Burma Superstar
Burmese restaurant · Inner Richmond
309 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118
Highlights
Iconic Burmese eatery known for tea leaf salad & flaky platha
Iconic Burmese eatery known for tea leaf salad & flaky platha
"Burma Superstar is arguably the most famous Burmese restaurant in the city—their tea leaf salad alone takes up more camera roll space than shots of the Golden Gate Bridge. There’s usually a wait, but luckily, High Treason is just down the street. The wine bar has a great by-the-glass selection, a record player spinning, and enough seating for your entire platha-loving group to roll up." - julia chen 1
"When it opened in 1992, Burma Superstar got everyone with a pulse hooked on their tea leaf salad. Today, it’s even sold in local grocery stores, and Burma Superstar itself is a mini-empire, with a handful of spinoffs throughout the Bay. The original in the Richmond is still a go-to for no-fuss weeknight dinners, provided you’re willing to wait. That infamous line for a table is thanks to the consistently excellent Burmese staples coming out of this place. Yes, the tea leaf salad continues to be straight-up iconic, but so is everything else on the menu, like rich house curry, lightly battered sesame chicken, and buttery platha." - julia chen 1
"Burma Superstar has been around since 1992, but it’s still packed every night thanks to their excellent tea leaf salad, rich curries, and extensive menu of stir-fried and wok-tossed Burmese dishes (which includes a ton of vegetarian options). Be prepared to wait, though, because lines down the block tend to be a permanent fixture here. And also know that ordering extra coconut rice is non-negotiable." - julia chen 1, lani conway
"“I really admire the way that the current owners are running and managing Burma Superstar,” says Lin. “Without them, I don’t believe we would have reached this level of popularity of Burmese food in the Bay Area. All of our success goes back to what they were doing in the beginning,” he says, “because they worked to attract both American palates and those who were already familiar with Burmese cuisine. A lot of today’s Bay Area Burmese restaurants are copying from Burma Superstar, I think.”" - laura kiniry 1
"The Richmond restaurant that launched in 1992 and popularized Burmese food in the Bay Area needs no introduction. Their tea leaf salad doesn’t either. This version is stellar, and every bite is a banger full of funk, salt, spice, and sweet. Staff will toss the lettuce-heavy dish at the table while explaining the rainbow of ingredients and mixing at 5x speed. Just walk up to the cozy spot, grab a table, and watch salad wizardry unfold." - julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez, patrick wong
