Myanmar Restaurant

You can only go to Myanmar Tuesday through Sunday. No, this isn’t because of airline restrictions, it’s because it’s simply closed on Monday.

And, contrary to popular geographic belief, Myanmar is located at 7810-C Lee Hwy. in the Merri-Falls Shopping Center.

The ruling military junta of the country of Burma prefers to call the southeast Asian nation Myanmar and the restaurant in Falls Church borrows the same name. One of only two Burmese restaurants in the entire metro area to serve authentic Burmese food—and it only seats about 35. (The other is Mandalay in College Park, Md.)

Myanmar is typical in its format: very small, dimly-lit, pink-flowered plastic tablecloths and trinkets from the homeland. The menu, however, is anything but. If you are unadventurous, just keep walking. Myanmar’s menu will certainly turn some heads.

Traditional Burmese food is spicy or sour or sweet or all three. Myanmar’s menu is just as varied, featuring items like pickled green tea leaf salad or jackfruit curry or noodles with shrimp and dried red curries.

For starters, we recommend the fritters, either squash or gram (chick peas and onions) that are lightly fried and accompanied with a flavorful tamarind sauce. Or traditional Burmese soup like Ohno Kaukswe (egg noodles with chili pepper, chicken, lemon, onions in a creamy coconut milk.) For seafood lovers, the Kyaza Hingar (glass noodles with mushrooms, dried vegetables, shrimp and black pepper) or fish curry.

Keep experimenting with exotic salads like mango, ginger or grapefruit.

The “entrees” are beef, chicken or pork varieties served in various sauces and served with rice. The beef cooked in lemongrass is particularly tasty. The noodle selections are more traditional Burmese and of a wider selection. Authentic Burmese noodle dishes are served cold, but, again, to accommodate the unadventurous, there are hot dishes too. Vegetarian dishes like water spinach (branch out and avoid the “American spinach” selection) egg curry with potatoes or pumpkin curry come highly recommended.

Leave plenty of room for dessert so you can try the Shweji—a rich, golden-brown cake made from baked cream of wheat, coconut cream, sugar, and raisins and served in a plate with fresh orange slices.

Part of Myanmar’s appeal is its coziness. Abandon traditional American concepts of dining (noise, constant service and Americana kitsch) and imagine yourself in a Rangoon bistro, surrounded by locals. The staff of two works extra hard when it gets crowded so sit back and enjoy a selection of Asian beers.

The Myanmar on Lee Highway is definitely worth the trip. True, you may miss out on the Pagodas and tropical jungles, but you avoid political extremists and a 18-hour plane flights.