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Categories: Thai, Buddhist Temples [Edit]
Neighborhood: South BerkeleySun. 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
"I love Thai Delight's food! I would consider them one of the best Thai restaurants in the east bay, if not the whole bay area. A cozy,…" read more »
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The BEST Thai tea i've ever had... and I've tried lots in Thailand.
Totally non-bitter, and a perfect degree of creaminess and sweetness that balance each other!
And the best part? ... only ONE DOLLAR !
(what a tragedy that I live in Houston and have to buy a plane ticket to get some real Thai tea)
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One of the Berkeley experiences all must partake! Make sure you either get there early or late; lines can get horrendously long. Make sure you come on a nice, sunny day; I know we have no control over weather but I came on the windiest day EVER and I was freezing! Plus all the napkins and stuff were blowing everywhere. Not. Fun.
Basically, you exchange $ for tokens (1:1 conversion), and use those tokens to buy food. The drinks are one token (thai tea! thai tea! thai tea!) and other food ranges from (3 to 7?) The pad thai, curry, and stir fry are decent, and so is the coconut dessert, but the favorites are the papaya salad and mango sticky rice! Beware that a spicy on the salad is SPICY; don't get it unless you can handle it! (I think their plan might be to make it super spicy so you have to buy their more of their drinks...) Bottom line, the food here is amazing, and it's fun!
I'm not sure what its current status in the battle against its neighbors but I hope it doesn't close down!
Tip: If the line is long and you've come with a buddy, have one stand in each line so that you won't waste time.
Second tip: Make sure you know which line you are standing in: one is vegetarian, the other isn't.
Third tip: The temple is upstairs, which is a pretty cool thing to check out!
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I've been wanting to go to this place for over a year and I finally woke up early enough to go!
Here's a summary of the good stuff that I tried: $1 Thai Iced Teas, $4 Mango Sticky Rice and $6 Pad Thai with 2 Combos.
In general, this is real authentic Thai food. I've had my fair share of Thai cuisine and this is as good as it gets. It's buffet style and you do have to wait in line. It's best advised to get there really early or near closing time (but if you do closing time, you risk a lot of food running out) in order to get good seating. The lines move faster for the vegetarians compared to the meat lovers.
I loved it and I'm looking forward to coming back here. You are also able to visit the the Buddhist altar on the second story as well. I went in a did some minor worshiping and was interrupted by a monk or some guy on a microphone... I had no idea what was going on but everyone was looking at me as I got up and walked out. It's sort of funny when I think about it but I had no clue since they were speaking in a language that I didn't understand. I sort of felt like I was in a game show at the time.
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I'm soooo hooked with this thai temple. Every sunday between 10:00am to 1:00am, they have thai food sale to benefit the temple. I had one of the best thai food i had ever had in my LIFE... and i'm a thai food fanatic. Authentic thai food reminds me of food i had in my childhood so that's a plus :) I absolutely love the food we can get at this temple and do wish it were a bit closer to my home. I recommend you try the coconut fried taro and coconut round cakes (sorry.... i don't know the names :( ). Pad thai and curries were just like what i can get at a typical restaurant... so that wasn't anything special to me. I really enjoyed the spicy papaya salad (much better than restaurants) and fried chicken with sticky rice. Thai ice tea was very good. Four of us spent $30 to fill our hungry stomaches. $30 is a steal for those food, and it is to be donated to the temple!!! I will be back. It did get very crowded around noon time. It was such a diverse crowd, and some even came in PJ's and tupperware.
I like coming here for lunch on Sunday. The outdoor, market atmosphere adds to the flavor. I can imagine it gets annoying for the neighbors though.
The food is tasty. Their papaya salad, if you get it 'spicy', has a real kick! Their pho is decent (does taste like it has MSG). They do have this amazing coconut tapioca-rice flour concoction that is absolutely worth the 'battling the crowds' aspect of each trip. It's a mouthful of rich coconut flavor delivered on a hemisphere of crispiness. Four tokens gets you a whole platter!
I haven't tried the phad thai or other curry options to comment of those.
There's so much good stuff but I seem to always end up deciding on the soup noodle. It's that good. This is not the place for you if you don't like cafeteria style dining or having people watch you eat. This is Berkeley diversity at it's best so take the opportunity to strike up a conversation with the stranger sitting next to you. Only 4 stars cuz it can get very crowded with long waits for food and the Thai ice tea can get too watery because of all the ice they use. Come early with a friend or two and plan out who stands in which line.
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How have I not reviewed this yet!?
History: The Sunday brunch at Wat Mongkolratanaram has become a weekly tradition for many Berkeley folks, and Berkeley-folk wanna-be's like myself. This brunch is an on-going fundraiser for the temple, so that they can expand their quarters and revamp the facility. It was much easier for me to get to this place when I lived right next to BART in SF. Now I have to get my butt into the car and drive from Benicia, so it doesn't happen and much as I would like.
Info: Their hours are usually something like 10-2. When you arrive, push your way into the food serving area, look about 10-11 o-clock and you'll see the coin table. Unless this has changed recently, it costs $1 for each coin. Then get in the food lines and spend your coins on a delicious meal that tastes like it was cooked with love by all of the Thai mothers in Berkeley :) The neighbors don't seem to like the brunches very much because it brings so many people, noise, trash, etc, but I don't think they have succeeded in shutting the place down yet.
Food: There is a vegetarian line which is separate from the meat line, and they offer vegetarian soup! My boyfriend and I usually get the pad thai and yellow curry (his is meat, mine veggie), share mango sticky rice (purple rice is an option), and share some balls of coconut taro-root fried amazing goodness (right across from the coin counter). The thai iced teas are out of this world and only 1 coin! Bring your own container or say "to go" if you want to be able to spread this meal throughout your day. I always have leftovers. Usually 21 coins for both of us to eat and we're so full that it ends up being all we eat that day- then leftovers for Monday.
I love to come here on a sunny Sunday and try to snag a table by their pretty garden. It gets crowded when the weather is nice, but even when its cooler and cloudy I have seen a lot of people. Another amazing Berkeley gem!
I love this place!!
It's an inexpensive, quality, delicious dining experience for nice Sunday mid-morning. I wish I lived close by, so that I can be like those folks that show up there in their PJ's and Tupperware's!
This was my 5th time or so, and I enjoy each and every time I go there. I think the waiting time has reduced noticeably over the period of times. As other yelper commented, I think they have gotten more efficient.
If you haven't visited there already, I highly recommend this place :-)
OMGGG the best place in Berkeley hands down to get thai food. Too bad it only happens on sundays or I'd be here all the time. Plus you get a better feeling when your money (hopefully) is going towards a good cause to help fundraise the temple.
The prices are very cheap, $1 thai iced tea! Entrees are pretty cheap as well and very good. I always took my friends here as a new experience as people hear about the Thai Buddhist Temple word of mouth.
Also try the desserts which are really good although I don't know what half of them are. DEFINTELY try the mango sticky rice!
It's also great if your a fellow vegetarian, the veggie line is usually the shortest and the meat line the longest (SCORE!)
My suggestion is get there EARLY when they first open because it gets VERY busy around 11am.
Also, eco-kids and myself usually bring their own tupperware and utensils in order to cut down on waste as they use plastic clam shell containers or disposable plates (and they usually give you more food when you bring your own container, but make sure its big!)
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I wonder why they do not have the same thing in SF?
The food stands do not open until 10am, but you can get there at like 930ish, but if it is a nice day, you should probably go earlier.
So when you first go in exchange your money for tokens. My bf and I had $15 worth of tokens. 1 token for thai iced tea. 6 tokens for Pad Thai, rice, and pork with spicy green beans. 5 tokens for pad thai. If you are going to get more then one item or get it to-go, I highly suggest you bring a huge tupperware so that they can put more food in the container then in those paper plates. They have two lines for the main food, one line is for vegetarians and the other is for the meat eaters.
+: HUGE Plate of pad thai! WORTH IT! And it isn't soaked in oily, cause in some places their pad thai is soo oily. Pork and green beans had a lot of pork! I don't usually like pork, but this was pretty good, it was very spicy. Thankfully the guy insisted that he puts some rice in my container.
-: Thai Iced tea had way to much ice! Do not have limes. The pad thai was very sweet.
Cute lil place, I shall come back again! Thank god it is on the way to my school so I can stop by on a Sunday and get some thai food and store it at my sisters apartment.
I was waiting in a parked bus for two hours trying to cross the border into Israel. Complaining about the long wait, the lack of information, and the pompous theater I realized: this experience was still better than waiting in line at Wat Mongkolratanaram.
At least when this experience was over, I got delicious falafel for 50 cents.
People thought this was:
This place makes me question the opinions of my fellow Yelpers. Seriously.
It's probably one of…
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Loooooooooove the Thai buffet at the temple. They definitely serve some tasty things in here. It's also very affordable.
Three of us went there and got each 15 tokens (so $45) thinking we'd have leftover tokens. Obviously, we ignored the fact that we are all pigs. We had fried chicken, egg rolls, thai iced tea, pad thai, spicy green beans, taro fritters, roasted pumpkin, a beef plate, yellow chicken curry, a pile of rice, sweet sticky rice with mango, and something else which I am forgetting. In all $42 worth of food. But hey two days later, I'm still hitting the leftovers.
By the way, we went at 10am (they don't start serving until then) and experienced very small lines.
So now you know to smoke a fat one before you drop by. ;-)
People thought this was:
Red panang curry beef and pad Thai for 6 bucks! The Berkeley temple always draws a large crowd these days on Sundays, with their tasty spicy foods, and variety of desserts. You trade your cash for food tokens, basically one token is a dollar, and browse around for Pho (but really, pho at a Thai temple?) or rice and curry dishes. The meat was tender, and the mango dessert is pretty good too!
I LOVE THIS PLACE and I hope it never goes away so please try to come through on your bike as parking is difficult and that's what pisses some neighbors off...also because it's like a backyard party and people sit wherever they can, and this place is situated in a residential neighborhood...please discard your food waste and trash properly.
This food service is a gem. Let's all keep it going!!!
RIDE YOUR BIKE HERE.
I usually get the same things: fried chicken and rice, beef soup with noodles (pho) and mango and sticky rice...all the vegetarian food is fantastic and the thai tea is delicious. It's the atmosphere and the open style of the meal and sitting side by side and sharing tables with others which makes is so nice and enjoyable. It's a good feeling eating place. There is meditation going on in a room and lots of good blessings everywhere else as well as a garden. It's close to the Ashby Flea Market at the Ashby Bart Station-so its very easy to commute over without the use of a car. And the flea market is great too.
People thought this was:
Got here exactly at 1000 with some friends, and already, there were already folks tucked into their fare, bent over Zen-like with their steamy dishes, alighting plentiful communal benches.
First impression: mix between flea market feel and a picnic area!
Food front: lots of variety, from non-veg to veg, with chicken and beef offerings. Beef noodle soup, bit boring veg pad thai, and at least 3 types of curries; must say, pumpkin was definitely undercooked by about 15-20 mins. Primary line bifurcates to a veg and non-veg option.
Lots of thai desserts offered too (enjoyed the texture of the fried taro and coconut patty. next time I 've gotta go for the fried banana and taro with flour). I've def had much higher quality Thai food, but it was novel, to be sure. Papaya salad had too much fish sauce to distract from the clean, balanced taste. Mango sticky pudding with 2 types of sticky rice was refreshing!
Everything ranges 5-7 tokens. There was $1 Thai iced tea as well.
Ambience: Great, novel way to enjoy a Sunday morn. The queues were everywhere, and the communal tables gave a picnic feel. Located just on the behind and to the east of the temple itself.
Best wishes with the parking. There ain't a lot, and street dead-ends a block east of temple on Russell. Tis a shame never knew about it in college... just a few blocks north.
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The food is a bit on a spicy side for my taste, but I like the flavor. I tried their pumpkin dishes (yes, I'd go for sweet!) and it was delish. Nice thing about this place is it's always packed, but you never have to wait. You can always sit outside the temple, too.
This place is such a treat and reminds me of the food stalls at the night markets in Asia. One of my Thai friends introduced me to this place and I've been going back ever since. It's a great way to spend Sunday morning. There are lots of people here even at 10am -- mostly students, locals and people in the know.
First, you have to trade your money for tokens. Once you are armed with tokens, you can trade them for the various dishes served at the food stands. There are many to choose from. Lines are long after 11am so it's a good idea to come with a group to divide and conquer the lines.
My absolute favorites are:
- savory mini-coconut hot cakes
- steamy beef noodle broth
- roasted pumpkin
- yellow chicken curry
- fried thai chicken with sticky rice
- mango sticky rice with coconut custard
- $1 thai ice tea
If you don't use all your tokens, you can trade them back for dollars. Or better yet, get the mango sticky rice to-go.
The placed is operated by volunteers and the money funds the thai temple education programs. Great authentic food for a good cause! What a concept!
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Never had Thai food before. I will have it again!!! And here!!! I can't wait to go back and try the soup.
My mom and I came here on Sunday and had chicken pineapple curry, pad thai, pork w/green bean, sticky rice with mango, kanom krok (to die for coconuty goodness!!!!!!!!!) and the best Thai tea ever, and I have had Thai before.
Atmosphere was great, people we met supreme. Everything was perfect. I hope whatever problems the neighbors have with this wonderful place can be happily resolved, and we can all live (and eat) in peace and harmony.
Been here a dozen times. I enjoy it more for the social aspect than for the food.
The best deal is the Thai iced tea for $1. It's usually too sweet, but it's still a tasty deal.
The food is hit or miss. The meat is normally full of gristle and the veggies are quite often undercooked.
And the lines can really be a pain in the ass. I never quite know what the items are as they are not labeled and if you take time to figure it all out, you upset the people in line behind you.
I love the experience tho and usually get out of there for $10 - $12 dollars, which isn't too bad. I'd rather have dim sum, but it's harder to coordinate with my friends than a meet-up at the "Thai temple brunch".
i like this place...i do..
went here for the first time for my bday. I know, why go here on your birthday, right? well i just wanted to do something different, and different this was. i kinda didnt know what to expect here, but this felt more like a huge social thanksgiving cafeteria-type gathering than what i thought it would be....
portions are definitely meant for 2, and cheap but tasty. it's not thai spicy like how i prefer, but they've got the condiments laid out for you... and like everyone else, the thai iced tea is on point, and only $1. what.. a dollar?!?! yea.. that's what i said.
the line gets long around 11:30, so get there early and come in teams.. a couple of people to find seats, another to exchange cash for tokens, and one more to wait in line for drinks.
gotta go back here again.
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I really can't believe people tried to shut the temple's food operation down early this year. I'm glad that my Sundays can still start with unspeakably delicious Thai food.
In case you haven't been, its essentially a big Thai food Berkeley block party with meat, vegetarian, vegan, sweet, sour, spicy, and savory options of every measure and good quality. Thai teas and coffees never run out, and are only a buck for a big cup of the stuff. The roti here is heavenly, its like a Hawaiian malasada and a French crepe had a love child. Its like a dollar or two but worth twice as much.
My only complaint is that the plates and takeout boxes they use, while cheap, are not very environmentally conscious. You can circumvent your impact by bringing your own tupperware. This way you can save the earth, save your leftovers, and you might even get served more food. Or thats my experience anyway... The lines are sometimes long, but the vegetarian lines are short and the food is just as good. But in short: its worth the wait.
See you this Sunday!
Absolutely wonderful!
Come with a big group. The only challenge is finding enough seats.
Great prices. Decent taste. And nice authentic environment.
Come here hungry, leave stuffed..with your wallet still stuffed as well.
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I eat a lot of Thai food in Berkeley, but I'm sometimes frustrated because it seems that it could quite easily be better (as it is at Ruen Pair and Da Nang in Albany, and Chai Thai and Soi 4 in Oakland). I guess the Berkeley Thai Temple is the epitome of this. Some of their food is the best Thai in Berkeley. Some of it isn't.
I've never ordered their steam table stuff because it's well, steam table stuff. The small samples I've nicked from other people's plates haven't made me change my mind.
On the other hand, the papaya salad is mad decent. Made to order, so those of us who like to go crazy on the seafoodness can say so. Crazy spicy unless otherwise specified. Pairs well with the much-discussed mango sticky rice.
You can eat well here, but it takes some research.
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When I first came to the US three years ago, I was shell-shocked to see the 25% charge slapped on top of your food bill - 9% tax and 15%+ tip and gratuities (or 20% if you don't want to be stereotyped as an Asian miser). It took me a while to get used to the the 25% premium, so one can imagine my delight when I came to this temple and found out that, for at least one meal, I don't have to deal with the layering of tax and tip on top of the food price.
The food was delicious - rice with 3 dishes for $7, crispy fried chicken better than the variety found in Thai restaurants for $5 (although we ended up paying $6 because we felt bad that a weasel in front of us cheated the temple people by quickly grabbing the chicken and throwing $4 in the basket - let's hope he understands that karma's a bitch), *the* best Thai iced tea for $1 and all the chili flakes that you can get.
The fight for the premium seats in the shades could potentially be a nightmare, especially with a large group of people, however the Buddhist gods must have granted us the good karma (after the fried chicken incident) and we did end up finding a premium spot for the 8 of us to sit comfortably.
It certainly is worth the horribly long and painful drive along the potholed 880 from south bay.
As a side note - since this starts at 10.30, it is a nice Sunday brunch alternative to the usual bacon-and-egg-with-white-toast breakfast or the rowdy Chinese dim sum.
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It's hard to tell that there's this "hidden" gem off of MLK, just two blocks up from Ashby Ave in Berkeley. Breakfast/lunch is only served Sundays from 10AM - 1PM and it's worth the effort. They've gotten more efficient over the years so the wait is no longer as long. This is the only place that I know that serves the coconut dessert that is little fried custard. Their fried chicken is a must have and the beef noodle soup is a new favorite.
Hope this place composts ....
Sometimes you can't help but wonder why such a successful business would run only on Sundays. Despite the difficult hours (obvious non-morning person speaking here), I was able to drag myself out of bed in the morning and make it here not too much after the 10am opening time. Lines were manageable and food was plenty--just as we had wanted it.
I have to give props to these people for the creative token currency. It brought out the kid in me and I almost wished there were a machine that I could insert tokens into for food to be served.
Getting food is quick and the value of the portions is great. However, the food didn't completely hit the spot for me. The Thai iced tea was too sweet, and their food was all too spicy! Quality-wise their food is pretty decent for what you would expect when you walk into a place like this. I guess I'm used to sweeter and creamier curries--the ones they served here are only for people who can handle SPICY! We ordered both appetizers available, vegetarian pad thai and red curry, yellow chicken curry, beef red curry, pork and green beans, and mango sticky rice. Pretty much the only things I could eat without gasping for cool air or downing orange soda were the appetizers, mango sticky rice, pad thai, and yellow chicken curry. Somehow my stomach managed to survive all the spiciness... thank goodness!
I can't say I was won over or that I would come back, but if you can handle spicy or you have a thing for temples or the unique Berkeley community, this is a nice little place to check out or take your friends to!
People thought this was:
1/ Convert your money to Wat Mongkolratanaram currency/tokens
2/ Have a friend snag a seat
3/ Order
4/ Get the best Thai Iced Tea money can buy
5/ Eat and enjoy!
hint: Don't forget the yummy coconut desserts!
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The thai temple does not disappoint. Don't forget to bring your own plate/platter to save some paper. Also to avoid your food being piled on top of each other.
Everything spicy is actually pretty damn spicy! I almost could not finish because my mouth as burning up.
PAPAYA SALAD:
The papaya salad was refreshing on a sunny morning, but it was too spicy even though we asked for medium spicy. Also, there was just too much liquid at the bottom, which meant there was way too much fish sauce. It could be a little less salty.
PAD THAI:
The pad thai was great as usual. I think the vegetarian one is better than the nonvegetarian one.
SPICY GREEN BEANS:
It's mixed with red curry sauce and it really is spicy. I don't think there was enough rice for me to cancel out the spicy, but that didn't stop me.
MANGO STICKY RICE:
Once, I got this and the mangoes were too hard, but this time the mangoes were ripe enough so it was soft.
I love eating by the garden.
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Food is served at 10AM, not 9AM. Parking is a pain in the ass because it's in a residential… Read more »
EAT THE YELLOW CURRY! SO SO SO GOOD!
Dollar Thai Iced tea was also delicious!
Mango Sticky rice was "just ok" for me. I must not be a fan of sweet rice; the texture weirds me out. Mangoes were good though!
Get there early because the lines form quickly! Trade in your money for tokens, and get in line fast!
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okay, i get it. this is a fine neighborhood institution. i'm all for supporting the temple and the monks, and i would hate to see this place go despite my 2-star review. it's kinda fun going here on sunday mornings, standing in line, eating outside, hipster-watching. but honestly dudes, the food is not that good. the pad thai i got was, dry, crunchy, and too sweet, and the veggie curry was too saucy. they have to make massive quantities, so what do you expect, i guess. basically, i think it's a little overrated, but it goes to a good cause.
Felt like I was eating street food in Thailand - very cool. Pad thai and pumpkin for $6, iced tea for $1. Good basic authentic Thai food. Crowded but the lines go fast. I think it's a brilliant concept that is a great way to raise funds.
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Sucks to be a neighbor of this temple, but I'm greatful I can get some good thai food on Sunday. I hear this place get pretty crowded, but last sunday wasn't too bad, I got $20 worth of tokens, you don't even need close to that much, but atleast I don't have to wait in line again next sunday to get tokens.
The food was great, just as good as the food in Thailand. If you're going to get the papaya salad and they ask you how spicy you want it becareful. I can take spicy, I think better then most, so I tell the nice thai lady, "I want it SPICY" --- first bite damn this is good, fresh, crisp and flavorful, damnit I thought I told her spicy....third bite...my tongue is on fire, but I must push forward and eat more...fifth bite I throw in the towl and down a cup of thai ice tea.
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I've only been here once, but my experience was good enough for me to confidently award Wat Mongkolratanaram 5 stars.
I came with a friend who told me that "Thai Breakfast" was an experience not to be missed. We arrived right at 10 and got some coins. My friend told me that the beef noodle soup was amazing, so although I've heard tales of creamy curries and delectable pad thai, I decided to take his advice. It was a cold day and soup is probably my favorite food in the whole world, so these factors just made the decision easier.
It was probably the best choice I've ever made in my whole life. You get to choose your noodle thickness (we both got the uber-skinny) and the soup is served with 3 kinds of beef-beef balls, steak slices, and pot roast like beef pieces. YUM! The broth was amazing, too. Plus, it was only $6. I will absolutely be back. Hopefully next week.
No frills, cheap, and delicious. My friends and I came here when visiting Berkeley, and we loved it. I chose the pad thai and pork and eggs, with some thai iced tea to drink. It was delicious, and despite the huge portions, when we discovered the fried coconut milk and lotus root, we couldn't help ourselves. Suffice it to say that we left quite stuffed.
The pad thai was good, but I thought the pork and eggs to be far better, and unfortunately did not get all that much pork. The fried coconut milk and lotus root, however, were incredibly tasty.
I love eating here! Great atmosphere, lots of wonderful people!
Pity the neighbors hates this place though I can understand. The chatter is quite loud. No sleeping in!
The food, OMG, so many choices! Just go already before they shut the place down! This is an open market style sit wherever there's space.
To find this place, you'll see a buncha buttcracks along the way, people tend to go sit by the sidewalk on the grassy areas since it gets real crowded. Get there by at least 10:30am, they tend to run out of the main dishes. Plenty of dessert, no worries.
People thought this was:
i'm glad that this temple is here. Sarunya and i have visited this place on many ocassions. definitely worth the drive.... FIRST TIMERS BEWARE!!! get there EARLY because the lines are long and slow moving.. their new hours are from 10:30-1:30pm it used to be from 9-2pm but it's changed...Sarunya and i kept coming here on a weekly basis for 2yrs!!!!! their noodle soup taste delicious. try their deep fried chick with chicken sweet sauce... *drooling*.....i would also try their "KHANOM KROG (COCONUT W/SUGAR MINI DESERT W/O GREEN ONIONS) and also try khanom babin... (deep fried coconut with palm sugar and sugar batter)....
1. beef noodle soup
2. deep fried chicken
3. khanom krog & khanom babin (served every other weekend)..
4. mango w/ stick rice.
***REMEMBER, GET THERE EARLY.*****
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Lemme just say upfront that If you're reading this, and you're one of the neighbors who complains about this place, fuck you. Whatever was once cool about Berkeley (school or city) no longer is because of self-entitled NIMBY yuppies like you with "save the whales" bumper stickers on your S.U.V.s. Die.
Anyways, for the rest of the human race, this place is a heartwarming goodfood institution. If you've been to its equivalent in North Hollywood, LA, you might find the food a little less O.G., the cooking methods a little more assembly-line/mess hall, and the atmosphere a little more Berkeley. But it still beats any thai food I've had anywhere else in SF, sad to admit. My fav's are the papaya salad (on a good day), the street-stall-style noodle soup, and the crazy puffy chive-coconut-milk football thingies made in giant cast-iron danish pancake pans. For the serious sweet-tooth/donut crowd, they have an insanely heavy donut/roti thing with sweetened-condensed milk on top that I've never seen at any thai restaurant. Don't attempt eating one by yourself, you might not be able to walk afterwards...
As everyone else has already stated, avoiding the crush by arriving earlier is getting harder and harder...
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Having establishment such as this is one of the many reasons why I cannot move far from Berkeley.
The food is heavenly esp the soup, pad-thai, deep fried chicken, and the-best-mango-sticky-rice-on earth.
If you're ever in the area, stop by here and you won't regret it.
The food here is NOT spicy if you enjoy the more authentic style of Thai food. They actually tone it down a bit as to appease more people since it is buffet style and not made to order. Spicy fans don't worry, they have huge jars of chili flakes, oil, and paste to give your food a little more heat.
Got there at 11 am and the lines were not that long and it took us longer to figure out what we wanted to eat because of all the choices than to get our tokens. There were also 5 of us and we found seating promptly.
If you are anal and angry like a lot of the berkeley hippies I have had the joy of encountering at Berkeley Bowl than you probably won't like this place. You have to share your space, be courteous, and get this wait your turn. Crazy I know.
Back to the food! I had the red curry with mixed vegetables and fried squash. Tried the pad thai, chicken pineapple curry, pork with green beans, veggie green beans, and yellow curry with potato and tofu. All the veggies were yummy even through I normally would prefer a stronger flavor. Besides my lack of anything but cabbage in the red curry I still was super full about half way through because the portions were so large. The tofu in the yellow curry are large fried pieces and the texture to me leaves something to be desired, but if you like your tofu like that than I am sure you would enjoy. The squash was tasty, but a little monotonous and I will probably not get it next time around. I only had a few bites of the meat curries because I was so full by the time I stopped shoveling in my own food, but they were also delicious and I would definitely recommend getting at least one on your plate to mix it up a bit. Boyfriend said he liked the pineapple chicken curry better. I was not wowed by the pad thai, but I never am. It is sort of the spaghetti with red sauce of Thai food to me; usually tasty, but nothing special.
The best part about this place is the price! At first I thought $7 dollars for a three item plate (with rice) was sort of pricey, but where else can you get three dishes for under $10 that is actually very tasty. When I say $7, I really mean $7. No tax or tip that drives the end bill up so high.
I have definitely had better Thai food, but for the variety, price, and outdoor seating I will be returning for sure. Next time papaya salad is on my list and I am going to slow down while eating to make sure to save room for the the desserts that everyone raved about.
People thought this was:
Very crowded on the weekends with lines that can be fifty-plus people. If you are willing to hang-out and relax then this is a great way to spend your lunch, but if you are in a rush to get in and get out this isn't the spot for you.
Recommendations: 1) the fried-chicken and sticky-rice combo, 2) mango-sticky rice dessert , 3) thai tea. The curries and pad-thai noodles are still very good, but sometimes the dish is more steamed-rice than the actual entree. Great place to relax and have a good meal with friends.
Berkeley, CA
Category: Buddhist Temples
Fremont, CA
Category: Buddhist Temples
Berkeley, CA
Category: Thai
Berkeley, CA
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: UC Campus Area
Category: Thai
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