Your Sunny Weekend: Thai Brunch in Berkeley (Yet Another Reason to Visit the East Bay)

If it’s as beautiful and warm as everyone says it will be this Sunday, then we’re headed to the Thai Buddhist Temple in Berkeley for the Sunday brunch. We haven’t been in awhile, and we’ve been craving that Mango Sticky Rice. Brunch in general is not usually our thing -- the long wait to get seated for an over-priced generic egg scramble usually makes our tender hangovers worse and not better.
But the brunch at Wat Mongkolratanaram in Berkeley does not disappoint. It’s a weekly fundraiser for the temple. For around $5, you can get a tasty and pretty authentic Thai meal, including their delicious mango sticky rice for dessert.

It can get pretty crowded in the cafeteria-style seating area, but on warm weekends it’s nicer to sit outside on the lawn outside of the temple anyway. While the lines to get food can sometimes get a little hectic, it’s smooth sailing after that: You sit outside; you eat your meal; you soak up your Vitamin D before the rain hits on Monday.

Remember to exchange your money for tokens, and then buy your food with the tokens. (We think they make you get tokens for tax purposes). The temple scene is one of those only-in-Berkeley events where old and young hippies roam freely. But the inexpensive meal + picnic is well worth your tokens (did we mention the mango sticky rice?).

Get there on the early side, as the brunch ends by two. For you early-rising city folk, the temple is close to Ashby BART (the corner of Russell and Martin Luther King).

By SFist Jessie