Tea Leaf Salad (Lap Pat Dok) made with Burmese tea leaves, lentil, shrimp, garlic, green pepper, sesame seeds, peanuts, and dressing
Left: Balada crispy pancake with curry dipping sauce
Right: Coconut Rice
Pumpkin Curry Chicken
Pumpkin Curry Chicken
Last June, my dining companion and I visited Mandalay Restaurant, a cozy Burmese eatery on California and 6th in the Inner Richmond, for the first time. With many recommendations from friends as well as a new spot on the San Francisco Chronicle's Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area list for 2025 (see more winners here), and a James Beard Foundation Award for 2024, we were definitely in for a treat. They serve delicious Burmese classics like tea leaf salad, curry meat and vegetable plates, rice dishes, and noodles, which are bound to satisfy any foodie.
We tried a few things on our trip. We started with the Tea Leaf Salad (Lap Pat Dok) made with Burmese tea leaves, lentil, shrimp, garlic, green pepper, sesame seeds, peanuts, and dressing. The ingredients were fresh and had that crunchy texture I like. (Note: if you're sensitive to caffeine, this may keep you up at night.) We also shared the Balada crispy pancake with curry dipping sauce, which reminded me of the buttery rotis I've loved before. For our main course, we had the Pumpkin Curry Chicken with a side of Coconut Rice, both of which were a hit. I remember everything was well-made and flavorful, with incredibly hospitable service to boot.
Next time I would probably order the same starters and try a noodle or rice dish. Better yet, I'd go with a crowd so we can have a little bit of everything.
4348 California St., San Francisco, CA 94118
Open: Monday & Wednesday - Thursday 4:30 - 8:30pm, Friday 11:30am - 3:30pm & 4:30 - 8:30pm, Saturday - Sunday 11:30am - 8:30pm
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