We went there before they closed down for renovation. Stuffed tofu is definitely my favorite item out of everything on their menu. It was crisp and vegetables inside felt fresh. The sauce that came with it is also a perfect pairing to the dish. The 4 pieces really fill you up so definitely good for its price. Portions are definitely good at this restaurant and you can easily find street parking in the neighborhood behind. Mohinga was okay. It was behind the first two times I came here. The fish cake in Mohinga was tasty as well as the fried peas. The boat noodle has very rich flavor. Broth was good and they gave generous amount of bean sprouts. La Phat Ye was good. They normally don't offer iced but we asked them to change. Overall, it's a great restaurant with decent prices and we hope that we can get back into business ASAP. read more

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I feel blessed to say that one of the best restaurants I have ever been to in the United States is literally right here in the Twin Cities, because the food here is heavenly to the point of me consistently returning despite living far from the establishment. In terms of food, there is a mixture of Burmese, Thai, and Karen dishes, and each one that my friends and I have ordered has been a hit. The tea leaf salad has amazing texture because of peanuts and fried garlic, which provide crunchiness, and has amazing flavor because of lemon juice, fish sauce, and tomatoes. The noodle salad has a light taste without adding the given lime piece, and then the rich nutty taste gets evoked and elevated upon adding lime juice. The zaap crispy has very well-seasoned fried chicken pieces, and medium spice level gives it a good amount of flavor. The shan khao soi is so creamy and tasty that even tasting the curry broth itself is a sensational experience, and the chicken leg included literally has "fall off the bone" meat. The boat noodle has a mixture of sweetness and savor, while the sweet flavor does not overpower anything at all. Finally, the mohinga clearly has fish cake flavor and texture fully infused, making it authentically delicious. We also ordered the knyaw iced salad, which was a mixture of ice along with crackers and other types of sweet ingredients. I thought it was very similar to a type of Vietnamese dessert called chè ba màu (three color pudding), and fully enjoyed it. The establishment only had one dessert, and I thought that was sufficient. While the street contains many excellent restaurants, I personally believe that this establishment stands out in terms of taste. I must also mention that since my friends and I arrived when barely anyone else was there each time we had gone there, we never experienced any service delays that some have mentioned in their reviews. I probably will give this place a 5 rating anyway even if I experience slowness, although I hope I don't. read more

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Authentic Burmese/Thai food in the St Paul! Who would have thought coming from New York that this could be had in the Midwest? The tea leaf salad was freshly prepared and authentic in every way. Excellent service and cozy seating. Also loved the story of the grandma in the back. See attached photos. read more

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I wanna start off by saying the place is clean and cute. It looks like possibly a family business. I respect small family businesses, and I do not like making bad reviews. The atmosphere is positive. The service was good. Unfortunately, wasn't very impressed by what I ordered. The Thai Tea was pretty basic and not very sweet The Garden rolls were basically huge spring rolls with no protein added just a lot of lettuce and a very small pinch of noodle in the middle. I love a good spring roll, but never seen one so big with no protein. Was a bit disappointed. The chicken wings were huge and although I opted for the Laab seasoning on mine they were pretty flavorless. It's a mild spice they add after frying them and some crunchy fried rice powder on top. I love Laab but the chicken wings were mediocre at best. This was my first time here , it was mid day. I was the only person in the whole restaurant. Parking on the side was easy to find. I would possibly try this place again and order something different. read more

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Food poisoning from the garden rolls. I went here with a party of 3. We each had a different entree but shared the garden rolls. Later that night and the next morning we all had the same symptoms. The curry and rice dishes we had tasted fine, not great. The garden rolls were mostly lettuce, very bland. The peanut sauce was essential. Servers were nice and attentive. read more

Stopped in with some coworkers on a Wednesday for lunch. Parking was pretty easy to find on the street and there were a ton of available tables inside. The inside decor is so cute! There is a second level as well. I had such a hard time deciding what to eat. The menu is great and everything looked so good! I ended up getting the beef curry with added paratha. It was good but it tasted kind of flour-y to me. Our table split the tea leaf salad - I loved this! Something I've never tried before but something I'd love to have again! Our server was great! He was the only one working and was super efficient. read more

Mandalay Kitchen - Yangon Beef Curry (GF)* - Thai Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Had a fantastic meal here with fellow Yelper, Kedar D., and his lovely partner. The restaurant can do many dishes vegan, so the three of us split: -Tea leaf salad (lahpet thoke) ($13.95) -- mandatory dish to order when eating Burmese food. This was fantastic, coming with an array of different textures, from the crunchy dried beans, to fried garlic, crunchy cabbage, and softness from the fermented tea leaves, served over a bed of fresh green leaves (the bed of leaves was unusual compared to tea leaf salads I've had at other places, and I must say I liked that). This one was spicier than most I've had. Top-tier tea leaf salad. -Ginger salad ($13.95) -- I've seen ginger salads on a bunch of Burmese restaurants' menus but never tried one until now. In effect, it's quite similar to the tea leaf salad, but with pickled ginger replacing the fermented tea leaves. Lovely crunchiness from the beans, nuts, garlic, pickled ginger, and cabbage, again served over a bed of free leaves. Excellent. -Burmese stuffed tofu (4 pcs for $8.95) -- I was hoping for chickpea tofu, but the dish came with 4 large pieces of deep fried tofu. It was not "stuffed", but simply accompanied by shredded cabbage and cilantro, and served with a tangy, somewhat peanuty sauce that worked well. Pretty solid, but not sure I'd order this one again. -Pad krapow ($13.95) -- this was more of a Thai dish. This ones come with red and green peppers, onions, diced green beans, basil, choice of protein (we got tofu), all cooked in a savoury, lightly sweet, and quite spicy (at out request) salty dark sauce. The steamed rice that accompanied the dish went nicely with this. Fantastic, pretty simple dish. -Knyaw pumpkin curry ($16.95) -- classic Burmese curry. The curry was richer than most Burmese pumpkin curries I've had, seemingly more like a Thai curry in this sense (it seemed like coconut milk at the base, which I don't believe is usual for Burmese curries). Regardless, the flavours were fantastic -- rich pumpkin-y curry with lots of kabocha (I think) squash, tofu, and some bell peppers hanging about. Quite spicy at our request, but not prohibitive -- perfectly balanced flavours. Served with rice to absorb the dense curry goodness. Excellent. All in all, I can't say enough good things about this place. Service was friendly and attentive, and the food came out very quickly. I'm very glad I came here for one of my few meals in the Twin Cities. Highly recommended. read more

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The wife and I stopped by here on a Saturday night. Her dad's family is from Burma . Myanmar so we were super excited to find out that there was a legit Burmese restaurant in town. Our favorite is Burma Superstar in San Francisco but it's not like we can go there all the time :) The place is small but clean with cute decor and a great atmosphere. We were seated right away and the staff was super friendly and courteous. We ordered the tea leaf salad, the Khao Soi and the chapli burger (which didn't seem particularly Burmese but looked interesting). The tea leaf salad was good. Nicely spiced and fresh. Maybe a touch extra fish sauce then I would have liked but enjoyable. The khaoi soi was well balanced and what I expected. Not like her grandma's but still pretty good. The chapli burger was good but nothing special. Had a few spices that you don't expect in an American burger which made it unique. Overall, it was a good experience and I would go back to try some other items and give it another go. Even though the experience didn't meet the excitement I had, I would give this place another try and I am happy that we have a Burmese restaurant to add to the list of cuisines available to Minnesotans. read more

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What We Ordered - Cream Cheese Wontons - Tea Leaf Salad - Samosa Salad - Onh No Khao Swe - Knyaw Pumpkin Curry with Chicken - Chaplin Burger - Zaap Chicken - Tom Yum Hot Pot - Pad Kraow Chicken This was the best place I ate during my most recent trip to MN. Pumpkin Curry was my favorite dish! The curry tasted like crab eggs (which is my favorite thing about crab) but it was a chicken pumpkin curry! How did they do it? I ate every last dip. Tied for second best items were the Tom Yum Hot Pot and the Tea Leaf Salad. The Tea Leaf Salad was very unique and tasty. The Chaplin Burger reminded me of pho but in a good way. I think I came to the conclusion I am not a fan or any version of juicy lucy as it requires the meat to be more on the well done side. I enjoyed all the dishes except for the Cream Cheese Wontons. There was little filling so mainly just fried wrappers. Please make sure to check your receipt! They charge 18% for large parties but I didn't catch it prior to tipping. read more

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Mandalay Kitchen is the first Burmese restaurant I have been to, and if this is what Burmese food is like I am all in. The space has been through several iterations of restaurants and is pretty modern and spare, but food is fantastic. I split a variety of dishes with a friend. Most excellent with one meh. I really liked the stuffed tofu, the pumpkin curry and the rice salad. It was quite busy the night we were there, but the food still came fairly quickly. I will definitely be back. read more

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What a wonderful addition to St.Paul! I came here for dinner at 7pm with a large group of 8. We made a reservation and were seated upstairs. The decorations and overall ambiance of the restaurant were great! They put a lot of attention to details in terms of decorations on the lower floor. Since it is a brand-new restaurant, I'm guessing the upstairs is a work in progress. However, there were cool displays of traditional clothing. Service was friendly and accommodating. They were all so kind. It seems as though they were still working out some kinks, but I think it will improve as time goes on. Food-wise, we ordered a bunch of dishes to try. We got the cream cheese wontons, tea leaf salad, mandalay samosa salad, khao soi, mohinga, pad krapow, Zaap Crispy, pumpkin curry, tom yum, and chapli burger. I really enjoyed the tea leaf salad, super flavorful and the different texture made it even more enjoyable. The server informed us that they were out of mohinga, so I was a little disappointed we didn't get to try. The chapli burger was smaller than I thought, but still good. The star of the night was the pumpkin curry! IT WAS SO GOOD! That was a fave amongst the of us. It was sweet, but also deeply flavored at the same time. Great with rice too. Zaap crispy was also a crowd favorite. I will definitely get the pumpkin curry again and hopefully be able to try the mohinga next time! read more

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Food was good The service was quick and friendly We were seated at the front of the restaurant- it would have been nicer toward the back or upstairs. We went for the crispy rice salad and it did not disappoint! read more

Enjoyed dinner here! Take out ordering and pick up was smooth and easy. The Yum Nam Khao Tod crispy rice cake salad/lettuce wrap was quickly devoured. Ordered as "very spicy" but it was overall mild to medium, but very flavorful nonetheless. I was a bit disappointed in the Burmese stuffed tofu. The stuffing is a melange of veggies that lacked in flavor. It would taste better with more sauce, or something to dip it into. Nice to have a vegetarian appetizer though. Also ordered the Knyaw Pumpkin Curry with tofu at a medium spice level. This is a unique curry not found on other menus! It was a-okay. I would like to come back and try a few other items on the menu. It's nice to see some unique traditional Burmese dishes in a classy modern restaurant! read more

We tried five different dishes that were all amazing-- the pad see ew and pad krapow with chicken were my favorites. Very flavorful and filling. Everything seemed cooked to order so it was super fresh. The portions were large, so great for leftovers! The prices were also cheaper than other comparable restaurants, which is appreciated. The inside is really cute and there's plenty of seating for big or small groups. There's street parking nearby as well. The server was nice and told us about the already included 18% tip on the bill, although we still misunderstood and double tipped on the machine, so fair warning for that. read more

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Went here with my boyfriend yesterday and we both had an excellent time. The service was incredible and made us feel so welcome. The owner Chris and his wife have a love for what they do and it's so awesome to see. The food was incredible. We got the Burmese stuffed tofu, pork laab, Yangon beef curry, and the pork zaab crispy. The pork laab was the best laab I've had in the twin cities by far--the flavors are robust and so fresh (both our favorite dish we ordered). Chef Chris brought us out some goat curry and crab fried rice to try which blew us away. The ambience is super cozy and inviting. We cannot stop talking about how lovely our experience was here and we are definitely going to be back! New top spot in the twin cities 100%. read more

I have a friend who is Karen, and she told me about this Karen/Thai restaurant. I was so excited to try it with her. Vibes & Aesthetics The restaurant had a lot of real plants and had a dining vibe. It didn't seem to match the cuisine, but it was fine. There is also a second floor. We went on a weeknight and it wasn't busy. Service The server was good. We didn't have any complaints. We paid at our table with our server. My Order We were afraid the portions would be small, so we ordered a few items to share. However, the portions are quite large. Plan to take leftovers home. * Mohinga - It's like kapoon, but Karen style. * Steak laab - It was well done. I wished it was medium. * Stuff tofu - I was curious how this would be. They just cut a whole and stuff cabbages inside. It is quite good though! * Pad Kapraw - A Thai classic. We thought it had a little too much oyster sauce or salt, but it was good! Parking It's limited in this area. We found parking on the side of the building during the time it was allowed. I don't remember the times though. read more

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Beautiful Thai-Burmese fusion restaurant in St. Paul. With this being my first time trying Burmese cuisine, I had high expectations and I was happily surprised. Unfortunately the star dish of Myanmar, Mohinga, was unavailable when we had visited, so we ordered the Yangon Beef curry with Paratha, tea leaf salad, and pad see ew. Beef was a little dry but well seasoned, paratha perfectly crisp. Pad see ew was ok, but the star was definitely the lahpet thoke. I wasn't expecting too much from a salad but the flavor was so good it was life-altering. I would definitely come back just for the salad. read more

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Came here on a weeknight and it was not busy, there was one waiter. He seemed new and still learning what is in the menu. We ordered 4 dishes and some tea. I forgot name of the dishes but one of them is their tea leaves dish which was very good, the beef tartare was a little bland, needed more lime or salt. I would try this place if you have not had Burmese food. read more

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I've been coming here since the restaurant opened in November 2023. Decent Yangon Samosa, Papaya Salad (Lao Style), and Pad Krapow, but with some inconsistency depending on the cook--like forgetting the crab in the papaya salad. Today, unfortunately, I was waiting for over an hour. The waitress assured me my order was almost done. Next thing she does was continue to serve food to other customers that came after me. I left with no food. Blatantly lying to me. You just lost one of your first customers. read more

Mandalay Kitchen is a friendly and spectacular Burmese spot in St. Paul with a focus on dishes from the Kayin state in southeastern Burma. It earns a rare 5-star review from me. The food is exquisite---beautifully presented, wonderfully seasoned and with a wide variety of textures. They also label their vegetarian dishes, most of which are vegan by default. The Yangon samosa ($9) is a light and simple samosa, with a thin and crispy wrapper filled with lightly cooked potatoes and peas. Compared to an Indian/Punjabi samosa, it's less starchy and bready. The bayar kyaw ($8) is described as Burmese falafel and it tasted superb. It was more moist and savory than a Middle Eastern falafel and had a brightness to it that I loved. The lahpet thoke (tea leaf salad) ($13) is vegan by default and the best I've had in the United States. While Burma Superstar in San Francisco popularized this dish, Mandalay Kitchen's rendition is much better: it's savory, crispy, addictive and has a new surprise in every bite. The Yum nam khao tod ($12) can be made vegan and is a crispy rice salad with a variety of herbs. I loved this dish and, by coincidence, had had a much less interesting version at a different restaurant in St. Paul one day earlier. Mandalay's version blew the other one out of the water. Lastly, the Thai red curry ($14) can be made vegan and was good. It didn't wow me, but it was respectable. Next time I'll get the kabocha squash Burmese curry. The service was friendly and though the restaurant was understaffed, the food came within a reasonable time (we were warned about delays) and was still prepared with care and delicacy. Stop by Mandalay Kitchen for something special. read more

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My fiancé and I tried out this place for the first time and we will be back. This replace Marc Heu's and the interior was changed to such a simple and elegant little place to have a meal. We were seated downstairs so we did not see how the seating upstairs was. We got seated quickly and gave lots of time to decide what to get. Sadly we got there at 6 and they ran out of their Khao Soi and boat noodle. So we ended up getting Nam Khao and the Zaap Crispy Chicken dish. The Nam Khao has so much favor but I think a little too Krispy. Most Nam Khao I had before had nam sausages but this one didn't. But we still loved it. The crispy chicken dish was amazing. Almosted tasted like fried pork belly laab. We love both dishes that we got. The prices were reasonable and service was great and quick. I recommend this place to anyone who wants a smaller quieter place with great food and service. Would return to try new items. read more

Mandalay Kitchen - Zaap Crispy Chicken Dish - Thai Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

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Excellent food! I had Ginger Salad and my sister had Green curry. The staff were super friendly and the chef came and talked with us The decor is very nice. The furniture is very comfortable. I definitely recommend it and I will be back read more

We stopped in after a visit to the Hmong Cultural Center museum. Delicious food with a variety of dishes I wasn't familiar with from a typical Thai menu. We liked the Burmese Stuffed Tofu appetizer, Shan Khao Soi soup, and the Yangon Beef Curry... say Yes! to the Kachin Paratha (flaky flat bread) that comes with that beef curry - sooo yummy! Chef Chris came out after our meal to check on us. Great guy. Go eat here! read more

Not a bad dining experience. Dining area is simple and a bit disjointed. We were the only people in restaurant, yet service was pleasant but slow. Food was good but fairly undifferentiated at not outrageous but also not value pricing. Not a destination but acceptable choice in area. read more

Where do I start with the good? I am still feeling like I enjoyed this meal several hours later! It's an unassuming little spot in the old Marc Heu location. The food is amazing! The big winner of the night was the tofu appetizer, which was tangy and crispy and a treat for the whole family. But also the Burmese falafel was amazing! The tea leaf salad was so light and delicious. The boat noodle and mama Tom yum soups were also great. The boat noodle has a nice star anise flavor and the Tom yum is like Thai Tom yum but with noodles. Be aware that the kitchen is not a well-oiled machine: food comes out when it's ready, not necessarily when you want it. Other than that, it's a perfect restaurant and I'm rounding up from 4.5 stars. read more

Amazing food and wonderful service with a beautiful relaxing atmosphere. All the Staffs are very nice and helpful.

Best Thai in the Twin Cities! Best crispy rice salad I've had in town, and the decor inside is amazing. Great staff and the spice levels are actually spicy--thanks goodness. Big portions and a favorite of mine now. read more

First time trying Burmese food and it did not disappoint. The tea leaf salad is definitely unique and did not take me long to like the flavor. We also ordered Zaap Crispy and Tom Yum noodle. Portion was huge and they are tasty. read more

Fantastic food, prepared and served with great care and joy. A real gem. (And...Yelp will not let me post this with fewer than 85 characters, so.....here you go.) read more

A new restaurant that is still trying to figure things out. On new day we went they ran out of some dishes we wanted to try, but the flavors were good in the dishes we ordered. I'll have to go back and try again to get a better sense of the place. read more

I saw a recommendation for Mandalay Kitchen on social media, so my friends and I decided to check it out about two weeks ago. We were a group of six, and we ordered different dishes to share. We loved all the food--it was amazing, especially the deep-fried pork belly! Definitely worth trying. The service was good, and they added an 18% gratuity for parties of five or more, which was reasonable. The only thing we didn't enjoy was the dessert--it might just be that we're not used to the taste. read more

For being a brand new restaurant, sometimes my personal biases come into play and I expect errors in service, food orders getting messed up, etc, but coming here, you would have never known that they have just opened within the last month or so! General, service was fast, our food came out very quickly and was clearly made to order. We came in on a weeknight for dinner, and the restaurant was medium packed, there were a handful of tables open that we made a reservation to be safe. To start off for appetizers, we did the Yangon samosas, which were essentially egg roll wrappers, with a samosa-like filling. Nothing to dislike there, they were hot, fresh, perfectly crunchy. The flavor profile is approachable especially if you are newer to Burmese food! Then, we did the tea leaf salad. It was definitely more other things besides just mixed lettuce - there were a bunch of crunchy bits, and there wasn't a lot of dressing on it - it was different than the standard salad and it's worth trying, and the flavors in general are not very strong so it was just a little bit less memorable than the other dishes we got. For entrees, we did Khao Soi and Khao Ka Moo - both of these dishes were excellent. The Khao Soi was piping hot, the curry broth was bursting with umami without being too salty, the crispy noodles became soaked in the broth, and the noodles at the bottom we're not overcooked either. I've had my fair share of Khao Soi in the past and I would say this bowl ranks for sure above average! The Khao Ka Moo was also a tasty, hearty dish. There is more than enough braised pork to go around, and for me personally, I grew up being used to pieces of pork with fat on them that get rendered down in whatever they're stewing in, but for folks who aren't used to that, that can be kind of jarring (though I find it to be remarkably tasty). I loved the pickled greens that came with the dish, because they are perfect complement to cut through the fattiness of the pork. My only regret is having eaten a few hours prior, because I wish I could have ordered more dishes! The ambience is open, two stories, and there is some history on the walls. I would definitely met anyone give this place a try and try something new in the meantime as well! read more

This is a great restaurant. Good service, and really great combination of Burmese and Thai food. I had the seafood hot pot, and it was delicious. Good and spicy! read more

Excellent food . Very friendly staff and cut ambiance . Service was very fast Will definitely some again !! read more

I placed a pickup order this past week for an order of tea leaf salad and Burmese tea. I showed up a bit earlier than my scheduled time and the staff were all extremely gracious and I got my food in a very timely manner. The owner even came out to talk to me and shook my hand. You can tell he really cares about his business. The interior was also gorgeous and I am excited to go back and dine-in soon. read more

Mandalay Kitchen - Lahpet Thoke (Tea Leaf Salad) (V)* - Thai Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Fabulous new restaurant with a wonderful community vibe, great service and delicious food! We love the very spicy, flavorful and perfectly fried laab dry rub wings, and would come just for those alone, but also have really enjoyed curries, zaap crispy, pad thai, stuffed tofu, and more. Food arrived fast. We appreciate that there are vegan and gluten free options as well. The chef/owner Chris is an amazing human, dedicated to his community and I'm sure his mom is equally remarkable! (Below in photo) read more

Mandalay Kitchen - The remarkable owner/chef Chris and his equally remarkable mom - Thai Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Had the pictured salad and it was fantastic!! Service was great and servers were friendly. Cute decor.

Nice little neighborhood restaurant . Great food, friendly service and casual atmosphere.

4.5. Very delicious authentic food. The samosas and Zaap Crispy were both very good. Extremely nice staff and a chill environment. read more

Food was excellent! Service the same! Tea leaf salad and green curry so so good! Cute little space friendly staff!