Rangoon Bistro is a small chain of Burmese restaurants in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. The original brick and mortar restaurant operates in southeast Portland's Richmond neighborhood and a second location is on Mississippi Avenue in the north Portland part of the Boise neighborhood. Co-owned by David Sai, Alex Saw, and Nick Sherbo, the business initially operated as a pop-up and has garnered a positive reception.
| Rangoon Bistro | |
|---|---|
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| Restaurant information | |
| Food type | Burmese |
| Street address | 2311 Southeast 50th Avenue |
| City | Portland |
| County | Multnomah |
| State | Oregon |
| Postal/ZIP Code | 97215 |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 45°30′23″N 122°36′41″W / 45.5064°N 122.6114°W |
| Website | rangoonbistropdx |
Description
The Burmese restaurant Rangoon Bistro has two locations in Portland, Oregon. The original restaurant is located in the Breathe Building, a community center at 50th Avenue and Division Street in southeast Portland's Richmond neighborhood,[1][2] and a second location operates on Mississippi Avenue in the north Portland part of the Boise neighborhood.[3]
Menu
Eater Portland has said the restaurant "specializes in Pacific Northwestern-Burmese cuisine, using Oregon-grown produce for thokes and noodle dishes".[4] The menu includes bone-in fried chicken marinated by lemongrass, curry leaf, and mild red chiles,[5] served with a side of coconut rice,[4] as well as salads such as the lahpet thoke with fermented tea leaves.[6][7]
History
Alex Saw launched Rangoon Bistro at the King Farmers Market in the 2010s, with assistance from David Sai and Nick Sherbo. The three have been credited as co-chefs, co-owners, and "co-everythings" of the restaurant.[8] By 2020, Bollywood Theater, Langbaan, and Malka were hosting Rangoon as a pop-up restaurant.[5][9] Brooke Jackson-Glidden of Eater Portland said the business operated as "something like a takeout-only Burmese cafe" in the Gotham Building,[10][11] before moving into a brick and mortar space.[12] In 2024, owners announced plans to open a second location on North Mississippi Avenue.[3]
Reception
In 2022, Rangoon Bistro ranked ninth in The Oregonian's list of Portland's best new restaurants[13] and won in the Best New Counter Service category of Eater Portland's annual Eater Awards.[14] The website's Janey Wong wrote: "Rangoon Bistro has definitely become a go-to... The fried chicken ... is as close to my grandma's as I've ever had. Everything on the menu at Rangoon is delicious, but don't sleep on the fried chicken."[15] Ron Scott and Thom Hilton included Rangoon in Eater Portland's 2023 overview of thirteen "real-deal" fried chicken eateries in the city.[4] Hilton also included the business in a 2024 "handy dining guide" to Mississippi Avenue.[16] Bon Appétit included the large dumplings in a 2023 overview of the best dishes at new restaurants.[17] Michael Russell ranked Rangoon Bistro number 34 in The Oregonian's list of Portland's best restaurants.[18]
