A decent variation of Burmese and Thai, and close to the university if you're not looking to make the trek all the way down to Burma Superstar. The space was great. Super roomy and service was on point. Even when it's packed to the brim, it never felt like we were sardines in a can, unlike much of its competition. However, when compared to the competition, flavors weren't particularly interesting. Coconut rice was the surprising standout dish (super sweet and cooked to perfection), but the compliments (mains) weren't exactly exotic, flavorful, or creative. We'll probably stop by again when we're in the area, but probably not worth going out of our way for. read more

Yum, not another ethiopean/eritrean restaurant in the area! Much as I love it, it just makes me think about how starbucks and peets constantly compete for the same customer base when there's plenty of spaces everywhere to get your coffee drinking customers from! Ahem, anyway, this location has had several lovely restaurants come and go--I was excited to see their Grand Opening sign up, but promptly forgot all about them until I noticed a recent newspaper review. I hopped to it on a Monday night. It was the East Bay dinner scene, all us Early Bird Special folks crowding the restaurant's back room (the one with the booths) to capacity at only 6pm. I like burmese cuisine but don't eat it very much as it's pretty pricey and usually way too crowded. Not interested! However, no lines as of yet here. I was seated immediately and while the busy waiter wasn't completely attentive, there was a fellow who cleared plates and filled waters frequently--I have not doubt that if was in need of something he would have fetched the waiter. The water glasses are pretty small, and I was pretty thirsty that night, and the glass was rarely empty. I of course ordered the tea leaf salad, a little pricey, but there is quite a bit of salad--if I wasn't sharing I could have just had that for a meal. Yum. the minted jalapeno chicken I mistakenly ordered with coconut rice--I love coconut rice so whenever I see it, I automatically order it. But eating it with the rich and savory flavors of the chicken just didn't work for me--but call that user error. The chicken dish I quite liked--and the jalapenos were plentiful but seedless so was barely spicey--this might have been dumbed down for the novice eaters, but I dunno--if you really want the burn, just be sure to say so to the waiter, I'm sure they'll accommodate you!. I had the garlic noodles with bbq pork--nothing to write home about, a little chin wiping greasy, but--not bad, just not as interesting as everything else! I do like those kind of noodles though. All in all quite a tasty dinner--and that was plenty for 3 folks by the way.. I will for sure be back! read more

Good deal on lunch specials! For $11 I had the minted jalepeno beef that came with rice, and their house soup and salad. Their portion is pretty generous for its price and I had to take half of my order to go. I was also able to use their check in offer for a free soda. Service was a little slow and the place wasn't close to being packed. read more

One of my favorite places, please try the parathas appetizer with lamb curry!! Also the owner / staff are extremely kind and helpful!

The good: Samusa soup - on par with Burma Superstar. Flavorful Rainbow Salad - interesting flavors. The fried garlic is what made this dish for me. And it's better than Burma Superstar's salad. The whatevs: The Lemongrass Chicken and the coconut rice - whatevs, man, whatevs. The bad: Garlic noodles: too salty and didn't really taste the garlic. My friends liked it though. Salmon crisp: basically like general tso's chicken but with salmon. The texture kept weirding me out because I kept expecting chewy chicken because of the general tsos sauce, but it was fish and the fish was too soft. Plus I just don't think that sauce goes well with salmon. Seating was plentiful and big enough to fit larger groups. I'd be back for the good, but I think Burma Superstar has slightly better food. Street parking only but there seemed to be enough of it. read more

I've been here like 15 times and every time we come, the food is consistently superb. I've brought my siblings, cousins from out of town, friends, and anyone I can convince to come with me. This Burmese restaurant out beats Burma Superstar in authenticity! In my opinion of course. Folks from San Francisco, you must travel over the bridge to try this place. East Bay folks, you'll thank me for sharing this local treat. read more

Royal Rangoon - Super family friendly! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

Two years ago I found this restaurant to be much better than it was last night. The owner was not present; Christmas Eve and the restaurant was busy. Several booths had reserved signs (no one came while we were there; the restaurant was being cleaned as we left around 9 pm). We were escorted to the small table by exit door. In a spirit of good will they could have given us an empty booth. Now to the food; Tea leaf salad had been sitting around and just didn't have the bite it had 2 years ago. The dull duck curry followed. We got our bill, finally after waiting 20 minutes walked it to the cash register, paid and left. Without the boss present, beware. No good-byes, hope you enjoyed your meal- nada. read more

Came through on a weekday and it was pretty busy! We didn't have to wait for our table, but the customer service was still veryyyy slow. We had to ask two separate waiters to even take our order and it wasn't until 30 mins after we sat that we got our order in. #hangry We ordered the Palata (Chicken), Tea Leaf Salad, Burmese Pork Curry, Garlic Shrimp Eggplant and jasmine rice to go with the curry. Definitely recommend getting the rice even if you eat rice everyday because. What else are you going to eat your curry with... When the food came, it looked really small but it was relatively filling. The tea leaf salad was really good and different, very flavorful. The best dish I would recommend getting out of all the above would be the Burmese Pork Curry, reallyyyy good with some rice. Overall, the food is really good. A little bit on the pricey side but the customer service was pretty ridiculous. I hope they hire more servers because I felt bad for the ones that worked there because they were running around and the wait to order our food or get the bill was pretty ridic. read more

I had a very average experience here. I've had Burmese food before, and this did not live up to what I had had before. We had the somosa soup and the chicken dish. Everything was _fine_ but nothing stood out. The flavors were good, the portions small, and the service was really, really slow at the end. We waited for a solid 15 minutes before we stood up to physically go track down our server so we could pay and gtfo. No one came by with water or asking to bag things up during the wait. I'd go back and give it another shot, but for the price point and the service, it'll probably be a while before I give it another go. The good: good spices. The bad: slow service, and I left still reasonably hungry. read more

This place was an absolute treat. Our friends had asked us to go out to dinner here. We have had Burmese food only once before. I must not have been that impressed as I don't remember it. That will not happen this time! We ordered a bunch of dishes and it was fantastic. The coconut rice was amazing as was the tea leaf salad. From there we pretty much took our servers advice. It was definitely the way to go and he did not serve us wrong. Good was great, service was great, all around we loved our experience here and we will be back read more

Great food, service, and management. Let's support them during this pandemic time and beyond. Our favorite place to eat with my ladies night out group. read more

The food tastes exactly like Burma Superstar, the name is "coincidentally similar" to Burma Superstar, but you don't have to wait 45 minutes for a table for 2 on a Tuesday night. These guys do it just as good! read more

I came here for dinner with a large group Of people. Our large group have eating restrictions and are a bit high maintenance. In my the service that goes with large group dinners is not that great. BUT NOT HERE!!! Tun was our server and he was Amazing!!!!! He remembered me by name, no ones food got messed up- he went above and beyond what I expected. He defiantly gained a customer!!! The staff here is friendly sweet, and caring. The food was delicious and the ambiance is quite nice as well. They have a nice selection of beer and wine and a great smile. Thank you so much Tun!! read more

Not sure if it was an off day or this place is simply overrated, but I was not impressed. -Extremely slow service -Waiter was inept -Food was not bad, but lacked flavor -Small portions -Never received a single water refill -Illogical seating patterns -So on and so forth I'll continue to go to Burma Superstar. read more

The food is nice here but a meal can be marred by one's experience. Loved the classic tea salad. Everything else was a miss for me. Reading all the other reviews I figured I should have gone with the mango chicken others raved about. I requested not spicy and unfortunately the dish was spicier my tummy can handle. The waiter was definitely not interested in making it right. But considering this is an Asian restaurant & it's all about the $$, I know the MO. Being Chinese myself I can say this. Live and learn. read more

Sorry, was expecting an alternative to Burma Superstar----NOT. Food just OK and Service TERRIBLE (took an hour to serve a simple lunch in a half empty room) read more

Yes, my review is colored by the mind-blowing bar set by Burma Superstar. If I hadn't had my expectations set so high by them, I would probably give Rangoon 5 stars. Rangoon Superstars has good, solid, tasty menu choices. Like others, I love Burma Superstar, but hate the wait. This is tasty Burmese done very well. The staff was incredibly friendly and attentive. We made a couple of menu choices that we weren't completely satisfied with. We're adventurous with menus, so it's no big deal when that happens. The staff noticed, without us mentioning anything, and they tried to offer alternatives to our satisfaction. Great attention to detail. For a tasty, quick, inexpensive dinner option in Berkeley, this is a sure fire hit. Unlike Burma Superstar (where I can close my eyes, place a finger on the menu, and land in culinary amazement), at Rangoon Superstars I actually have to choose a little. I hate to compare, but Rangoon does make that comparison themselves, so it's fair game. If that wasn't the case, I'd probably rate them a 5 if considering them on their own. read more

Rangoon super stars has great service, even gave us many many servings of our shrimp chips when we asked. Also their food is quite yummy! It's usually very easy to find parking nearby which is a plus for me. In addition, it's not usually crowded so we get seated right away. read more

Royal Rangoon - Palata with coconut curry - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Great Burmese restaurant! I liked that the ambiance was more relaxed and chill than it's sister restaurant (Burma Superstar). Free soda with a yelp check in is awesome! I ordered the garlic noodles with duck. Safe choice but still yummy. I liked the soy sauce base that it came with at the bottom. My favorite was the shrimp chip appetizers they provide. So crispy! Will come back! read more

It is definitely a FIVE-star recommendation! I have been here three times and it never let me down. Non-food wise: the entire restaurant look authentic. Very traditional decoration inside and always light and local music. It is spacious and always near full. The waiter team is super friendly and the service is very consistent among different individuals. Food wise: when I first saw the menu, I thought the price is a little too high, ~15 a entree. I have tried lamb, pork and beef. After i saw the portion of these dishes is very much for 1.5 of me, i stopped complaining about the price. And they taste really good. My favorite one has been the country style lamb: good-quality lamb meat, soft potatoes and very strong flavor. Also, they know how to make stuff spicy. Once I ordered a dish with spicy level hot (3 out of 4), it was indeed spicy and delicious. read more

Went here on Friday night. The wait 7:30 was only 15 mins, so that was already way better than other Burmese food places that we've been to in the area (re: Burmese Super Star). Our waiter was super nice, gave us lots of suggestions that ended up being wonderful. He even shared a view of the interesting POS system they are using there, which as a techie was pretty cool. Food was pretty good. Rainbow salad was delicious, and they remembered our special request of no dried garlic. The fiery lamb and tofu wasn't that spicy, for those that care about that sort of thing. The food came out super fast, almost too fast. Kinda makes you wonder what's happening (or not happening) in that kitchen back there. For the cold salad that makes sense, but for our hot dishes, hmmmm? The decor and ambiance is fairly nice. Wasn't loud or cramped at all. Will be heading back frequently as it's within walking distance of our place in Berkeley. read more

Everything you've heard about this place being the chill version of Burma Superstar is true. There are so many tables, servers, and people working in the kitchen that it can't help but be a better version of the other. No real surprises on the menu and the quality is as expected too. It's a great place, and when I am craving tea leaf salad and samosa soup, I'll come here rather than fight crowds at the other place. read more

During our family trip to Berkeley for a campus visit, we decided to walk to this nearby restaurant approved by yelpers. Our server, Lin, was very efficient and helpful in food selection. We ordered the mango salad, mint jalapeño pork, mango shrimp, Burma pad Thai, beef kormat and coconut rice. Delish and well presented. One thing I regret is although I ordered the pork spicy, it was mild at best. I guess to accommodate western palates? read more

Came here for lunch today to check out this quiet alternative to Burma Super Star. Parked on Stuart to avoid the meter. It was relatively quiet during lunch but I really liked the "hip/bar/everything mahogany brown" vibe. A lot of small intimate tables for 2- great place to take your date :) We were given a lunch menu that consisted of entrees only that comes automatically with a soup and salad. All entrees can be ordered with Tofu/Veggie (9.99), Pork/Beef/Chicken (10.99), or Fish/Shrimp/Seafood (11.99). In addition, you can choose no spice, mild, medium, hot. I went with Rangoon Lemongrass Chicken and it was really delicious! The food comes out in a large plate with four small portions: rice, soup, salad, entree. Although at first I was disappointed with the small amount of entree, by the time I got to it, I was already pretty full. The waitress was nice, they constantly came back to refill our water. Overall, will come back! read more

Tea leaf salad: very yummy combination of flavors you'd never think of Coconut chicken noodle soup: the bomb dot com Pad Thai: fresh ingredients Burmese milk tea and mango lassi: delicious Service very attentive, owner came by to ask how we were enjoying it read more

There were quite a few of us but we still got seating even though we made no reservations. Apparently the chef from Burma Super Stars opened this or works here. We ordered the salt and pepper calamari, tofu lettuce wrap, Burmese garlic noodle, sesame tofu, mango chicken, lamb kebat with coconut and jasmine rice. Everything was delicious and they took care of us so well. They let us take our time to eat and not rush us out the door. Stellar service! read more

So good that I'm adding to the previous review. The tea leaf salad is a given anytime I go there. Fortunately today they had 2 pre-fix meals that included the salad so I got to try the Mango chicken which was really top notch. read more

So many tasty dishes! Service was extremely attentive, and atmosphere is lovely. It is really a treat to dine here. Favorites include the tea leaf salad and homemade coconut ice cream. read more

My wife and I went there for lunch today (Sat). They have a special lunch menu during the week, but on the weekend we just ordered from the regular menu. We are Burmese food fans, and have been to 3 locations of the Burma Superstar and to Mingalaba in Burlingame. Rangoon Super Stars looks like it's going to be our new favorite one. Atmosphere: upscale, comfortable, not noisy. Parking: Meters and street parking on side streets available Location: ok. About a block from Whole Foods in Berkeley on Telegraph near Ashby. Feels safer at night than Temescal (where Burma Superstar Oakland is located). Service: Attentive, friendly and prompt Menu: Large menu, interesting choices. Spiciness can me adjusted from none to hot on most dishes per our waiter. Price: Reasonable for what you get. Portions of what we had were good-sized. Food: We had the Coconut Rice, the Tea Leaf Salad and Mango Swai (white fish wok tossed with mango puree, basil and onions). The coconut rice was delicious. The other two dishes were outstanding. Bottom line: If you like Burma Superstar, you'll love Rangoon Superstars. We're planning on going back once a week to try most everything on the menu. read more

Best (and first of many) Burmese places in Berkeley. The menu here at RANGOON SUPERSTARS is very reminiscent of the menu just down Telegraph at Burma Superstar. This is no coincidence as the executive chef is from that other place down in Oakland. My primary complaints with Burma Superstar have never been about the food; it's usually an insane (40+ minute) wait for a table, followed by a neglectful waitstaff and oversubscribed kitchen. You end up waiting way too long for food that's been cooling, slowly, on a warming tray, for another half an hour. (Don't get me started on the time our waiter lost a credit card, and did't have the gall to tell us about that, leaving us to wait, in a confused state, for another 30 minutes. Yes, they comped the meal. No, they never "found" the card. No, there was no manager available to fix the situation.) Anyway, RANGOON SUPERSTARS has amazing food without any of the incompetent staffing problems. They can make lots of dishes vegan friendly if necessary. The fermented tea leaves are slightly different from Burma Superstar, but the dish itself is delicious. Other favorites include the chicken salad, pea shoots, fiery tofu + meat (beef or chicken is great, really), and the Northern tofu appetizer, just to name a few. They're still working on getting their liquor license, and they don't have a printed drink menu yet, but the bones of the place (and service) are great. Just go and eat. read more

Wonderfully friendly and helpful staff! Although the Rainbow Salad and my wife's Fiery Tofu (with green beans) were really quite good, the Pumpkin Chicken Stew was a little bland. We certainly will return, especially when they get their liquor permit from the A.B.C. Not exactly CHEAP, but not crowded, noisy, and attitudinal like Burma Super Star! read more

Royal Rangoon is one of my and my family's favorite places to eat lunch and dinner. We love many dishes, especially the tea leaf salad, sesame beef and . Their coconut rice is also a wonderful staple. I appreciate the warm ambiance. We have had many great conversations over our meals - a rarity in this era of noisy chow houses. From kindly staff, beautiful furnishings, excellent food and commensurate prices Royal Rangoon is a shining example of of food and meals done well. read more

Loved the pumpkin chicken stew! Slightly sweet, tender chicken. Make sure you try the pickled tea leaf salad- unlike any salad I have ever had. Roasted garlic, sunflower seeds, peanuts. Delicious! Burmese milk tea was tasty too, lovely spiced flavor and sweet enough to be dessert or to go along with your meal. The owner is an incredibly kind gentleman as well! Looking forward to our next visit to Royal Rangoon! read more

Yes, the tea leaf salad is quite yummy. They use real, whole tea leaves. It results in a complex, pungent mix of flavors rather than one melded flavor. But I have to say, this is where I had THE BEST CHICKEN CURRY! Seriously, the chicken coconut curry that is served with the palata is to die for. Sounds simple enough, but was so tasty, I wanted to lick the bowl. Service was very pleasant and the manager made sure we were well taken care of. Decor is refined, yet relaxed. Very peaceful compared to the hip buzziness of Burma Superstar down the road. I can't wait to go back. I hear the jalepeno mint pork is fab. read more

The food is good. I love Burmese food. The only thing that makes this place -1 star from the other Burmese restaurant is that they add salad to the tea leaf and mango salads. It's not something I'm used to in comparison with Burma superstar and mingalaba. It makes the salad more substantial and of more value but I think it takes away from the flavor- IMO. Still delicious. The group had never had Burmese food and they all loved it. Oh! Their coconut rice is REALLY fragrant! I love how strong the coconut flavor is, although, it takes make it taste a LITTLE weird with some dishes so gotta really cover up the coconut taste with a lot of sauce but eating the rice by itself is just heavenly read more

My friends and I had an all in all good meal here. I still think Burma superstar is a step up. But if you're willing to take a very small hit in food deliciousness, it is worth coming here to avoid the crowd at Burma Superstar and to eat in a quieter atmosphere where it's easier to have conversation. read more

I came here just the other night with a few friends of mine for dinner, and I have to say I really enjoyed my dining experience here. Food: Oh my...the food here is amazing and delicious, and we ordered a few items on the menu. I know that everyone in my party was very satisfied with the food here. For appetizers, we ordered the tea leaf salad and the palata with the coconut chicken curry. Both dishes were really good, and the portions are quite filling although they may not appear to be so initially. The tea leaf salad is delicious, and a perfect blend of salty and garlicky flavors that made the dish memorable and spectacular. Same thing goes for the palata, and it was super tasty. Both are definitely a must try when you come here! For the main dish, I ordered the fiery chicken tofu and a side of the coconut rice. It was so good! The fiery chicken was tasty and flavorful, but I wished the medium level of spiciness stood out more. It was good, but would have been better if it had that extra kick I was hoping for when I ordered. The coconut rice complemented the chicken nicely I thought. The portions here are nicely sized, and I even had to take some home with me. It does tend to be a little pricy, especially because rice is an extra side, but it's worth it overall in terms of portions. Also, the food came out lightning fast and I was very pleased and surprised as we were all very hungry. Service: The service here was absolutely fantastic! They make sure that all your needs are met, and it's also all very fast, which I like. They also balanced very well with taking care of our needs, but without having to be overbearing. My favorite part was that my water glass was always refilled, and so was my friends. The both of us tend to drink a lot, especially when we eat, so I was very impressed at how fast they were able to refill our waters during our visit. Everyone here is also so very friendly, and I do mean everyone...from the hostess to the servers to the busboy, everyone made sure that we enjoyed our visit here, and we definitely did! I wish that other restaurants in the area would model their service and staff over theirs. Atmosphere: They have a modern vibe with Asian infused decorations around the place, which was very nice. It was nicely lit, and looked very clean, which is always a plus. The restaurant's seating area is also quite spacious, and we were able to move around without being cramped by the surrounding people or tables. It was also a nice environment for talking and hanging out with friends. Since there is a lot of room, they were able to seat us relatively fast, but were still crowded. We went a little later in the night, but I can imagine them getting a bit busier during peak dining hours. Overall, I had such a great time here, and am very excited for my next visit here...hope that I'll be back here in the near future to try out some of their other dishes! read more

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This place was alright. Service was attentive but overly clumsy. The food was honestly okay--- nothing to write home about. That said, the entire menu sounded amazing, so I might give it one more try but definitely not order the same things I got before (lemongrass chicken, chili beef, fiery tofu and veggies). read more

We were looking to skip the wait at the overrated Burma Superstar and were pleasantly surprised to find another Burmese restaurant down the street. We were greeted and seated immediately. We shared the burmese eggplant curry and the mango tofu with a side of coconut rice each. Both dishes were good, but I personally prefer the mango tofu which has a refreshing kick to it (though the fresh mango was a teensy bit raw). Our food came out in no time, and the waiter checked on our party several times. Great service, great food. Can't wait to be back! read more

I have never heard of the country Burma before (apparently it's another name for the Maldives) but that didn't stop me from trying this place out. The wait staff was really pleasant the food was top notch and even though it may have left a little while in my wallet it was well worth it. Very good food that is a little costly but nothing too outlandish. A great place for a date night as well. I suggest trying something you've never tried there too I guarantee you'll like it :) read more