We spent 10 days in Myanmar in August 2018 and documented (literally) everything we ate. Here I cover every restaurant we visited and provide information on the meals we ordered, the cost, and other details about the places. Convenience store stops and hotel breakfasts are also included.
Food in Myanmar: Everything We Ate for 10 days (Vegetarian-Friendly)
Notes on Drinking and Eating in Myanmar: Our Experience
- We paid for all of our food in Myanmar using cash except one meal. Generally, cash was necessary.
- As is common outside of the U.S. (at least in our experience), water is typically not provided at meals so you must order a drink if you want one.
- Water bottles were provided to us by our hotels, buses, taxis, etc. meaning we didn’t have to buy as much as we expected which was really nice. Water bottles were also very cheap, though. Of course, you can’t drink the tap water. Some people recommend using bottled water to brush your teeth too but we used the tap water and were fine.
- Overall we tended to choose places we felt more safe about as we had heard about food poisoning being a problem there relative to other places. Fortunately, we did not experience it.
- Due to our focus on the above (we don’t always do this – we were a bit more comfortable eating off the side of the road in Vietnam, for example) we could have eaten even cheaper but as you’ll see, everything we ate was a good price, certainly relative to the U.S.
- Every hotel we stayed at provided a free breakfast. Often, rather than eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we would eat a decent-sized breakfast, then maybe a snack before dinner.
- At the time we went (September 2018), the exchange rate was just over 1,500 kyat to 1 U.S. dollar. Typically the ATMs would give us an exchange rate just under 1,500 kyats to $1. In our own documents, I converted all prices based on the exchange rate the ATM gave us but here I made it an even 1,500 to $1 to make it cleaner and consistent. Usually, the difference was maybe a couple of cents.
- All the juice/smoothies were freshly made (perhaps the only exception is that at Eureka they could have used some artificial ingredients but we don’t know for sure).
- The posts are not in order completely. We actually started in Mandalay, went to Bagan, then Monywa, then back to Mandalay. Since we were in Bagan on the second day I decided to just start there and leave Mandalay at the end. Because we visited some places multiple times, it also made it more difficult to really put it in order as that would technically require listing a place multiple times which I did not do.
On Being Vegetarian in Myanmar
I am a vegetarian so like always, I only ate vegetarian food in Myanmar and everywhere we chose to go was vegetarian-friendly. Kyle did eat meat so, like normal, the post is a mix of both.
I chose to go to only places that I knew served vegetarian food but this was not difficult at all. While we only went to one exclusively vegetarian restaurant, vegetarian options in Myanmar are pretty common. Between the juices/smoothies and the meals with vegetables, we had fruits and vegetables at most (maybe every) meals, making it a pretty healthy place to eat in general (though if you eat only local food sometimes it is a bit more oily).
Tipping at Restaurants in Myanmar
As Americans, we are used to tipping but know that it’s not the norm everywhere. We did some research before our trip and what we generally found was that for restaurants in Myanmar, tipping is not required, nor even expected – and in places less frequented by tourists it could even elicit confusion in locals. It is, of course, appreciated. (Keep in mind I am only talking about restaurants here, not other situations where tipping is typical.)
The food is already inexpensive, though and while we found (at least online) that some people choose to forgo it, our choice was to tip. (There were a few exceptions – such as two buffets Kyle had himself where it didn’t seem appropriate I guess, as well as at a more fast food type place and at the airport.) Still, we did take into account local norms and what we read to do there (many suggested just rounding up or leaving 1,000 kyat though we left a little more than that at times, or less if it was a smaller thing). Thus we were typically giving a little less than we would in the U.S.
On to the food!
BAGAN
BAGAN: MA MAE NAING (UNFORGETTABLE)
Our Experience
We started off our stay in Bagan with what other than some traditional Burmese food! After we got settled in our hotel, we actually first tried walking to a different place but it turned out to be closed. This was our next choice but also a place we decided we needed to try at some point while we were there.
We didn’t see anyone there, but it was also low season. There was hardly anyone around period. The weather was nice so we opted for their outdoor seating. Plus we’d be able to see if anything went on around us. It was pretty quiet with just a dog passing by once. We actually didn’t realize there was a dog who lived at the restaurant until that happened (it alerted him).
FYI unforgettable is just part of the name but it was a nice experience for us.
What We Ate
To drink, we ordered a watermelon juice (Kyle) and a lime juice (me). Good and refreshing.
To eat, we chose a tea leaf salad and a curry. We chose only one curry because I already knew what to expect in terms of food at this place and knew it would be plenty (see first photo). The curry included many different plates.
They started off bringing us the soup and some little bowls with things like potatoes, green beans, tofu, pumpkin, lima beans, brussels sprouts, and tomatoes. Soon after the vegetable dishes came out came the plate with rice. We each had different preferences when it came to the little bowls of food. I think I was more into the green beans and Kyle was surprisingly into the lima beans. I will say the food wasn’t very warm, though which made me a little worried but it was all fine. Kyle had one meat dish but doesn’t remember what it was.
After they brought out the curry, the tea leaf salad came (see photo above). This was the star dish for us. It had a good taste and I don’t know what they did with the pumpkin seeds but they add a great salty crunch to it. We haven’t succeeded in making pumpkin seeds in such a fashion.
We tried our best but couldn’t quite finish. Our personal buffet stuffed us.
Cost
- Total: $6 (9,000 kyat)
- $3.33 (5,000) Personal buffet meal/“Curry”
- $0.67 (1,000) Tea Leaf Salad
- $0.67 (1,000) Watermelon Juice
- $0.67 (1,000) Lime Juice
- $0.67 (1,000) Tip
BAGAN: SHWE OU
Our Experience
Shwe Ou advertises its homemade ice cream on a sign outside. Thus I initially thought this would be a potential dessert place for us and it was but we ended up using it for meals as well.
They have both indoor and outdoor seating and we tried both. The service was pretty good. It seemed to be run by a family and we saw various members go in and out.
What We Ate
Meal 1 (includes a dessert for me): Our first time visiting for a meal I ordered the papaya salad (see below) which included peanuts and tomato which was pretty good and a local dessert called Shwe Jin Ei which is made up of white bread, fresh sago, and coconut milk and jelly. Pretty interesting. Kyle ordered a Thai curry and rice. We each ordered a nice, fresh mango juice/smoothie.
Meal 2: Our second time visiting we both opted for a mango juice again. I chose stir fried mix vegetables and rice while Kyle thinks he got a pork curry and rice (first photo under Bagan Schwe Ou).
Dessert Visit 1: Our first solely dessert visit we got ice cream – strawberry for me and coconut for Kyle. They advertise their ice cream/are known for it so we had to try it and it was good.
Dessert Visit 2: On our second solely dessert visit Kyle got coconut ice cream again and I got another local dessert – snowy pearl ice cream (see the middle dessert above “what we ate”). I kind of wanted ice cream but I also wanted to try another unique option/one I am less likely to find other places.
Cost
- First Dessert Visit Total: $1.33 (2,000 kyat)
- $0.67 (1,000) Strawberry ice cream
- $0.67 (1,000) Coconut ice cream
- Second Dessert Visit Total: $2 (3,000 kyat)
- $1 (1,500) Snowy Pearl Ice Cream (Local dessert)
- $0.67 (1,000) Coconut ice cream
- $0.33 (500) Tip
- First Meal Visit Total: $7 (10,500 kyat)
- $1 (1,500) Papaya Salad
- $2.33 (3,500) Thai curry
- $0.67 (1,000) Rice
- $1 (1,500) Shwe Jin Ei (local dessert)
- $0.67 (1,000) Mango Juice
- $0.67 (1,000) Mango Juice
- $0.67 (1,000) Tip
- Second Meal Visit Total: ~$7.33 (11,000 kyat)
- $1.33 (2,000) Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables
- $0.67(1,000) Rice
- $2.33 (3,500) Kyle’s food
- $0.67 (1,000) Rice
- $0.67 (1,000) Mango Juice
- $0.67 (1,000) Mango Juice
- $1 (1,500) Tip
BAGAN: KYAW KITCHEN
Our Experience
We only went here once but had we been there longer we would have probably gone a bunch of times! We were in Bagan for three days and we came here for lunch the second day.
The seating is outdoors with both covered and uncovered options. The decor is nice and I kind of hoped to go there for dinner one night too because I saw they turn some lights on but this is just how it worked out. When we stopped in no one else was there but eventually an older couple also came to dine.
They also offer cooking classes! We didn’t know about this at the time but I bet they’re good.
What We Ate
For drinks we chose a lime juice (me) and a watermelon juice (Kyle). We tended to order the same juices most places which were always fresh. I thought lime juice was especially satisfying for hot days for myself.
Soon after we ordered, they brought out a (free) appetizer of fried spinach leaves with a special sauce. It was really good (see above)!
I ordered the spring rolls which they let me know were fresh – and they were! Those spring rolls were actually one of our favorite foods of our trip (Kyle tried it as well). We’ve even since tried to make something similar ourselves. Kyle thinks he got a chicken curry but doesn’t remember for sure but he liked it.
Cost
- Total $9 (13,500 kyat)
- $2 (3,000) Spring Rolls
- $4 (6,000) Kyle’s Curry
- $1 (1,500) Watermelon Juice
- $1 (1,500) Lime Juice
- $1 (1,500) Tip
BAGAN: LA PIZZA 2
Our Experience
We enjoyed our other food, but sometimes you just want some pizza. There are two La Pizzas: La Pizza 1 and La Pizza 2. We opted for La Pizza 2 because it was closer to our hotel.
The seating is mostly outside against the road but it’s pretty quiet (at least in low season when we went) so this mostly just makes it convenient. They prepare and cook the pizza in a stone oven outside right near the tables so you know it is fresh.
There wasn’t anyone else dining there when we grabbed dinner but there was an older (foreigner – could even be American) woman who had a beer from there while she waited for a pizza to take away.
What We Ate
While pizza is not a local food in Myanmar- we did order the most “local” pizza possible. We chose the tea leaf pizza, which has tea leaf, chiles, and garlic. It was probably the spiciest pizza I’ve ever had (though I did just recently have another spicy pizza in Breckenridge). We were a little surprised as we did not expect it to be so good.
We opted to share a lime juice as the juices were a little more here than the other restaurants we had visited so far.
Cost
- Total: $8.67 (13,000)
- $6.53 (9,800 kyat) pizza
- $1.47 (2,200 kyat) juice
- $0.67 (1,000 kyat) tip
BAGAN: CONVENIENCE STORE
Our Experience
I think we only went to one convenience store while in Bagan. I don’t know the name of it – something mini mart, but the particular one we went to was close to Shwe Ou. The first time the people seemed happy to see us but then they got pretty bored of us because we kept coming in I guess. There was also a cat hanging outside some of the time so we would pet it and hang out for a few minutes before heading off to our next destination.
What We Ate
Usually we bought water but we also got ice cream a couple of times (twice for me, once for Kyle). We also got a few other things there, but less food related.
Cost
- Waters were generally $0.20 (300)
- One of the ice creams I got was 200 so more like $0.14! The others were a little more.
BAGAN: HOTEL BREAKFAST
Our Experience
We stayed at the Bagan View Hotel which came with a free breakfast — on the roof! There is a pretty nice view of the surrounding area from up there. It wasn’t super crowded when we went but there were a few other guests there who seemed to be from all over – I think other parts of Myanmar, South America, and Europe.
What We Ate
Drinks: Tea, coffee, juice, and water were all available. This is where we tried Myanmar tea. We really enjoyed it – it tastes kind of like a mix of coffee and tea. The way we got it was also in a packet which you put in hot water. We bought some to bring home and to give as gifts for our family.
Another thing we liked was the “plant” juice. We don’t really know what it was because we asked and that is what they communicated to us. It was more like “hey, do you know what is in this juice?” “what?” “what type of juice is it?” “I’m not sure how you say it”. Then the person went and asked someone else and they were also not sure and started saying things we couldn’t understand. Then it was “plan juice” and we were like “plant juice?” and they were like yes! Well we really don’t feel like it was plant juice but who knows. There was also orange juice.
Food: Breakfast was buffet style. I got things like crepes, fruit, vegetables, potatoes, etc. Kyle got similar things as well as options which included Mohinga, a traditional Myanmar breakfast soup.
Cost
Free/comes with the hotel.
MONYWA
MONYWA: EUREKA BAKERY
Our Experience
This was a place which I could see online had local and non-local food as well as desserts so we decided it would be a good option for us. In the end we used it as more of a snack/drink stop. Originally we weren’t sure how much of the city we would explore as our second day there we originally were thinking we would be doing a day trip but we changed our minds.
The place had a more modern look, clean, with multiple stories and bathrooms. Probably the only of its kind in the city. It was designed more like a fast food place and was the only place we went to that was like this. We ordered up at the cashier and then they brought the items on a tray to our booth. At some point, some monks sat near us during the second visit.
We ended up visiting twice the same day because our second time passing it I was thirsty and we liked the smoothie the first time.
What We Ate
On our first visit, we had sour plum juice, a smoothie, fries, and a piece of cake. The second time we had a berry smoothie. I now know that I do not want sour plum juice again. It is not their fault; I think they did a good job with it – I think that sour plum is just not my taste preference. It is not like regular plum, not that I have had regular plum juice. If you like sour plum, you will probably like this juice, though. The cake looked nice, but also perhaps is just for some people. The frosting reminded us of velveeta. We didn’t try their other options, though.
Both smoothies were good, and the fries were fine.
Cost
- First visit was $5.04 (7559 kyat)
- $1.33 (2,000) Fries
- $1 (1,500) Cake
- $1.67 (2,500) Smoothie
- $1 (1,500) Juice
- $0.37 (559) Tax
- Second visit was $1.67 (2,500 kyat) for the Berry Smoothie
MONYWA: HOTEL RESTAURANT
Our Experience
We stayed at Shwe Taung Tan Lake View Hotel in Monywa which has its own dining room. Our first evening there we choose to stay in for dinner because we were tired from our day and it was easy and comfortable. Originally we thought we would eat somewhere else the next night but we rather enjoyed the food plus we were a bit of a walk from most places and hours were not always what we needed. I know, excuses.
The staff was nice. It looked like a couple of them were studying/doing schoolwork (most were young, maybe high school or college age) on a desk while we ate.
What We Ate
First Dinner: The first night (see the first pic) I chose vegetable tempura and a fruit plate (Kyle tried some of both as well). The veggies which included onion, green pepper, tea leaf I think, and some other things were really good. I almost got it again the second night. I was feeling like I needed some fruit/refreshments which is why I ordered the fruit plate as well. Plus we were hungry. The fruit plate included pineapple, papaya, banana, watermelon, and honeydew melon. We usually don’t like papaya but we thought it was great everywhere in Myanmar. I don’t know if their papaya is just better or we usually don’t eat it at the correct ripeness. For drinks, we had water and a large beer (by accident, but I don’t remember how) and shared both.
Second Dinner: The second night we just chose water to drink. We shared some veggie spring rolls and I had a vegetable stir fry and rice while Kyle had a chicken potato curry Myanmar style with rice. The spring rolls were not up to par compared to those at Kyaw Kitchen – probably frozen and fried but everything else was good.
Cost
- First Meal Total: $10.21 (15,000 kyat) (We didn’t record the dish details for this one but we did get a large beer which accounts for some of the difference I’d guess).
- Second Meal Total: $7.49 (11,000 kyat)
- $1.33 (2,000) spring rolls
- $1.33 (2,000) Vegetable Stir Fry
- $0.33 (500) Rice
- $2.67 (4,000) Chicken Potato Curry
- $0.33 (500) 500 Rice
- $0.67 (1,000) water
- $0.67 (1,000) tip
MONYWA: HOTEL BREAKFAST
Our Experience
This dining room was where we had both our breakfasts and dinners. Our hotel in Monywa was really nice and our breakfast was a pretty nice buffet as well. Both mornings there were other guests, one from India, some from other parts of Myanmar, and a couple, perhaps, from other parts of Asia. The room/restaurant was at the back of the hotel after you walked down the path toward the trees.
What We Ate
Options included fruit, vegetables, noodles, a fried vegetable ball, meat, soup, etc. and we tried most of it. For drinks, they had juice and water. We can’t remember if they had coffee but we think they did.
Cost
Free with the hotel stay.
MANDALAY
MANDALAY: GOLDEN SHAN
Our Experience
Our first stop in Myanmar was actually Mandalay. The evening after arriving to our hotel and going out for a half day of exploring I was ready to pass out as I had not quite adjusted time zone wise due to our flights and things like that. Kyle was very hungry, though. So I just enjoyed the juice the hotel provided us with and took a shower and laid on the bed while he went out to try a nearby place.
I had already made a list of nearby places with this being one of them. Kyle really tried to insist I come but on top of being tired nothing nearby looked all that appealing to me at the time. This place did have vegetarian options which was nice, though.
Anyway, Kyle went there and he said the people were friendly and encouraging. Golden Shan is a buffet style restaurant. The buffet was heavy on the fresh vegetables but also had some curries, a little meat, different types of rice, and some type of soup.
Coming later in the day, the food was not super hot but he thought it tasted good. After his first plate he had another loading up on the okra which he particularly liked. Spiciness level varied by dish. Kyle said the spiciest thing he had were some dried fried chilies.
Cost
- Total: $3.38 (5,000 kyat) for the buffet
MANDALAY TO BAGAN BUS STOP
Our Experience
On our bus ride between Mandalay and Bagan, there was one stop for food. The stand in the restaurant was in the same kind of style we experienced at our place in Petaling Jaya (Malaysia). The food was in this little buffet stand and you could tell them what you wanted. We gave it a look over and I went to sit down at a table while Kyle made his choices. While they likely had vegetarian options, I just couldn’t tell and we rarely have luck communicating vegetarian where there’s a communication barrier. I was still feeling a little sick anyway and I didn’t want to have to pee more (if I eat a meal, it can do that) so I opted to skip it.
What We Ate
Kyle thought the food was good. We don’t know what he got, though. Even though I didn’t have this and wasn’t too hungry, I did decide I should get something small. After Kyle finished his meal we took a look at the things being sold outside of the restaurant. We decided these glazed twists looked good. I don’t know if you are supposed to bargain at these places but we made no effort, just asked how much it was and it seemed reasonable to us.
While the other people on the bus were finishing up their meals I decided to give it a try. It was raining and we were standing out in the rain eating donuts which I think seemed a little weird to them but we enjoyed it. I don’t know what they call it but I’m going to call it a donut to make it simple. The donut was very hard, crunchy, but I think it was supposed to be that way. It was sweet and I could tell it had been fried.
Cost
- $1.35 (2,000 kyat) Kyle’s Meal
- $0.54 (800 kyat) Donut Cookies
MANDALAY: MARIE MIN VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT
Our Experience
This was the first place we ate our second time around in Mandalay. We arrive from Monywa early enough for a lunch and this was a place I knew was veg-friendly. We tried out the free bicycles offered by our hotel to get there and had a couple of issues (nervousness with the traffic, people moving the parked bikes when trying to cross the narrow street, my bike getting stuck locked, etc.) but it worked.
When we arrived it seemed like this is a place/area which caters a bit to tourists or expats. It seemed most everyone there and at the street across from us did not look like they were from Myanmar and spoke various other languages or with accents. Aside from at a couple of the more popular temples in Bagan (and even then there weren’t many), up until this point we really hadn’t seen more than maybe three or four other non-Myanmar tourists at a time.
The restaurant is up the stairs but they have a bathroom downstairs thankfully.
What We Ate
Marie Min Vegetarian Restaurant is supposed to be an Indian place and indeed it had some Indian stuff on the menu. I actually wasn’t really feeling like anything there but for some reason, I just wasn’t feeling like much in general at the time though I was hungry. For drinks, we had a ginger juice to help settle our stomachs. It was good. I decided to get a salad which you can see below – lots of tomatoes and cucumbers, onions, lime. It was pretty large.
Kyle got a coconut tofu curry with rice. It was good (I tried a little as well).
Cost
- Total was $8 (12,000 kyat) for everything. We did not record the specifics at this one.
MANDALAY: NOVA COFFEE
Our Experience
We rode the free bicycles here as well. It is a nice, clean place. The air conditioning worked well so in many ways it was a nice little escape from the city. The walls had books and the people there were pretty friendly. It is a more upscale place for the area but prices are still better than we’re used to in the states of course. Not surprisingly, NOVA also had a few foreigners also (I think around three each time) but there was more of a mix here.
What We Ate
We ate here twice.
First visit: It has coffee in the name so we thought we ought to try one of their coffees. Because it was hot out we went for one of their sweet frozen coffees: mocha cookie frappuccino aka basically a coffee shake. We also got water. To eat, we ordered two plates to share: a pesto pasta made with local spices and tea leaves and tempura vegetables. They were both great, also probably some of our favorite dishes of the trip.
Second visit: To drink we ordered a caramel latte frappuccino and a passionfruit juice because I thought that sounded good and refreshing. To eat we shared Vietnamese spring rolls which came with two different dipping sauces. We actually hadn’t had these in Vietnam. It was a nice refreshing snack.
Cost
- First visit total: $10 (15,000 kyat)
- $3.20 (4,800) pasta
- $3 (4,500) vegetable tempura
- $2.33 (3,500) coffee
- $0.33 (500) water
- $1.13 (1,700) tax and tip
- Second visit total $7.13 (10,700 kyat)
- $2.53 (3,800) spring rolls
- $2.33 (3,500) frap
- $1.67 (2,500) juice
- $0.60 (900) tax and tip
MANDALAY: INDIAN TADKA
Our Experience
I know I’ve said some other things were our favorite but this place was a favorite for us. The first time for some reason just as we were arriving I suddenly felt very sick so I didn’t get to enjoy it quite as much, though. I was on the verge of throwing up (this started just a little before entering). I think I was developing a migraine so I took some ibuprofen and was able to have a little more by the end.
Our second time there they had some Indian music videos playing on their tv which were interesting.
What We Ate
The meal always starts out with a free appetizer which was some big thin crunchy cracker things called papadums with onion and a green sauce as well as some onions. I had a little bit but it was quite spicy! Kyle enjoyed it. This is the first photo under Indian Tadka.
First Visit We ordered based on the idea that I would start feeling better but I still couldn’t handle much, except for the naan. That butter naan was just what I needed (aside from even more ibuprofen). We got extra orders for me since it sat well. While I could have a little of the rest, I couldn’t have much but I did like it and Kyle really did too. We were unfamiliar with some dishes so ended up surprised with how they looked, one of those being the cheese tiki (see the green thing to the left under what we ate). We believe the other thing we got was paneer butter masala. All of it was good. To drink, we had water.
Second Visit On our second visit I was able to indulge and we did splurge more. We decided we were going to before we got there so didn’t have much food before it that day. To drink we got a blueberry lassi (I think it was blueberry) and water. We chose a plate with four or five different types of bread (2 each) including a couple that came stuffed. Yum. We also got two more dishes. Then after we ate those we ordered another dish (Dal Makhan Wali which had black lentils and kidney beans). Then we got another order of naan. We were just really hungry and the food was good and all vegetarian. This was our most expensive meal in Myanmar but we also got a lot of food, it was kind of like two meals.
It makes sense that Indian food would be great there as Myanmar is close to India. We haven’t really had bad Indian food, though and are realizing how much we like the cuisine in general!
Cost
- First meal total: $11.72 (17,500)
- Second meal total: $17.17 (This one we paid on credit card – you have that ability here.) No specifics recorded on these.
MANDALAY: KIPLING CAFE
Our Experience
One thing we wanted to do in Mandalay was see the marionette show at Mandalay Marionettes Theater. We decided to walk there but didn’t time it well and arrived pretty early. We were a little hungry so went in search of something and this was nearby. The service was on the slow side but we were good with it because we had time to spare. The chairs were fairly comfortable so it was a solid option. It looked like they also had bakery items. During the time we were there a seemingly nice old (Myanmar) couple came in and it looked like they were buying some meat.
What We Ate
Fries and two drinks. The fries were fine and came with two dipping sauces, one being ketchup, the other more like a chili sauce. For drinks, I had a lime juice and Kyle chose a honeydew lemon juice (yeah, pretty random). At first they said they were out of the honeydew lemon which I think was part of the wait but then they said they had it so not sure what went on there. Had a similar thing happen to us in Vietnam a couple times (also with drinks Kyle chose).
Cost
- Total: $2.53 (3,800 kyat)
- $1.33 (2,000) Fries
- $0.53 (800) Honeydew lemon juice
- $0.53 (800) Lime juice
- $0.13 (200) Tip
MANDALAY: NYLON ICE CREAM BAR
Our Experience
On one of our last nights in Mandalay we had returned to relax at our hotel for a little while after a long day but later decided we wanted some dessert. There aren’t a ton of specifically dessert places in the city so I had already noted those that existed/were nearby. I think this was one of the only ones.
It was an interesting little place. It was a little confusing to find because GoogleMaps lists two different locations. One is the Nylon Hotel and one is the ice cream bar. Of course, we didn’t have phone data so we weren’t using that for navigation but we did look at maps when we were in our hotel (which had wifi) and we noted both locations. I think that one of them was not in the correct spot but we kept going and eventually they appeared – they were near each other.
We were surprised to find Nylon Ice Cream Bar to be quite lively with locals (we were the only foreigners). There were many young people there enjoying desserts.
What We Ate
I ordered a sundae which was vanilla ice cream with some kind of topping. I don’t think it was chocolate. It was more like a fig jam or something. It was interesting and could be good but while I was eating I wish I knew what I was eating. Kyle ordered a float. This was good.
Here is Fodor’s review which seems pretty accurate to our experience except no one served us styrofoam which is good.
Cost
- Total: $1.67 (2,500 kyat)
- $0.80 (1,200) Float
- $0.67 (1,000) Sundae
- $0.20 (300) Tip
MANDALAY: CONVENIENCE STORES
Our Experience
Mostly we used the convenience store for water but there were a couple times we picked up snacks. I think we only used one but maybe we went to one other. We don’t remember the name(s), though.
What We Ate
Mainly water and snacks The first night when I was too tired to go out and didn’t have an appetite (jet lag related) Kyle picked up some chips (and water) on his way back for me. On our second stay in Mandalay, we found ourselves wanting a snack one night and grabbed chips, a candy bar, and a beer.
Cost
- $0.67 (990 kyat) for 2 large water bottles and potato chips
- $1.67 (2500 kyat) for chips, a candy bar, and a beer
- $0.34 (500 ) for a large water bottle
MANDALAY: DEE DOKE DRINKS
Our Experience
When we arrived to Dee Doke Falls we first sat down at one of the little sitting tables and the woman who also rents out floats came over and asked us if we wanted anything. While we didn’t really want anything and kind of just ordered it because we felt like we should (we also brought water).
What We Ate
We decided to get a lychee drink to share. It turned out that we rather liked it! It had a good flavor and even had little piece of lychee in it. We did already know we like lychee flavor and that’s why we chose it over like a soda.
Later Kyle got a beer.
Cost
- 500 Kyat ($0.33) for the lychee drink
- We actually forgot to record the cost of the beer but ended up later estimating 3,000 kyat ($2).
MANDALAY HOTEL BREAKFAST 1
Our Experience
Royal Yadanarbon was the first hotel we stayed at (and first free breakfast).
I partly should’ve eaten breakfast because I didn’t really have much for dinner (I did have plenty before arriving, though) but also partly shouldn’t have because I usually have to pee a lot over the next couple hours after a meal. When we left shortly after on our bus I had to pee so bad! I went before we left but that didn’t change anything. And I had to wait for an hour on a bumpy truck ride in the rain and then use a bus stop bathroom in Myanmar which is definitely even worse than you are picturing.
What We Ate
Out of all the hotels this one had the most limited buffet but we were happy to get any breakfast at the price of the hotel! I had a few pieces of toast with butter and jam, Kyle had some fried rice, and we shared some watermelon.
A little bit into our breakfast they brought each of us an egg. I don’t like eggs but we both said thank you and after Kyle finished his I tried to sneak mine to him when they weren’t looking. He enjoyed the eggs. We also had juice and water. I think they had coffee but we chose to skip it (thank goodness) due to it being likely to make me need to pee even more.
Cost
Came with hotel/free
MANDALAY HOTEL BREAKFAST 2
Our Experience
We’ve found that where you stay can really impact your impression and experience of a place. Thus when we returned to Mandalay we stayed in a different hotel just to get a different experience of the city and because we would be there for a few days, we chose one which had a little more space and things. (This was Hotel 8.) The breakfast took place on the roof/top floor area looking out into Mandalay. We enjoyed the views and would usually spend a little time looking out/around after breakfast.
What We Ate
Whenever we would come up the people who worked there were always very friendly. This was a buffet style breakfast with offerings including things like noodles or rice and vegetables, fruit, other things. I don’t pay much attention to meat offerings myself but they did have the coconut soup that some of the other places had as well which Kyle liked.
For drinks they offered juice, water, and I think coffee.
I generally had a fruit plate (usually watermelon and papaya), the potato dish, and 2/3 times the noodles/rice with vegetables. Kyle went for similar things.
Cost
Free with hotel stay
MANDALAY: AIRPORT FOOD, BLUE PUMPKIN
Our Experience
We got hungry while at the airport waiting to go to Bangkok so we decided to dine at one of the restaurants. I don’t think there were a ton of options. This was right near where we were waiting and it seemed good.
What We Ate
I went with a panini (tomato and cheese). Kyle chose a soup meal which came with a soda.
Cost
- Total was 12,345 kyat ($8.23)
Overall A Good Experience
It’s always nice to try a new cuisine and we got to experience that here. We didn’t get to eat everything that Myanmar has to offer but we did get a sampling and liked nearly everything we ate. At home we don’t eat out very often. It’s different when we’re on the road though with many circumstances factoring into how we eat but here it made the most sense to eat out for every meal and it was a nice!
Make it at Home!
Want to bring back a taste of Myanmar? Well, the best way to do so would be to grab a few items in-country, but if you don’t have the room or just plain forgot, here are a few ways to bring Myanmar into your kitchen.
- Kitchen Shears – The go-to kitchen utensil in Myanmar is not the knife and cutting board, it’s scissors. A few snips and you can get everything into the pot or pan, without dirtying up a board. Once you embrace the technique, you’ll find yourself saving loads of time cleaning up. Get these multi-tool shears and clean up is even easier because they come apart. Want to read more about it?
- Tea – hot and creamy milk-teas are the go-to for breakfast in Myanmar. While it’s best to have it straight from the source, you can also get powdered teas that taste fantastic and just need hot water. We found these and brought a whole pack back we loved them so much.
- Lamphet – the pickled tea leaves famously used in Burmese tea can be nearly impossible to find outside of Myanmar. However, you can find them here to get your fix.
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