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Amy Lam
Amy Lam is a writer and editor based in Portland. Read More
Irresistible Burmese Food in Portland
Savor the bold Southeast Asian flavors of Burmese cuisine, from aromatic curries to tea leaf salads, at these Portland eateries.
Amy Lam
Amy Lam is a writer and editor based in Portland. Read More
Against a backdrop of migration and cultural exchange, Portland’s thriving dining scene offers cuisine from all around the world. Burmese cuisine stands out among these diverse options for its bold Southeast Asian flavors. From aromatic curries to savory noodles and fragrant rice dishes, Burmese cuisine reflects a nuanced blend of influences from its own mix of ethnic groups and neighboring countries like India, China and Thailand.
Despite the relatively small population of immigrants and refugees from the region, Portland is lucky to boast a variety of restaurants offering dishes from Myanmar (which was known as Burma until 1989). According to the Burmese American Community Institute, there are more than 320,000 Burmese immigrants and refugees in the U.S., a fraction of whom reside in Portland.
One of the most iconic Burmese dishes is the traditional tea leaf salad known as lahpet thoke. It was love at first taste for me when I tried it for the first time in Yangon, Myanmar. The dish comprises tangy fermented tea leaves mixed with crunchy peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, fried garlic, and fresh vegetables like shredded cabbage and tomatoes — combined for bright, piquant flavors and distinct textures. Fortunately for food lovers, every Burmese restaurant in Portland has its take on the tea leaf salad, and they’re all worth trying.
Find Burmese Food in Portland
Sandy’s Myanmar Cuisine
Located in the airy, bright CORE Food Hall on Southeast 82nd Avenue, Sandy’s Myanmar Cuisine feels like a taste of wholesome home cooking from namesake chef-owner Sandy Myint. “The flavor of Burmese cuisine is something new with a hint of familiarity,” said Sandy, who immigrated from Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon. “Preserving the flavors that I grew up with, from a good home-cooked meal to the exciting flavors of the streets, I want Portland to experience Burmese cuisine as-is without the fuss and muss.”
Sandy recommends the mote hin gar, Myanmar’s national dish, which she describes as a “savory chowder.” The fish lemongrass soup is served with rice noodles, fish cakes, banana stems, eggs, fresh herbs and spices. I can’t say enough about her ohn hta min: a coconut rice and beef curry dish (also available as a chicken curry) with tender braised beef alongside chickpeas, cucumber salad, and the crispiest roasted chili and garlic flakes. Fans of hearty soup will love ohn no khao swè, a chicken coconut soup served in a bowl swimming with supple noodles in a thick curry and topped with a chickpea cracker.
Rangoon Bistro
From a Michelin-starred kitchen in Malaysia to their own restaurants in Portland, chefs David Sai and Alex Saw teamed up with chef and co-owner Nick Sherbo to bring their fresh approach to Burmese food, where quality and local ingredients take center stage. David and Alex, who are originally from Rangoon (now known as Yangon), and Nick have assembled a thoughtful menu that flows and shifts seasonally. Alongside mainstay dishes like the lahpet salad, Thai-style fried chicken and curry, and mushroom si chet (an umami-rich vegan noodle dish), diners can expect rotating specials like hot and sour chicken noodle soup topped with crispy Chinese youtiao or shrimp and lap cheong rice noodles. If you miss a tempting special, I recommend drowning your regret in a khao pyane sane, a generously stuffed rice noodle dumpling filled with pork and cabbage.
Village Kitchen
Once you’ve visited Village Kitchen, you’ll immediately understand why the food cart’s name is so fitting. Awng Htoi and his small team are kind and welcoming, as if they’re inviting you to join them at their table for a community meal. “We are using cooking techniques that have been used for thousands of years, passing through generations,” said Awng, who left Myanmar on his own as a refugee when he was a teenager, more than a decade ago. The dishes at Village Kitchen taste like a connection to his family, who have all remained in Myanmar. “We made our own spice,” said Awng, “some ingredients come all the way from my dad’s village.”
Definitely try the village salad and their lahpet thoke, but Village Kitchen specializes in fusion dishes, which Awng describes as “inspired by the American dream” and the mixing of cultures. The paratha with pumpkin masala, a delicately sweet blend of spices like cumin, cinnamon and coconut, is a nod to the Indian influences in Burmese cuisine.
Credit: Amy Lam
Mac and cheese lovers can find their groove with the Mac-Riah Curry (pronounced “Maria Carey,” obviously), a Burmese-American fusion macaroni dish with a tomato-based curry. Lactose got you down? Don’t worry; vegan options are available.
Credit: Amy Lam
Top Burmese
Initially operating as a virtual restaurant in 2019 through delivery apps, Top Burmese has grown to four brick-and-mortar locations in and around Portland. Kalvin Myint (Sandy’s brother — good cooking must run in the family) and his wife Poe serve a menu stacked with traditional Burmese dishes, full of vegan options and enough curry choices that you can eat a different one almost every day of the week.
The vegan eggplant curry and tofu curry are two standouts. A staple food in Myanmar, Burmese tofu is distinct in its golden color and subtly nutty flavor. Top Burmese tofu is made from scratch with chickpea flour and served with a house chili sauce when ordered on its own. Their cocktail menu (which includes a healthy selection of zero-proof drinks) features delightful drinks like the Mandalay Sunset with organic mango lassi and rum or the Burma Blue featuring butterfly pea tea, coconut milk and gin.
Burmese Delight
Visitors can’t miss the sunflower-yellow Burmese Delight food cart in the popular Hawthorne Asylum food cart pod. While the menu is packed with staple Burmese dishes, a couple of tea-leaf-based dishes are must-tries. The green tea leaf salad roll — part Vietnamese fresh roll, part burrito — is a unique way to start a meal, with the staple salad and jasmine rice wrapped in rice paper.
Save room for a wet-laphet rice plate with pork and tea-leaf curry served with a side of pickled veggies. Chef Aye Hlaing’s creative take on one of Myanmar’s specialties makes Burmese Delight a destination for all diners.
More Asian Eateries
Explore other offerings from Portland’s robust Asian and Southeast Asian food scene.
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