Review Grocery Cafe - Oakland

William is the friendliest man, running a stand-out Burmese kitchen. Everything possible is homemade (and even home-grown!!) from the individual dishes to the condiments to the curry pastes and even the fermented shrimp paste they use as seasoning! Each dish was so deeply flavored and constructed that it tasted not of readily discernable ingredients but of a unique identity! If your ideal eating experience is an auntie’s home/kitchen this place is for you.

Wow. Came here on a recommendation from another place. Glad I did. Flavours are all fantastic, service is friendly. My curry is amazing and I'm having trouble not finishing it all - I'm so full but it's so good.

Really hard to get a table without a reservation but well worth the wait. We ate at the bar which was completely fine. Really great spot for vegetarians. My favorite thing was the tea leaf salad--the hype is legit. Delicious food and amazing cocktails!

My wife and I were looking forward to coming here so much due to all the great reviews. Unfortunately we both came away very disappointed. We had the tea leaf salad first, and it was the dish we liked best But even the salad was just decent and not close to the best we have had. The soft shell Myanmar was in a tomato sauce which tasted like a store-bought Hunts can. There were no subtle spices to taste and as a result it was bland The same could be said of the Mohinga, the national soup. No trace of lemongrass or any balance of fish aroma with toasted rice. It is supposed to be served noodles in the bottom of the bowl with broth spooned over them. But this was more like a bland porridge. Finally, while our waitress was very nice the service was horrible. We came on one of those days when the temperature was 90 at 7 pm. We were also the only customers there. Still, I had to waive my hand to get her attention while she was speaking with a co-worker so she could refill my water glass. Then I had to do the same in order to get the check. Needless to say we won't be going back.

During a recent dinner with a friend, the restaurant provided flavorful food in generous quantity for a fair price. The pork stew matches well with their jasmine rice. I have had fermented tea thoke salad only once before, and here they take the time to mix it at your table by hand and explain their process for it. The salad itself had a great earthy flavor and blended well with their two hot sauces. The staff are attentive and genially courteous without being obtrusive, refilling drinks promptly and even giving us some small cups of warmed plum tea at the end. It was a lovely experience.

Really good food. I had the Rainbow Salad, Basil Catfish, and Mango Chutney Pork. I felt like I was having home cooked Burmese food. Delicious and simple flavors. Really nice neighborhood vibe. I definitely recommend.

We were there looking for a Thai restaurant but found this Burmese one. What a 'good find'! Clean place (we were their first customer of the day), Friendly service, Delicious foods, Reasonable prices. I would definitely go back there and update. Also it's just a couple of blocks away from the Amtrak train station.

Food was a little pricy (as you'd expect for JLS) but the portions are big enough for two meals so it's completely worth it. Food was delicious. Atmosphere was down to earth. I'll probably come in with a friend and split a meal at lunch, fairly often. The portions make that very doable. The picture below shows what's left of my soup AFTER I ate my fill.