| Wat Mongkolratanaram | |
| Map Type: | California |
| Location: | 1911 Russell St, Berkeley, California |
| Coordinates: | 37.8563°N -122.2707°W |
| Religious Affiliation: | Buddhism |
| Country: | United States |
Wat Mongkolratanaram (th|วัดมงคลรัตนาราม) is a small Thai Buddhist temple located in Berkeley, California. A wat, it mainly attracts Thai American Buddhists, many of whom are students at the University of California, Berkeley, but it also draws in many local, non-Buddhists who come searching for the authentic Thai food public brunch on Sundays[1] or attend its frequent cultural events. The temple is home to a Thai school for San Francisco Bay Area youth, as well as Berkeley's Thai Cultural Center.[2]
In 2001, it marked 25 years of being a temple by completing renovations to its Victorian-era building to adapt the architecture to temple style.[3]
In February 2009, a group of neighbors sought to shut down the Sunday public brunch, citing litter and traffic.[4] The Zoning Adjustments Board of Berkeley voted 8 to 1 to keep the Sunday brunch, and the board chair "praised the temple for being a positive influence" in the neighborhood.[5] The brunch runs on donations; visitors pay for tokens and exchange them for dishes.[6]
The Thai-born Ajahn Manat is the current abbot of Wat Mongkolratanaram.
In 1997, the temple was home to the East Bay chapter of the Cypherpunks.[7]