Like other top-class restuarants, Manis Restaurant in Yangon has many local and expatriate customers.

EXCELLENT food and service often go hand in hand with a great time and Yangon’s top-class restaurants provide both in abundance.

A number of restaurant owners, managers and general staff members said their regular customers were mainly expatriate embassy-staff, businesspeople or tourists but they also served plenty of well-to-do locals.

Restaurants in Yangon provide customers with a myriad of eating options including Italian, French, Chinese, Myanmar and Indochinese to name only a few.

The gourmet delights of French cuisine can be sampled at Le Planteur restaurant, on Sawmaha Street, which is frequented by expatriates and local businesspeople, according to Ma Myint Aye, assistant to manager Boris Granges.

In addition to the regular menu, Le Planteur also offers a barbeque dinner on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Free flow of drinks including wine, beer, soft drinks, fresh juice and some spirits like Johny Walker Red Label will be served with the meal.

“We have wines imported from France, Switzerland, Italy, Australia and even Romania but we also offer Myanmar wines too,” Ma Myint Aye said, adding that more than 50 brands of view point restament in Shan State town of Nyaung Shwe provides Shan cuisine and it is managed by Le Planteur.

Another option is L’Opera restaurant, which is famous for its fine Italian food. L’Opera has two restaurants in Yangon – one located at Marina residence and the other on U Tun Nyein Street in Mayangone township.

Owner Maurizio Boccoli said his customers were mainly embassy staff and Myanmar businesspeople but he was hoping to attract more local customers.
“My target is to bring in more local people because they are really interested in food and wines,” he said.

However, if Indian food is your favourite, Ashoka restaurant will be your choice. It is on Phoe Sein Street which is not far from the downtown area.

An Indian chef from New Delhi manages the kitchen to guarantee outstanding and authentic food for customers. A restaurant spokesperson, Ko James, said tandoori chicken (roasted chicken) was the most frequently requested item from the menu.

“Indian businessmen, expatriates from embassies and a few locals come to the restaurant. Locals come here where they want to treat Indian businesspeople to dinner,” Ko James said.

Manis restaurant and bar on Inya Road features Indonesian cuisine, while Myanmar and European foods can be provided on request for customers.
Ms Janes Soon said customers at the restaurant included local celebrities and foreign officials.

Manis’ nasi campur – rice and your choice of curry wrapped in banana leaves – is especially popular with local customers. All the meals are prepared by an Indonesian chef and a team of Myanmar cooks.

Manis also features a top-notch cocktail bar, with wine and champagne from France and Italy, fresh juice, cappuccino and espresso coffee.

For a unique Indochinese experience a diner cannot go past Monsoon restaurant on Thein Phyu Road in downtown Yangon.

Spokesperson for Monsoon, Ma Phyu Phyu Tin, said the restaurant is a popular destination for expatriates, tourists and local and foreign businesspeople.

It serves an array of Myanmar, Thai, Vietnamese, Laos, Cambodian and European foods. Ma Phyu Phyu Tin said European dishes are the most requested dinner choices. Monsoon’s chef is one of only two women registered at the Myanmar Chef Association.

As well as cocktails and wine from France and Ayetharyar, Monsoon also offers a range of unique health drinks, made with vegetables and fruits.

Ma Phyu Phyu Tin explained why the restaurant had been opened.
“The reason the restaurant was opened was first to introduce more Indochinese foods to Myanmar’s people. But we wanted to make Myanmar food more edible for foreigners by reducing the amount of oil, cooking with purified water and without using mono sodium glutamate (MSG). We also wanted to open it in a colonial age building,” she said.

There are a number of excellent eating destinations spread across Yangon, with options which appeal to any taste, why not try one out during for your next personal or business celebration.