My friends and I have never been disappointed at Dagon. At the recommendation of our server we order this tofu appetizer. Filled tofu pockets with a lemon cilantro dressing. Vegan and it was the talk of the meal. Ordered couple of curry/ stews. Lamb curry was my favorite. With recommended coconut rice! Hit the spot! Four guys and we couldn't finish it all so take out containers for all. My favorite is always the tea leaf salad. You got to try it! Doesn't taste like tea leaves and the blend of garlic, herbs cilantro, and other veggies just made you crave fir more. Looking forward to trying more. But why we order the same things always?? That's the reason we got back! read more

So I've always wanted to try this place out ever since they opened up for business. I finally made it and prior to coming here I never looked up reviews or pictures, I actually still haven't, except for while ordering I looked up the most popular dishes because I was pretty much stumped. Items we ordered among the (3) of us were: 1) Tea Leaf Salad: One of my friends described this dish as a good salad but it was as if eating trail mix, I agreed 100%. It was refreshing but to be honest my jaw was tired from chewing all the peanuts and seeds. I did enjoy that there was a kick of spiciness to this. 2) Crispy Tofu with Salad Filling: My least favorite item of the dishes we ordered. It was plated nicely but I just didn't understand the concept and it lacked any flavor. I was extremely happy we voted who would have to eat the last serving and it wasn't me. 3) Garlic Noodle with Chicken: Although this dish appeared to look delicious, it didn't have much taste to it and the chicken was extremely dry. The biggest obstacle was finding this place. It is located on South King Street and if you're not familiar with the area it's opposite of Glazer's Coffee right before the area turns into the Kaimuki vicinity. Maps drove me in circles & the parking situation isn't very accommodating, I was lucky enough to find a metered stall opened. I'm not sure what the other reviews point out but just based on my experience... I probably wouldn't come back here. Parking situation sucks, my jaws were super tired from chewing all the crunchiness of the dishes we ordered (& this was even hours after dining here), service was kinda slow even if the restaurant wasn't busy at all. One thing I couldn't stand either was that it felt as if our presence didn't matter, like the restaurant could've cared less if we were there or not. However it was a cool experience, I'm glad I can now say I had Burmese food, but that's about it. read more

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After crappy brought in lunch (sorry Papa Johns I never liked you. And even with 5 different pizzas delivered and sampled, I came to the same conclusion, you inhale strongly through tubular lips) aka suck! So there I was, carbed out, on flavorless Sheetrock, with chewy government ration cheese-food and various combinations of scrapple on top. I get to hotel and I typed "big salad" into Yelp search. Thanks to my fellow yelper helpers photos, videos and reviews. I located this spot. I knew dinner was bound to have something alive and green that came out of the earth in the last week or so. But Burmese? I actually came close to Myanmar while in Thailand, so I figured the flavor profile would be similar. What hooked me were the images of the tea leaf salad. Had to wait about 20 min... this spot is quant and one room with 20 or so seats. Many were getting it to go. So I opted to visit nearby smoke shop and kibitz with nice lady over limited array of stogies and how crazy Honolulu has grown in past 10 years. Once seated we opted for the tea salad and Basil chicken as well and even though I was carbed our, the rice from picture called Burmese Indian rice. Everything had clean fragrant and crisp, fresh flavor. The salad was cleansing, crunchy and chewy. Mild flavor but so light it was a perfect starter. The basil chicken was served with tons of Basil onions and peppers. It was mild but packed that clean fragrant sweet and savory punch I was hoping for. The rice OMG! I was speechless searching for words to describe the flavors exploding in layers in my palate. Big cinnamon stick, cashews, raisins, cloves, garlic, Turmeric, saffron, with fresh cherry tomatoes and a few cucumber slices. And again basil. If you were to walk up to me at that moment I would have tackled you and demanded you take a bite. The waitstaff was efficient and friendly, knowledgeable with out pretentious pandering to most folks who like me never sampled this cuisine. She even knew a similar spot in Bezerkeley, CA we could visit near home. That's because I have to keep trying it! It's so so good. America I implore you to explore this culture and cuisine. Like most of Asia, the flavor combinations are reflective of rich cultures, religions, traditions, available ingredients skillfully and lovingly combined in ways that will redefine how you understand food. Consider me an eager freshman who just found his major! Aka Burmese! read more

The food and service were just okay. There was only one other table with people. The food came quickly. But we could have used some waitress input on our order, and once the bill was paid the service stopped. We went in a group of three. Rather than order a big plate of one thing (noodles, curry, etc.) I opted to order all the appetizers to get more variety. However, they were all basically the same thing/ingredients just packaged differently, and they all came with the exact same dipping sauce. I wish the waitress had advised us of this. We had a lot remaining on the plates when I paid the bill, but we had to then ask for boxes, then for container for the sauce, and then for a bag to put it all in. Each time we had to wait. Again the food was fine, nothing particularly spectacular/tasty. read more

I've eaten here at least 5 times in the past year and I'm only reviewing this place now. Our last visit was on September 16 for dinner and enjoyed every morsel. We ordered the Crispy Platha ( 2xs cuz we hate to share), crispy filled tofu ( they make their own tofu), coconut lamb curry, garlic noodles and coconut rice 2xs. Every single dish came out timely and also with good portions. My teenager literally said "That was a good meal" and coveted the leftovers for lunch the next day. The only thing that I think could've been better was that the noodles had more vegetables. I've also had the vegetable curry and the tea leaf salad on other occasions a it they were both so delicious. The flavors were a mixture of Thai and Indian cuisine but not with the spiciness that both a Thai and Indian food are known for. The servers are always nice. The average price for a dish was about $15. A diner for 4 with 7 entrees ran us about $90 with tip. What a deal! In fact writing this review has got me craving Dagon again. read more

We are regular Dagon patrons, and the staff is great there even when the place is packed. The food is delicious (byo) and the servers are helpful. How nice to have this little gem in our neighborhood! read more

We usually come here because the food is good. But I will never come here again. We had horrible service. I believe the server's name was Mykalya ? She was not interested in serving us and was not friendly at all. We were treating out of town guests. It was our family last night on the island and we were treated so rudely. I hate that. We fought over the bill and accused us of manhandling her but we didn't touch her at all. She falsely accused us and treated us like children. Don't come to this restaurant because you will have bad service. read more

Pretty yummy. Service is a little mehhh. Wasn't super helpful with what to order. More of "just order everything"

This was my first time at Dagon and my god...delicious! First things first, parking was a bit tricky as they only have a few parking stalls plus street parking. We lucked out and were able to find a spot in the back. Service here wasn't amazing, but to be fair we came on a Saturday night and it was a full house...the two waiters were hustling! We decided to do family style and share a few dishes. We started with the Dagon tea salad which was amazing, crunchy and full of flavor! The salt and pepper calamari was nothing special but yummy nonetheless. For our main course, we had the pumpkin pork stew and Burmese lamb curry with potatoes. Aromatic, flavorful and robust are three worlds to describe these dishes! The lamb was tender and the pork cut like butter. All in all, we had a great time and will definitely be back for more delicious Burmese food! read more

Dagon - Burmese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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When you think of Hawaii, you probably don't think of Burmese food. But after dining at Dagon, that might change! It kind of seemed like a fusion of Indian/Thai cuisine. The menu offers something for everyone, and is very vegan/vegetarian friendly (if you're looking for that)! I went with a party of 4 and we ordered Salt and Pepper Calamari, Tea Leaf Salad, Dagon Tea Leaf Salad, Burmese Indian Rice, and Basil Chicken. Yes, the 2 salads are different! While both equally fresh and flavorful in taste, the Dagon Tea Leaf Salad comes pre mixed with hint of fish sauce added to it. The Tea Leaf Salad comes separated with Burmese tea leaves, fried garlic, beans, peanuts, yellow/green split peas, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, tomato, and lemon lime. Your waiter will mix it for you (if you prefer) and I would definitely recommend squeezing the lemon on top because it adds a refreshing zing to every bite. I preferred the Tea Leaf Salad (without fish sauce) but both were great and would order it again. Beware, if you're sensitive to caffeine and you're eating this at night, the Tea leaves might be keeping you up a little! The Basil Chicken and Burmese Indian rice paired very well together. The rice is very unique - it's a basmati rice prepared with spices, cinnamon, raisins, and topped with tomato, cucumber, and fried onion. I'd give this vibrant colored dish a try! Parking is limited, but there's a small parking lot in the back, some street parking in front of the restaurant, and the paid parking lot in Puck's Alley. I'd definitely recommend Dagon if you want to try something unique, flavorful, and delicious! It's a fairly small restaurant, so reservations are recommended, especially during popular meal hours. Dagon is closed on Tuesdays! read more

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I had high hopes since this is the only restaurant that I've found that served Burmese food (other than their new restaurant they just opened up). Found parking easily right in the alley of the restaurant, though some street parking as well in the front. I made a reservation as last time I came here for a table for two when they opened, it was a one hour wait because people had made reservations prior. Sat down quickly and we all could hear the hard working kitchen in the back. Greeted fairly quickly and they were patient with me and my friends as this was the first time my friends had tried Burmese cuisine. I was very excited to try their Nan Pia Dok, aka flat rice noodles in a coconut curry sauce with chicken and white onions. It also came with a sliced hardboiled egg and some scallions. My dish came out first, then my friends' chicken basil dish, lastly my other friends' lamb stew. Rice is ala carte, the entrees don't come with rice and the overall portions were pleasing. What wasn't pleasing were the servers at our table. No one checked on us AT ALL during our entire time there. No water refills or even checking on how we were. We had to ask for our check and to go boxes twice. When we got our food back from being packed, the servers gave my friends the wrong food and packed the leftover rice with the incorrect dish. Our main server seemed to have an attitude, like we were an inconvenience from the start. Just by the way we our orders were taken (quickly, no questions, didn't even offer beverages or desserts) to the lack of service during our dinner. We weren't even acknowledged on the way out when my friends and I said thank you. I thought it was only me who thought this, but my friends mentioned it as well. Hesitant to go back, but the food is calling me again! read more

Great Burmese food, especially if you need more vegetables and are tired of eating just spam and fried chicken every day (not that there's anything wrong with that). I especially like the salads here; they are so vibrant and there's a lot going on with them. It's not just some sad pieces of lettuce tossed with dry chicken. Plus, portion sizes are big. I ordered 5 dishes and total (+ tip) came out to around $70. I tried the: Garlic noodles - 3/5. These could have used more flavor, plus there was only tofu in it. It does come with a sweet and spicy sauce, but the sauce is too sweet to use all of it on the noodles. Eggplant tofu salad - 5/5. Really exceeded expectations. I thought I'd get some bland steamed eggplant tossed with tofu, but the actual dish was rife with different veggies. The eggplant was cooked, tossed in a savory sauce, and shredded. The fried tofu added a great texture and some much-needed protein. Fried rice - 5/5. This fried rice is super saucy. It's tossed with a good amount of vegetables, and you can just eat them nonstop. There are lots of options on the menu for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike, so I'd recommend giving this place a try! read more

Great food, good service, and vegan options. The restaurant is basic with some authentic Burmese decorations, but the food is delicious!

Their food was incredible! And there's not so many people so you can feel relaxed and enjoy your food. The curry was little bit salty but the taste was awesome and tea leaf salad was great as well. BYOB so I brought my bottle of wine and enjoyed with it read more

Packed with soooooo much flavor!!! This is my very first experience eating Burmese and I absolutely fell in love! I'm so glad a friend introduced me to DAGON tonight because I will definitely be back. We ordered: 1. Tea leaf salad - add the garlic and spritz lemon juice; reminds me of papaya salad; spicy except my taste buds were experiencing so much flavor of all sorts - in a good way 2. Crispy tofu - it literally was finger food salad sandwich nonetheless yummy; quite a bit of a zing 3. Garlic noodle - my fave!!! No too strong of a garlic taste but just right. A bit bland so it's a MUST that you add the red sauce that comes with it because that sauce MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE in the world. Customer service was wonderful and service was quick. Street parking. Location is on S. King street right across Koa Pancake by university. I'm hooked. I can't wait to go back! Great place to eat something healthy yet goodness, for planet-based/eaters. Menu offers something for everyone. read more

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Had a crowd of 11 and a few of the dishes weren't double orders so the pictures aren't "pristine" pre-eaten since the folks at the other end of the long table didn't let me get pics first... oh well. Parking- street. We lucked out and saw a car leave right in front and circled round to get the space. Metered, but free from 6pm. Service - good. Not great but no complaints. Several dishes were wrong but not the end of the world since this was a tasting experience it didn't matter, especially since someone else paid. But still... Ambiance - good. Would have been better if the tables weren't sticky. Saw this mentioned in other reviews. It is not that they are dirty. The varnish or finish wasn't properly cured or if it was a two part urethane the proportion of the two ingredients was off. They are still sticky after several weeks so this is really a weird feeling. Even plastic table clothes would be better. They leave large, heavy pitchers of water on the table. Good to be able to refill your tiny metal cups on your own and not have to wait for a server. But the pitcher is heavy... Food - very good. Started with Burmese samusas appetizer. Hand wrap filled with potato, red onion, mint leaf, garam masala, spices served with chili sauce. Like samosas - deep fried triangles of dough filled with potatoes and spices. Served with chili sauce. Very good. Tea Leaf Salad with green leaf lettuce was very good but lacked oomph. You had to squeeze the lemon over it for a bit of zing. Green leaf lettuce mixed with peanut, sunflower seed, yellow split pea, green split pea, garlic chip, sesame seed, jalapeño, tomato, lemon and mixed with traditional fermented green tea leaf dressing. What makes this salad are the amazing textures with the crunchy garlic chips and green and yellow split peas. There's also peanuts that have been charred. Recommend the Dagon tea leaf salad instead - the cabbage adds even more crunch than the lettuce. Mango salad was amazing! Flavors melded so beautifully. Highly recommend this one! Fresh mango salad mixed with fried onion, garlic oil, cilantro, cabbage, red onion, red bell pepper, cashew nut, peanut, sesame seed, mint, raisins, cucumber, fish sauce. Nan Pya Dok Noodles. Rice noodle with coconut chicken creamy sauce, red onion, roasted bean flour, cilantro, fried onion, boiled egg, lemon, cabbage and topped with crunchy wonton. As you can see in my pic, none of the fried onion or crunchy won't ton (folks at the other end of the table didn't know how to portion what they took...sigh) so I can't recommend this. Very bland tasting. But ok. The Myeik Pan Fried Noodle. Flat rice noodle tossed in wok with bean sprout, chive, garlic, black pepper, fish sauce, egg, shrimp and chicken was better. More like a Thai pad siew. Flavorful. I worked order it again. Spicy Chili - Red dry chili, chili flakes, jalapeño, garlic, ginger, onion, green onion, cilantro, fish sauce. Was spicy. Ordered it with lamb but it came with beef. Beef was over cooked and dry. Sauce was tasty. Biryani Basmati rice, spices, raisins, cucumber, tomato, mint, fried onion, cilantro, cashew nut. We ordered plain, came with lamb. Was cooked well and was good. Others raved but I thought it was just good. Palatha multi layered very thin fried bread. Yummy but greasy cuz it's fried in butter. Like a super thin (1/8") layered naan that's slightly crisp and oh so buttery. You have to love butter or you'll think it's too oily. I love it. We had a pork curry dish. I think red curry. Had potatoes. No heat so didn't taste like curry. The pork was almost fall apart soft so a little difficult to eat since the pieces were big and you have a fork and only a spoon. But you could cut it with the spoon with a tiny bit of effort. I really liked this. The gravy wasn't heavily spiced but was very simple and good. Just not spicy as expected. Basil with beef. Fresh basil, red dried chili, bell pepper, carrot, garlic, onion, ginger, house made sauce. Tasty, but not enough basil. This was very good even without more basil. Would get this again and ask for plenty of basil. I think I would prefer to to go Rangoon the sister (or so I was told) restaurant in Chinatown. Neither has its own parking but there's municipal lots in Chinatown, so less stressful than trying to find street parking. Nice atmosphere. Also the dishes were more consistently well made there. However I definitely would come back if I'm in the area and now that I know which dishes I like, and would send back wrong orders if it happened again. (Server did repeat the order so it should have been right.) Because several of the wrong orders were served at the other end of the table they didn't know they were wrong since they didn't do the ordering. (I did see one review mentioned a wrong order so it does happen here.) I'm sure this place has five star reviews. Just having eaten Burmese food before elsewhere, having wrong orders, sticky tables... Just can't give it a five even though I want to. read more

Flavors outside of the Hawaii norm. I'm always down to try different foods - luckily Hawaii is a pretty good place for that, being a melting pot and all. Dagon is home to Burmese cuisine, one I had no idea of expectations for, and now one I would be happy to return to. My family and I started with the salt/pepper calamari appetizer - a crunchy, delicious meal starter. Perhaps they could have provided a bit more lemon, but otherwise the dish was well prepared and appreciated. We then proceeded to try the two types of tea leaf salads - one with fish sauce, one without. I felt both were delicious, with the non-fish sauce one being a bit more refreshing. Both were quite flavorful though, with a unique taste that could differ with each bite, due to all the parts of the salad. We ended our meal with the basil chicken and Burmese Indian rice, two dishes packed with spices and a great combination to boot. I will note that the tea leaf salads may have an effect on the non-caffeine drinkers - not sure if placebo but my family was up longer than usual that night. If you're in the mood for something different, give Dagon a try! read more

My very favorite when I visit! The food is fresh and excellent flavors- more variation than Thai and the service is great. It's an intimate setting (small) so I recommend a reservation, but in any case be sure to try it out. I can't speak to authenticity because I've never been to Burma. I have however had disappointing Burmese food elsewhere. Dagon is a wonderful culinary experience. Thanks to our local friends for introducing us to this hidden gem! read more

This place has always been a favorite but most recently we made a reservation for five and they sat us at a cramped table for four while there were other empty tables. Staff was unhelpful and unsympathetic. Basically they said that they cold give us a table for five because they wanted to take walk ins. They had no answers when I asked what the point t of making reservation was. Other than to say that they hadn't been the person to take it. We won't be back soon. read more

No waiting on a Wednesday night. Street parking only. The front of the restaurant was run by one person. She handled everything pretty well. She made suggestions, attended to us frequently and had a great demeanor about her. Food came out very quickly. Portions on certain items were lacking such as the Pumpkin Curry (very little pumpkin), while the rice and noodle dishes were good amounts. My party felt the food was overall pretty good. Sorry I didn't take pictures of all the food we ate. If you are feeling like Burmese, I would recommend this restaurant. One thing to mention is the bathrooms are outside, to the back of the building and you need a key. Also, don't be surprised by the occasional bug sighting. We saw a couple running around. read more

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It's quite difficult finding authentic Burmese food since it is not a common cuisine found in the U.S. However I've stumbled across this amazing gem. To start off, Burmese cuisine centralizes around starches such as rice, wheat and a variety of noodles to pickled tealeaves and fish paste. Experience: Charming waiter who's very patient, friendly and helpful! He also mentioned that it is a BYOB restaurant. But don't fret if you forget because they have a small selection of bottles to choose from. The bulk of the menu is mostly fish/vegetarian based but they do have chicken, lamb and beef options (yum!). Service was pretty fast but it wasn't a full house the day we went. Food: - Tea leaf salad: If there is one dish that is synonymous with Burmese cuisine I would recommend this dish. It's crunchy, zesty with a hint of umami goodness. In the dish you'll find fermented tea leaves, garlic, crunchy split peas, peanuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, lettuce, an assortment of tomatoes, dried shrimp, peppers and the server will toss everything together with freshly squeezed lemon juice. (+5/5) - Palata: A Burmese style pan-fried flat bread. It was crunchy, flaky, and yet fluffy inside. It is on the oily side but we paired it up with the curry and it was delicious! (+4/5) - Vegetarian Spring rolls: The most perfectly fried spring rolls I've ever had. This is a must for spring roll fanatics. I was astonished with the flavors in this vegetarian roll; my taste buds were dancing. It was so good that we even ordered some to go! (+5/5) - Masala Curry (Salmon): A five-spice curry. There are two options; mahi mahi and salmon. We chose salmon since it was a popular option. Needless to say, there was a generous portion of salmon and the curry base itself wasn't incredibly thick, it was just right. You'll also find pieces of fresh bell peppers in the curry too. This dish is a must! (+5/5) Tips: - I can't stress making reservations at least 1-2 hours prior to dining! I have seen people who've walked in and were turned away. - Parking is pretty limited so arrive a bit earlier then expected! - P.S: There is a ton of meter parking (if you're lucky since stalls do get filled quick! Especially around the noon/evening) they also have stalls where a mural is found on the side of the restaurant building. read more

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I only ate there once but I felt that their food was so good that it was addictive. I tried going there again but they ran out of food so quickly after opening. (I think 1.5 hours into dinner) read more

Enjoyed lunch here with a friend last week. Both of us were first timers. Tried the Tea Leaf Salad, Golden Fried Tofu & Coconut Curry Pork. All dishes were delicious. My favorite was the tofu - I liked the presentation & sauce flavors. Salad was interesting. Looking now at photos on yelp, I wonder if we were supposed to toss everything together. Enjoyed anyway, just taking ingredients we wanted. Trying to cut back on rice, so we opted not to order. Otherwise, I would have been drowning it w/curry sauce. Instead, used the tofu to soak up some sauce, whclich was a good substitute. Will return. read more

Dagon - Tea Leaf Salad, Golden Fried Tofu & Coconut Curry Pork - Burmese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Delicious food, great service, and a great vibe! Portions are amazing and the taste is top tier all the way through read more

Dagon - Coconut rice, Burmese rice, pumpkin stew, fish curry, coconut curry with potatoes. - Burmese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Love this place. Flavor is always on point and great value for the potion you get. Service was a bit slow that night but the serve had great recommendations on the menu. read more

For my first review of the New Year, 2016, I chose a restaurant whose cuisine reflects DIVERSITY. I believe that Dagon Burmese Restaurant does just that. Burma's (now known as Myanmar) cuisine has been heavily influenced by the country's diverse religions from its various ethnic minorities and because of its geography. The Buddhists avoid beef while the Muslims avoid pork. The bulk of Burma's cuisine is fish or vegetarian based. Myanmar's borders are surrounded by India, Thailand, Laos and China so many snacks and dishes show influences from these countries, too. Because it was just the two of us, we tried only a few different dishes that were representative of the some of the cultures. The menu is extensive and diverse enough that one could eat their way through the country if you came here in a group. The restaurant isn't very large and the décor Is typical Southeast Asian. Dinner service is only available and reservations are recommended. Metered street parking is usually available but this restaurant also shares a small parking lot with 2 other business in this building (Sweet Home Glad and a vape shop). THE FOOD: - Tea Leaf Salad: Unique to Burma, this salad features a mix of "fermented" Burmese tea leaves, fried garlic, yellow split peas, peanuts, sesame seeds, lettuce, tomatoes, dried shrimp with fish sauce, jalapeño peppers and lemon. A most interesting salad came to our table in a "deconstructed" form. Our server took the time to describe the ingredients on the plate as she tossed the salad together. It was a unique and flavorful start to our meal. - Garlic Noodles: Flat noodles with crisp garlic, green onions, cucumbers and scallions tossed in a special house sauce. We chose fried tofu as our protein. The noodles were served with a sweet-hot sauce that we originally just dabbed atop the portion but, as our tastebuds became accustomed to the sauce, we emptied and tossed the contents of the ramekin into the noodles. It was reminiscent of the famous Vietnamese garlic noodles at San Francisco's or Los Angeles' Crustacean restaurant but with a little spicy kick. - Burmese Lamb Curry with Potatoes: Traditional special Burmese curry featuring tender stewed lamb and potato chunks. The curry didn't appear to be tumeric-based as it was brownish red. It was more paprika colored flavored with cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom pods, onions, garam masala (?) and ginger. This curry wasn't as complex as an Indian curry nor spicy. It was delicious and served as a great sauce to the tender lamb (although somewhat dry) chunks. The sauce even paired well with the garlic noodles until our palata arrived. - Palata: Burmese-style paratha (Indian flat bread). There didn't seem to be anything outstanding with this flatbread. I found it to be a bit oily and used it to scoop up some of the lamb curry sauce. The restaurant filled as we were dining. Several couples had come in to dine but were turned away because they didn't have reservations. Service was pleasant and friendly but seemed a little disorganized. The disorganization seemed to occur when people came in to place takeout orders while the kitchen executed the orders of the other diners. The kitchen signaled the servers that orders were ready but because the servers were helping the walk-ins and some other tables, the food came a bit delayed to everyone. We'd gladly return to try more flavors and cooking styles of Myanmar. #504 read more

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Have I never written how wonderful this little neighborhood restaurant is yet? Recently a neighbor asked if I wanted to try something new. When she mentioned wanting to try Dagon I wanted to dine here so bad. Not because I hadn't ever eaten here before, but because I had, many many times ! So the three of us dashed down to this lower Manoa/Moiliili restaurant. I recommended the samusas for appetizer and then my favorite...the tea salad. I could come to this restaurant for their tea salad alone. Do yourself a favor if you dine here...get it! We traveled through a few of their delicious entrees and curries. All agreed, the next time we eat here, and there will be a next time, we will each get our own tea salad and perhaps a few other dishes, or not. Parking can be tight for this restaurant. Remember, parking is free after 6pm. There are also a few spaces designated for the restaurant in the apartment parking lot in back. No liquor is sold at the restaurant. It is a strictly bring your own kinda beer or wine kinda place Enjoy !! read more

I've driven by this place many times and always wanted to try it but never did. One of my friends recently dined here and he couldn't stop raving about it. Once the words BYOB came out of his mouth, I was sold to go. We quickly made reservations and starting counting down the days till we got to dine here. The day of our reservations finally arrived and we were excited! My friend picked me up because he mentioned the parking situation. The choices were prepaying to park at lots near by, look for parking in the residential area or street parking. If you ride the bus, it's right near a bus stop. Luckily, we found a stall on the street right across the restaurant. It was 7:30pm so free parking! This is a nice hole in the wall type restaurant with several tables and artwork hanging on the walls to give it a Burmese vibe. It's brightly lit and very welcoming. The servers for the night were Noemi and Zell whom were very friendly, helpful and least to say awesome. They were dressed in all black which made them stand out of the crowd. Our reservations were for 8 people but a couple had to cancel last minute when we arrived. Noemi and Zell were very accommodating and moved a table so that the seating would be for 6. Our 4 other friends were running late but not to worry! What did we do? We cracked open a bottle and started to have a few drinks while we were waiting. During this time, Noemi brought us water, glasses for our drinks and menus. She was very patient with us because our friends were about 30-40 minutes late. We felt bad so we ordered the Dagon Tea Leaf Salad and the Tea Leaf Salad while we waited for our friends. Our friends arrived just when the salads did, talk about perfect timing. Noemi explained what was in the Tea Leaf Salad and mixed it for us. She did it like a pro! After mixing the salad, she took our order while giving us recommendations of dishes to try. We ended up ordering Nan Gyi Dok, Spicy Chili Lamb, Lamb Masala, Beef Masala, Basil Chicken, Biryani w/Chicken, Garlic Noodles w/Chicken and Pumpkin Pork Stew. The dishes that stood out for me were the Dagon Tea Leaf Salad, Tea Leaf Salad, Garlic Noodles w/Chicken and Spicy Chili Lamb. I just wished that the Spicy Chili Lamb was spicier but it was packed full of flavor. They are the only Burmese restaurant that I'm aware of on Oahu. What a shame, Burmese cuisine is quite flavorful. Overall, this place has good food, great service and it's BYOB...a clear winner in my book. read more

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Got take out and it was amazing! Dagon veggie curry with Indian rice 10/10. Can't wait to go check out the restaurant.

This spot accommodated a group of 5 last minute and was very friendly and welcoming! The food was delicious and affordable. We got the tofu garlic noodles, Burmese eggplant curry and the vegetarian platha combo. The flavors were very distinct and we felt each dish was made very well! My party eats spicy food and we felt the medium WASNT spicy at all so I would go spicy if that's what you like. The waitress was super friendly and attentive and very fun to talk to. Make sure to come early to find parking, that was a little bit of a struggle for us. read more

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The first time I ate Burmese food, it was a memorable experience at Burma Superstar in SF (thanks Paula J!). Dagon comes close, and as the only Burmese restaurant on Oahu, it's worth trying. If there's anything you must order, it's the Tea Leaf salad. One bite and I was immediately transported back to SF like the scene in a favorite animated flick when the restaurant critic took his first bite of a rustic ratatouille dish and he was once again a child eating in his mama's kitchen. The salad is an interesting mix of greens, tea leaves, crunchy peanuts, refreshing tomatoes and unusual tantalizing flavors. To me, this seems the quintessential Burmese dish, and mixed tableside, it's entertainment dining. Taking cues from fellow Yelpers, we ordered the vegetable samusa soup, pumpkin chicken curry, noodles with tofu and Indian-Burmese rice. The soup had a citrusy tang while the curry proved rich and hearty over the fragrant rice and noodles. The 5 of us got a second wind and ordered three more dishes: a spicy chicken-vegetable stir fry, pan fried eggplant curry and palat -- squares of puff pastry-like bread great for dipping into the bold curry. Delish. Stellar food aside, the restaurant does need to hire more wait staff as the two or three who were on the floor were frantically trying to keep up with the packed crowd. It took a while for us to get our orders in, water glasses filled and dirty wine glasses replaced. Small kine glitch in an otherwise fantastic dining experience with great friends, and we definitely plan to go back. Parking is free in the lot adjacent to Kokua Market or park for a fee at the CPB lot by University. Note the bathroom is located behind the restaurant, so girls, go in pairs! Also, there's no dessert on the menu so if you must have a sweet finish, walk across the street to The Tea Farm Cafe for chocolate fondue or s'mores. Enjoy! read more

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Of course, if a restaurant has great vegetarian options, it's an automatic 4 star. (Hey! This is my Yelp review, so I can say/do whatever I want to! I can be totally biased over veggie friendly restaurants!) We got the tea leaf salad, which was totally fun mixing and eating. (If you don't like spicy foods, make sure you take out the jalapeño before you mix!) We also got the spring rolls, which oh my... was soooo good. It only came with 4, but I could totally have 6 and make it into a meal! LoL. Ok, maybe not. Then we had the veggie curry. (My friend suggested to get curry here.) The curry was good! Lots of veggies. I don't mind going back at all since there were items on the menu I still wanna try! read more

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I went in with high expectations since it read the reviews. I was very excited to try the garlic noodle dish. But I felt like the food was underwhelming. There was not very much garlic or chicken in the chicken garlic noodle. I absolutely love garlic and was so sad with how the garlic noodle dish tasted nothing like garlic. Not enough Overall the food is just good, not above average or amazing, it's just good. The lamb was not as moist as other restaurants we have eaten at I would not want to come here again. It just wasn't impressive. read more

Dagon - Fried tofu - Burmese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

There aren't a lot of Burmese restaurants out there, so whenever we know of one in the area we are visiting we definitely make it a point to try it out. Being Burmese and knowing how most of the dishes on the menu are suppose to taste I was pretty critical, but of course more critical than me was my mom. Dagon definitely deserves 5 stars! This is restaurant quality food that still tastes authentic and homemade. The restaurant was pretty crowded and they said the wait would be awhile and kitchen might be closed by the time we got seated so we ordered to go. Luckily as we were waiting a table opened up and we were seated by the waitress and she brought over our food. I was surprised to see that the waitresses weren't Burmese. All of the Burmese restaurants I've been to our family owned. They knew a lot about the dishes and knew how to pronounce them all perfectly. For appetizer I recommend the palatha and the crispy tofu. My favorite entree is the nan gyi dok which is a noodle dish. I didn't get to try the goat curry but that's normally my go to Burmese dish with coconut rice. The restaurant doesn't serve alcohol but they let you BYOB so it's a great concept. read more

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Three of us went to Dagon last night. There was easy street parking on South King Street, almost in front of the restaurant, at 6:30 PM on a Monday. The waiters and waitresses were friendly, let us take all the time we needed with the extensive menu, and were very efficient. We shared palata (flat bread similar to roti), their signature salad with pine nuts (addictive), pumpkin soup (amazing), and a lamb kebat (super yummy, but the lamb was a little tough; they called it spicy, but it was just barely so). This was my first experience with Burmese food, and Yeah!, I'm a fan! We'll definitely be back! Highly recommended! P.S. BYOB or BYOW. They provide plastic wine glasses and an opener. read more

Best best best. Yum! If that isn't helpful...well I'm sorry. One of my favorite places to eat. You can't go wrong with the Platha Combo, Garlic Noodles with Chicken, and the Spicy Chili Beef...they have lots of other great dishes but I don't know what they are because I always order the same thing! Trust me. read more

Never had Burmese food until I came to Hot Dagon and based off of this experience I will definitely be back. Out of the things that we ordered the mango salad and the calamari were my top two. I would definitely come back next time I'm in Hawaii. read more

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I'd never had Burmese food before and was pleasantly surprised at how good it is! It's a cross between Southeast Asian and Indian food. We had the pumpkin stew with pork (really delicious mild gravy), wheat noodles curry with chicken and wonton strips (the curry was mild and the wonton chips were something different), and the samusas (great stuff, flavorful innards). Service was good however we were rushed to order because "a big group was coming in" and we should get ours orders in before them. I understand the waiter's concern but a kitchen should be able to handle a full house regardless. To their credit our food did come out pretty quick. Overall I'd recommend this restaurant for those seeking something new and unique. Give it a go! read more

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I have to say that it makes me sad to write this review because this was one of my FAVORITE restaurants and I've recommended it to SOOOO many people but our last few experiences were not great.The food tasted different from before (it seemed like ingredients were thrown together without the normal preparation) and on top of that, we waited over an hour for our food. The waitress was rude to my parents which was very hurtful. Unfortunate because I really did love this place. I will update my review if I ever go back and if I have a better experience again. read more

I went here with three friends and I cannot say enough good things about it. The service was attentive and quick. Our waitress was helpful and kind and friendly. All the food dishes were excellent. The Coconut Rice with the Coconut Curry was great and the Garlic Noodles were a table favorite!!! Yum yum read more

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