7 Best Restaurants in Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar

Rangoon Tea House

$$$$ Fodor's choice
This casual, light-filled restaurant would be at home in Sydney or Singapore, and yet it somehow feels distinctly Yangon. Set on the first floor of a beautifully restored white colonial building, it can nevertheless be tricky to find, located above an electrical appliance store; look for the doorway and stairs on the right of the building. Once inside you’ll find a lovely whitewashed space with wooden floorboards and whooshing ceiling fans, and the most delicious food you’ll find in Myanmar. Expect anything from traditional samosas (K2,500) and tea leaf salad (K2,000) to modern pan-Asian favorites such as pork belly bao (K3,000). Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you can order a full meal or simply pop in for tea or cocktails (K4,000). Try the Mandalay rum sour or Dragon martini.

999 Shan Noodle Shop

$

This pint-size, cheap-and-cheerful noodle eatery is equally popular with locals and tourists. The friendly proprietors speak English well, and the picture menu has English descriptions. The noodles are those of the Shan ethnic group, and noodles are served in soups or smothered in scrumptious toppings such as creamy tofu. Rounding out the menu are sautéed vegetables, fried tofu, and pork skin. The owners can prepare plain and mild noodle dishes if you're not one for spice. Inexpensive local beer is available, too.

Breakfast Lunch Dinner $ Burmese
130B 34th St. near Anawrahta Rd., Yangon (Rangoon), Yangon, Myanmar
Known For
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Open until 7 pm, No credit cards

Aung Mingalar

$$
You’ll see few tourists at this cheap, cheerful, and unpretentious family-owned eatery, which gets packed with local office workers during the day, students in the late afternoon, and local residents and expats in the early evening. While there’s a long menu of dishes from across Myanmar, unlike other Shan eateries, the specialty is Shan noodles, so order the heavenly warm tofu chicken noodle (K1,500). The fried tofu is also delicious, and if you’re with a few friends it’s hard to go past the big plate of fried pork dumplings (18 for K3,500).

Recommended Fodor's Video

Kohaku Japanese

$$$$
Arguably Yangon’s, if not Myanmar’s, finest Japanese restaurant, Kohaku is a favorite with affluent Burmese, business travelers, and tourists looking for a change from local food, and is therefore full most nights, so call ahead. Everything’s fresh, especially the sushi (the fish is flown in daily), and the hamachi nigiri sushi is sublime. Best values are the generous all-you-can-eat buffet menus: the Japanese À La Carte Buffet (US$38; Monday to Thursday) and Kohaku Deluxe Buffet (US$42; Friday to Sunday).

Min Lane Seafood

$$$

Pull up a chair near one of the fans here and order an avocado shake to enjoy while you peruse the menu. Once you're finished, order another; you'll need something to cool your mouth down after a bite of the rice noodles in a fiery broth. Once your sinuses have been cleared, move on to the delectable grilled seafood; there's crab, oysters, prawns, squid, and shellfish to choose from, and all come to the table expertly charred.

Nilar Biryani

$

Eating at this busy spot that's always packed with locals is a delicious, inexpensive affair. The menu is tiny, with just three types of biryani—chicken, mutton, and vegetable (which sells out the fastest). Be sure to order your meal with pickles. Service is fast and efficient; this is the place to grab a lassi and eat quickly before returning to sightseeing. Nilar Biryani is always crowded. If you can't get a table, head just down the street to the equally good New Delhi (Anawratha Road between Shwe Bontha and 28th Street), where the menu is longer and includes plenty of vegetarian dishes. Don't miss the potato chapati, daal, and very spicy curries.

Indian Breakfast Lunch $
216 Anawratha Rd., Yangon (Rangoon), Yangon, Myanmar
Known For
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: No credit cards

Shan Yoe Yar

$$$$
The food of the Shan State is the "it" cuisine in Yangon, and this two-story restaurant in a refurbished teakwood house claims to be the first Shan fine-dining restaurant in Myanmar. Specializing in the cuisines of the Shan ethnic minorities, the highlight is the lovely, light food of the Intha people of Inle Lake. Don’t miss sa kone, a traditional beef salad and the fried fish with tamarind sauce. Upstairs has more atmosphere than the modernized downstairs space with the annoying television; however, service is slower.