| Address | 740 6th St., 2nd floor, Washington, DC 20001 |
|---|---|
| Hours | Open Mon-Thu 11am-3pm, 6pm-10pm; Fri 11am-3pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm; Sat 5:30pm-10:30pm; Sun 5:30pm-10pm |
| Phone | (202) 638-1280 |
Service can be maddeningly slow or seemingly inattentive. And the noise level can be deafeningly high. But the food is unique at prices that cannot be beaten. Try the green tea leaf salad and one of the sour entrees. The blend of sour and salty (from fish sauce) is a treat. The portion sizes are ample: two of us left with another meal's worth of leftovers from just one starter and one entree. Going in the street-level door you will think you have taken a wrong turn and entered an office building. Go upstairs, through the foreboding-looking security door, and into the nondescript hallway; you will not regret it.
This joint is unique in that: (1) there's no cheesy music playing in your background, so take pleasure in silence; (2) the meals sound strange at first glance, but the actual taste is heavenly; (3) the prices are cheap for such delicious food that come in large portions, too; and lastly, (4) you get to recognize a super-waiter who serves seven or more tables on his own -- he cleans them, he sets them, he brings food to them, he refills everybody's water... and every time, he makes a flawless victory. This nameless waiter is someone who I truly admire when I come to eat here. I think of Burma Restaurant as a rare gem within D.C.'s Chinatown.
Several dishes -- green tea noodle dish comes to mind, as well as several of the salads -- are great. Some other dishes (esp. the fish) are more mediocre.
Nondescript decor, but a good, non-pretentious place to try different food and have a conversation in which both people can hear each other.
Just hook a serving of their pickled mustard greens to my veins. The tangyness of Burmese cuisine is captured perfectly - lighter than Chinese, sweeter than Vietnamese, with definite Indonesian influences. Plan ahead and order the duck. It's hard to find but so tasty it's worth the climb up the sketchy stairs.
We'd read the recent reviews but went into Burma with low expectations due to bland and greasy food in other "Chinatown" restaurants. Burma excelled. As a vegetarian, there were plenty of offerings, including salads with papaya or ginger and many tofu options. My mate had noodles with toasted shrimp and I selected the ginger salad. The food came quickly and the plates were piled high. Noodles were sweet and sour, not oily. The ginger salad was fresh and crispy, with cilantro and basil. We were satisfied. Two plates and without drinks came to $16.
We went with a Burmese friend of ours, so we did not have communications problem with the staff. we ordered two salad dishes, the golden triangles, soup with noodles, and a mango pork entree. We were also given a huge bowl of rice. All the food was delicious, well balanced in flavor and spicy if necessary. We also got the coconut cake and tapioca cream desserts. These foods pair best with those of native or regular asian palates. This place definitely measures up to Mandalay in Silver Springs. The place itself is not fancy at all, but the small front dining room is a lot more decorative than the back room (which offers more privacy).
A nice atmosphere on the second floor, with marionette puppets as decorations around the room. We tried the golden triangles appetizer (deep fried tofu wedges with a sweet and tart sauce), the mustard green salad, and the mango beef. We actually ordered mango pork, but either our server or the table runner misheard. But it was no problem -- the food is good, but not spectacular. I look forward to trying other Burmese restaurants in the area soon.
Burma is a great find if you're looking to avoid the crowds in this rapidly changing neighborhood. This place tends to get overlooked in slickified Penn Quarter but Burma dishes up some perfectly serviceable food (this is one of only three Burmese restaurants in the area). Prices are low, portions are huge--seriously, share an entree here--and service was fine on this occasion though it can be a bit unpredictable. A dish of buttery cellophane noodles proved to be hearty and satisfying if a bit too much of a good thing. A dish of Tofu and mushrooms was was nothing more than the sum of its parts, a thin, bland broth didn't help.
I'll still trek out to Mandalay for better Burmese but it's good to know that Burma is only a short train ride away.
What the restaurant lacks in decor, it makes up for in food quality. The green tea salad was different but not over-the-top odd. The kokang chicken was tender with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce. Our party of six was not rushed and we all left raving about the food.
