The Thai Temple in Berkeley, CA

Just before my recent visit to Berkeley, I was informed that Sunday brunch at the Thai Temple is unmissable. Not wanting to miss the unmissable, Esther and I headed out the door at a ripe 10 AM on Sunday. And thank goodness we got up on time! Apparently, they begin to run out of food as the day goes on, and that was no surprise to me when I saw the line that had formed by the time we had finished eating our brunch.

The thai temple is... literally... a thai temple. Wat Mongkolratanaram is the name (thank you yelp!) and from what I've gathered, the monks at the temple cook a weekly Sunday brunch. 


They're not allowed to collect money for the food, so you immediately go over to a side tent where you can trade in your money for tokens, which you "donate" for food. You may then join a line for vegetarian cuisine or the separate carnivore cue.


The pineapple and chicken curry brought out the predator in me and I joined the line of meat eaters. Esther mozied to a side line, where she donated her coins for a big bowl of soup.


For five tokens, you receive a big pile of rice and a choice of one dish. For six tokens, you can have two main dish choices, and seven tokens gets you three. I was mostly interested in the pineapple curry, but felt the need to try a beef dish as well. 


As I've left a bit of time between my actual visit to the temple and this blog, I can't remember which beef dish I had, but I recall it being delightfully spicy and tender. The sweet and spicy of the pineapple and chicken curry was well balanced. Esther took a sticky rice dessert to go, which I regret not trying before my journey back to the ATX. She absolutely raves about this treat. 

The seating at the thai temple is long picnic tables, and Esther and I were fortunate to find two adjacent seats at 10:30 AM. Certainly worth getting up on Sunday for, but make sure you do indeed rise early! The thai temple was a charming, unique experience, and will be on the agenda for the next and all subsequent California trips.