Burma Superstar
The Verdict
"Order the tea leaf salad on your first visit. Go for weekday lunch to skip the line. Reservations through Yelp fill fast, especially weekends."
What you need to know
Burma Superstar has served Burmese food on Clement Street since 1992. Joyce Lee and Desmond Tan took over from previous Burmese owners and built it into one of the city’s most reliable dining institutions. Over thirty years later, the line is still long.
The Food
The tea leaf salad is the dish that built the reputation. Fermented tea leaves tossed with fried yellow beans, sesame seeds, dried shrimp, jalapeños, tomatoes, and lime. Sour, spicy, and salty at once. Mixed tableside.
The samosa soup is the other Burma Superstar original. Rich, warming, ordered year round.
The rainbow salad layers 22 ingredients including four types of noodles. The platha (buttery layered flatbread) goes with any curry. The menu runs deep into Burmese home cooking: mohinga, garlic noodles, and a rotating selection of curries.
The Space
Modest, usually full, fast-paced. Servers move quickly, tables turn, the kitchen keeps up. Not the place for a quiet dinner, but the right setting for the food.
Practical Info
Price: Entrees $14 to $22, full meal for two $40 to $60
Reservations: Limited daily slots through Yelp Waitlist up to 14 days ahead. Walk-ins welcome but expect a wait.
Hours: Lunch and dinner daily, weekend dinner has the longest waits
Address: 309 Clement Street
📍 Location: This restaurant is in The Richmond. Explore the neighborhood →