Top 15 Affordable Restaurants in Merced, CA

Pachee Thao The waffles here are amazing! I had the all-American platter with scramble eggs, bacon, and 1/2 size waffles topped with whipped cream and strawberries. It was delicious. I didnt need syrup at all for the waffles. My kids said the waffles with strawberries and cream tasted like a funnel cake. This place is our 1st breakfast pick.

Lynn Soto I needed a place to host my mothers 90th birthday party. I am very happy that I selected Bella Luna. I traveled 2 hours to Merced and when I arrived, staff was prepared and waiting for us. The room set up was just as we discussed and they were very accommodating when I asked for an extra table to display photos. The wait staff, Sara and Trey, were wonderful to work with and handled our group with ease. We wanted for nothing. Food was delicious!! Everything was well prepared. The short ribs melted in your mouth and the chicken picatta was moist and tender. The foccacia breadsticks and Tuscan meatballs were also a huge hit! Thank you to everyone at Bella Luna for making the day so special and perfect for my mother. ❤️

Citlaly Garcia Morales The food was great and so was the service. Our server, Monica, was super nice and took her time with us despite us being a party of 8 with three kids. She was very attentive and helpful.

Robin Caudillo Awesome place. I had the bobcat roll Because I do not eat seafood. It has tempura, chicken, rice and seaweed, and it was absolutely delicious.I cant wait to go back. It was my grandsons birthday and they brought him out a tempura Oreo dessert

Robin Caudillo Decided to make this the restaurant that me and my husband would celebrate our 14-year wedding anniversary. What a fabulous choice we made! The service was top-notch. The food was absolutely delicious. Everything was perfect about the meal the service and the atmosphere. It was not crowded. It was very comfortable and the ambiance was so chill and relaxing. It was a Tuesday so it happened to be half off any bottle of wine. So we ended up paying $17 for a very delicious bottle of wine. Everything was just so perfect and I know we will definitely be back very very soon. Thank you STRINGS for making our evening so memorable!

TC Villa If your looking for some good authentic Mexican food then heres your place. The customer service here is amazing and the staff make you feel at home. The food is very good. My family and I are huge fans of chili verde and let me tell you!! Trevinos always knocks it out of the park. The service youll get here is exceptional. The pricing here is affordable. This is definitely the place to bring you, your family & friends.

Heather Caughell We made this stop on our drive through Merced and are SO glad we did because now we want to come back just for the smash burgers. A seemingly humble location that delighted us. The nicest staff and the peeeerfect thin smashed patty and house made sauce. Across the street from a crazy long drive thru at In n Out, but why wait in that line when a better burger and more comfortable space is just across the way! Loved it! And got a chocolate milkshake- 10/10!

Paul Lee Great Service. Upbeat, Polite, Eager to help. Tacos Birria, Carnitas, Pastor all delicious. Did not skimp on meat, friend onions and radish.

Erika Campos I appreciated the employees for the delivering food at the requested time and within a short notice. The customer service was very friendly and responsive. The food was very good as well!

Lucky Lady This is my first time dining here. The service is good, the food is delicious. This restaurant is one of my favorite Mexican restaurant in town. There are many parking in this area but if you come in at dinner time, the parking availability is limited.

gonzo tafoya Need breakfast on the cheap to get the day started? Then this is the go to for $1 bean and cheese burritos. Meat burritos are still a steal at $4 each (as of Oct 2025). They now have a cool little shed you can walk up a get burritos pretty quick. They start at 7am and run i think till noon? Not sure. Ive been there as late as 10am and they still sell them. Definitely at least a try it out once. Odds are itll be on your go to list too. If you have e the time to sot and enjoy a plate of food, you wont be disappointed with the food otherwise cozy vibe.

Jutta XYZ What a pleasant surprise this eating place is. Unassuming, but it packs in pleasant atmosphere. wonderful service, and great food. And finally - the vegetable were not over cooked, leaving me with not only great taste but also a bit of healthy. Recommend

Bakhodir Yuldashev This was my first time in Merced. We accidentally ended up in this restaurant with our movie group. This is a great restaurant. The service is top-notch. The waitress is very polite and cheerful. The food in the restaurant is incredibly delicious. We are all delighted! My son and I ordered ribeye steaks. This is something incredible. The steak is perfectly cooked. Juicy and rich! Special respect to the waitress. And I give the chef a hundred points out of ten! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to eat deliciously.

Kitty Lu The food was pretty good. They have popular Thai dishes like green curry, Thai iced tea, and fried tofu. We love Thai food, and we think this is one of the best Thai restaurants in the area.

Fernando Serbin I would love to thank our server Alexis! She was an amazing server! Came here with my lady and she couldn’t find anything appetizing for herself. She wanted something simple and not to much for her stomach. She asked a few questions to our server and she was able to provide us with more feedback. My lady was able to modify her plate to her liking and simple dish. Wouldn’t have been possible without our server! Thankyou so much she provided us a great dinner for us and great time in the restaurant and I really appreciate her effort and going out of her way to provide us an excellent service! Thankyou Alexis!