parking along the perimeter of the park but by 130pm started to get busy. With all the wonderful smells of grilled meats, lemongrass and pungent smell of fish sauce and shrimp paste you may get a bit overzealous and try everything. NOTE: fried items (most pre-made) much better when re-heated at home Would return but definitely not in the summer where it gets hot and food sitting would make me question buying. Open 7-days a week but more food vendors on the weekend! K.S. Asian Foods is there 7 days a week...wonderful older couple working there and will be my go to...

I've been a fan of Green Papaya since discovering them as a food truck at UC Davis and I'm so glad…read morethey have a brick and mortar. It's a casual ambiance, order at the register, then seat yourself and they bring your food out. My go-to has always been the yellow curry with chicken, but decided to try their basil chicken most recently and it was delicious! The sauce had a sweetness to it that was well balanced by the basil, but I do wish they added Thai chilis for some spice like authentic Pad Kra Pao. You also can't go wrong with any of their noodle dishes. They have vegan options as well and my family loves the papaya salad. I appreciate their affordable prices, generous portions (an order of their yellow curry always yields 2 meals for me), and consistently good food.

Green Papaya remains one of our go-to spots in Stockton for Lao and Thai food!…read more We shared the Pad Thai (my personal pick) and the Yellow Curry, which is my husband's favorite because of its creamy texture. We also added the Crab Fried Rice and the Fried Riblets. The fried rice is seasoned perfectly, and the riblets are the absolute ideal pair for the rice! Portions are generous, the space is clean and spacious, and the service is always friendly. If you haven't been here yet, definitely give them a try next time you're in Stockton.

Personally, I had a great experience here. We arrived when the entire restaurant was empty. I was…read morecatching up with a friend; it had been a couple of months since we'd seen each other, and the waitress gave us space to chat a bit and then decide what to order. Everything came out quickly, and it was all very delicious, with pretty big portions and a good amount to take back home. My personal favorite was the pork and shrimp spring rolls! Will totally order takeout or dine in again.

This was one of the worst restaurant experiences I've ever had. I went to lunch with three…read morecoworkers, and when we arrived, the restaurant was very slow with only a few tables occupied. We were seated quickly, and the waitress took our order, but after that the service completely went downhill. While we waited, three other tables came in after us. We received our drinks, but then watched as the tables next to us were served their food before us -- even though they arrived later. After waiting over 30 minutes, I politely asked the waitress what the issue was. Her response was that there were "a lot of things going on" and that we would just have to wait our turn. At that point, my coworkers and I decided to leave. It doesn't matter how good the food may be if the customer service is that poor. The overall atmosphere was unpleasant, the service was unacceptable, and I would not recommend this restaurant, especially during lunchtime. If I could give zero stars, I would.

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!

The food here is as authentic as it gets. The laab was incredibly savory with just the right touch…read moreof roasted rice richness that gave it amazing depth and texture, an easy 10/10. The chicken Pad See Ew was just as impressive, with a smoky aroma and rich flavor that had me coming back for a second visit in the same week. The service made the experience even better. Such a friendly and genuinely kind family. This is one of the few spots I'm always excited to recommend to people.

It's been a minute since we've been to Thai Kitchen. We were living in Stockton and this was our…read morespot for Thai from 2014 - 2016. We were in town for wine tasting and hadn't had Thai food in a while, so we decided to stop by. What can I say...? Same great iced Thai coffee, deliciously fresh spring rolls, and the green curry couldn't have been better. We didn't see too many veggie dishes on the menu, yet at my wife's request, the kitchen made her fresh green beans in a garlic sauce. Thats right - fresh crisp green beans with plenty of "crunch" in a velvety garlic sauce. The prices are very reasonable considering today's crazy economy and we took food home! This is a family run business and the care and attention to customers is worth giving Thai Kitchen your support. We understand that they will be moving soon (just two storefronts away from the current location) and will have more room for more clientele. Judy and Sonny are very welcoming and personable. We wish them great success in the new location and we can't wait to be back to check it out!!!

Spring roll, best thing I had 9/10 BBQ pork with rice: 7/10…read more I can not recall the last item that we had, but it was a ground meat with herbs and was kinda spicy but manageable. That was really good as well 9/10 The service was nice, very helpful, and attentive My experience was good. The location is really tiny, a party of 10 people can fill up the whole restaurant.

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!

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.

I had the BBQ pork Banh Mi. It's delicious, a good size…read moresandwich and worth the price. I walked in and ordered, they told me it would be about 15 minutes since they had three orders in front of mine. I went and sat in my car for about 8-10 minutes and went back in, my order was ready. There's plenty of indoor seating and a beautiful mural on the wall, if you prefer to eat in. I took it to go.

We really enjoyed our lunch here. This casual restaurant is located in a strip mall with many food…read moreoptions, but this place should be at the top of choices. The Nam Khao/Crispy Coconut Rice Salad was extremely satisfying. The flavor was immense, and when wrapped with the lettuce, it was perfect. The Lao sausage Banh Mi was delicious. The pork sausage in it was tasty. There is a menu on the wall at the counter. There's also printed menus stacked at the counter. I think the printed one has other items. Ordering is done at the counter and you are given a number to place at your table. Your food is brought to you. There's about 15 tables. Some for two and most are for four. Larger groups can be easily accommodated by combining tables. If you go, check out the beautiful mural.