"Portland's best Burmese cooking and a Bon Appetit pick, counter-served for under $30 — go solo and order the tea leaf salad."
About Rangoon Bistro
David Sai, Alex Saw and Nick Sherbo opened Rangoon Bistro as a tiny counter and call themselves the co-everythings: co-owners, co-cooks, co-dishwashers. The food is Burmese filtered through Oregon produce, and the laphet thoke, a tea leaf salad tossed at the counter, is the dish to lead with. Find them at 2133 SE 11th Avenue in the Richmond neighbourhood, with a second counter on Mississippi Avenue. A full meal runs $14 to $28. Eater Portland named it Best New Counter Service in 2022, and Bon Appetit flagged its dumplings the year after. For the wider city, see our Portland dining guide.
The Kitchen
Rangoon Bistro cooks Pacific Northwest Burmese: the backbone is Burmese, the produce is local, and the result is brighter and fresher than the genre usually allows. The tea leaf salad, laphet thoke, is built from fermented tea leaves, fried legumes, sesame and cabbage, dressed and tossed to order. The soup dumplings that Bon Appetit singled out in 2023 arrive fat and pleated.
Beyond those, the coconut chicken noodle, ohn no khao swe, and the pork belly noodles carry the menu, with thoke salads rotating on Oregon vegetables. Nothing on the board passes $20. Order at the counter, grab a number, and the food lands fast. The three owners cook the line themselves most nights at the SE 11th Avenue counter, which is part of why the cooking stays consistent. The Oregonian ranked it ninth among Portland's best new restaurants in 2022. It is one of the city's best-value Southeast Asian tables for the money.
The Room
The Richmond counter is small and casual, a dozen-odd seats, order-at-the-register service and a kitchen you can watch. Sound is easy and conversational, no music to shout over. Lighting is plain daytime-bright; this is lunch and early-dinner territory, not a candle-lit room. Tables are close and turnover is quick. There is no dress code at all: come in whatever you walked in wearing. The Mississippi Avenue location runs the same way. Expect to share a table or grab a stool on a busy weekday.
Best for Solo Dining
Eat here solo because the counter is built for it: a single stool, a fast laphet thoke, and no pressure to linger. The order-at-the-register format means you are never waiting on a server, and a full lunch is done in half an hour for under $20. It is equally good for a casual team lunch when you want something better than the usual takeout. Bring colleagues, order across the board, and split the dumplings and two thoke salads. For more quick, high-quality tables, see our best Portland restaurants guide.
Not for
Skip Rangoon Bistro for a date-night sit-down or a lingering dinner. It is a fast counter with hard stools, register ordering and a room that empties by early evening.
Frequently Asked
Is Rangoon Bistro worth it?
Yes, and it is one of the best-value meals in Portland. Rangoon Bistro turns out genuinely excellent Burmese cooking at counter-service prices, with most dishes under $20 and a full meal landing at $14 to $28. The tea leaf salad and the soup dumplings alone are worth the trip. It is casual and quick rather than a destination dinner, but for the money few Portland kitchens cook this well.
How hard is it to book Rangoon Bistro?
You do not book it; Rangoon Bistro is counter service with no reservations. Walk in, order at the register and grab a seat or a number. Weekday lunches move fast and the wait is rarely long; weekend evenings at the Richmond counter on SE 11th can back up. If the line looks long, the Mississippi Avenue location often has more room.
What is the dress code at Rangoon Bistro?
There is none. Rangoon Bistro is a casual neighbourhood counter, and you can come in whatever you are wearing, from gym clothes to work attire. It is the opposite of a special-occasion room: hard stools, paper napkins, register ordering. Dress for comfort, not for the photos, and plan to eat fast rather than linger.
What should I order at Rangoon Bistro?
Lead with the laphet thoke, the tossed tea leaf salad, and the soup dumplings that Bon Appetit praised in 2023. Add the coconut chicken noodle, ohn no khao swe, and the pork belly noodles to round out a table. Everything is under $20, so over-ordering for two is cheap and smart. The thoke salads rotate with Oregon produce, so ask what is fresh.
Reserve a Table
Reserve at Rangoon Bistro
Counter service, no reservations. Walk in and order at the register. The SE 11th and Mississippi counters run the same menu.
Affiliate disclosure: Restaurants for Kings may earn a commission when you book through our reservation links, at no cost to you. Our scores are editorial and never paid for.
Practical Information
Address2133 SE 11th Avenue, Portland, OR 97214
NeighbourhoodRichmond (SE 11th)
CuisineBurmese
Price$14–$28 per person; nothing on the board over $20
Dress CodeNone; casual neighbourhood counter
Seating~12 seats; order-at-register; second counter on Mississippi Ave
ReservationNo reservations · walk-in counter service
