Restaurants in Yangon
Yangon is the biggest city in Myanmar, but diners tend to set their radar within the downtown area, namely the area enclosing Sule Pagoda, Chinatown and Inya Lake. Curry-based, Indian-inspired local Burmese food might seem a little surreal to first-timers to Yangon, and many would prefer to dine at a restaurant rather than at a street-side vendor.
Once used to the exotic appearance of Burmese cuisine, however, every traveler develops an interest in trying out something local. This article covers both restaurants renowned for fine dining and mid-range eateries.
Fine Dining
Le Planteur
The owner, Boris Granges, was born in Switzerland and worked under some renowned chefs during a 3-year career in Thailand.
The original site of Le Planteur, opened in 1998, was at the far end of the city of Yangon. The restaurant moved in 2014 to its current location by Inya Lake, near the house of Aung San Suu Kyi, and Boris added a wine bar, a tea room and a bistro.
The outdoor dining area, terraced section and indoor dining room are all well maintained, and you can see ducks and geese swimming in the pond, while rabbits run under your table on the lawn.
Le Planteur mainly offers European food, especially French. Besides the ordinary choice of cakes and steaks, it boasts creativity in joining some Asian elements with western cuisine. Recommended dishes include beef tenderloin, duck breast, lamb and foie gras.
Location: 80 University Avenue | Bahan Township, Yangon
Category: international
Cost: USD 100 to 150 per person
Halal- and vegetarian-friendly: yes
Mandalay Restaurant at The Governor's Residence
The Governor’s Residence was built in the 1920s in the elegant Embassy Quarter of Yangon, and during the colonial era used to be the residence of the governor of Kaya State. It was renovated and has become one of Yangon’s best luxury hotels, enjoying a good reputation for both accommodation and dining.
Mandalay Restaurant is tucked away in a tree-shaded garden, dotted with lotus ponds. It exudes a strong colonial ambiance and a meal there is regarded as one of the most exclusive dining experiences in Yangon.
An international menu is tempting and inviting. For those who would prefer some authentic Burmese food, try out the curry menu, including pork and mango, duck with green tea, and tiger prawn with coconut milk. The curries are lighter than common Indian curries, yet with a lingering aftertaste.
Soft shell crab, tiger prawns, butterfish and veggie curry are all restaurant specialties. It also has a good wine list, ranging from the finest local Burmese wine to imported Sauvignon Blanc.
Location: 35 Taw Win Road | The Governor's Residence, Yangon
Category: Burmese, international
Cost: USD 100 to 150 per person
Halal- and vegetarian-friendly: yes




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Excellent planned and executed Myanmar excursion
Asia Highlights and their local Myanmar partner "mAsia" did an excellent job in planning and execution of a one week trip to Myanmar.The various tour guides and drivers had good knowledge and good command over English. More
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Jan 2018
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Trip-of-a-lifetime
In addition, I want to specifically mention the guides provided in certain locations. Rum, in Siem Reap, made the most memorable experience possible. His positivity was contagious - even when it felt like 1000 degrees and we were tired. He brought it all to life, and created a couple days of Ankor Wat, etc. that we will never forget! He heard my daughter's request for specific Cambodian food, and changed our itinerary to go to a village and eat at a locally known shop. He brought the dessert she asked about to us in the car! Overall, he and his driver "Lucky" were a reason to go to Siem Reap. In addition, the other guides (minus one which was switched out immediately) were stupendous. Mon in Bangkok was friendly and provided a great day there; Eak in Chiang Mai gave us a world-class food-tour and day touring the city and its surrounding temples with lots of laughs; Tommy in Hanoi kept us from getting killed in the traffic and gave a stupendous food and architecture/history tour - so very friendly and funny; the fishing village tour in Hoi An, as well as the side-car tour in Saigon, were both unforgettable! Thank you Sharon, and Asia Highlights. Would definitely use again for future trips! More
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Apr 2023
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Cambodia and Vietnam adventure!
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Apr 2023
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My daughter and I wanted to discover SE…
My daughter and I wanted to discover SE Asia. Being the first in that region, we wanted to use a tour service company. We ended up using Asia Highlights. From the beginning we were impressed with their services. We left home with of mind because all the pre-travel arrangements were taking care and communicate to us efficiently. All our questions were answered promptly. Once in the countries, we were welcome by our excellent tour guides. Everything was taking care for us. We did not have one issue. They selected the right tours guides for us, they were highly knowledgeable and so much attentive to our needs. We had Dhat in Vietnam and Borin in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I highly recommend Asia Highlights. I came back home so much rested, and with plenty of wonderful pictures and memories. I will definitely use Asia Highlights again for my next trip to Asia. More
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Apr 2023
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Mar 2023
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Mar 2023
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Tour of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand
The tour guides and drivers were another high point. All were very good, friendly, knowledgeable and spoke English well. There were two that I want to call out for their excellence. Chan Sovannarith in Siem Reap was our guide in Cambodia. He really made the experience special. His knowledge, willingness to answer all my questions, helpfulness and general attitude made him fun to be around. In order to praise the second exceptional guide I have to explain about an unfortunate occurrence that I had. I'm normally a very active senior, but after leaving Cambodia for Laos I was suddenly struck by the most intense back pain I've ever experienced, couldn't even roll over in bed (turned out to be sciatica). The guide, Mr. Sonophet, really went the extra mile. He went with my traveling companion and bought a back brace and medications for me. When that didn't help much he took me to a clinic where I was seen by a doctor, given a shot and pain meds. He hand-made a walking stick for me that I'm still using! He made it possible for me to somewhat participate in the activities, i.e. a bed on the boat down the river. When it was time to move on to Bangkok he got me a wheelchair at the airport. I can't thank him enough for these kindnesses! This problem lasted for the remainder of the trip, through Bangkok and Phuket and these guides were also very helpful getting wheelchairs, etc. It was a terrible disappointment to have this wonderful trip disrupted, but it would have been SO much worse without the great help that I received from the guides and my poor travel companion! More
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Mar 2023
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In good hands with Sam
Sam Ol took very good care of us - lots of information, listened to and answered all our questions, was passionate about the places we visited and about his people and country. He was kind, had a great sense of humor, and made sure we felt safe and comfortable at all times. He helped us to fall in love with Cambodia in 3 short days. More
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Feb 2023
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Best tour guide in Cambodia
When we first arrived at the airport in Siem Riep it was so nice to be greeted by Mr Sam Ol. We instantly fell at home when we saw his friendly smile. We were impressed by his great English and knowledge of the temples. On the tour to the temples Sam took care of us every step of the way. He took awesome pictures of us. It felt like we were on a tour given by our brother who is also a professional photographer. Also, we appreciate his humor as well as the fact he had an answer for every question we had. I give Sam 5 stars, best tour guide ever :) More
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Feb 2023
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Mr. Sam
Mr. Sam our guide in Cambodia, he and the driver out standing service they went above and beyond touring, my wife so amazed beautiful country, we're planning back here near the futures. Thank Mr. Sam,We'll feedback the whole trip next week when we be home in US More
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Feb 2023
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Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand
We are still in the middle of our trip, but we are just finishing up our time in Cambodia and our guide, Borin, has been AMAZING!!! He has truly made our time here unforgettable and I plan on referring all of my friends and family to come visit this beautiful country! Thank you, Borin, for everything you did to make our trip so fantastic! More
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Feb 2023
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Excellent service and Wonderful Guides
All of our guides have been terrific. Mr. Sam in Siem Reip was especially wonderful. Both he and our driver were polite, safe knowledgable and informative. Sam made our trip memorable and enioyable. We will definitely recommend Sam and Asia Highlights to our friends. More
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Feb 2023
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Great tour guide Charity at Siem Reap
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Jan 2023
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Best guide and driver in Cambodia
Mr Rum takes his profession very seriously and enriches the visits with his depth of knowledge and his interesting and relevant stories. He is a great story teller. More importantly, he is a nice person who we very much enjoyed getting to know in our short time together. Both he and Thary have winning smiles. They are easy to be around and fun to spend time with. It’s not surprising that Mr Rum has maintained contact and friendships with many previous clients. More
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Jan 2023
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Charity and Cambodia were amazing!
We had a fantastic time in Siem Reap. Charity was our tour guide and was the best! She brought knowledge and enthusiasm as she took us around. She was friendly, warm and open making our tour and experience in Siem Reap so wonderful. She gave us awesome suggestions for us to do at the end of the day such as go see a dance performance or visit the night market as well as an early morning activities like watch the sunrise from a hot air balloon. It was magical and we are so grateful to Charity for making this such a memorable trip. She also gave us great suggestion for food and went far and beyond to make sure our vegetarian and food requirements were met. Our driver and car was fantastic as well. We had the best time in Cambodia and would love to visit again. We recommend visiting and having Charity as their tour guide to anyone who has the opportunity to come! More
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Jan 2023
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Amazing tour of Cambodia with excellent…
Amazing tour of Cambodia with excellent guide Luch.. Luch was very knowledgeable and took an extra mile to explain us the Angkorwat sculptures.. the private car was very comfortable.. well planned .. we loved Cambodia and would definitely recommend my friends.. Asia highlights are the best More
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Jan 2023
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Our rep in Cambodia Chan Sovannarith…
Our rep in Cambodia Chan Sovannarith was very attentive and accommodated my daughter not feeling well by taking us to a chemist to get medication for her. I highly recommend Chan as a rep with Asian highlights he did an excellent job when taking us back to the airport he literally waited to make sure we were all set for our flight to Chang Mai in Thailand. I felt safe knowing he was there incase there were issues. Again, great rep. Thank you!! More
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Dec 2022
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We enjoyed our trip VERY much
We enjoyed our trip very much. Our guide, Mr. Polrith is very knowledgeable and provided insightful information about the history, culture and religions of the country. Temples of Cambodia are amazing. They are more beautiful than you can imagine. Thank you so much Mr.Polrith and see you next time More
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Dec 2022
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A truly magical experience
You measure the quality of a tour company with how they handle the bumps along the way. Encountering unexpected baggage fees from Cambodia Angkor Air in Siem Reap.Albee without hesitation agreed to cover this cost. More
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Mar 2020
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Great trip with Asia Highlights
We had already booked two trips in China with China Highlights. Both trips were a great experience. So when planning our trip to Cambodia we immediately thought of Asia Highlights because they offer a trip to Vietnam More
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Nov 2019
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Mid-Range
Shan Yoe Yar – Asia Highlights’ Top Pick
Located close to Bogyoke Aung San Market and the National Museum, Shan Yoe Yar is known as one of the best Burmese restaurants in Yangon, quite reasonably priced. The two-story wooden restaurant is a renovated colonial house.
The ground floor is spacious and good for big groups, with five people or more, while dining on the second floor is quieter. Members of staff are all smiling and attentive, and eager to explain the origins of each dish in fairly good English.
Shan-style cuisine is the restaurant’s specialty, lighter, with less spice and oil than at other Burmese restaurants.
Vegetables cooked in Shan-style are highly recommended; such as Shan potatoes (mashed potatoes in sweet, sour and slightly spicy sauce), Shan tofu (tofu cut into rectangular slices, dressed with toasted dried chili, crushed garlic and peanuts) and Shan-style sour vegetable soup.
Bamboo stuffed with minced seafood, Shan noodle soup, Shan omelet and catfish curry are listed among the all-flavor choices.
Location: 169 War Tan Street | Lanmadaw Township, Yangon
Category: Burmese
Cost: USD 25 to 35 per person
Halal- and vegetarian-friendly: yes. Muslim diners, however, should first check if anything is cooked with pork oil.
Padonmar Restaurant
Renowned among locals and travelers alike, Pandonmar Restaurant is noted for its healthy ways of cooking. Oil, salt and spices are used sparingly compared with other Burmese restaurants, which is welcome to those who prefer a milder taste. Pandonmar provides catering services for the local community for important occasions such as weddings and family reunions.
The indoor dining area is divided into a main dining hall and some private boxes. If the weather is good, the garden dining area is even better. Sometimes during lunch the restaurant organizes a traditional Htwe Oo Burmese puppet show.
Behind the main building, there is a chamber where the master chef holds exclusive cooking classes on request. Specialties on the vast menu include Shan-style tofu, sauteed watercress with mushrooms, prawn curry, chicken curry, tea leaf salad and grilled butterfish.
Location: No.105/107, Kha Yae Pin Road, Dagon Township| Yangon
Category: Burmese, Thai
Cost: USD 30 to 40 per person
Halal- and vegetarian-friendly: yes. Muslim diners, however, should first check if anything is cooked with pork oil.
Café Sule
A nice café in the Shangri-La Hotel, Café Sule is close to the famous Sule Pagoda and can be a nice stop after a morning’s sightseeing. As hotel guests finish breakfast before 11 am, members of staff remain busy preparing for another round of lunch, also in buffet-style.
The large dining room is well-lit and stylishly decorated, with smiling staff happy to show you to your table. The international lunch buffet provides a rich variety of food both local and international, with many hot stations.
Fresh made-to-order mohinga is a great option for local Burmese cuisine. Shan-style baked fish and chicken curry are popular for their freshness and flavor. This is generally a good option for dining, where everyone can find something they like.
Location: Sule Shangri-La | 223 Sule Pagoda Road, Yangon
Category: international
Cost: USD 30 to 45 per person
Halal- and vegetarian-friendly: yes.
L’Opera Italian Restaurant & Bar
A rare authentic Italian restaurant nestled in a palm tree garden beside Inya Lake, L’Opera caters to the most fastidious eaters, who want nothing but the best. Established in 1997, it has received several awards from Myanmore Dining & Nightlife.
It is ideal for a romantic dinner at sunset by the lake. Notable offerings include pizza, beef tenderloin with truffles, tiramisu and mint pineapple juice.
Location: 62D U Htun Nyein Street | Mayangone Township, Yangon
Category: Italian
Cost: USD 30 to 45 per person
Halal- and vegetarian-friendly: yes for halal, not so much for vegetarian
Monsoon Restaurant
This is a great spot for lunch after a visit to Botahtaung Pagoda. Monsoon is proud to provide local cuisine from Myanmar and other Asian countries. The building itself has a long history and is now decorated with historical photos and paintings from the colonial era. The restaurant has a welcoming vibe and is good for friends and families.
Notable Dishes: eggplant curry, tea leaf salad, Cambodian beef salad
Location: 85, 87 Theinbyu Road | Botataung Township, Yangon
Category: Asian
Cost: USD 30 to 45 per person
Halal- and vegetarian-friendly: yes.
Café/Desert
Acacia Tea Salon
An up-market café, Acacia Tea Salon is dedicated to offering the best delicate desserts and most relaxed atmosphere for a good afternoon with friends. It’s a bit far from downtown, which makes it harder for big groups of tourists to frequent, so that attentive service and quietness are more likely here.
Notable Dishes: cheesecake, Eggs Benedict, English muffins
Location: 52 Saya San Road | Bahan Township, Yangon