One possible way to avoid the wait for a table at Burma Superstar might be to
show up as soon as the doors open at 11:30 a.m. Otherwise, be sure to bring some
patience along with your appetite because this ultra-popular eatery in San Francisco’s
Inner Richmond neighborhood attracts quite a crowd throughout the day. Nonethe-
less, the food is worth every minute spent in anticipation.
Although I am unfamiliar with Burmese food, it’s still easy to appreciate fresh,
distinctive flavors – and equally effortless to take some cues from other diners
and the wait staff. We started with the Vegetarian Samusa Soup, which boasts a
creamy base with a hint of cumin and is full of an unusual but remarkably well-
matched combination of ingredients including samusas, cabbage, onions, and lentils.
Our graduate student son insisted we dine at Burma Superstar during our week-
end visit. He suggested we order a noodle dish and mango beef. However, it turns
out the latter is a seasonal dish, so it wasn’t available. Instead our server recom-
mended Steak Kabat, a medium-spicy blend of tender pieces of beef, tomatoes, onions,
peppers, and mint. He stressed that it was not overly-spiced; apparently the super-
spiced dish is the Chili Lamb. “The chef cannot even make this medium,” he said. The
Kebat was fiery enough. A cool complement was the Nan Pia Dok, coconut curry chicken
with flour noodles.
The small restaurant itself is rather nondescript, which is fine since the focus is so
clearly on the food and service.
Burma Superstar
Four Stars
309 Clement St.
San Francisco, CA
The Blue Page Special 
That looks like a good plate of food! I love it when food comes with a perfect dollop of white rice.
Ha, ha! There is something to be said about such dollops. Thanks for reading, Dienna.