Places to Eat in Mae Sot
Whether you’re travelling to Myanmar or not, while stopping in Mae Sot you should not miss sampling Burmese food. Flavoursome and rich, it differs significantly from other cuisines in South East Asia; due to the influences of the neighbouring countries that Burma has experienced for centuries, Burmese dishes are a unique fusion of Thai, Indian, Bangladeshi, Chinese, Pakistani and many other flavours.
Every ethnic group has their own specialties and a few days in Mae Sot will give you the chance to try many of them. Generally speaking with Burmese food you don’t have to worry too much about the level of spiciness; nevertheless their food is extremely tasteful with a variety of flavours that will make you love it.
Markets and Street Food
Start your journey from one of the markets; the most popular market is located right in the city centre in Prasatwith Rd and is open every day till late at night.
In town, there are also plenty of street vendors and small shops with no name where you can taste authentic and cheap Burmese food. Don’t be afraid to experiment and don’t get frustrated by their broken English. Wherever you decide to stop make sure you don’t miss the tealeaf salad or the ginger salad; other musts of the Burmese cuisine are the soups (these ones are spicy but not as much as the Thai ones), pumpkin or chickpeas curries and Shan rice. Everything is extremely affordable with main dishes coming for as low as THB30.
Burmese Food
If you fancy a more comfortable restaurant with English-speaking staff, but you don’t want to give up on genuine and delicious Burmese food, there’s no other place like Borderline Café (674/14 Intharakeeree Road, open Tuesday to Sunday from 7.00am till 9.00pm). The cafe is centrally located on one of the main roads, and you will probably bump into it many times without even searching for it. Set in a beautiful and quiet garden, it offers not very extensive menu but everything that they have is delectable, fresh and made with local organic products.
Try the samosa plate for something different – it is a traditional Indian snack in its Burmese version (smaller and less spicy than the original one), stuffed with potato, onion and turmeric. All the salads are exceptional but our favourite one is Shan potato salad.
Unfortunately if you like to drink a beer or two with your dinner this is not a place for you; they don’t serve any alcohol, but if you still want to give the venue a try they’re open for breakfast and they serve delicious roti and Burmese tea cake. Everything is super cheap with nothing on the menu more expensive than THB60.
Attached to the café there is an art gallery and a handcraft shop where you can buy works from local artists; all the incomes will support the local community and the Burmese ethnic minorities.
For an alternative place where you can still try authentic Burmese food with an ice cold beer go to Wadee Restaurant (13/1, Soi Wat Don Kaew, open daily 9.00am – 9.00pm). The food is excellent but slightly pricier than at Borderline. The menu is quite extensive and translated into English, so you can have an idea of what you’re going to eat before ordering.
Regional Food
All around town you’ll find many places serving traditional Thai, regional northern Thai and even Chinese food. The overall quality is great, but unless you stay in Mae Sot more than a couple of days we would still recommend you to stick to Burmese food since there’s no other place in Thailand where you will have such an opportunity.
Western Food
Quite a few options for Western food are available as well; for home-made Italian pasta and pizza try Casa Mia (Intharakeeree Road, close to Borderline café, open daily 9.00am – 10.00pm), for the best burgers in town head to Famous Ray's Cuisine (738/1 Intharakeeree Road, 11.30am – 10.00pm, closed on Sunday).
