Mingalaba – Burlingame, San Francisco Bay Area
Mingalaba is one of our favorite local Southeast Asian restaurants. If you’re a foodie, you won’t want to miss a taste of their fabulous Burmese & Mandarin cuisine. We’ve dined here many times for lunch, Sunday Brunch, and dinner with friends. During the Covid pandemic, we enjoyed dining al fresco – outdoor covered seating on Burlingame Avenue. Several things have been consistent over the years. Mingalaba has outrageously good food, friendly and attentive service and reasonable prices. All adding up to the perfect ingredients for a successful restaurant in the Bay Area.
We LOVE the unique flavors and textures of their salads. Our favorites are the Tea Leaf Salad (see video below) and the Ginger Salad (pictured at top). The popular Tea Leaf Salad includes imported Burmese tea leaves, tomatoes, cabbage, dried shrimp (or vegetarian), fried garlic, sesame seeds, peanuts, jalapeños, and split yellow peas. All of the salad ingredients are featured separately on the plate – it’s fun to watch as your server mixes all the ingredients together at your table. We could make a meal of their salads alone. The flavors are incredible!
Mingalaba Tea Leaf Salad Video
Watch this short video of our favorite menu item at Mingalaba (Tea Leaf Salad) being mixed at our table – enjoy!
Another “must-try” dish is the Pumpkin Yellow Chicken, which was originally served in a pumpkin. Enjoy tender kabocha squash stewed with chicken, bell peppers, string beans and carrots. A few scoops of the curry-pumpkin sauce over Coconut Rice is pure magic. We also love their tasty Pan Fried String Beans with Prawns.
Menu offerings include delicious Appetizers, Salads, Soups, Vegetables, as well as a variety of Seafood, Beef, Lamb, Chicken and Pork entrees. Most Burmese dishes can be prepared Vegetarian. Spicy dishes and Burmese Specials are indicated on the menu. Burmese-style Saffron Rice, Fried Rice, Brown Rice and Noodles are also available.
The neighborhood gem is located on Burlingame Avenue, opposite the Copenhagen Bakery & Cafe on the San Francisco Peninsula. The restaurant is quite small so it fills up quickly, especially during peak dining times, so be prepared to wait if you don’t have a reservation. We found out about Mingalaba from the local Apple store employees (the store is located nearby). They recommended the restaurant to their customers as a great place to eat!
Have you eaten here yet? What do you think of their food? We can’t wait to go back again!
