Burmese Bites (Mid Town)

"For anyone who works (or lives) in Midtown East, Burmese Bites is the lunch option you’ve been waiting for: an answer to the prayers you whispered over sad salads under even sadder fluorescent lighting (just us?). But it’s more than just a convenient neighborhood go-to. The stellar, fish paste and pickled mustard green-fueled food from Myanmar—a cuisine that’s not easy to find in New York City—makes it a worthwhile destination for anyone, even if it means transferring trains before hustling nearly all the way down to the East River. Burmese Bites’ small, serene booth in the Mona Kitchen & Market food hall serves just four $15 dishes from 11am-3pm on weekdays. Even in this streamlined, ultra-efficient format, their flavor profiles are larger than life—with subtle, thrumming heat and surprising layers of salty, funky, and bright that hit your palate one after the other, like notifications pinging your phone nonstop when the group chat is really going off. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick There’s limited seating in the food hall, so consider this more of a solo venture than a group excursion, or plan on taking your order to go. And we mean no disrespect to culinary grand dame Auntie Anne, but as regular visitors to Queens Center Mall, we can vouch for the best mall food in America being at the Burmese Bites there. But with this outpost, the long-time Elmhurst favorite may have also claimed the title of best quick lunch in Midtown. And after having lunch here, you’re going to want to try the full menu at that main location in Queens. Food Rundown Ohno Kaukswe A deeply comforting coconut-chicken ramen with pleasurably chewy noodles, which are packaged separately when ordered for takeout—a thoughtful touch to ensure they won’t get soggy before you can dive face-first into the bowl back at your desk. Nan Gyi Kaukswe No two bites of this texturally complex udon noodle salad are alike. We particularly love the tender minced chicken and the light dusting of roasted bean powder. This is tied for our favorite dish here along with the ohno kaukswe. Dum Pot Biryani Our biryani lacked a little salt, but it was nevertheless deeply fragrant. The spicy yet refreshing cucumber sauce served alongside it is a knockout. Beef Curry The meat is very tender, but this is worth ordering for the accompanying fish balachaung—a garlicky, fishy, flavor-packed Burmese relish—alone." - Molly Fitzpatrick

"Burmese Bites offers Burmese keema palatas (flatbread stuffed with minced chicken) and ohno kaukswe (chicken coconut noodle soup)." - Serena Dai