Traveling to Myanmar can be overwhelming. There is a lot to take in and experience while you are there; the people, the culture and of course the food. Most importantly the food. What should you eat in Yangon?
Food has always been one of my favorite things about traveling. Every country is so unique as to what types of foods they eat and what foods they are not allowed to eat.
How they eat can vary as well. Some cultures eat with their hands, others use chopsticks, or they use cutlery as we are used to.
Whether they mainly eat at home or they’re always eating out and restaurants, it’s fascinating to understand what is normal for each country.
Food is such an important part of the culture of where you are traveling to, it is important to fully dive in and experience it as a local would.
Traveling around Myanmar, you will learn pretty quickly that they love street food.
Yangon is just one spot you should hit on your Myanmar itinerary. Mainly for their street food.
There were so many good options to eat there. Plus, it was full of culture, temples and live events to vitis.
But, we are here to talk about food. So here is my top foods you should eat in Yangon.
What You Should Eat In Yangon
1. Mohinga (Fish Soup)
This is considered the national dish of Myanmar and is normally eaten in the morning for breakfast. I agree that fish soup does not sound like the most appealing dish for breakfast, but this was hands down my favorite meal in Myanmar.
It tasted nothing like fish and oddly reminded me of cornflakes. It is one of the foods you should eat in Yangon.
It was a warm bothy soup that is thickened with chickpea flour and comes with rice noodles, a boiled egg, onions, garlic, chilis, and fried corn fritters.
They call it fish head soup, but depending on what region you are in, it doesn’t always come with fish. As I said, it tasted nothing like fish.
Grab a bowl on the streets in the morning and enjoy it with locals before they head to work.
2. Shan Noodles
Another super popular dish all throughout Myanmar. Even though this dish comes from the Shan region of Myanmar, it is widely eaten throughout the whole country.
This was another brothy noodle dish that I ate almost every day throughout my time in Myanmar.
It can be served with or without meat and is served for breakfast, but locals tend to eat this one all day long.
The broth is not as thick as mohinga, but the flavors are mouth-watering and you can also enjoy it without the broth.
Most places will let you build your own dish, picking out just how many noodles you want and anything else you want to add.
You cannot leave Yangon without trying this dish!
3. Skewers- BBQ
Nothing beats street food like good old-fashioned BBQ, and in Yangon there is plenty to be had.
It’s hard to walk down a street and not see BBQ and skewers around every corner. However, in Yangon, 19th street is probably the most popular with tourists.
When there you should eat on 19th street.
If you want to avoid the tourist crowd, head down to any other street and you will find Myanmar BBQ. Just select what you would like to eat and you pay per skewer.
This way you can eat as much or as little as you would like.
Most skewers are around $1 – $2, but it depends on the cut and kind of meat you pick out.
Enjoy the true BBQ culture and wash it down with a $1 Myanmar beer.
4. Ohn No Khaut Swal (Coconut Noodle Soup)
This was probably my second favorite dish I had in Myanmar, just after the Mohinga.
I absolutely loved this delicious dish! It reminded me of a coconut noodle dish they have in Northern Thailand, but thankfully it was not as spicy.
This was probably the first dish I had in Yangon that wasn’t overwhelmingly spicy.
The creamy coconut broth was seasoned just perfectly, not too spicy and not too sweet.
It also came with real noodles compared to the rice noodles that are served in most other dishes. It comes with lime, cilantro, and crispy corn fritters to give it a little crunch and texture.
5. Mote Lin Ma Yar
I couldn’t get enough of these little guys. Crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. They make the perfect snack for when walking around the streets and you need to eat them in Yangon.
Made with a coconut batter, fermented chickpeas and green onions on the inside.
The batter is poured into small little balls in hot oil of a cast-iron skillet, just enough to cook the outside crispy.
They are then flipped to cook the other side, creating small little balls with juicy dough inside. They are the perfect afternoon snack to tide you over and a nice treat if you are tired of noodles.
6. Lahpet Thoke (Fermented Tea Leaf Salad)
This was quite a unique and interesting taste, especially compared to the other dishes I had while I was in Myanmar.
I have never heard of eating tea leaves before, but since I was in Myanmar, I wanted to eat like a local.
When the tea leaves are harvested, most are dried to make tea.
However, in Myanmar, some of the leaves are kept fresh.
They then ferment the tea leaves along with cabbage to make a salad. The tea leaves still have a caffeine effect.
Since you are eating them and not drinking them, you the effects of the caffeine more intensely. This salad gives you energy!
Along with the fermented tea leaves, they mix tomatoes, roasted peanuts, fried garlic and of course lots of chilis.
7. Myay Oae Mhee Shay (Clay Pot Noodles)
It is hard to go a day in Myanmar without eating some sort of noodle dish. It took me about 3 weeks before I started getting sick of noodles because they are able to do this dish in many unique ways.
The clay pot noodles were different because they were thick rice noodles, whereas most of the other dishes were a thin rice noodle.
Since they were cooked in a clay pot it tended to be a heavier dish, almost more like pasta with an Asian taste to it. For this particular dish you had your choice of either chicken or pork.
You will absolutely love this dish.
8. Fried Chicken
Yangon has some of the best street food around, and their fried chicken is mouth-watering good. It was so easy to pick some up while you walked around town looking at pagodas and checking out the circular train.
Plus one piece of chicken was typically under $1.
It is hard to understand how KFC is even in Yangon when you can find this chicken everywhere.
The fried chicken on the street is served with a sweet chili sauce, which gives it just the right combination of spicy and sweet.
It is so crispy on the outside and nice and juicy on the inside.
If you are in Yangon, don’t forget to try their fried chicken. They will also give you fried chicken skin as you wait for your chicken to cook.
9. Steamed Bao Buns
You can find these pillows of love all throughout Myanmar. When you are eating out at a local restaurant, they will put them on your table while you wait for your food.
Know that you will be charged, but only if you eat them.
They also sell them on every street corner and in all convenience stores. You can’t miss them and you must try them.
They make a great snack or a meal on their own. LIght fluffy dough on the outside, and perfectly seasoned pulled pork or chicken on the inside.
10. Samosas
Myanmar has an interesting blend of cuisine. It is highly influenced by Asia, but also India. When you are tired of its Asian influence, enjoy the Indian side.
Yangon had some of the best street samosas around. Samosas are potato curry wrapped in a light dough and then deep-fried.
They are not too spicy, so if you are looking for that extra kick, eat them with some fried chilis. They were so good and so cheap, I made sure to eat them every day.
If you are still unsure of what to eat in Yangon, Myanmar, just get out and walk the streets. You will find tons of locals enjoying the cuisine, they will point you in the right direction.
I always follow the locals when I am traveling and eat where they eat. Not only does this ensure you eat at the best places in town, but it’s also how you save money.
Locals don’t eat where the food is overpriced, and they especially don’t eat where the food isn’t tasty.
Follow the locals and you will be safe.
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