While there is no shortage of restaurants in Yangon, finding one that’s more date-appropriate is a bit trickier. Of course, there are questions to be asked as to the kind of date you’re looking for: Do you want to really dress up, or just hang out in jeans and a t-shirt? Are you on a budget, or going all out and celebrating a big occasion? Do you like lake views, or would you rather stay away from the insects that large bodies of water bring with them?
We’ve rounded up our favorite date spots in Yangon, from casual barbecue to French fine dining to the classic pizza joint.
It’s worth noting that while there are a ton of nice restaurants located inside the big hotels, we’ve focused on actual stand-alone restaurants where you don’t have to walk through a seemingly endless hotel lobby.
So go, get a drink, share a plate of spaghetti Lady-and-the-Tramp-style, order one milkshake with two straws. Yangon is your oyster.
Signature & The Garden Bistro
Within the Kandawgyi Compound beside the U Htaung Bo Roundabout, enter from either Bahan or Kan Yeik Thar Road
Located within the Kandawgyi Park compound, Signature and The Garden Bistro are two joint restaurants served by the same kitchen. But between the two, Signature, with its more relaxed atmosphere, is hands down the better option. It’s all open-air, and you can choose between the covered area or the roofless patio, both of which have a wonderful view of the lake and surrounding park area. The extensive menu has both Asian and European cuisine, so don’t worry if you’re more of a rice-and-curry person while your significant other is craving Italian food. If you and your partner are early risers, take a stroll along the lake and then wind down with Signature’s breakfast menu, which is regarded as one of the best in the city. Price-wise, it’s a tad toward the higher end but not so much so that you’ll find yourself ordering a side salad as your dinner.
Yunan
Corner of Kabaraye Pagoda Road and Kan Yeik Tha Street, Mayangone Township
If you’re planning on wining and dining your partner, then Yunan probably isn’t the place to go. But if you and your date are just looking for an unpretentious and easygoing spot where you can have a laugh over some barbecue and beer and not have to worry about dress codes or which fork to use, then this established Yangon institution is a good call. Sporting a super casual vibe, it’s loud, can get hot (but the beer’s always cold), and unless you snag one of the few seats in the indoor area, you’ll be sitting on stools outside. There is a menu if you want to share some snacks or can’t fathom a meal without rice, but the barbecue stand where you pick your own meat and vegetable sticks is the best part. If you’re into sports, there’s almost always a game on (usually football), so either you and your sports-obsessed partner will have something to bond over, or, if the date’s going bad, at least there won’t be any awkward silences. It’s not the best place to have some quiet time or a heart-to-heart, but it’s super affordable and perfect for a cheap and delicious date night (including double dates!).
L’Opera
62D U Htun Nyein Street, Mayangone Township
Situated beside Inya Lake, L’opera is one of the fancier date spots in the city. It also leans towards the expensive end of the spectrum, although not as bad as some of the other names on this list. Be warned that the inside can get a bit crowded and stuffy, but in our humble opinion, the lush garden outside is the more romantic option anyway. Each table enjoys candlelight, a cool breeze from the lake, and plenty of delicious homemade desserts to share with your sweetheart. We recommend making a reservation in advance, as it’s a popular place, especially around dinnertime. If you want to go all out, call them up and ask about reserving a private room or shell out some dough for their “romantic package,” which involves more candles, sauces drizzled in the shape of a heart, and rose petals galore.
Le Planteur
80 University Avenue, Bahan Township
Among the most upscale fine-dining restaurants in town, Le Planteur is best saved for really special occasions. The cost of dining at the huge two-story mansion can be as stunning as its views of Inya Lake (read: a lot). If you’re going to spare no expense and go for the à la carte dinner menu, choose between mouthwatering options such as the Tuna Sashimi with Wasabi Ice-Cream starter, pan-seared Hokkaido Scallops set on top of Black Squid Risotto, or the Tiger Prawn Ravioli, to name a few. All the prices are quoted in dollars, although you can choose to pay in dollars or kyats. If you go at night, the lighting and music set the scene for some wonderful photos and memories, and there are several Disney-worthy cute critters (bunnies!) running around the garden to ooh and aah over.
YGN Bus Café
Inside Kandawgyi Park (ask for directions at the park entrance)
Cozy, trendy, and tucked away in the heart of Kandawgyi Park, the YGN Bus Café is a favorite among couples who want to get a bit more privacy than Kandawgyi’s open-air cafés provide. It might be too cozy of a space for some though, so be warned that we don’t recommend it if you and/or your date are claustrophobic; while there is a patio outside, there’s really no point of going to a bus café if you’re not going to be sitting inside the bus. Although they do serve cooked food, it’s not an ideal place for a proper three-course meal; order a plate of their popular chicken wings to share and some fresh fruit juice instead. If you get tired of the bus shtick, there’s a small pool table outside to bring out your and your doting sweetheart’s competitive sides. The best time to go is in the morning or afternoon, when it’s not so packed with friends and couples unwinding at the end of the work day.
SEEDS Restaurant & Lounge
63A U Htun Nyein Street, Ward 10, Mayangone Township
Another Inya Lake waterfront property (who knew Inya Lake was so big? Jk, we did!), SEEDS is another romantic spot that will put a noticeable dent in your wallet. Splurge on the à la carte menu, which caters to both vegetarians and meat eaters. After dinner, split a cheeseboard full of European and Myanmar cheeses and a side of homemade chutney, or order one of their amazing homemade desserts (for the truly adventurous, go for the Dessert Surprise – an ever-changing product of the chef’s imagination). Really want to wow your date? Call ahead and reserve one of the lounge tables right by the edge of the water for the ultimate romantic lakeside vibes. Or if your partner is a real food aficionado, ask ahead for the chef’s table, where you can get up close and personal with the behind-the-scenes magic.
The Yangon Restaurant
People’s Park Compound (enter from the side road off of Ahlone Road in front of Summit Parkview)
As you’ll notice the second you pull up to the front door, The Yangon Restaurant is a fancy place. The inside has an impressive centerpiece made of dangling crystals hanging from the ceiling, and the outside open patio has a perfect view of Shwedagon Pagoda. Of course, all of this opulence comes at a cost, as is evidenced by the fact that they have a K90,000 (about US$66) caviar entrée dish on their à la carte menu; to put it bluntly – don’t be surprised if you and your date end up splitting a bill that goes over the K100,000 mark. However, we have no problem admitting that the prices match the quality of the food, which include some of the most perfectly seared steaks and roasted duck breasts you’ll have in your entire life. There’s also an impressive wine cellar, as well as a live pianist, all of which – as much as it pains our wallets to say it – makes The Yangon Restaurant one of the best date spots in the city.
Sapphire Bar & Lounge at Alfa Hotel
41 Nawaday Street, Yaw Min Gyi Quarter, Dagon Township
While Yangon now has its fair share of rooftop bars, the Sapphire Lounge is a personal favorite because it lets you do what all good rooftop bars should: enjoy the view with a drink and a friend sans loud music thumping in the background (looking at you, Penthouse) and unnecessarily large couches that are awkward for groups smaller than six people (and you, Atlas). Instead, Sapphire has a few spaced-out metal chairs and tables, a makeshift bar, and bar stools placed around the edge of the balcony. We suggest having your meal at one of the several different restaurants and cafés in ground-level Yaw Min Gyi, and then making your way up to Sapphire for post-dinner drinks. Get away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Yangon and take in stunning views of Kandawgyi Lake and Shwedagon Pagoda, all while sneaking in a kiss or two.
Freedom/Catpuchino Café
81 Pan Hlaing Road, Sanchaung Township
If coffee and cats aren’t the ultimate equation for the perfect date, then, well, we don’t know what is. Following in the international pet café trend, the Freedom Café — better known as the Catpuchino Café — is centrally located in Sanchaung, and promises oodles of feline fun. The food is unspectacular (they have both finger foods and proper mains) but inexpensive, and overall, the focus is on the cats. It’s a small place though and there’s a limit on how many people they allow in per “session.” As you can imagine, it fills up quite fast, so definitely call ahead and reserve a table. It’s also quite crowded, so we wouldn’t recommend it if you and your date are looking for some privacy or really want to have an hours-long heart-to-heart. But if you know for a fact that your partner is a cat lover, then you might just be taking them on their dream date and winning their heart in the process.
House Rules Café
Ground floor, Pearl Condo Block C
Yangon’s first (and only) board game café, don’t come here for laidback chitchat. When you come to House Rules, you come to play. If you and your date are looking for something more fun and different than the same old, same old candlelight shtick, then House Rules is perfect. They have more than 100 games including classics such as Uno, Pictionary, and Settlers of Catan, as well as lesser-known games, some of which you may never have heard of (what is Camel Cup?). They’re also constantly getting new additions, so if that one board game that defined your entire childhood that you were dying to share with your partner isn’t available, feel free to let the House Rules management know. The setup reminds us more of a classroom of sorts than an actual café, so it’s not aesthetically romantic, but who cares about aesthetics when you’re trying to declare your love for your partner by kicking their ass at Jenga?
Pizza Hut (Junction City)
4th Floor, Junction City shopping center, Pabedan Township
Okay, hear us out. While Pizza Hut on its own doesn’t exactly scream originality or romance, its location within the Junction City mall makes it the perfect establishment for the tried and true movie-and-pizza date night combination. Also, it actually has its own proper space outside the bustling food court, which means you can actually enjoy your meal in peace without having people bump into your chair from behind. In comparison, KFC and Lotteria are too casual, and the popularity of Ippudo in juxtaposition with its small space leaves you feeling as though you have to inhale your noodles as fast as humanly possible so that the people waiting for a seat need not wait another five minutes longer. Go watch the latest Avengers installment or Pirates of the Caribbean 15 at the Junction City cinema, and then snag a booth at Pizza Hut and share a pie while discussing the age-old question of who’s better: Iron Man or Thor?
Frolick (Myanmar Culture Valley)
33 People’s Park, Sanchaung Township
Sweets for your sweet! The only frozen yogurt outlet in Yangon, the different Frolick branches are always teeming with young couples taking selfies with their cups of gummy bear-adorned fro-yo. In addition to yogurt, they also do colorful smoothies that taste sickly sweet but are still selfie-ready. With its neon signage and equally colorful bright interior, Frolick is a great post-dinner dessert spot. For date night, we recommend their Myanmar Culture Valley branch, where you can take a pre- or post-yogurt long romantic walk through adjacent People’s Park while marveling over the view of Shwedagon Pagoda right across the street.
Read up on other Coconuts Yangon coverage of all things Myanmar food:
Bend the knee to Babett – the new queen of the Yangon food scene
Best Vegetarian Restaurants in Yangon: Where to Find Vegan Salads, Gluten-free Wraps, and Kombucha
Wanna eat? This San Francisco food truck serves up ‘authentic Mandalay food’
Mixologist Pioneers Mobile Food in Nyaungshwe
‘Anya Ahta’ restaurant brings faraway flavors to downtown Yangon
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