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| Hot milk at a street stall |
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| Stalls selling Indian style meat and fish dishes are abundant |
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| Freshly made Naan in a Tandoor |
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| Piping hot Pooris |
Street food in Yangon is delicious and cheap. I stayed in the downtown area of Yangon. This area is cheaper and has more street food options than slightly more upscale neighbourhoods like Bahan or Dagon. A lot of hostels, money changers, and travel agents are also located in downtown Yangon. Apart from that, downtown Yangon is where you can see different ethnic groups living side by side. This area is old, dirty, and shabby but it is a fascinating place.
The food in Burma is heavily influenced by Indian and Thai cuisine, and to some extent Chinese cuisine too. There is a good balance of meat dishes and also vegetarian food. I prefer to eat vegetarian as much as possible, especially while travelling. I had no trouble finding vegetarian food options in Myanmar.
Anawrahta road, Latha township, and Strand Road are some popular places for good Burmese street food. The street stalls normally open in the morning or after 5pm. The food is tasty and there is a decent variety, but hygiene is often an issue. A lot of the food is left uncovered for long periods in the heat and dust. A good rule of thumb is to see which stalls have fresh looking food and have many people eating at them. Avoid stalls that are near open drains or garbage bins.
There are many small restaurants lining Anawrahta road. We found truly delicious food for almost street food prices. The one advantage - hygiene standards were slightly better. On the other hand, eating at roadside stalls is a unique experience in itself and I would suggest trying it out at least once. There are pharmacies nearby if you get sick!
I found Burmese food a little too oily and pungent for my tastes, but it was interesting trying it out. I liked the Indian and Chinese food there. I found a place that sold freshly made Naan for just 400 Kyats (0.4 SGD) per piece. The name of the restaurant was Ingyin Nwe South Indian Food Centre, run by Burmese-Tamil people, and it had an actual Tandoor for making Naan! It was near the bridge leading to Anawrahta road. They had a nice assortment of curries to go with. We spent around 2000 Kyats (2 SGD) for 3 huge Naan and a plate of brinjal curry. My mum had a fish, chapati, and rice thali for roughly the same price. Rice and vegetable side dishes were free flow. Very filling and delicious!
We encountered some Indian Navy guys in the restaurant. It was fun chatting with them and we helped them order food because they had trouble understanding the Burmese accented Tamil. Indian patriotism was flowing high in the restaurant that day!
We also found a street stall that sold fresh boiled milk. It was thick, creamy, and sweet. I usually hate drinking milk, but I was surprised at how rich it was. Right beside it was a Poori (deep fried bread) stall that sold 2 pooris for 500 kyat (0.50 SGD). It came with a generous helping of potato curry.
On both sides of Anawrahta road are many stalls and restaurants selling Chinese, Indian, Burmese, and Shan food. A filling meal with rice, curry, vegetables, and some meat should not cost you more than 2000-4000 Kyat (2-4 SGD). I have a poor memory of shop names, but I remember having the most divine Falooda (a desert made of thick milk, ice cream, rose syrup, vermicelli, and sago seeds) and Flan at an Indian-Muslim stall. If I remember correctly, it was somewhere near the Shan noodle restaurant opposite the bridge, and it is run by an Indian-muslim woman with two sweet little Shan girls helping out. They have really delicious flan and falooda at their shop. If you can find it, I suggest giving it a try!
We also encountered a lot of open air wet markets. We found a dazzling array of fresh fruits like strawberries, plums, apples, oranges, bananas, pomelo....just so many fruits! The prices were very cheap too, with nothing costing more than 1500 Kyat per kilo (1.5 SGD). The markets sell everything from fruits, vegetables, freshly caught fish, meat, herbs, spices. Walking through the wet markets was an experience in itself! Most markets are open in the morning and close by mid-day. They can be found in the lanes between Strand Road and Anawrahta Road.
I think all we did was eat and walk around in Yangon. The food was tasty and cheap. There are lots of street stalls selling fresh fruit juice, different forms of cendol/falooda, yangon's version of bubble tea, freshly brewed milk tea, hot milk, and even beer. Just explore with an open mind and you'll be surprised at how varied the food scene is.
I found Burmese food a little too oily and pungent for my tastes, but it was interesting trying it out. I liked the Indian and Chinese food there. I found a place that sold freshly made Naan for just 400 Kyats (0.4 SGD) per piece. The name of the restaurant was Ingyin Nwe South Indian Food Centre, run by Burmese-Tamil people, and it had an actual Tandoor for making Naan! It was near the bridge leading to Anawrahta road. They had a nice assortment of curries to go with. We spent around 2000 Kyats (2 SGD) for 3 huge Naan and a plate of brinjal curry. My mum had a fish, chapati, and rice thali for roughly the same price. Rice and vegetable side dishes were free flow. Very filling and delicious!
We encountered some Indian Navy guys in the restaurant. It was fun chatting with them and we helped them order food because they had trouble understanding the Burmese accented Tamil. Indian patriotism was flowing high in the restaurant that day!
We also found a street stall that sold fresh boiled milk. It was thick, creamy, and sweet. I usually hate drinking milk, but I was surprised at how rich it was. Right beside it was a Poori (deep fried bread) stall that sold 2 pooris for 500 kyat (0.50 SGD). It came with a generous helping of potato curry.
On both sides of Anawrahta road are many stalls and restaurants selling Chinese, Indian, Burmese, and Shan food. A filling meal with rice, curry, vegetables, and some meat should not cost you more than 2000-4000 Kyat (2-4 SGD). I have a poor memory of shop names, but I remember having the most divine Falooda (a desert made of thick milk, ice cream, rose syrup, vermicelli, and sago seeds) and Flan at an Indian-Muslim stall. If I remember correctly, it was somewhere near the Shan noodle restaurant opposite the bridge, and it is run by an Indian-muslim woman with two sweet little Shan girls helping out. They have really delicious flan and falooda at their shop. If you can find it, I suggest giving it a try!
We also encountered a lot of open air wet markets. We found a dazzling array of fresh fruits like strawberries, plums, apples, oranges, bananas, pomelo....just so many fruits! The prices were very cheap too, with nothing costing more than 1500 Kyat per kilo (1.5 SGD). The markets sell everything from fruits, vegetables, freshly caught fish, meat, herbs, spices. Walking through the wet markets was an experience in itself! Most markets are open in the morning and close by mid-day. They can be found in the lanes between Strand Road and Anawrahta Road.
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I think all we did was eat and walk around in Yangon. The food was tasty and cheap. There are lots of street stalls selling fresh fruit juice, different forms of cendol/falooda, yangon's version of bubble tea, freshly brewed milk tea, hot milk, and even beer. Just explore with an open mind and you'll be surprised at how varied the food scene is.
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