63(^) EATINGYANGON
EATING
YANGON
EATING
Specialising in pizza and pasta, but with a
few other dishes (sandwiches, salads, burg-
ers) thrown in.
Royal Garden CHINESE $$
(Map p 48 ; %546 923; Nat Mauk Rd, Bahan; mains
K7000; h6.30am-10.15pm) Kicking off with
dim sum for breakfast and rolling through
to roasted duck for dinner this big lake-
side restaurant off ers up a tasty and keenly
priced selection of Chinese goodies.
Quick Eats
Yangon is home to a handful of domestic
fast-food chains and several Western-style
bakery-cafés. Most are open for lunch and
dinner and have basic snacks and dishes
that start at about K500.
For Burmese-style teahouses, see p 63 , and
for street food, see p 61.
Café Aroma CAFÉ $
(Map p 42 ; Sule Paya Rd; a) The Starbucks
of Yangon, this café has several outlets
YANGON’S CAFÉ CULTURE
Yangon’s numerous teahouses are not just places to have cups of milk tea and coff ee or
tiny pots of Chinese tea. They’re also places to grab a snack. They’re places to catch up
with a friend. They’re almost certainly a better place for breakfast than your guesthouse
(see p 334 ), and they’re also where gossip is passed around, deals made and, if you be-
lieve the rumours, government spies are rampant.
But back to the tea. Depending on the size of your sweet tooth and your caff eine toler-
ance, to order tea in Yangon you’ll need a short language lesson:
» lǎp’eq·ye – black tea served sweet with a dollop of condensed milk
» cho bawq – less sweet version of lǎp’eq·ye
» kyauk padaung – very sweet; the phrase comes from a famous sugar-palm-growing
region near Bagan
» cho kya’ – strongest tea, also served with condensed milk.
Once you’ve mastered the lingo, it’s time pull up a tiny plastic stool and drink. The following
is our shortlist of teahouses in Yangon. All are open from approximately 6am to 4pm. A cup
of tea should set you back about K250, and snacks and light meals start at about K400:
Lucky Seven (Map p 42 ; 49th St) Located west of the centre of town, this is our all-around
favourite Yangon teahouse – tidy, lively and with excellent food. The mohinga here is
outstanding, as are most other Burmese-style noodle dishes.
Shwe We Htun (Map p 42 ; 81 37th St) A buzzing old-school teahouse that serves better-
quality food than most. There’s no roman-script sign, but you’ll know it by the crowds.
Thone Pan Hla (Map p 46 ; 454 Mahabandoola Rd) This centrally located teahouse doesn’t
have a roman-script sign, but it does have an English-language menu of teahouse sta-
ples, from shàn k’auk swèh to fried rice.
Shwe Khaung Laung (Map p 46 ; cnr Bogyoke Aung San Rd & 31st St) In addition to good
tea, this Chinese-style teahouse serves decent steamed buns and noodles and baked
cakes and pastries. There’s no English sign, but it’s located right on the corner.
Man Myo Taw Café (Map p 42 ; cnr Mahabandoola Rd & 39th St) Also representing the
Chinese end of the Yangon teahouse spectrum, this tidy place off ers good steamed buns
and coff ee.
Golden Tea (Map p 46 ; Bo Sun Pat Rd) This centrally located Muslim-run teahouse is busy
at breakfast, but we prefer to come later in the day when they serve tasty s’uanwi‘n-mau-
k‘in (semolina cakes).
Seit Taing Kya (Map p 48 ; 53 Za Ga War St) A lauded hall-like place, this is very popular –
probably because the tea here actually tastes of tea, unlike the sugar and condensed
milk of most teahouses.
Yatha Teashop (Map p 42 ; 353 Mahabandoola Rd) A classic Muslim-style teahouse, provid-
ing fresh samosas and palata.