In the past two weeks, I had Burmese food twice in SF – one weekend at Mandalay, the next weekend at Burmese Kitchen. Both restaurants are doing a great job with COVID precautions and are working hard to make a great dining experience. At Mandalay, we were able to make a reservation for 4 people, and we sat in a walled-off outdoor corner, in front of the restaurant. Traffic on the street was a little busy, but we were pretty blocked from it. Service was excellent, food was very good. The standout, as usual, was the house special noodles, but I also really enjoyed the egg and okra curry.
At Burmese Kitchen we made a reservation for 5 people and sat in the backyard, which is tented and actually really lovely. We entered the backyard through a small alleyway. I’d be happy to eat back there even without any Covid restrictions! Tables were spread out so there was more than 6 feet distance from our table in all directions. There’s a heat lamp, but the weather was warm enough that it wasn’t needed. Food was excellent, and even better than I remembered. Highlights were the yellow tofu salad (always good in the past and still great), shrimp curry, balauchang and mohinga. We also enjoyed the semolina cake for dessert. If you’re curious about what the back yard looks like, there are pictures posted on Yelp I think.
Moral of the story: if you feel comfortable with outdoor dining, you can get some great food AND have a reservation at both of these places. Check them out.
