Let me preface by saying I have been on the hunt for an authentic Burmese Tea Leaf Salad for years. Along with some paratha and curry this menu had great promise. Unfortunately the flavors just fell short. Everything we had seemed muted. Even the tea leaf salad, which we were told was a little spicy had no spice to it and I'm usually super sensitive to chilli, and I couldn't find any heat. Out of the 3 dishes ordered two were very muted in flavour, the paratha Curry was too liquidy to the point we ordered rice just we could enjoy the curry with something as the paratha was over cooked and maybe even burnt in places. The tea leaf salad had no heat, we actually had to ask for sauce or chilli. The favour of the chicken house special noodle was good, the lemon grass came thru and was reminiscent of a Javanese soto ayam but the rice noodles were over cooked which made the dish challenging to eat. (Khao Suoy) The lime was great and brightened it up. I wanted to LOVE the place and the food but it just fell short. Boost the flavors, add even some salt and things would be improved. Be bold POPA team your audience can handle the authenticity if you expose it to us. Maybe will give it another try in the future, but for now, will keep searching for a traditional Burmese Tea Leaf Slaad in Toronto. read more

I wasn't sure why the Yelp rating wasn't higher for POPA, but the food, service and atmosphere was quite excellent! Our waiter spent the time and effort to give us great recommendations. I'll certainly be back! read more

The tuna tataki looks is not as same as the pictures on the menu and their official Instagram but Taste is good tho. The curry noodle is just alright, we enjoyed the tea leaf fried rice the most! Smells good and taste good. The chai tea cheese cake tasted like it bought from the supermarket. It taste pretty bad, can not taste the chai tea flavour at all. Not recommend for the cheese cake. read more

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My friends and I went to try Popa's Summerlicious menu for dinner. The restaurant is nestled in the Bayview Shopping Mall. The restaurant was not busy when we arrived at 7pm but filled up quickly. The decor is modern and welcoming. The waiters were nice and attentive. They frequently came by to refill water. However the food was really slow. And the kitchen forgot to make one of our add ons. The food in general was average. The appetizers were all pretty delicious. The tofu was crispy and flavourful. The chicken satay's sauce was creamy and savoury. The soup was smooth with slight sweetness from the corn. The samosa was perfectly fried. We liked that the potato filling was smooth. But it could be a bit more spiced. The tamarind sauce was fantastic. Most of the main dishes were a let down. The Black Pepper Tofu & Veggies was a bit too salty for my taste. The flavour of the Beef Kebat was great. Although it may be a bit spicy if you don't eat spicy food. The chicken from the chicken curry was dry and the curry itself was too watery. The fish curry was way too fishy and our least favourite. The desserts were delicious. They are not too heavy nor too sweet. Their $35 three course meal summerlicious menu is a great value. However I probably won't return. read more

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If you've never had real authentic Burmese food before, you might think the food here is decent or even good. But it tastes more like Burmese-Indian fusion - almost all the dishes are very spicy, none of them tastes like authentic Burmese food. The only somewhat passable dish is the Shan Tofu. It was pretty good in the first couple of bites, but as I got to the bottom layer, I saw that it was drenched in thick oil. The oil was literally dripping - like the food you get at cheap fast food joints. Not sure if it was just because it was in a take-out container? (The dish presented on a plate for dine-in might be different and not have oil dripping for the Shan Tofu pieces at the bottom.) You can taste the oil too. The other dishes are all spicy - all you taste is the spiciness, not much any other flavour. Tea Leaf Salad and Mohinga are my favourite Burmese dishes, so I was disappointed that they didn't taste like the real, authentic Burmese kind. The Nan Gyi Thoke was okay, but tasted very unhealthy with the heavy coconut milk and no vegs. Eggplant Tofu Mash tasted more like an Indian dish than Burmese (and it seemed like they used a lot of oil / ghee in the dish). Conclusion: It's alright if you've never tried Burmese food before. You might like it if you like spicy food or Indian curries. But this restaurant is more fusion than authentic Burmese. UPDATE: We actually felt uncomfortable in our stomachs and felt like throwing up in the middle of the night (a couple of hours after the meal). read more

I've been meaning to try Popa for a while now. Burmese food seemed really interesting and peaked my interest. Popa is a really beautiful space located inside Bayview Village. The renovations are very tasteful and modern! Service was very very good, 5 star service. They were attentive and fun and elevated my dining experience. What I ordered: Pyaa Jo Kyaw ($12.75) These are Burmese Falafels. They are made of yellow lentils, onion and coriander. Unfortunately, they were kind of like hockey pucks, they were over fried and were really dry. The garlic sauce that came with it was tasty though. I would skip this. 2/5 Tea Leaf Salad ($13.25) This salad was pleasant. The crunchy components ( sunflower seeds, fried garlic and crushed peanuts) helped elevate this dish. There were many different textures to this salad. Really enjoyable! 4/5 Nan Gyi Thoke ($18.75) This dish was decent but it wasn't great. The chicken curry was a little dry, but had a nice flavour to it. The noodles were too soft and kind of melted into the curry. The sides that you add in yourself was a nice touch. It allowed you to have some crunch with the curry. But overall it didn't quite nail the taste of the curry for me. 3.5/5 Mango Pickled Lamb ($19.25) This curry dish consists of lamb leg marinated in a mango chutney and is served with jasmine rice. The lamb itself was very tender. The curry itself was a bit weird for me. It was also really greasy. I didn't enjoy it. 2/5 Drinks: Paradise Lost ($13) This drink consisted of citruses such as mandarin syrup and yuzu. it also contained ginger,bitters and pomelo garnish. The combination of the fruits would have worked very well if they alcohol didn't over power this drink. It was way way too strong and we had to send it back. 2/5 Crazy Rich Asians ($13) This drink consisted of muddled red fruit, lemon juice and green tea syrup. This was nice and fruity with a hint of sourness. This was made just right. 4/5 The Halle Berries ($7) **Non-alcoholic** This mocktail included muddled blueberries, longan honey syrup, lemon juice, fever tree soda and garnished with a rosemary twig. The blueberries with lemon is such a good combination. Add in the longan honey and it really brings this drink to the next level. Really really good. 5/5 Overall, Popa was a decent experience. I might have ordered a few dishes that just didn't quite hit the mark. I really enjoyed the mocktail so maybe I'll come back for a drink and a few snacks. read more

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I've never had Burmese food before. First impressions, the restaurant was not crowded at all for a Monday night and the interior was simple and chic. Also, the food was beautifully plated and the service was friendly. I got the steam lamb baos, the paya platha, the steak kebat and nan gyi thoke. The steam lamb baos? Amazing. The paya platha? Delicious. The other dishes I thought were also good, but not favourites. The broth of the nan gyi thoke was a little too thick, and the steak kebat was a little too salty. I also found it to be a little pricy for the portion size. If you come here I highly recommend ordering the lamb bao and paya platha! read more

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We were at Bayview Village looking for food..walking along to all the restaurants around POPA. We stopped at POPA to look at their menu. The staff there offered to explain to us what type of food the restaurant offered. She provided us some history of Burmese food which was mix of Indian and Chinese. .. very patient staff... she continued to explain the menu after we got seated. Great customer service. We ordered the mango pickled lamb and steak kebat. Food came, smell so good, excellent flavour. The lamb came with coconut jasmine rice , huge portion of rice! I couldn't finish my food as I was sharing with my husband. The steak kebab had roti that came with the dish, steak on top. I think I would have enjoyed it if my roti was separate from the steak. The sauce had soaked the roti and became soggy. Overall, had a wonderful experience, we saw other dishes that look Good. We will return to try other dishes. read more

PŌPA - Burmese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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My dad is from Macau so it's really nice to see my dad's food represented here. Just from the exterior, the interior design of the restaurant is very upscale and lovely. You can see into the kitchen where the staff are and see them work away on menu items. For a Sunday night they were busy which is a great sign. The ambiance was not as I had hoped, it's harder to have a conversation, but not impossible. They had music booming like a upscale cocktail bar. Our server was friendly and he was very attentive to us and his other tables. He gave us recommendations and walked through the menu items for us. We ordered the Shan Tofu, Sate Lilet (beef), Mango Pickled Lamb and Rangoon Chicken Curry. The Shan Tofu is made of chickpeas, which is different from the tofu that you know. It has a nice creamier texture than regular tofu. It's very hard to explain, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! You've gotta try it! There were so many interesting menu items that I NEED to come back to try the rest. I am very confident that I won't be let down by any of the menu items. I recommend this place! read more

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An amazing valentine's dinner experience! Came to POPA with no reservations just hoping to get lucky and be "squeezed" in. Luckily another couple had left early and they were able to accommodate us. The gentlemen serving our drinks had great recommendations and Ben, our server was great as well. Both very professional, knowledgeable and extremely nice. Our water glasses never went empty and they took great care of us throughout the evening. I also had 2 mock tails and both were fresh and delicious. BUT THE FOOD! Holy smokes it was tasty! I'm vegan and was pleasantly surprised to see so many plant-based options on the menu or items that could be easily accommodated. My fiancé who is not vegan enjoyed the variety of dishes just as much. They had a pre set menu (with choices) for Valentine's Day, so we ate the samuza and the falafel to start and both were full of flavour with a delicious sauce. Then we had the pickled ginger and tea leaf salads, which were very tasty. My fiancé doesn't like salads but he really enjoyed this one. And for the main course, my fiancé ordered the chili chicken and I had the eggplant tofu curry. My curry was like a style I have never tasted before and the tofu was great! My fiancé tried both dishes and loved both. For dessert, I opted not to eat any but my fiancé got the cheesecake and really enjoyed it as well. The service was great, the food was amazing, prices were SUPER reasonable for a 4 course Valentine's Dinner. We paid about $150 all in including tip for both of us, and we each had a beverage with our meals. Highly recommend you check out this place!! Even though it's located inside a mall it felt like a place perfect for a date, a business meeting or a night out with friends. read more

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We had a reservation but were still made to wait, that's alright maybe they got more people than expected. We wanted crispy chilly lime potatoes from their special menu but they said they are out of potatoes. Ok. We ordered tea leaf salad, samosa salad and burmese noodles (forgot exact name but was with chicken and shrimp) Tea leaf salad ($13) - honestly, it was alright. Not happy with quantity. Samuza salad ($13) - waste of money. Basically, its just some chopped lettuce (plus some peppers) and lemon juice topped with 1 ordinary samuza (i have had frozen samosas which tasted better ) Burmese noodles ($17-18) - oily. Lacked taste. No sauce. Chicken was overcooked and dry. The staff was very polite and service was good but was extremely unhappy since the food basically had to no taste / spice. read more

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I loved this place! The food is super delicious. I took my Mom here and she said that she never went to a restaurant that served food that tasted like home! I loved the chilli and basil lamb, the lamb bao, the plathas are so nice and buttery which is accompanied with a coconut chicken curry. The garlic noodles are also amazing and so is the chicken tempura. Overall this place is delicious, I can't wait to go back and try their other dishes! Cocktail "Midnight Kiss" (or something along the lines) is also delicious! Pretty strong :) read more

PŌPA - Lamb Bao - Burmese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I'd rate 3.5 to be accurate. We dined in for lunch on a Saturday. The restaurant was half full when we arrived at the restaurant 12:30 ish. We ordered Rangoon chicken curry & jasmine rice, Chicken Know Suey and crispy rice with avocado & miso. Rangoon chicken was flavourful but it didn't come with rice. So we needed to order rice separately to eat along with it. Chicken Khow Suey was very appetizing, it came with 5 topping in a small bowl. The dish was very similar to Kao Soi (Thai food). Crispy rice was a way too hard.. all the dishes were decent but not worth the price (we paid approx $85 including tax and tip). read more

This review was for a meal pre-COVID :) Went for a later dinner around 8:30pm and there was surprisingly still quite a few people dining. The interior is sophisticated and I like how the lighting isn't too dark (probably helped by the mall lighting). I was a bit worried about the food being too spicy and asked the waitress for recommendations and she was very helpful. I ended up ordering the Nan Gyi Thoke noodles, it seems to be a Burmese version of the Thai Khao Soi but instead it's rice noodles and the crispy noodles seem more like those pork rind chips. The "soup" is basically a curry so it's super thick. I don't find it works well with soup noodles as it's pretty heavy. The dish also comes with 6 little bowls of add ons that you can use to customize your dish! We also ordered the chai tea cheesecake and that was the highlight of the evening. The texture was a bit like mousse and the crust was light and crumbly. The spices were a perfect complement! read more

PŌPA - Nan Gyi Thoke - Burmese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I was looking for a place for lunch with a friend in the area, when I found out about this newly opened Burmese restaurant. I was excited to have the opportunity to experience such an exotic cuisine. The restaurant is located inside Bayview Village Mall, which is nice because there is plenty of parking available on the premises. It also offers the convenience of easy subway access. The restaurant was packed when we arrived, but with a reservation, we were quickly shown to our table. Decor is simple but pleasant. We started our meal with the Steamed Lamb Leg Bao (steamed buns filled with roast honey lamb-leg marinated for 48 hours and grilled twice, cucumber, coriander with hoisin sauce and topped with sriracha). The buns were nice, but the lamb did not seem to match the dish description, as the lamb was pulled (like in pulled pork) and not grilled. For my main, I ordered the Nan Gyi Thoke (khow suey, a hand-tossed noodle salad made with a striped chicken curry, toasted pea flour, hard boiled egg and crispy noodles). The presentation of the dish was beautiful, as you can see in posts from other diners. Unfortunately the taste left much to be desired, as the curry was bland and the flat rice noodle was boring. Adding the many sides/condiments that come with the dish failed to improve the experience. My friend ordered the Steak Kebat (spiced Burmese beef steak, kebab mix, jalapeno, tomatoes, cilantro, onion, mint served with fries). I tried some of the steak and it tasted better than my dish. Service was good. TLDR; exotic cuisine, disappointed in terms of flavor, good service Photos: https://thomassu.smugmug.com/Food/2020/200216Popa/n-Fx8ZZk read more

Worst winterlicious experience ever! Even the regular menu is not worth the price. Dont fall for their Google reviews!

If you like spicy you have to, I repeat HAVE TO order the Myanmar potatoes. We ordered this as an appetizer. Crispy fried potatoes smothered in a sweet and spicy sauce with delicate aromatic flavors that tasted like lemon grass, spices and heaven. Don't ask what's in it because apparently this is their secret recipe! The rest of the food was really good including a great variety of teas . But the truth is that all of it is irrelevant because I keep dreaming of those potatoes. read more

So many flavours going on from the skewers, each and every plate. My palate was trying to capture these amazing flavours. The chicken and beef on the skewers were moist and nicely marinated. This is definitely a new wonderful new addition inside the Bayview Village that serves Burmaese, Balinese, and Macanese cuisine. The Nan Gyi Thoke is a must try! Very flavourful with all these sides to to add flavours to the dish. I also ordered the organic mohinga, with rice noodles and fish inside. Very unique flavours going on. The rice was beautifully done with coconut flavour, you don't even need to dip it in any curry! The chicken and beef curry were nice. With all the anticipation, of course I wanted to order like everything on the menu! The Portuguese tarts were tasty. First day of grand opening, nicely run. Excellent service and lighting. Good music. I will definitely recommend this restaurant to my friends and will come back myself! read more

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This restaurant is the latest addition at the Bayview Village and after seeing pictures of the Nan Gyi Thoke, I knew I had to check this place out. The food is beautiful plated and portions are decent. We tried the Indonesian Beef Sambal, Steak Kebat and the Pyay Platha. The dish that stood out the most was definitely the Nan Gye Thoke. Beautifully presented and you're given many ingredients on the side to elevate the taste to your liking. read more

Food is decent but a tad bit over priced for what u get. Like the ambience though and the service is good too. We did get a hair in our fish noodle soup though - hence the 3 stars! I was offered a fresh dish - but Had finished half of the bowl by then so I refused another serving. To their credit though, they didn't charge us for that food item! Would have been a perfect experience minus this one thing!! read more

From the first greeting, through being seated, then greeted by our server it was a very good experience with my client and I. We felt nicely welcomed. The food choices are very nicely balanced for those that have not travelled and those that have. I very much enjoyed one of the beef dishes. So tender, so delicious, and so many flavours all nicely balanced. My client has asked that we come back and meet there next month. Yes indeed we will. Very nice and professional staff yet NOT stuffy despite some of my questions on ingredients. I'm certain you'll enjoy it. read more

This restaurant was amazing! The variety in their menu and the different tastes you experience is very unique. Our favourites were the green chicken curry and the Khow Suey. Both very flavorful and not too heavy, made just right. read more

If you are Burmese,,I am not recommend it.so disappoint it.,not go there again. Does it matter I am burmese, not even close to the testof burmese dishes.iI cannot believe get a good review. Could be other nationality read more

Beautifully decorated Burmese restaurant in the middle of the mall. I have been to Myanmar, and the authenticity is almost there. While beautifully presented, the portions were a bit small for the hefty price. Overall the flavours were delicious, and our server was really nice. read more

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Excellent food. Went for all the vegetarian dishes and wasn't disappointed. The chickpea tofu is an excellent ingredient and worked well in the various dishes. The Vegetarian Noodles were excellent and a hearty meal. Prices are reasonable for what you get and considering it's in Bayview Village. Will return and hope that they have their liquor license by then. read more

This was my first time ever trying Burmese food, and I'll definitely come back. I was impressed by the beautiful presentation and flavours. I went with a group of friends which was perfect for sharing a bunch of different dishes. We tried a curried noodle dish which came with six little bowls of toppings. We also had a fish soup with big chunks of white fish. My favorite was the tea leaf salad which was finely chopped fermented tea leaves with Romain and herbs: so delicious. I also loved the "chickpea tofu" dish which isn't tofu at all. I had heard that this is a thing and was excited to finally try it: so good! The service was excellent and I appreciated that we weren't hurried along, and we were able to take our time enjoying the different dishes. read more

Looking at all the reviews and with an strong recommendation from the lady at the restaurant - I ordered the Tea Leaf salad + Khow Suey - apparently their signature dishes. Originally wanted the Nasi Goureng + Chilli Chicken which they have removed from their menu. I don't know what people are raving about, but the Tea Leaf salad was either stale or has an ingredient which was very unpleasant for me... the kind of sauce which can give you headaches or makes you want to throw up later. The Khow Suey was very underwhelming even after stating that we want it extra spicy - it was a bland peanut curry and the chicken pieces were too big - and hence, flavourless. Both dishes got tossed after 2 bites. Complete waste of money. Should've got Thai food instead. read more

Just spent over $100 to get food delivered from this place. Order included "Rangoon Chicken Curry - according to description, with coconut rice" and "Malay-style Vegetable Curry - according to description, with fried tofu puffs". Neither came with rice/fried tofu puffs. Aside from appetizer and dessert, these were the 2 main dishes we ordered. So, without rice/tofu puffs, all we got was just the curry without anything to eat with. When we called the restaurant thinking it was an honest mistake, they initially said the dishes don't come with rice/puff. We told them they are stated on the menu. Then, they said the rice/puffs are in the curry. I told them they are not in the dish we got. They kept claiming that they are in the dish, so I took a video, flipping through the sauce to find them. Absolutely not a single grain of rice/no sign of tofu puffs. Then, they offered to give us the missing rice/puff next time we order from them again. So, do they expect us to just drink the sauce today??? And, to get the missing items, we have to spend more money to order from this place again? The food was average and over-priced, in comparison to other takeout options. They agreed to deliver the rice/puff in 20 min or so. So, we waited around while the food got cold - which was okay, because I would rather wait 20 min than drink the sauce on its own. Then, we got a phone call back from Popa saying that the tofu is in the curry, so they will only send rice. At that point, I got really annoyed. I once again told them that they are not in the curry. To which, they repeated the chef said they are in the dish. As I write this review, it is over 2 pm. I've been waiting about 1 hour since talking to the restaurant. The food is absolutely cold and I fed my kid just the appetizer. I'm not sure if I even want to eat the rice/puff they deliver at this point. It's in the middle of pandemic and I don't want to risk ingesting food that may potentially been spat on. read more

This was my first time having Burmese food and it did not disappoint! I got the tea leaf salad and the vegetarian noodles -- from the two, I loved the noodles and thought they were hearty and really filling. The salad was also good but not my favorite as I thought it was a tad bit too spicy for my liking and wished I had something more refreshing for a hot day. Although the noodles themselves were spicy too, the levels were not as high and it was more balanced out. I wish they gave more noodles with my order though as it was definitely more vegetables. It would have been even more satisfying if they had an even balance of noodles and veggies. However, with all this said, from my first try, I am a fan of PŌPA and looking forward to trying more of their dishes! read more

Great addition to the Bayview Village mall.. Stopped in for lunch and was very impressed all around.. Service was friendly and our server took the time to explain the menu, as many of the items were new to us.. Everything we ordered was delicious! Can't wait to go back and try more of the menu! I would definitely recommend this restaurant! read more

New place, amazing food, sub par service. Slow waiter, slow meals but they were so tasty!! We had the parantha with chicken curry as a starter, very flavourful but took long to arrive. The parantha was very tough and we asked for a new one. It took 5-7 mins to arrive but once it did, it tasted really good. They took the charge off the bill so that was satisfactory. For our mains we got the mango chutney lamb which was in a not too sweet curry loaded with flavour. Second main was beef sambal which had a very nice kafir lime flavour. We would come back but the service needs to improve. read more

Good service. We had the lamb buns and beef croquettes for appetizers and the khow suey and chicken basil for mains. Good portions, quite filling. Would recommend ordering those 2 appetizers. They were delicious! read more

PŌPA - Basil chicken - Burmese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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this was my first time in this place I have to say it was just amazing service, staff was helpful and fast , food was great I will come back for dam sure . read more

Personally I'd enjoyed the food, service and atmosphere. Price wise is decent. In the menu have different countries locals dish. read more

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The service was great. The food was delicious. We had samuza salad and or Platha to start and shrimp kebat for main. All super delicious. I'm definitely coming back to try more dishes. read more

This is our first and LAST experience here. We found a short BLACK HAIR in our food!!!!!!! They didn't seem bothered by it at all!!!! The manager didn't even bother coming to apologize. NOTHING was even compensated. DISGUSTING service!!!!!! I do not recommend! read more

Dish in small portion. 2 people ate 2 main course and one snack, but we are not full at all.

One of the only places to get Burmese food in the city. The food is excellent with a diverse menu. Reasonably priced and good service. Although a little out of the way of you live downtown, it's well worth the trip. read more

The food was well done a little pricey but still excellent. The service was amazing, I would definitely go back