Yangon’s Historical Restaurants — 3 Time-Tested Old Favorites

Yangon’s Historical Restaurants — 3 Time-Tested Old Favorites in Yangon

Old, long-established restaurants that pass recipes down through generations and bring joy to travelers are like a city’s living history. They are proof of a life built up over time as people and cultures meet, exchange, and change. Through three longtime restaurants that Yangon locals have loved for generations, we look into the roots of Myanmar’s cuisine and the scenes of everyday life.

Words Pitch by Pitch
Illustration Kim Eunbin
In collaboration with ASEAN-Korea Centre

The Original Myanmar Rice Noodles
Kyay Oh Bayin

Kyay Oh Bayin began as Yangon’s first restaurant devoted to kyay oh, and for more than half a century it has kept the flavor of authentic kyay oh noodles alive. Myanmar’s kyay oh is a bowl of rice noodles in a clear broth simmered from pork bones, generously topped with minced pork meatballs, egg, pork offal, and more. The harmony of chewy rice noodles, rich broth, and fresh meatballs made from pork alone whets the appetite. Add a spicy sauce made from tomato and pepper, season it to your own taste, and you have a satisfying meal. There is also kyay oh sijet, a dry, mixed version without broth. The toppings are similar, but the overall flavor is different: the noodles are tossed in garlic oil, soy sauce, and sesame oil, giving them a fragrant, nutty taste.

Founded: 1968

Address: No.168/188, Room(1), 27th Street, Pabedan Township, Yangon

Yangon’s First Shan Noodle Shop
999 Shan Noodle House

Tucked into a back alley behind Yangon’s City Hall, 999 Shan Noodle House is a longtime shop serving the traditional noodles of the Shan, one of Myanmar’s ethnic minorities. It is said to have been opened in the late 1970s by Shan people who missed the tastes of home. Traditional Shan noodles are flat, round rice noodles served in a clear broth simmered from chicken bones or pork, and the broth, brightened with ginger and garlic, is the highlight. The toppings are relatively modest, but you can adjust the bowl to your liking with the assorted vegetables and seasonings served alongside. Locals add texture with fresh banana stem and fried perilla leaves, or make the noodles more filling with a boiled egg or fried meatballs.

Founded: 1978

Address: 130b 34th Street, Yangon

Yangon’s Signature Home-Style Restaurant
Danuphyu Daw Saw Yee

Danuphyu Daw Saw Yee, which has held the same spot for more than 40 years, is called Yangon’s best place for home-style curry. The interior feels like a cafeteria or a home kitchen, relaxed and comfortable. An open counter along one side of the restaurant displays the side dishes and curries made that day. Ordering is simple: just point to what you want from the display and tell them. Here, the curries prepared in different varieties, such as beef, mutton, and fish, stimulate the eyes and nose before they ever reach your mouth. The beef curry is simmered slowly with plenty of spices, so the meat is tender and the rich flavor of the beef blends with the spices. The fish curry is made by boiling rich-tasting freshwater fish with spices, so it is clean rather than fishy, light yet deep in flavor.

Founded: 1954

Address: No. 175/177, 29th Street Pabedan, Yangon