Highest-rated restaurants with outdoor seating in Merced by diners

The average person spends over 74 minutes eating and drinking on any given weekday. On weekends and holidays, that goes up to over 81 minutes. Where is a better place to spend that time than a restaurant?

Consumers agree. The National Restaurant Association states that 9 in 10 adults enjoy eating out at restaurants, which give people access to a world of great-tasting food that's often difficult to reproduce at home.

People choose restaurants to scope out the latest food trends, including deeper dives into Southeast Asian cuisines from Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines, without trying to master these complex dishes at home. Chefs also have the resources to experiment with ingredients and bring new favorites like hot honey, spicy maple, matcha, and pickled foods to the table.

Dining out also offers unique, hyperlocal experiences featuring local farmers, food producers, brewers, winemakers, and distillers in a way that connects diners to the area.

When the weather's nice, diners flock to al fresco seating. At least 2 in 5 diners like eating outdoors and look for great ambience like skyline views, rooftop settings, and waterfront seating to enhance their dining experience.

Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated restaurants in the Merced area using data from Yelp. Data is as of Aug. 4, 2025. Only businesses marked as having outdoor seating on the Yelp website were included. Yelp's ranking system calculates an adjusted rating value that considers the number of ratings and the rating score itself. Only businesses with at least 20 reviews within a 10-kilometer radius of Merced were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than 10 locations nationally, based on our Yelp data, were not included. Read on to see if your favorite spot made the list.

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New Thai Cuisine

1 / 30

#30. New Thai Cuisine

- Rating: 4.0/5 (413 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 909 West 16th St. Merced, California
- Categories: Thai
- Read more on Yelp

The Mainzer

2 / 30

#29. The Mainzer

- Rating: 4.0/5 (361 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 655 West Main St. Merced, California
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, American, Dinner Theater
- Read more on Yelp

Ostioneria Guadalajara Restaurant

3 / 30

#28. Ostioneria Guadalajara Restaurant

- Rating: 4.1/5 (34 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1220 West 16th St. Merced, California
- Categories: Mexican, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

Frosty Queen Express

4 / 30

#27. Frosty Queen Express

- Rating: 4.1/5 (115 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1725 Yosemite Pkwy Merced, California
- Categories: Burgers, fast food, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Wired Internet Coffee Bar

5 / 30

#26. Wired Internet Coffee Bar

- Rating: 4.1/5 (30 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 450 West 18th St. Merced, California
- Categories: Cafes
- Read more on Yelp

Sam Cafe

6 / 30

#25. Sam Cafe

- Rating: 4.1/5 (474 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 235 West 12th St. Merced, California
- Categories: Thai
- Read more on Yelp

Turmeric Indian Cuisine

7 / 30

#24. Turmeric Indian Cuisine

- Rating: 4.1/5 (381 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 731 East Yosemite Ave. Ste C Merced, California
- Categories: Indian, Wine Bars, Beer Bar
- Read more on Yelp

In-N-Out Burger

8 / 30

#23. In-N-Out Burger

- Rating: 4.1/5 (199 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1579 Martin Luther King Jr Way Merced, California
- Categories: Burgers, fast food
- Read more on Yelp

Tacos El Pollo merced ca

9 / 30

#22. Tacos El Pollo merced ca

- Rating: 4.1/5 (22 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 371 South CA-59 Merced, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

Jantz Cafe & Bakery

10 / 30

#21. Jantz Cafe & Bakery

- Rating: 4.2/5 (526 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3361 G St. Merced, California
- Categories: Bakeries, Breakfast & Brunch, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

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Destino's

11 / 30

#20. Destino's

- Rating: 4.2/5 (235 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 460 West Main St. Merced, California
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp

The Hot Spot

12 / 30

#19. The Hot Spot

- Rating: 4.2/5 (57 reviews)
- Address: 1711 I St. Merced, California
- Categories: Chicken Wings, Food Trucks, fast food
- Read more on Yelp

Chinese Kitchen

13 / 30

#18. Chinese Kitchen

- Rating: 4.2/5 (116 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1853 Bellevue Road Atwater, California
- Categories: Chinese
- Read more on Yelp

Phantom's Food Truck

14 / 30

#17. Phantom's Food Truck

- Rating: 4.3/5 (35 reviews)
- Address: 1930 Airdrome Entry Atwater, California
- Categories: Mexican, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

H & W Drive In

15 / 30

#16. H & W Drive In

- Rating: 4.3/5 (535 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 121 West 16th St. Merced, California
- Categories: Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

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Pretty Good Burger

16 / 30

#15. Pretty Good Burger

- Rating: 4.3/5 (152 reviews)
- Address: 439 West Main St. Merced, California
- Categories: Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

Toni's Courtyard Café

17 / 30

#14. Toni's Courtyard Café

- Rating: 4.3/5 (748 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 516 West 18th St. Merced, California
- Categories: Sandwiches, Breakfast & Brunch, American
- Read more on Yelp

Kabab City

18 / 30

#13. Kabab City

- Rating: 4.4/5 (173 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 125 East Yosemite Ave. Space D Merced, California
- Categories: Mediterranean
- Read more on Yelp

Vinhos

19 / 30

#12. Vinhos

- Rating: 4.4/5 (39 reviews)
- Address: 427 West Main St. Merced, California
- Categories: Tapas/Small Plates, Wine Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Silva's Taqueria

20 / 30

#11. Silva's Taqueria

- Rating: 4.4/5 (21 reviews)
- Address: 1419 Mitchell Road Modesto, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

FIRED Pizza

21 / 30

#10. FIRED Pizza

- Rating: 4.5/5 (198 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 678 Grider Way Ste A Stockton, California
- Categories: Pizza, Caterers, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

Sinaloense Mariscos & Taqueria

22 / 30

#9. Sinaloense Mariscos & Taqueria

- Rating: 4.5/5 (223 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4820 Salida Blvd. Salida, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Mexican, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

Jantz Cafe & Bakery

23 / 30

#8. Jantz Cafe & Bakery

- Rating: 4.5/5 (489 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 987 Bellevue Road Atwater, California
- Categories: Bakeries, American, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp

Donut King's

24 / 30

#7. Donut King's

- Rating: 4.5/5 (262 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 260 West Main St. Ste A Merced, California
- Categories: Donuts, Sandwiches, Bubble Tea
- Read more on Yelp

Lonchera el pan de vida

25 / 30

#6. Lonchera el pan de vida

- Rating: 4.6/5 (27 reviews)
- Address: 6061 North Winton Way Winton, California
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

East Meats West

26 / 30

#5. East Meats West

- Rating: 4.6/5 (36 reviews)
- Address: 1936 East F St. Oakdale, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Pan Asian, New American
- Read more on Yelp

Little Oven Pizza

27 / 30

#4. Little Oven Pizza

- Rating: 4.6/5 (531 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 433 West Main St. Merced, California
- Categories: Pizza
- Read more on Yelp

Mariscos El Nacho

28 / 30

#3. Mariscos El Nacho

- Rating: 4.6/5 (63 reviews)
- Address: 1560 Yosemite Pkwy Merced, California
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

The Frappe House

29 / 30

#2. The Frappe House

- Rating: 4.6/5 (125 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2777 East Nees Ave. Fresno, California
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Bakeries, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

Havana Café

30 / 30

#1. Havana Café

- Rating: 4.8/5 (37 reviews)
- Address: 21 East Shaw Fresno, California
- Categories: Cuban, Sandwiches, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 327 metros.

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