S Lee

Yamo is a tiny (and I mean tiny - as in there's the kitchen and right up against it there's diner-style seating consisting of maybe 10 stools total) restaurant located in the heart of the Mission district. Given the small size of the restaurant, many patrons decide to order out; however, there is still the option to dine in, but bear in mind you may experience a bit of a wait due to the limited real estate. That being said - what the restaurant lacks in size, it makes up for in the flavor of its food - a straightforward simple menu consisting of classic Burmese dishes alongside a variety of other Asian flavors. One last thing to keep in mind, is that they are a CASH ONLY establishment, so make sure you have cash on hand if you want to dine here! My partner and I arrived on Thursday afternoon around 6pm and waited about 15-20 minutes to be seated. There isn't a formal waitlist, rather dine-in patrons sort of line-up outside the restaurant and the staff members (which consist of a mother-daughter duo) call each party in soon as there is space. Service is quite quick and you get to watch your food prepared right in front of you! We decided to order their tea leaf salad, the black bean fish, and Yamo house noodles. If you'd like to grab a drink, they direct you to their refrigerator and you're welcome to help yourself (drinks are $2 each). Our food was ready to eat in about 10-15 minutes, which was astounding to me. We started first with the tea leaf salad, a classic Burmese dish, with a spicy kick to it. As someone who does not handle their spice well, I quickly went to the fridge to grab a drink - a can of Cactus Cooler, which is an orange pineapple soda (something I've never seen before actually). Despite the spice, the tea leaf salad was light and delicious, with the nuts providing a satisfying crunch as well. The black bean fish came paired with rice and was delicious. My only comment would be that the sauce itself seemed a bit thin, and not as thick as I would have liked it; however, that just might be a personal preference. The highlight of the meal was definitely their Yamo house noodles - I highly recommend it to anyone who comes to dine here. The richly flavored garlic noodles paired with your protein of choice, makes for a very filling bite - and for only $8, what a steal. Most entrees here are just $8 - and for us our meal in total came out to $26 before tip (of which they definitely deserve). If you're looking for some delicious Burmese/Asian food, then Yamo has to be on your list of places to try next!

Cindy Ma

Excellent food and service, especially given the price! 8 total seats in total, run by a woman and her mom. Recommend the tea salad especially, but you won’t go wrong with anything on the menu. Be prepared to wait if you wish to dine in, but they also do take out with is a bit faster.

Isabella Spangher

Yamo is a spectacular restaurant especially for the price and the serving size. The restaurant is cash only so keep that in mind when you come by. It’s a tight seating arrangement since this restaurant is a bit of a hole in the wall but it’s part of the charm. The entrees are $8 each and the serving size is large so you will be leaving very full. You can’t beat the price for this restaurant. We ordered the tofu curry and the Yamo spicy spinach noodles with tofu. There are many vegan, vegetarian, and meat options so everyone can find something they enjoy. It can get a bit crowded at times so I’d recommend coming early

Arpitha Hayes

Very tasty food in a cute and tucked away restaurant. The prices are amazing and the owners have a lot of great personality. I can't wait to become a local here, but do know there are very few seats so you will likely have to wait. Make sure to try the house noodles, they are so yummy!

K M

Tiny, diner style, Asian comfort food spot in the mission district. Friday night, we waited about 45mins for a spot to sit for dinner. Ordered the tra leaf salad, egg rolls, samsusas, curry chicken, mango chicken, cold noodles, and some other stuff. Overall it's good, relatively healthy. Fresh ingredients and made to order. Taste wise, it was fine. Not many negatives. Nothing fancy to honest. It is very affordable for 2025 and being in the heart of the city which is definitely a plus. If you want a simple, somewhat hearty, affordable, Asian meal that's made to order, this is your spot. Otherwise, it's not fancy and nothing impressive. I think to go orders are better here if you're in a rush. Might be back.

Margaret Gorlin

This mom and daughter place is a great deal and the food is very tasty for the most part, but it has quirks. Worth it though for the tasty and cheap food. Quirks: - Very little counter seating inside, and sometimes it’s a very long wait. Cash only - It can take anywhere from 25 min - 50 min to get your takeout order. Call 45 min ahead of time. Even then, be prepared to wait another ~10-15 min by the door when you get there. But it’s because it’s just 2 people taking orders and cooking. - Looks like this may now be fixed, but for several YEARS Google maps said they were open for lunch when they weren’t. Heads up that they open only at 5:30 pm!! - Michelle (the daughter) is very kind overall, but can get a bit curt with customers if they’re crowding the door. I get it though: it’s just 2 of them and a stressful job managing a long line. One time, a guy pushed his way in and knocked over my food that they were about to give me. I appreciated how gracious Michelle was and how well she managed that situation! She kept calm, apologized to me (even though it wasn’t her fault), prioritized making me a replacement dish right away, and offered not to charge me for it. As for the food, it’s tasty and vegetarian friendly! I like the spinach noodles with tofu. The tea leaf salad was a bit too sour and over the top in flavor for my taste, but I liked it a lot more once I added my own cucumbers to it to dilute the flavor. May put it over my own spring mix next time - highly recommend doing that.

Angela

A mother-daughter duo running this little establishment of 8 counter seats handling all dine-in and take-out orders, pretty impressive! Have always seen a line outside in the past, but I happened to pass by just when they were about to open this time and was really lucky to get in the first round🥳 Sitting at the counter and seeing the food being made right before you was a nice experience, but if you don’t want to wait then getting it to-go or calling ahead (for to-go orders) will drastically cut down your wait time⏱️ I got the Yamo House Noodles with beef and the Samusas. Loved both of it - the flavor, the texture, everything. By the way, it’s a cash-only place, so make sure you have cash on you when you come💵

+6

Suman Hazra

In short, it is not worth it! Sure, the prices are cheap but that is the only thing this place has going for itself. The person working the counter was extremely rude and angry, and it seemed like she was angry that I was there to buy food lol. The food itself was extremely average. Had the tea salad, and it was very ordinary. The house noodles were bland, and while the portion size was generous, it definitely needed more flavour. Do not recommend this place!

+3

FAIZAN SHAIKH

The customer service while taking my order was extremely rude. When I asked about ingredients due to an allergy, I was repeatedly rushed with “anything else?” rather than being given a clear answer. She quickly recapped the order in an unclear manner and then hung up. The food itself was blend and not much flavor, and the poor customer service made the overall experience even worse. Basic courtesy and consideration seem to have been overlooked here. I had given it a 1 star but for price it matches the quality.

Sarina Iwai

Wanted to order for to go but ending up waiting close to an hour since we didn’t know how the system worked. Got the yamo house noodles with beef- it was good but just average level. It’s a nice place if you’re looking for a really cheap place to eat but is it worth lining up an hour for? Maybe not. Seating is also super limited- just a little counter at the front so be prepared to wait! The two ladies working were nice though!

Adele

I had three realizations during this first-time visit to Yamo: 1. Their prices are spectacularly cheap. 2. I don’t like tea leaf salad. 3. We waited 45 minutes for food I found underwhelming. My husband and I got in line at 5:15pm on a Friday, expecting them to open at 5:30. The mom came in at 5:34 to open and prep the place, and the daughter came around 5:45 to finish prep. The daughter started seating us at 5:59. The place seats 8. No water service, so self-serve drinks are available in the fridge in the back. Cash only. That day, they didn’t have spring rolls (no rice paper) or fish chowder noodle soup (only chicken noodle). We ordered: - 4 small vegetable egg rolls, $5. Underwhelming. I would save the money for an entree - Tea leaf salad, $8. I liked that they use mixed greens as the base, but I realized I’m not a fan of tea leaf salad flavors - Yamo house noodles, $8. I got tofu, my husband got chicken. I wasn’t a fan of how they made the garlic noodles, which involved a wet soy sauce and fried garlic. I’m a bigger fan of Vietnamese garlic noodles that use a dry butter sauce with fresh garlic. The tofu was good, though - $1.50 for a La Croix can Pass on the egg rolls and house noodles. The people next to us ordered the Yamo chili spinach noodles, which looked tasty and hearty. I would try those next time, assuming I come back.

+4

Omar Ghani

Cash only spot located in the mission. It’s probably one of the best places in terms of price and everything is for $6.50. But the food was okay. We chose the vegetarian and fish options. I like the black bean fish dish. The tea leaf salad was okay. Service level is meh. There’s a lot better Burmese food choices in the city but while this is the most affordable it is also at average good quality level.