Mandalay Myanmar – Best Places to Eat
The food in Mandalay, as with the rest of Myanmar, is fantastic with many local and national delicacies to feast on at one of the many street food stalls or restaurants. The foodie scene in this vibrant city is fantastic, so be sure to sample as many Burmese dishes as possible. Based in the north of the country, the cuisine is influenced variously by Thai, Chinese and Indian ingredients and cooking techniques, leading to a true melting pot of delicious flavours.
We wouldn’t say that the standard of food in the mid range restaurants aimed at tourists is as good as we found it in Yangon, where the city abounds with restaurants offering just about every cuisine you can image, but there’s still a lot of choice and it’s easy for travellers to find food options whatever budget they have for food.
What to eat
One meal you simply have to try is shan noodles, pork or sometimes chicken cooked up with noodles and mixed with peanuts, tomatoes, chilli and various other vegetables. This is eaten by the locals in Myanmar for pretty much any meal and the strong flavours make it one of our favourite noodle dishes.
Street food
Street food is an essential part of any South East Asian travel experience, whatever your budget, and Mandalay offers up some of the best that you can get your hands on. As with all street food though, be super careful to pick stands that are serving fresh food and that look at least relatively clean! Try to pick stands that are busy or that have a queue, ones that are popular with locals are also a smart choice.
Burmese food
There are many street food stalls and small traditional Burmese restaurants - with at least one on most streets. For a more sanitised but still fantastic local experience be sure to eat at Shan Mama’s at least once during your trip. It’s quite chaotic and always very busy but we paid less than USD5 for two big Mandalay beers and two plates of food. Once you’ve bagged a seat head up to the table with plates full of food from quails eggs and tofu to meat and traditionally spiced fish and just point out what you want - it’ll be cooked fresh and brought over to your table.
Barbecue restaurants are also enormously popular and we loved heading to local barbecue restaurants where you can pick from a huge selection of skewers, including meat and veggie options, that are grilled fresh in front of you. Mr BBQ is our favourite mid range choice, offering really tasty choices from about USD10 for two people to eat well.
Western & International food
If you need to enjoy some flavours from home, don’t worry, as well as the many traditional dished on offer you can also find international food on offer in most restaurants. Western choices tend to be a bit more expensive, usually around USD10 and upwards for a pizza or pasta dish, but are of a reasonable standard and sometimes just what you need when travelling far from home!
The country’s Indian influences have inspired many buffet-style Indian restaurants which feature pots of ready cooked curries in all flavours you can imagine. From budget buffets right through to the excellent option at the Governor’s House Hotel that’s a bit more of a splurge, it’s definitely worth trying one of these out on your visit to Mandalay.
Coffehouses & cafes
Finally, Mandalay is the perfect spot to enjoy a coffee and soak up the atmosphere of the city with some great coffee shops to choose from. Try Cafe Nova which has super friendly staff and serves delicious fresh smoothies in lightbulb inspired glasses - the hipsters have made it all the way to Myanmar! Another good choice is Koffee Korner, for a more quiet and relaxed atmosphere, you can also get a great American style breakfast here.