Mandalay Kitchen

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.

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 & AestheticsThe 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. ServiceThe server was good. We didn't have any complaints. We paid at our table with our server. My OrderWe 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! ParkingIt'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.

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.

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.

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 ChickenThis 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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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