Burmese Kitchen

This place is my go to for Burmese food. I’ve been coming to Burmese Kitchen since its location in the TL and it was actually the location of my first date with my now husband. That was six years ago! I’m blocks from both Burma Superstar and Burmese Kitchen but I leave Burma Superstar for the out of towners that love to wait in line for food!!! Now don’t get me started on that! I like both restaurants but I prefer Burmese Kitchen because it actually tastes like a home cooked Burmese meal. Whereas Burma Superstar is good but the portions are small and the hype ridiculous.
I eat in and get delivery from Burmese Kitchen and it’s always great. We always order the pork with pickled mango, prawns with pumpkin, spicy fish and the samosas. The samosas are amazing and the sauce they serve it with is somewhat sweet and spicy but not overpowering. We always always get the coconut rice and the roti is ridiculous. I always order extra to eat for breakfast the next morning.
Okay I have to stop now. I’m getting too hungry.

Ordered the tea leaf salad. Deliciously authentic. The atmosphere here is also very nice. The owner is very friendly. Definitely supporting this neighborhood gem #supportsmallbusiness

Thank you Burmese Kitchen for hosting AAWAA’s Eating for Artists event.
We had a great time. The food was delish, the staff friendly, and the owners is super nice and helpful. We had a pretty big crowd and they handled it professionally and seated folks quickly.
Many of our guests had never been there before and said that they would definitely be back.
I had the Lamb with Pickled Mango with coconut rice DELISH.
We will be back.

My new Burmese life hack. I’ve spent hours waiting for a spot at Burma Superstar when Burmese Kitchen’s food is just as great.
The staff was incredibly friendly and accommodating. Food was awesome. Loved their signature tea leaf salad and the curry coconut chicken. Lime juice was also great.
Can’t wait to go back!

I’d been craving garlic noodles and a tea leaf salad. Decided to try Burmese Kitchen on Saturday, May 7^th for lunch. I ordered delivery through Eat24. Placed my order at 1:28pm and it arrived at 2:37pm.
*Roti and Potato Curry ($ 6.50): Vegan, contain gluten
*B. K. Style Signature Tea Leaf Salad ($ 9.95): Vegan, Homestyle with extra fermented tea leaf, fried garlic, sesame seeds, shredded cabbage, assorted peas, peanuts on side
*Garlic Noodles ($ 9.50): Sei jyet kau swel, Contain gluten, Egg noodles tossed with garlic oil, green onion, chicken
The potato curry had great flavor and was thick and rich, but I found the roti to be way too oily. The roti was nice and flaky though. The tea leaf salad is very dense, so I split the salad throughout four meals. With all the nuts, etc, you will be chewing a lot. It had a subtle heat due to the peppers. The garlic noodles were good, but they all stuck together in a big clump. I had to cut up the noodles and remix them so I could eat them. Good flavor though. I liked the texture of the egg noodles.
I wanted to try more items, but it was just me ordering the delivery, so I refrained from over ordering. Based on the tea leaf salad, potato curry and garlic noodles, I’d say Burmese Kitchen is just A-​OK.

Never had Burmese Food before so this was a first. Gotta say, it was an awesome tasty treat.
We had the Burmese falafel, tiny but full of flavor, and it packs a spicy kick. For entrees we ordered the Curry Pork, Beef Masala and Coconut Curry Chicken. Each was different but amazing. Presentation was nice and portions were a great size. There was enough to share throughout the table and still have some leftovers.
The Burmese Fried Rice was also great. Don’t assume it’s anything like Chinese or Japanese fried rice, it was lighter and not as salty. Highly recommend this place if you’re a local or visiting town. Parking’s a bit of a pain, but it’s well worth it.

SPICY FISHHHHH!
B and I came here after watching the episode of Anthony Bourdain go to Myanmar and we were no disappointed at all.
We ordered:
Milk Tea — super refreshing, but keep in mind that this is NOT BOBA Milk Tea! I liked it, B thought it was a little watered down.
Spicy Fish — Recommended by the lady who helped us and by far the BEST dish we had that night. It’s not super spicy, but has a little bit of heat. Really tender filets of fish and get it with coconut rice!
Tea leaf salad — Realllly yummy salad. It’s slightly different from B-​Star and Burma Superstar, but I actually like it just as much. B said it was too salty and would’ve been better over rice. haha
Coconut noodles — I totally forgot what these were called on the menu, but its this noodle in a yellow coconut curry sauce. It smells WONDERFUL, however its not as flavorful as it smells. That being said, it was still really good and the leftovers we had great heated up again in the microwave!
Overall, LOVEEEED this cute little restaurant. Service was fast and super friendly. Definitely recommend it!

Bermese kitchen left me pretty happy. Honestly, if it were just the food alone, I wouldn’t have been able to tell much of a difference between it and Berma Superstar. All of the prices were reasonable and I needed a Togo box (which I never need).
The atmosphere isn’t anything to talk about really. I think most order their food to go. It took till about 7:30 on a Saturday to have more than just my party in the restaurant.

After spending some time near the border of Burma for a couple of months, my standards for Burmese cuisine naturally became unrealistically high — preventing me from enjoying some of the Burmese food here in San Francisco.
That is, until I discovered Burmese Kitchen.
Most of the food here is similar to what I had near the border of Burma — very homey, comfort food with bold, spicy flavors.
The best thing here is the Tamarind Fish with onion/​garlic combined with Coconut Rice. The coconut rice is here is just amazing — it has a strong coconut scent and flavor which pairs well with almost all the dishes here, especially the Tamarind Fish. The Tamarind fish is a white fish fillet covered with a tamarind/​onion/​garlic purée. It’s perfectly sweet, sour, and salty with a little spicy kick to it.
Close runner ups:
Tamarind Leaf Salad — one of my favorite things to eat and hard to find anywhere — young tamarind leaves, onions, peanuts, and spices. It has that nice crunch and sweet/​sourness that is so prevalent in Burmese food.
Tea Leaf Salad — your standard Tea Leaf salad that’s in all Burmese restaurants. I find theirs to be less salty than the rest of the field, which is a good thing.
Garlic Chicken — cooked with turmeric, lemongrass, minced garlic, bell pepper, & onion, the chicken is super tender and flavorful. Tastes great along with coconut rice.
I love how this place has the local family feel rather than the trussed up western fusion feel. Also, prices are reasonable compared to some other more popular Burmese places.

We have loved trying out the different new flavors of SE-​Azn cuisine over the years. Some of our favorites have been Burmese. There’s a few Burmese restaurants in SF now, the best known is Burma Superstar on Clement St in the Inner Richmond. We first discovered this place many years ago and instantly became a weekend favorite. Then they got featured on a food TV program, and our leisurely walk-​ins quickly became a thing of the past. Their popularity is deserved as the Burmese menu is unique and a delight.
In our semi-​regular quest for trying new places to eat, we stumbled upon Burmese Kitchen while on the way to another place on Geary. We opted to skip our original objective and decided to try this restaurant instead.
And, YAY we sure glad we did!
From their signature tea salad, to samosas, lemongrass beef, coconut rice, and garlic noodles were all done right. We felt that their version of the tea salad was actually fresher and «brighter» than Burma Superstar. All in all, this is our new goto Burmese restaurant. We’re looking forward o going back and trying the rest of the menu over time and visits.
If you’re looking for a Burmese food experience we would highly recommend Burmese Kitchen. No long lines yet, so take advantage of their great food now. :-)

Unassuming restaurant but delicious Burmese food and friendly service. I’ve tried all the Burmese restaurants in SF and this is the best and most authentic (my Dad is from Burma). Skip the lines at Burma Superstar or the attitude of Mandalay. Just eat at Burmese Kitchen!
Favorites are tea leaf salad, pork with pickled mango and coconut curry chicken noodle soup. Texture and flavors are spot on!

Solid — definitely would like to come back a few times to try more! We had:
— Tea leaf salad — pretty good. I prefer when the elements arrive separately, then are mixed in front of you — it arrives mixed here, but can’t complain much about the taste
— Samosas — actually really delicious. I thought this would be a whatever appetizer, but the potato was of impeccable texture and consistency!
— A chicken noodle dish whose name I can’t remember — I think it was the third on one the list. Neither here nor there. Skip
— Fish in tamarind sauce — probably the best thing we had. Not for the faint of nose, if you’re not used to pungent smells. The taste can’t be beat, though
— Ginger pork — would have liked it to be a bit more tender. Would skip it next time
— Coconut rice — the most superior option of all the rices. So good!
Also, quite reasonable — every entrée is about $ 10. It’s also super clean and well-​decorated. I’m a fan!

This place is amazing. Their fermented green tea salad tops all of the other nearby Burmese places! GO!

We have ordered takeout about 10 times now. We always order the same things — Rainbow salad, tea leaf salad, coconut noodle soup.
I was going to get it four stars but I bumped it up to five stars because of two things. Consistency and speed. These items are consistently the same and consistently really good. They also make their food relatively quickly which is much appreciated for takeout. Combine that with reasonable prices and you get five stars from me!

Been to all the other Burmese restaurants in this city, but Burmese kitchen continues to be my favorite. Their old location was where I was introduced to them, but their new location is closer to home, so I’m pleased!

Hadn’t been to Burmese Kitchen since it was on Larkin. I don’t know how long they’ve been at this location, but I’m really happy to report that the food is still as good as it was back in its Larkin days. I remember being so bummed when they shut down that location and went back a few times hoping they’d reopen soon. After a few times looking them up, I forgot about it and it wasn’t until my sister’s birthday, which just passed, that we thought of looking for Burmese Kitchen.
Same faces, same yummy food, but open later, which is a plus!

Great Burmese spot that’s super cheap and easy to get into. Maybe slightly smaller portions than Mandalay or Burma Superstar, but a little cheaper, and just about as good. Comparably good to Burma Love, but less than half the price. A little more out of the way, especially compared to their previous Civic Center location, but well worth the trip. We had no trouble getting a table for 8 at 7pm on a Saturday.
We got:
— tea leaf salad
— samosa soup
— roti and potato curry
— chicken and potato curry
— pork with pickled mango
— lemongrass beef
— spicy fish
— garlic rice stick with chicken
— mixed vegetable curry
— ladyfingers (okra)
— coconut rice
Everything was pretty solid — the lemongrass beef, spicy fish, and appetizers were all big hits, and vegetable curry well liked too. It came out to less than $ 18/​head, for quite the feast. Great service too, water was refilled pretty frequently, despite it only being one woman running the place. Several among the group had not had Burmese before and were big fans.
Will happily return and it’ll be another alternative to Burma Superstar for less wait, along with Mandalay.

Having vegan and vegetarian friends is both a curse and a blessing. It’s a curse, because I love eating meat, and our meal choices are always limited. It’s a blessing, because I sometimes try new foods and places that I wouldn’t otherwise attempt.
Case in point, Burmese kitchen. I’ve never thought to myself, «Hey! I want some Burmese food» or «Hey! I want some vegetarian Burmese food!» This was my friend’s suggestion, and even after I agreed, I wasn’t sold.
The meal was quite good, though. I enjoyed everything we ate, which was the pumpkin stew, potato curry, and tea leaf salad. I love pumpkin, so that wasn’t a hard sell, but fermented tea leaves? That doesn’t sound pleasant at all. Luckily, it totally was, and I’d order it again in a heartbeat.
The area outside isn’t the greatest, but if you’re not too worried about it, this is a nice spot for some food.

Got a few things delivered from here, wasn’t impressed. Every Burmese experience I’ve had in the bay area has been amazing, until this one.
Rainbow Salad — so soggy and wet, not anything like the other rainbow salads I’ve had. It’s got the consistency of Pad Thai, and there was an off, unidentifiable taste even once getting past the consistency. Yuck.
Samosa Soup — I haven’t had this before but it had good reviews. The broth was good, and the cut-​up samosa and accompaniments were good, but not great when mixed together.
Coconut rice — highlight of the meal. real yummy
Fried rice — terrible. not what I think of as fried rice at all. White rices with some chickpeas mixed in, and maybe butter. $ 2.50 should have tipped me off.
Fried appetizer combo — Samosas were really, really yummy. Fried tofu was okay, and falafel was incredibly dry and too spicy. And I like spicy.
And the sodas were delivered warm. C’mon, I’m not ordering the soda to put in the fridge for later, wanted to have it with the meal Really sorry I didn’t like this place more, as it is only Burmese delivery in my area.

This place is new in the area. Server are very attentive, tea are brought and making sure we were doing good. Place is clean.
Food is very tasty, spices and flavor are just perfect. The curry fish was so good with coconut rice. Tea leaf salad very delicious.
Good competitive with Mandalay down the block.
New Burmese place for me, easy parking. Come early best advice.

Get ready for a tastebuds adventure! Second time round here and I’ll be back plenty more. Food is so delicious, everything I’ve tried was full of flavor and satisfying. Awesome service and great value.
Roti: clouds of heaven
Chicken coconut curry noodle soup: absolute fave
Tea leaf salad: crunchy goodness — def try
Coconut tapioca: warm & perfectly sweet
Skip the long lines and overrated-​ness of Burma star
Everything tastes better than skinny feels

Every time I try a new Burmese place, I find a new favorite… I guess it’s an inevitable paradox when Burmese food is so good and each place stands out so distinctively!
(+++) B.K. Style Signature Tea Leaf Salad (homestyle with extra fermented tea leaf, fried garlic, sesame seeds, shredded cabbage, assorted peas & peanuts, $ 9.75): Frankly I’m not sure if the extra $ 2 is worth it over the regular tea leaf salad; I was just enticed by the name. It is definitely one of the most flavorful tea leaf salads I’ve ever had – pungently aromatic tea leaf, blended into multidimensional character with the assorted peas, topped with a flamboyant coating of sesame seeds. It comes already mixed so it may look as good as other restaurants where all the ingredients are presented in little piles, but the taste is exquisitely exotic.
(++) Ong Noh Kau Swel (coconut chicken soup egg noodle, diced chicken in coconut broth, fried split peas, and hard boil egg, $ 9.50): An outstandingly balanced coconut soup – just the right amount of coconut without being too creamy. It could have used more chicken, but the soft noodles and overall composition of comforting ingredients essentially make this fancy chicken noodle soup.
(++) Pork Curry (Pork with pureed onion, garlic, mustard seeds & spices, $ 8.50): The slow-​cooked tender pork and housemade blend of curry make this memorable despite its plain name and presentation. I really like how the curry is vegetable based so it’s satisfying but light.
Compared to other Burmese places Burmese Kitchen is a little more more hole-​in-​the-​wall, and by hole-​in-​the-​wall, I just mean in size and fame. It’s a smaller place and not as frequently discussed as Burma Superstar or Mandalay, but nonetheless a nice restaurant with a relaxing and refined ambiance (though they could do away with the collage of painted paper plates).

This is a nice small Burmese restaurant. It is clean. The staff is very friendly. The food is very good. I tried the Tea Leaf salad, it was really good. It tasted fresh and it was full of flavor. It was a savory salad that had a slightly bitter flavor. It was refreshing. I also tried the fish chowder. It was also good. It was flavorful and had a nice crunchy texture to it. I also like the fried appetizer combination and their semolina dessert. I also visited this place at it’s old location on Larkin Street. Their food is still very good.

Great alternate Burmese option when Burma Superstar or Mandalay is just too busy and B Star doesn’t hit the spot. Portion, price, quality all comparable =) and service is much faster than the aforementioned places since it is smaller/​less busy.
Got quite a few dishes to share between 5 of us and here were my standouts (did not dislike anything!)
– BK style signature tea leaf salad — comparable to Burma Superstar, but without the crunchy romaine lettuce. I like the Burma Superstar one better but this one is still good =)
– Samusa soup (oh man, it comes with their version of a falafel too. SO GOOD)
– Coconut rice (just a side, but so simple and so good)

Husband says this is what Burmese food tastes like in a Burmese rest home. Could be that we just didn’t order well, and we’ve only been the one time, so??? I would go back if a friend really wanted to eat here, but it certainly wouldn’t be my first choice in this neighborhood filled with really good food.
The good things:
–nice interior. Not really fancy (example: paper plate ‘sculpture’ thing on the wall) but comfortable, pretty and clean.
–tea leaf salad. Husband likes Burma Superstar and Mandalay’s better, but I thought it was pretty good. I would get it again.
–cocnut rice. It was not at all soggy with just a hint of coconut. I liked it.
–not expensive. We ate dinner for about $ 30.
The not that great things:
–the bathroom needs help. Not disgusting, and nothing stored there, but seriously not nice.
–the roasted ginger chicken was not roasted. Think stewed and kind of greasy.
–tamarind fish didnt taste like tamarind. It was boring. Tamarind is not boring; this should have been good.
–the waiter was sort of a doosh. In an empty restaurant he sat a couple in the worst seat in the place. Really? Not us, thankfully (I would have protested.) Also, he kept refilling husband’s water, but not mine. Weird. As each dish came to the table he presented it to husband as if it were a fine bottle of wine… sort of strange. Waaaay strange, actually. Maybe he had a little man-​crush? Or maybe he figured husband was most likely to be the bill payer so he was sucking up? Who knows, but it was creepy.
Ok well husband just went to brush his teeth to get the taste of the ginger chicken out of his mouth, and then he’s going to pour us some wine. I hope he presents the bottle to me for approval before he pours.

Hungry after a nap on a Saturday afternoon. Needed food. Burma Superstar is a bit too far to walk and I often try to avoid the cliched Clement Street anyhow. Our sushi place on Arguello is closed for a week (what?!), Cha Cha Cha is a bit far to walk and probably too crowded. In situations like this, Unilocal came to the rescue. I’ve read about this place, it’s a respectful walk of 0.5 miles from the nap joint. Decided to take a walk and give this place a swirl. Is it different from Burma Superstar and Mandalay? I wondered.
It has a lot of Indian influence. Whereas Madalay on California and 6^th is more Chinese influenced. Try to avoid Burma Superstar whenever I can as I don’t like waiting in line. Wiki’ed Burmese cuisine and I understood its food are influenced by both, as they boarder both countries. Tea leaf salad is great. Very protein rich even though it is vegetarian. There were a lot of different type of nuts. Most unusual is the sprouted beans. Pork with pickled mango a bit bizarre but definitely interesting. Plus the pork was super tender. Again, it felt a certain version of Indian. Coconut rice was however very fluffy and more southeast Asian.
Burmese coffee was mellow with a hint of sweetness to it (tell your wait staff to not put too much sugar or condensed milk in it).
There are a number of other things I’d try off the menu. It’s a good way to give your body enough of a jolt to start the evening.
We took our time to eat and then exited the restaurant as people started to drizzle in. The wind had picked up. You can hear the fog horn from afar. the sun had gone back into the cloud. A very quiet Saturday afternoon in this quiet Inner Richmond neighborhood. It’s hard to imagine how many restaurants are within one mile radius from where we were. I felt happy and content once again. This place serves yummy food. A keeper.

Was attracted by the fancy flashing lights next door for the spicy hot pot restaurant. Looked at the menu and wasn’t feeling it. This was right next door, as we looked at the menu, the waiter gave us a take out menu to look at. We decided to give them a try as many of their dishes were gluten free and the hospitality of the waiter. There was only 1 other table besides us. Quaint and small eatery that produces some tasty and spicy dishes. Started out with the tea leaf salad, it was tasty but too much chewing for my tastes. The dish contains a lot of assorted peas and peanuts, hence the chewing. We also tried the rainbow salad, it was different from other places. Not bad but it was wetter than I remembered. It was delicious though. We ordered the garlic chicken and the pork chana del for our entrees. The garlic chicken had a lot of flavor and a nice little kick to it. Chunks of tender breast meat with our cloves of garlic and lemon grass infused throughout the dish. Pairs well with rice. The pork chana del was very saucy and had a lot of yellow split peas and that dish goes well with rice also. Even though the dishes looks small when it comes out, you will be stuffed! We had leftovers for the next day. It was such a pleasant surprise for this unassuming restaurant on busy Geary St. Try it! at least, no long lines for Burma Star.