The Papaya Lady

The food is delicious!!! The papaya is super yummy. The kapoon is to die for! Omgawwhh! And the tapioca is super sweet, just like how I like it! There is jelly and longans! The portions are also good.
Oh and mama and her husband are so sweet! He chatted with us while she prepped the food. It was a great experience. You should definitely try this place out. I know I am coming back!

Stopped by The Papaya Lady randomly per a road trip with two bffs and it was definitely worth it. Had everything on the menu and we were all was fully satisfied. The best part was the superb customer service. They were very friendly with smiles. Will definitely stop by again. The only thing is this is a carry-​out location so you won’t be able to sit and eat although an exception was made for my friends and I. Yay! (For those of you who are «fancy» don’t let the location fool you.)

If you’re in the area you’ve got to stop by. Papaya lady never disappoints. I haven’t tried the other items yet but the papaya salad is easily the best in town.

The Papaya Lady and all her glory is located in the back of an Asian market off of Main. I gave the lady my papaya salad order and she could tell that I did not like too much fish sauce (check) and asked how spicy I wanted it. I said moderate, which I guess means 1 – 2 chilis. I «daringly» opted for two.
After that, there was a man (her husband I think, his name is pronounced ‘Poon’ or ‘Boon’ something along those lines) sitting adjacent to the kitchen, grating up some green papaya. He struck up a nice conversation with me, asking me where I was from, how I ended up here, and he continued to talk about his kids, food, cooking, etc.
Before I left with my order, they asked me to try the salad to make sure I liked it and if I didn’t they would change it. It was the best papaya salad I have had to date and I let them know that it was perfect. They also told me to remember my order for next time. ;)
$ 5 for this deliciousness and their kindness?! I will surely be back.
Oh, and their Tapioca dessert ($ 3) was great too!

Met the Papaya lady yesterday for the first time and ordered the best papaya salad in the valley. She is very nice and talkative too. Her English is limited so use small words… So glad to have found this hidden place. It’s not too far from the freeway too. Highly recommended, be prepared for a little wait. There may be a line.

Nice atmosphere, asked us to have a seat with him while awaiting for our turn. Suck pleasant people !! Papaya lady and man. Let’s see how the food is, no doubt it be really great!!!

The Papaya Lady is the worlds best Papaya Salad maker and human! I will only get papaya salad and tapioca dessert here! It’s a little hole in the wall family owned business with so much love coming out of her heart! Her family The Thongsavats are all amazing hard working souls! Please support this amazing soulful place! I love The Papaya Lady and her sweet family! Thank you for cooking such delicious food!!! You’re the BEST!!! Fan for life!!!

I’ve came here a couple of times in the past to get the tapioca and Thai tea and let say that the drinks here have never failed to disappoint me.

The papaya are good, but the service is not so great plus she gave a small portion of papaya when other places gave you more.

Located in the back is the best papaya salad & Thai tea you’re going to get! I’ve had papaya salad in Modesto, Ceres and Stockton but none compares to the lady that works here! This is a must try place!

There’s only five stuff on her menu… Thai tea, ice coffee, ka poon, papaya salad and nam vanh. I can’t get enough of her food. Everything is always great and very tasteful and flavorful. Her and her husband are always sweet And very welcoming. They don’t except atm only cash. I would give them a five star but they aren’t always open the time it said or I’ve gone twice once at 12 and then at 2 and both times they weren’t open.

Probably one of the best Papaya in town. Lovely service and also great Hmong foods that sell there also.

I was passing through Merced and knew they have really good papaya salad in the area. A local friend of mine recommended this place. The papaya lady is in the back of the UC Oriental store. She’s very sweet and took her time to make papaya salad with perfectionist.
The papaya salad is very crunchy, tasty, and juicy! It has the right amount of flavors and spices. The black stinky sauce was not over powering. Trust me, I know when it’s freaking good papaya. This place is very AUTHENTIC! It’s not those kind of papaya salad you order at a restaurant. Best papaya I have ever had for a long time.
It was ONLY $ 5! Cheap and Delicious! There’s less papaya if you add vermicelli noodles.
The location is very old and sketchy. It doesn’t look like a safe place but it’s legit. You will NEVER knew they make papaya salad inside a small grocery store. I wouldn’t have gone there if a friend didn’t tell me.

Nestled in the back of UC Oriental Market, this tiny kitchen produces absolutely stellar food. The menu is limited, but that’s not at all a complaint: the quality over quantity approach here means that everything you order will be incredible. The papaya salad is as fantastic as you would expect a signature item to be, and it’s available in vegetarian, Thai, and Laotian variations — reflecting the amount of fish and crab sauces in each. Be wary of what you request as far as spice level: This is authentic cooking, and if you ask for spicy, you will get it (and if you ask for very spicy, I imagine you will get hurt).
Both the Thai iced coffee and the Thai iced tea are delicious, and either will help dull the slow burn of the papaya salad (but not as much as you might hope).
There are only a couple of seats, so takeout is likely your best option, but the family that owns the Papaya Lady is incredibly sweet and personable, so if you have the time and the opportunity to sit and chat, do.
There’s an ATM in the grocery store, but the Papaya Lady is cash only, so come equipped accordingly.

I love her Kapoon, Papaya, Tapioca dessert and most of all, I love and is addicted to her ice coffee… its the best place in town to get these yummy foods. You’ll be satisfy for what you pay for. Enjoy.:-)

papaya salad was absolute perfection!

The papaya is always crunchy fresh and light on the sauce. Great portion for the price. Nam va is morning fresh… Same goes with Thai tea. Her limited menu is enough to keep one full and happy… Good for takeout.

Definitely made my trip worth it. Came to Merced to visit a friend, while we were downtown we saw a huge line of people in a little Asian market and we asked what they were waiting for – and replied, «FOR THE BEST PAPAYA SALAD». We peeked at the food being served and decided to grab a bite here. Since they were famous for their papaya salad, we got one. It was delicious! Way better than at most thai restaurants. The thai tea and iced coffee goes perfect after we devoured the papaya salad. Can’t wait for my next visit.

This is a local favorite and little hole in the wall. She makes the best Lao papaya salad! I also love the tapioca drink and Thai iced-​tea. There will be a long line during rush hour. Definitely my favorite place for papaya salad! Very cheap food, too.

This five star rating is for the excellent food!
The Papaya Lady is located in the back of UC Oriental Market (which is a small Asian grocery store). After walking down the long aisle of specialty spices, dry noodles, fish sauce, you will see her and her workers in the back side of the store against the wall. I ordered the tapioca dessert with tapioca, cooked rice flour, jackfruit, mixed with coconut and sweet syrup, and it was delicious! It is a little different from your regular Vietnamese che even though they may consist of similar ingredients. They have a few items that you can order and can be prepared for you in a few minutes-​tapioca dessert, papaya (another favorite), noodle soup (a type of curry dish with coconut milk and vegetables), Thai tea, and Thai iced coffee.