Over the past decade, Asian cuisine has become a staple in the culinary landscape of North America. With a continent that boasts forty-eight countries each with its own unique blend of spices, this may not seem out of the ordinary. However, only a small subset of these cuisines receive heavy rotation in the average diets of most Westerners. According to Yelp data, Indian, Thai, and Chinese are some of the most popular cuisines. Yet, at the crossroads of these three major culinary influences is a country with a rich and vibrant food scene that remains unknown to many: Burma.
Officially known as Myanmar since 1989, Burma has been a country long subject to military rule. For many years, contact between the Burmese people and the outside world was considered dangerous, gatekeeping their cuisine within the country’s borders. Given its geographical location, Burmese cuisine hints at the familiar flavors of sour, sweet, salty, and spicy from its next door neighbors. The combination of them, however, is what sets it apart; fermented shrimp paste, fried shallots and garlic, tangy lime juice, crunchy peanuts, fresh herbs, and chili oil all fuse together in a distinct, eccentric way. If you’re interested in trying Burmese food but don’t know where to start, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog post, we will highlight our top 25 places to take a bite of Burma in the United States and Canada.
1. Burma Superstar, San Francisco, CA
2. Irrawaddy Taste of Burma, Stanton, CA
3. Top Burmese, Portland, OR
4. Mandalay Restaurant & Cafe, Silver Spring, MD
5. Pa Lian, Wheaton, IL
6. Dagon, Honolulu, HI
7. Burma 2, Walnut Creek, CA
8. Aung Maylika, Concord, CA
9. Urban Burma, Aurora, CO
10. Royal Myanmar, West View, PA
11. Yoma Boston, Allston, MA
12. Mahnin Asian Restaurant, Fort Wayne, IN
13. Shwe Myanmar Burmese Cuisine, Livermore, CA
14. Friends Cafe, Roseville, MN
15. Inlay Burmese Kitchen, Lewisville, TX
16. High Peak Asian Restaurant, Lincoln, NE
17. Amayar Kitchen, Maywood, NJ
18. Moonwink, Manchester, VT
19. Rangoon Bistro, Portland, OR
20. Nahm Thai & Burmese Cuisine, Boise, ID
21. Burmese Bites, Elmhurst, NY
22. Burma Sushi & Salad, Henrico, VA
23. Taw Win Burmese Food, Denver, CO
24. The Hidden Bistro, San Francisco, CA
25. Golden Pagoda Burmese Asian Restaurant, Saskatoon, Canada
Follow this collection and refer to it on when you’re wanting to eat some Burmese food. Find and connect with more Burmese eateries in your area by searching for Burmese food on Yelp.
This blog was co-written by Yelp Brooklyn’s Julia Hossain
