Okay I am very disappointed tonight after paying $61 for terrible food tonight. The first time I ate here the food was decent but tonight I was given sticky, old tasting noodle. you could tell the food seemed like it was a day or two old not fresh at all. i would've even have taken a couple of hours old but this was so terrible. Again old sticky, rubbery noodles for Pad Thai, then Rad Nar I paid 14 dollars for and got a cup full of old noodles again. Really 14 dollars for a cup of old noodles. Will never eat there again. I ordered in person I wonder if it was because I am black, I can"t see them giving that kind of food to anyone that they have respect for. read more

Me and my husband love Thai but we follow strict vegan diet. We have always hesitant eating out because of past experience with Thai restaurants. unfortunately they add fish sauce or oyster sauce. Or if none, they smell like one. But we had amazing experience with Thai Star. They understood our requirements. Everything we ordered smelled and tasted so good & fresh. We live in Bay Area and haven't eaten such good Thai. It is a must try. read more

Think intimate but not a lot of privacy, casual yet somewhat classy-- this place works well for a business lunch, date, solo dining, and for studying-while-eating. The decor is simple, and from the outside, it looks like a dingy diner, but it's not. The service is great-- the woman who generally serves is nice, attentive but not obtrusive. The food is AMAZING! Fresh-tasting, consistently good. I LOVE the green curry, the papaya salad, the egg rolls, the red curry, and sipping green tea. TIP: if you want leftovers, order from the dinner menu, not the lunch menu... Thai Star is a hidden gem: I've never had to wait for a seat (there are booths and tables), the service is always fairly prompt, and it's a mellow atmosphere. It is a bit quiet, but that's better than being subjected to karaoke in the background (not that there's anything wrong with karaoke- to each their own- i just don't like it while i'm eating, unless i'm in the mood for karaoke). read more

My son's favorite place while he was going to school at UC Merced. Great food, good prices, friendly staff. He'll missed the place since he just graduated. read more

Great food!! Super authentic and amazingly delicious! Yuuuuuuuuummmmm. We got the tom yum soup and pad kee mow.

My friends and I stopped in Thai Star on a road trip and it was the perfect, filling meal after a long day of driving. They had some of the freshest, best quality Thai food I've had, liberal portion sizes, and good service. It was so good we came back a second time on our return trip. I ordered the pad thai on my first visit, which had a perfect spice level and quantity of sauce; on my second visit I had the panang curry, a creamy, flavorful, rich curry with fresh vegetables and plenty of food left over to save for another meal. Will definitely come again if I'm ever in Merced! read more

So I was in Merced for work and I was looking for a place to eat. I am a big sushi fan so the first thing that turned up was that restaurant called Pocket 8's. Being that it was so popular, I went to check it out. Well, I got there and the place was packed. So seeing that this place was in the same plaza, I said good backup. I got in and the place was pretty small with a couple of tables occupied. It was a good quiet. I ordered the Tom Yum Noodle soup and I found it to be good. Pretty good for the area I mean. Coming from the San Gabriel valley, it was decent. It had a lot of chicken, fish balls, fake crab, and it was somewhat sweet. I would go back to this place again. read more

After all this time I still eat at Thai Star occasionally. I normally order take out from here but eating here is comfortable and nice. We always have great service here. The wait times are never long and refills are a plenty if you need them. They are super pleasant to speak with and we have never had bad service. Thai Star is hidden in the small shopping location it's located at so it's not in the most popular of spots. If you're not looking for it you probably won't notice it unless you look on yelp or what have you. It is another hidden gem here in Merced for Thai food and we've been loyal customers for years. Our favorites here are the Pad Thai, Garlic Chicken and Yellow Curry. I also love their Gyoza! The appetizers are all very yummy as well. If your looking for a relaxing place to eat or order takeout from, with good recipes and strong flavors Thai Star is definitely a good restaurant to choose from still! read more

This place was really good! It was our first time & we loved it! Good, fast & friendly service! We ordered "Golden bags" appetizers, very delicious!! The chicken curry & chow mein with chicken & shrimp! All very good! We will be coming back, a lot! read more

Thai Star - Golden bags - Thai Near Me - Merced, California

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Great Authentic Thai food, cooked by Thai people. They are very hospitable and welcoming. Food Is amazing and prices are great too. My mother sister and daughter and I come here often were welcomed like family. read more

The food was fantastic! The cucumber salad was surprisingly delicious and the dressing from that salad was also great as dipping sauce for the combination plate. I would recommend this place to other people in the mood for Thai cuisine. The seafood combination hot pot was very good too. The Taro Ice Cream was awesome too! I would like to come back to this place and try other foods too! read more

Great food and service! The curries are fantastic here. I try to go whenever I am in Merced.

Favorite Thai Food. Friendly Clean and Very Good Prices. Try Spring Rolls As well as there Large Variety Dishes read more

Thai Star serves some of the freshest and best tasting Pad Thai we've ever had. Absolutely delicious. Their curry is phenomenal, as well. Highly recommended. read more

Favorite Thai restaurant in Merced. They are usually consistent with all of their items on the menu. Our favorite is the pineapple fried rice, pad thai chicken and spring rolls! read more

I recently discovered this places and decided to give it a try, I ordered the beef and broccoli it came with carrots and mushrooms in a delicious sauce I ordered a side of steam rice and this was a perfect combo. Food was great. Will come back to try more plates! read more

This is such a great find. I got spoiled by the quality of Thai in big cities, and I couldn't find good Thai in Merced... until I tried this place. The duck was excellent, as was the satay, the panang, and the shrimp stir fry. Looking forward to coming back. This is the real deal! read more

AMAZING!!!!! The family owned restaurant is very clean and food is always the best and very consistent. I get the garlic pepper chicken with light oil and extra lettuce with steamed rice, I also get their pot stickers they're the best I've ever had. This place gets a 10/10 in my books. I would definitely recommend this small hole in the wall place to everybody!!!! read more

If you are Vegan, Thai Star is the only place to eat in Merced. Their tofu spring rolls are great. Comes with a delicious plumb sauce on the side, or you can substitute peanut sauce. Either way, it is very good. Yes, without a doubt, Woohoo! As good as it gets! It's in the little shopping center on Alexander Ave. just off of G Street. http://thaistarmerced.com/ read more

Really flavorful, delicious food with nice decorations. The service was great too. Will return.

Came here because I was craving plum sauce, and after a few calls I found this was one of the few options in town. Big disappointment - the plum sauce was basically sweet and sour mixed with teriyaki. No plum flavor or scent to be found. Kinda wish I hadn't bothered to hurry in (they close at 8:30 on Saturdays - from what I saw because nobody bothers showing up). There was no music, no atmosphere, and the service was almost as absent - the one waitress there didn't bother refilling my completely empty water after three times at our table, until I specifically asked - kind of an issue when it's 80 degrees in a restaurant. As previously stated, it was not nearly busy enough to justify such disregard. Had several menu items. The meat was all terrible and freezer burnt, and I'm fair certain it came from Costco boxes. The spinach soup was exactly that: spinach boiled up in (I assume) canned chicken broth. The curry peanut sauce was decent. So was what they called sweet and sour sauce, which was more of a garlic sauce. Considering the other Thai options in town, and other Asian options in the very same parking lot, I'm surprised this place is still open. I certainly won't be back, and you likely shouldn't bother either. read more

This is our favorite thai spot in town. Great food and good service. My favorite is the fried rice or pad see ew. We enjoy eating in or taking out. And don't forget to ask for the UC Merced discount! read more

I had the green curry fried rice. The serving was a generous amount that I had to take half of it home with me. Service was prompt and the waitress was attentive at refilling my glass of water when it was nearing empty. I would come here again. read more

Worst Thai I have tried so far. If you want something good, just go down town go Bangkok or Sam's place. The food was so bad, me and the girl I was with literally took a bite a peice and walked out and went to Bangkok, worst pho and pad Thai possible. read more

Can't quite believe some of the reviews suggesting that this is Thai/American. I lived in Thailand for quite a while and have a lot of experience with all types of Thai cuisine, from street food to home-style to what Thai people would consider fancy. This restaurant is one of the few I've been to recently capable of taking me back to Bangkok. It's not exactly fancy and not exactly run-of-the-mill, but what I would consider good, solid, tasty Thai. If it were in BKK, I'd not be that excited about it but still go back... but this is Merced. It's a real delight to find this quality and authenticity so close to home. read more

This is one of the best restaurants in Merced hands down. I have been to this place many many times and have never been disappointed. There are about 12 tables in the restaurant, which I like because it has that intimate feeling. I always get the teriyaki chicken because its not a traditional tasting teriyaki sauce, its very sweet but has cilantro as a topping so its not overly sweet. The chicken does not seem like Costco chicken, it is very fresh. I've also had the potstickers, which were fantastic, especially the dipping sauce. Other entrees I've had are the garlic chicken and the sweet and sour chicken, and their fried rice is great too. I have no complaints about this place. If the food wasn't good enough, the prices are so cheap! An entrees is around $8-$9 for a very large portion (enough for 2) I thoroughly enjoy every visit to Thai Star! read more

We went to this restaurant because of the Yelp reviews but the food just wasn't great. Except the fried calamari, all dishes we ordered, including soup were just lukewarm... read more

Great food, friendly people! The Seafood Tom Yum was on point. The Garden Wraps were really tasty especially with the peanut oil! Pad Thai was good. The staff consistently came to fill up our water and give us napkins. If you're in Merced this is a nice place to stop at! read more

More like Thai/American food blended together. Stir fry noodles is my favorite.

BOMB Thai food, best in Merced hands down (Seeing Sarah W's review saying the same thing weirds me out, but seriously, she's right). Seriously though. Best food ever. Get the Pad Thai with their dry spicy peppers on it. Mind blowingly delicious read more

One of the tastiest and overall best Thai restaurants I've ever been to! Remarkable food at an exceptional price. The staff is extremely kind and helpful. read more

I went here last night with my husband for the first time and had egg rolls, chicken pad thai, a thai tea, and pork pad sew eiw. The egg rolls and pad thai were OK. The thai tea was good. But the pad sew eiw was so flavorful! Their portions are enormous and for the two of us it was only $26. Im excited to go back and try the chicken curry. Definitely recommend this place. read more

I've came here twice, and finally got around to posting some review, I had the Duck Noodles, which was pho-ish, but not really. It came with all of the traditional pho accouturements, but the broth was literally duck broth, with GENEROUS portions of Peking duck chopped and added into the broth. Please please try this you wont be disappointed. I also tried the Sweet Rice with Jackfruit that was the daily special. I thought it was delicious, It's this sweet sticky rice, with a pouring of coconut milk over it, and dusted with sesame seeds. It was truly wonderful. Good for anyone with a sweet tooth, or those who like sweets, just not chocolate. read more

I love this place. The interior is tiny, but it's clean and very cute. You can see the kitchen from your table, which is comforting. Additionally, the food is AMAZING. I love Pra Ram, and even though it goes by a different name at Thai Star (Rama Chicken), the peanut sauce is thick and sweet (as opposed to watery, which seems to be the status quo for most Thai restaurants), and they serve it with crisp, steamed broccoli instead of limp, slimy spinach. The service is great and very attentive and quick - I would highly recommend this place to anyone as a lunch (or dinner) spot. read more

The service was really good but I wasn't too impressed with the Shrimp Pad Thai and pineapple fried rice. My hubby said the orange chicken was okay but wouldn't order it again. The Thai Iced Tea was really good. I would come back to try their soup. read more

Just got an order from their. Had been coming to this place since 2010. However, I noticed the prices have increased. My initial thoughts were ok, the food is pretty good and the portion sizes are more than usual. When I got home I noticed that the portion sizes were now significantly smaller. That coupled with at least a 15% price increase means I probably won't be eating there in the near future. Wouldn't recommend it. read more

What a great place! Staff was very nice and helpful. I loathe cilantro and mint, they were happy to keep those demon weeds out of my food

ALWAYS such great customer service and food is amazing! If you want a good recommendation get the noodle soup! Meat isn't my first go to, but the meatballs are tasty and soup is super flavorful! I love the soup so much and work a few doors down, so I always eat there as much as possible. read more

Great food sticky rice is good and beef and broccoli is very delicious the only o don't care for is it served with mushrooms but I ate it and it was still good! I would like to know how to make the sauce the is served with the beef and broccoli!! Help any body read more

This was my first time here. Very cute restaurant with good service. However, I ordered the teriyaki cabbage with beef and it was not good. It did not taste like anything resembling teriyaki and the beef tasted bad. When the food server asked about my uneaten food, she said that's the way they make teriyaki...like a brown sauce. Well, I ordered teriyaki, not brown sauce. Anyway, I did not eat any of my meal and will not return. Expensive meal for eating none of it. read more