Mandalay Restaurant • 1984

The first Burmese restaurant in San Francisco, Mandalay has drawn lines down California Street since 1984 for its punchy tea leaf salad, comforting coconut chicken noodle soup, and flaky paratha. Owner Kevin Chen, who took over from his uncle in 2003, earned a James Beard Foundation America's Classic award in 2024 for helping build the Bay Area's Burmese food scene. The tea leaf salad alone is worth the wait.