Yangon Bars & Restaurants - What Are Your Favourites?

[SeaVisionBurma]

Some bars & restaurants have managed to survive for years, and still remain popular - I'm interested to hear which places are on everyone's list...

Savoy was a great bar and I have fond memories from years ago, but it seems a bit quiet now.

Strand on a Friday night for the weekly happy hour is definitely high on my list...

Any others worth a mention?

[tombkk]

I haven't been there yet but hear that 50th Street is the expat hangout these days. Do you know it?

[SeaVisionBurma]

Good spot, kind of an institution here. It has certainly been around for as long as I can remember (I arrived late 90's)

Popular with the expat crowd. Location is eastern end of downtown - so not convenient if you live out in the suburbs given Yangon's horrendous traffic.

Well worth a visit.

[uptheos]

Whenever I'm in Yangon I stay at The Grand Mee Ya Hta and they have bar facilities. I like that whole area around Bogyoke Aung San But, my friends take me to places that I can't recall the name of as they are Burmese and they serve great food and drinks. The prices were very reasonable and I was assured that the evening could have a happy ending if I wanted, which surprised me when I first heard it many years ago. I've been to 50th Bar and Grill, but I'm not really interested in seeking out over priced foreigner's bars. I enjoyed going into the Strand Hotel for a beer, a bit pricey but worth a visit.

Definitely get someone to take you around the Burmese scene, far more enjoyable.

[SeaVisionBurma]

Definitely get someone to take you around the Burmese scene, far more enjoyable.

Agreed. And far cheaper, too.

Caught up with a journo friend here last night, and rather than waste money on expensive drinks in an established bar, we just walked around the corner from the paper's office and sat at a street stall. All locals, and busy busy busy.

There was a lady preparing fresh Burmese salads and snack plates (great with drinks). We stayed a couple of hours, just chatting while sitting on plastic chairs at a plastic table on the footpath, with the whole city walking by.

Several rounds and the fresh salad - the bill for both of us was less than 5,000 kyats....

[uptheos]

Several rounds and the fresh salad - the bill for both of us was less than 5,000 kyats....

I won't ask where you change your money. But that's what, about 200 Baht?....$7 US

There's a really good restaurant on the river, it's called the Golden Duck or something Duck. It gets really packed with Burmese, the food is great and not expensive. I like Myanmar Beer too.

Edited October 11, 2012 by uptheos

[SeaVisionBurma]

Several rounds and the fresh salad - the bill for both of us was less than 5,000 kyats....

I won't ask where you change your money. But that's what, about 200 Baht?

Yes, just around 180 baht. (USD to kyats this week is around 845)

Speaking of changing money - the touts around the main corner between Sakura Tower and Traders (corner Sule Pagoda and Bogyoke Aung San) are out in force - heaps more of them than last month, and getting bolder.....Tourist season really kicks in noticeably here....`

Back on topic - Although I wouldn't normally go there for a meal, I took some visitors up to the Sky Bistro at the top of Sakura Tower recently.

I had forgotten how good the view is from up there. Excellent for a coffee in the morning while looking south over the river, or north to the Shwedagon Pagoda....

Any new visitors to Yangon should make a stop there, it is also a great way to get your bearings....

Here you go uptheos - can see your digs at the Mee Ya Hta in this shot....

[SeaVisionBurma]

There's a really good restaurant on the river, it's called the Golden Duck or something Duck. It gets really packed with Burmese, the food is great and not expensive. I like Myanmar Beer too.

Golden Duck - great recommendation, hadn't thought of that. As you said, always packed. Burmese name is Kan Taw Min, great view over the little lake just under the Shwedagon...

I remember seeing it on Tripadvisor, ranks quite highly from memory....

[uptheos]

Several rounds and the fresh salad - the bill for both of us was less than 5,000 kyats....

I won't ask where you change your money. But that's what, about 200 Baht?

Yes, just around 180 baht. (USD to kyats this week is around 845)

Speaking of changing money - the touts around the main corner between Sakura Tower and Traders (corner Sule Pagoda and Bogyoke Aung San) are out in force - heaps more of them than last month, and getting bolder.....Tourist season really kicks in noticeably here....`

Back on topic - Although I wouldn't normally go there for a meal, I took some visitors up to the Sky Bistro at the top of Sakura Tower recently.

I had forgotten how good the view is from up there. Excellent for a coffee in the morning while looking south over the river, or north to the Shwedagon Pagoda....

Any new visitors to Yangon should make a stop there, it is also a great way to get your bearings....

Here you go uptheos - can see your digs at the Mee Ya Hta in this shot....

Cheers, great picture with the Pagoda in the distance. A good hotel near there is Sumit Park View, which also has a bar and nightly entertainment

The Shwedagon Pagoda is wonderful and I advise anyone going in to take a plastic bag to carry your shoes, as you come out of a different place (well you did).

Yes, I can imagine that the touts are out in force around now and actually what most of them do is take you to a shop that changes money. They will increase even more now as tourists once heading for Thailand go there. I have my money ready for me by friends, when I arrive.

I enjoy the tea shops and pastries in the morning, they are so convivial.

[uptheos]

In my early days of going to Yangon, I stayed at Ruby Garden Hotel on Pyay Rd near the Judson Centre. Little did I know it was a knocking shop, I didn't think such things were around at the time. The hotel has now been demolished and is now a Vietnamese Investment bank. A nice little restaurant that I quite like is The Onyx on the corner of Inya and Dammazedi Rd, it's tucked away down an alley and can be difficult to find, so you have to jump out of the taxi on that corner and look for an alley. For typical Myanmar food as well as European food I recommend Feel at Pyitaungsu Avenue, Dagon TS and there are another two outlets and the only one I know is on the corner of Warden and Bogyoke Aung San.

[householder]

Zeal at 99 , Myay Nu Street is quite good - decent food and live music although I'm chained to my room working most evenings now so don't get the chance to check our other places. The Street is good too as is the restaurant in the same complex that serves amazing popcorn!

Edited October 11, 2012 by householder

[DagonKhan]

The last few times I've been to 50th Street it was full of tourists or newly arrived expats. With all the traffic now, it's just too much aggro to drive to, as is the Strand. Can't say I know any expats who go to either anymore, with the exception of the usual diplomatic crowd who are close to both, namely the Aussies and the Brits.

The Savoy is hit and miss, you either see everyone there or no one at all.

[SeaVisionBurma]

Zeal at 99 , Myay Nu Street is quite good - decent food and live music although I'm chained to my room working most evenings now so don't get the chance to check our other places. The Street is good too as is the restaurant in the same complex that serves amazing popcorn!

Interesting. Had a couple of friends over last night, and asked them about Zeal - they both rated it well.

They said it is up off U Wisara Road, up the hill on the left after you pass Heart Of Darkness/House of Memories (another bar restaurant which seems to be gaining a following now).

[SeaVisionBurma]

The last few times I've been to 50th Street it was full of tourists or newly arrived expats. With all the traffic now, it's just too much aggro to drive to, as is the Strand. Can't say I know any expats who go to either anymore, with the exception of the usual diplomatic crowd who are close to both, namely the Aussies and the Brits.

The Savoy is hit and miss, you either see everyone there or no one at all.

Traffic is definitely the biggest factor determining where you go out at night now (and anywhere in the day for that matter)

Friends who live up around Golden Valley, 8 mile, anywhere out towards the airport etc - pretty hard to get them out downtown of an evening now.

Same goes in reverse - I'm living downtown at the moment, and its a long trip getting outside anywhere....

Speaking of traffic - I love how all the owners of the newer imported cars will keep on the painted writing on the windshields (some markings from the shipping etc). Talking to a guy who had a nice new-ish car which still had the shipment info written on the front windshield - he bought it a year ago! Guess it is like a status symbol of sorts

[simon43]

Most evenings after work I eat at a street stall close to my apartment in Latha Township (china town). A large bowl of flat noodles and pork or chicken, plus a hot bowl of oxtail (or similar) soup, plus as much free teas as you want sets me back 650 kyat - about 23 baht

[tombkk]

Most evenings after work I eat at a street stall close to my apartment in Latha Township (china town). A large bowl of flat noodles and pork or chicken, plus a hot bowl of oxtail (or similar) soup, plus as much free teas as you want sets me back 650 kyat - about 23 baht

The expression "oxtail (or similar)" scares me a bit, though.

[phazey]

Is the bar under Pearl Condo still open ?

[simon43]

The expression "oxtail (or similar)" scares me a bit, though.

Yes, I have no idea what it actually is! But it tastes good and I've never got ill from eating it.

Funny thing is - all the local rats running around in the nearby gutter have no tails .......

[CP3]

The expression "oxtail (or similar)" scares me a bit, though.

Yes, I have no idea what it actually is! But it tastes good and I've never got ill from eating it.

Funny thing is - all the local rats running around in the nearby gutter have no tails .......

[householder]

I'm moving from my current downtown location to - somewhere TBC. Will try and get more into the local restaurants a bit more and explore, rather than sticking rigidly to my usual range of 2 or 3 eateries on Shwebonthar!

[SeaVisionBurma]

Biryani's in Yangon are a great cheap food option. Couldn't eat them every day, (they are quite rich and sometimes too oily) - but worth posting.

Nilar Biryani is probably the most famous. Several locations around Yangon.

Around 2,000 kyats, dine in or take away.

[SeaVisionBurma]

Is the bar under Pearl Condo still open ?

Not sure if Friends is still open - I imagine it would be, Pearl Condo is still very popular as expat accommodation.

Looking very run down though from the outside. <--- this is the m0000 emoticon