Top Burmese
Asian restaurant · Northwest District ·
Burmese hub with tea leaf salad, mohinga, curries & vegan options
Burmese hub with tea leaf salad, mohinga, curries & vegan options
"The Top Burmese family of restaurants were some of the first Portland spots to specialize in the vibrant cuisine of Myanmar. Vegans can choose from a variety of knockout dishes, including eggplant curry and fermented green tea leaf salad; still, the khao soi with a gravy-like coconut curry broth that clings to the chewy wheat noodles is a must-order, thanks to its intense depth of flavor. This bowl comes with crunchy accompaniments: wonton crisps, onions, fried garlic, and cilantro. Sibling restaurants Burma Joy and Bistro Royale offer more seating, but visiting the original, cozier outpost on Northwest 21st for a steamy bowl of khao soi remains one of Portland’s most memorable dining experiences." - Waz Wu
"Outfitted with leafy plants and paper umbrellas, Northwest 21st Avenue’s Top Burmese is an exploration into the Indian culinary influences of Myanmar. Vegan offerings include crispy triangle-shaped samosas served with sweet-and-spicy chili sauce, lightly funky fermented tea leaf salads, and turmeric-laden chickpea tofu curry with aromatic coconut rice. If you’re not able to get a table at Top Burmese, Kalvin and Poe Myint also operate Burma Joy, focusing more on Chinese dishes of Myanmar like kyay oh rice noodles, located a 10-minute walk away. Those who live in Beaverton can visit sister restaurant Bistro Royale. The vibrant cuisine and beautifully decorated dining rooms are memorable, but another highlight of visiting a Top Burmese restaurant is its fleet of robot servers ready to whisk bowls of khao soi to tables." - Waz Wu
"Owned by Kalvin Myint, Top Burmese will let diners enter maskless, but that is the only safety precaution being relaxed across Myint’s restaurants: Top Burmese, Bistro Royale, Burma Joy, and Ambassador will continue frequent sanitizing of tables, chairs, menus, and doors and will keep social distancing tools like robot servers and call buttons in place, as Myint said they’re "happy to see a glimpse of this pandemic becoming endemic" while trying to balance safety and an optimal dining experience." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden
"I find Top Burmese’s samosas and khao soi to be excellent and among the reasons NW 23rd is worth the trek for me." - Eater Staff
"I find Top Burmese’s coconut noodle soup pure, rich, creamy bliss, and I’ve also loved sitting outside with the tofu khao soi on chilly, drizzly nights — the group’s comforting dishes consistently hit hard." - Eater Staff
