Can you just walk into Burma Superstar on a Saturday night? You can, but you’ll wait. The Richmond District spot on Clement Street draws a consistent crowd, and the wait times on weekends can stretch past an hour. Go on a Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. — right when they open — or do a weekday lunch. The room fills fast either way, but you’ll feel like a person rather than a number.
Burma Superstar has been on Clement since 1992, and it’s one of those places that has earned its reputation through cooking rather than hype. The menu is long, and it can be overwhelming if you don’t know what to order. Start with the tea leaf salad. This is not optional. It comes deconstructed — a mound of fermented tea leaves in the center, surrounded by fried garlic, toasted sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, dried shrimp, fresh tomatoes, and shredded cabbage. You toss it yourself at the table. The result is funky, crunchy, a little bitter, a little salty, and completely unlike anything else in the city. If you’ve never had laphet thoke before, this version is as good an introduction as you’ll find in San Francisco.
From there, the rainbow salad is worth getting — glass noodles, cabbage, carrots, potato, tofu, and hard-boiled egg in a mild, slightly sweet dressing. It’s a lighter dish that works well as a buffer between the salads and the heavier mains.
For entrees: the samusa soup is a standout. Split pea soup poured over a fried chickpea pastry, with noodles, onion, cilantro, and a splash of tamarind. It’s comfort food that doesn’t translate well into description but makes complete sense once you’re eating it. The Mandalay chicken, done with ginger and fish sauce, is also reliable. If someone at the table wants noodles, the mohinga — a fish-based noodle soup that is considered Burma’s national dish — is warming and satisfying.
Portions are generous. Two or three dishes feed two people comfortably; three or four dishes work for a table of three. Prices are reasonable for the neighborhood and the quality: most small plates and salads land between $10 and $16, entrees between $16 and $22. A full dinner for two, with drinks and tip, usually runs $60–$80.
The space itself is simple and loud on busy nights. Tables are close together, the walls are decorated in a warm but unfussy way, and service is efficient without being rushed. There’s a second location in the Inner Sunset on Irving Street, and it tends to have slightly shorter waits — worth knowing if you’re coming from that side of the park.
Clement Street is one of the better dining streets in the city, and Burma Superstar is one of the reasons. The food is specific, the prices are honest, and the tea leaf salad alone is worth the trip from wherever you’re staying. Just don’t show up at 7 p.m. on a Friday without a plan.
