Wat Mongkolratanaram Temple
1911 Russell Street (at Martin Luther King Jr. Way)
Berkeley, CA 94703
510-849-3419

Hours:
Sundays only: 9am-2pm

It’s Sunday morning and you crave something different from the usual American brunch.   Recalling days traveling through Thailand (or a dream of doing so), you would love to relive the experience of being in another land. 

The Thai Festival held every Sunday at Berkeley’s Wat Mongkolratanaram Temple is entirely transporting.  With tables and chairs lined up throughout the courtyard of the Temple, it feels like a Thai style church potluck or busy outdoor cafeteria.   Be forewarned: Berkeley is in on ‘the secret’ so the place is packed … in fact, they run out of some dishes by noon due to the demand, so come early if you want all options. 

Despite the popularity, so many I talk to are still not familiar with this unique event. It’s well worth at least one visit  [Note: San Bruno holds a similar, less popular festival at Wat Buddhapradeep, 310 Poplar Ave, San Bruno, 650-615-9528].

As I enter through the walkway to the right of the temple, incense flavors the air.  In the  courtyard, food aromas overwhelm, taking me back to the months I spent in Thailand.  Lining the yard on all sides are tables backed by servers handling long lines of people clamoring for food.  

The experience sets itself apart from the first: you must buy tokens to “pay” for your food.  It’s supposedly a cash free environment though you will shell out one dollar per token at the token table.  Pay attention to the change they give back as in the bustle, sweet older ladies handling the cash box can get distracted and not give back the right change (it’s happened to me!) 

There are common Thai curries and meat and veggie dishes.  The mango with black & white coconut sticky rice ($5 or 5 tokens) is fresh, richly satisfying, and rarely found in this form.  I was thrilled by street snack items I’ve never seen in the US, like Khanom Krog: dumplings made of coconut milk, green onion, flour and sugar. Though that may sound unappealing, trust me, they’re delicious and addictive… especially lightly browned and hot off the griddle (or rather, out of cast iron molds).  At the same table, you can get the rare street snack of fried coconut taro root mini-“pancakes”, Khanom Babin ($3, or three tokens, for a little basket of either the Krog or the Babin). 

Wash it all down with silky $1 (1 token) Thai iced teas and take in the interesting mix of people.  Again, come earlier to get the best food … and a spot at the tables which can be pretty impossible to find by noon.  Or take your food outside the temple and sit in the grass along the sidewalk with Berkeley students and families. 

Most of the temple’s Thai dishes are average to below average compared to many Thai restaurants (after all, they’re made in bulk, cafeteria-style).  Avoid most of these dishes if you’re going for the best experience.  Highlight street food snacks and foods you can’t easily get in the US and you will have a unique Sunday adventure.