Cafe Mingala

Spinning the wheel of places to eat around work we landed on Café Mingala. Not your trendy hangout spot for youngins but definitely seems to have fallen into the twilight zone that is Upper East Side old ladies who lunch.
Let talk about the food first. We had the lunch special and ordered the Ruby Chicken and Curry Beef with Potatoes with salad and yellow lentil rice. The salad had brown spots and came with watered down dressing and some bits were frozen. The best dish was the Ruby Chicken which had slices of chicken and veggies stir fried in a brown sauce and garnished with peanuts and paired perfectly with the soft lentil rice. The Curry Beef was sad and dry with not much to remember for flavor.
So the dimly lit décor reminded me of a Seinfeld rerun with floral covered booths, vintage «fancy» glassware, 70’s colorful ceramic and melamine plates, and wallpaper depicting village daily life. This place could have been something if maybe it had been given a makeover in the east village but I guess one has to appeal to its clientele.
If you’re looking to try something exotic but at an infant’s level then this is your place!

The mohinga (fish noodle soup) was way too salty and less fishy tasting than what I’m used to. I’m Burmese so I always enjoying coming here when I’m too lazy or tired to cook, but the mohinga just didn’t do it for me. Love the ono kausuey (coconut noodle soup) though!!! And definitely get the ginger salad — whatever you do — super authentic!

Great noodles for a good price.

In reality this place is a three but considering it’s the only Burmese restaurant in the city I feel somewhat compelled to give it a four. That being said, a classy clean-​cut place this restaurant is not. The tables are icky and the walls look like they haven’t been cleaned in years. It’s okay I’m here to eat not decorate. The Pickled Green Tea Leaf Salad was a first for me, the taste was exciting and refreshing. The Mango Chicken was also different tasting, it’s not like Chinese good it’s not quite like Thai food but they’re obvious similarities. The Nungi noodles were also satisfying. Then came the thousand layered bread soaked in coconut milk. I kid you not that dessert was amazing, I’m thinking of the taste as I’m writing this right now. Looking forward to visiting again in the near future.

It really saddens me to write this review. But dishonest management is my pet peeve and unfortunately tars what we’ve experienced.
We live about 15 blocks away from this restaurant buying often, like twice a month, asked my husband to go for our min gala run. Typical order is one noodle, salad and the dessert which includes their thousand layer bread with coconut milk. We ordered ahead over the phone.
My husband returned about 45 minutes after with the order and we realized that they didn’t include the coconut milk as part of the dessert. I asked him to call and as soon as he said I just picked up a take out order, the front man (we assume owner) immediately said that you order the bread only, not the dessert! It’s very obvious they realize they made a mistake and immediately trying to cover. We asked, nicely at first, for them to deliver the coconut milk. And he refused because we are just two blocks outside of their delivery range. He asked that my husband comes back to pick it up.
First of all, the price we paid is the price for the dessert. Second, it’s your mistake and you’re trying to cover it up. Third, just for two blocks you’re not willing to deliver?! You lost a regular customer, and from the look of it (empty dining room even on weekend nights), you don’t have many.

The food was just okay. Nothing to write home about. The tea leaf salad was interesting but it went downhill from there. We had clear broth soup which tasted pretty much like your staple chinese wonton soup (with rice noodles instead of wontons). The lentil croquettes were very crunchy to the point that you could feel every lentil that you were chewing. Rangoon Noodles were okay, a few duck pieces here and there and noodles sauté in soy sauce. The best was the Moogoo pork with is pork pieces cooked on black bean sauce. For dessert we had semolina cake wich was very granular and not flavored and Thousands Leave bread with coconut milk… if you like coconut milk with fried bread then go for it… it had a lot of oil floating on the milk.
It was nothing special or unique.

Love the food here. I must go here because there aren’t many burmese restos in general. Love the tea salad (unique flavors and textures) and the night market noodles (simple yet so satisfying). I want to try other things on the menu, but I only have so much stomach space and keep coming back to my favorites.

My favorite restaurant in the whole city. Everything is always so fresh and the flavors are incredible. I would definitely suggest the below but everything we have tried is incredible.
–thousand layer bread
–mango salad
–lentil fritters
–tea leaf salad
–night market noodles
–mango beef
–ruby chicken
–banana leaf fish

Awesome Burmese always order it extra spicy. The Basil chicken and the Chili Zchicken Rock!

While the salads are tasty, all of the many main dishes I have tasted at this restaurant are mediocre and flavorless to put it nicely. The waiter tried to argue that the food splattered all over the walls next to my seat were part of the mural painted in the restaurant. When I reached over and smeared it with my finger the waiter rather than wiping it off or saying it would be, still had the nerve to argue with me and tell me that it was water based paint and shouldn’t be touched. I will never step foot in this overpriced roach den ever again.
I am quite sure cockroaches and the food inspection committee will take note on their next visit.

Amazing! Their kausay tastes just like my mom makes it!

for what you are paying it’s not worth it. for the meat entres, $ 15 comes out to be only a few pieces of meat you are getting. their signature pork isn’t anything special if you have dine at a Chinese restaurant, it’s braised pork, and it’s precooked, C’mon, dont be this lazy if this is your signature. basil chicken and mint beef is a joke, it’s basically broccoli chicken and broccoli beef with the herbs.
old décor is not an issue, there are flies flying around while we were eating?! go see it to believe it when you touch their menu, it’s greasy and sticky, you get the idea.
the only good thing about the dining experience was the green tea salad.

I couldn’t be more impressed with the level of service and courtesy offered by Café Mingala! I had ordered for delivery and had some very specific special requests about their salad and when the delivery arrived they had got it wrong! I was disappointed and called back and Andrew the manager was incredibly apologetic and sent new salads right away with a personal note of apology!
This is truly going above and beyond in service and sincere business practices especially compared to so many others who don’t go the extra step.
Aside from service, their food is delicious! Their tea leaf, ginger, mango, and green bean salads are so unique! And I love their rice noodle dishes as well!
I can’t wait to sample the rest of their menu!
Café Mingala is here to stay under my top weeknight dinner picks for the UES!

Café Mingala holds a monopoly on Burmese cuisine in NYC by virtue of being the only Burmese restaurant in the city. I think there are a few other places that offer Burmese dishes, but for pure dedication, Mingala is it. It’s not the best I’ve had, but with a dearth of other options, it’s certainly good enough. Do get:
Tea Leaf Salad: When I shuffle off this mortal coil, I plan to have Burmese tea leaf salad as part of my last supper. If you haven’t had this before, expect a vegetarian-​friendly dish of seasoned/​fermented tea leaves, crunchy nuts and seeds, and diced vegetables ranging from peppers to carrots. The brine that’s used to ferment the tea leaves is the principal flavor of the dish, and Café Mingala’s is quite tasty, if a bit salty.
Banana Leaf Fish: Expect fragrant, silky-​soft fish in a flavorful sauce. Pair this entrée with the coconut rice to truly transport yourself to another part of the world.
Dumplings in Broth: For the less adventurous palates who still want something different from the norm, this dish offers comfort food in the form of plump dumplings swimming in hot broth. It can be a bit salty, but you’ll be too mellowed out from the soup to care.
Basil Duck: It’s basil + duck. ‘Nuff said.
Burmese Fried Rice: A good «share» plate for the entire table to enjoy.
Skip the Appetizer Plate unless you’re starving and need something to take the edge off. In terms of ambience, expect basic décor – this ain’t no romantic spot. Service ranges from inattentive to efficient, but that’s par for the course in most Asian restaurants.

Excelent seafood options! I’m not usually very adventurous with food but I thank my gf for having brought me here. We had two versions of flounder — one broiled inside banana leaves mixed with vegetables, and one crispy with tamarind sauce on the side.
The place is a bit too dark especially with the subway construction in front of it… But the food made it worth it!

We have been going to the various Mingala’s for years. The upper west side and village locations (now closed) were nice for sit down. I don’t know anything about owners, but all three menus were identical. This one not so, (0 stars for ambiance), I wouldn’t recommend it for sit down, but we love it for takeout. Usually after a Sunday trip to the MET we’ll grab dinner to go. If you walk in and see only one (maybe no) tables occupied, don’t run. They do their business on takeout and delivery.
The Mango Salad is a must. Ask for the lemon on the side… if not they will squeeze it on the salad and it takes away from the other flavors. If you like fried appetizers, the Assorted Appetizers Delight is a nice sampler. I don’t find the fry at all heavy (ask for an extra dipping sauce). My wife goes for one of the chicken dishes (Ruby, Pineapple or Mango) I choose between (Lemon Grass, Basil, or Ginger) duck. The duck is moist and no fat. I’ve also enjoyed the Crispy Garlic Pork. My kid enjoys the «Keema» a thousand layered pancake served with minced ground beef & potato in curry sauce.
Portions are good and keep well as leftovers (except the Mango Salad which gets soggy (cabbage) overnight… eat that all right away). Parking is a bear, especially with the subway construction. Go with someone, to stay with the car, if you are picking up.

Looking or something different, we came across this place.
Following the advice of other Unilocalers, we had the Tea Leaf Salad which was definitely worth it. It doesn’t look like much when it comes out but it is a great mix of bold flavors and textures.
We also it the Burmese fried rice which also had some surprising but enjoyable texture to it as well. We kept the fried rice on the table as we ordered our main courses.
We had the Beef & Potato Curry and the Flounder in Banana Leaf with vegetables.
The Beef & Potato Curry is straight comfort food. I think a lot of people instantly thing spices and heat when they think Southeast Asia but they don’t seem to be present in Burmese food (or at least what we ordered) and that’s OK! They serve it with white rice and pouring this over the rice makes for a great dish. The beef could have been more tender but it was still a nice dish.
I am a sucker for anything served in a leaf or a husk and my fiancé loves flounder so this was a no brainer. It didn’t disappoint at all. Fish was good, the veggies were Al dente and the sauce at the bottom (don’t be afraid to dig) was once again, great over rice.
We have the 1000 layer cake in coconut milk for dessert. While it was enjoyable, it reminded us of Frosted mini wheats in warm milk. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I look forward to trying it as a savory item next time though.
There are knocks on the service in other reviews and don’t get me wrong, it is NOT Michelin star service by any means but this seems like a family owned place and that is the feel you get. They were friendly and always available when we needed them.
Bonus: The walls are covered with murals of places in Burma. Google them and compare the pictures to the murals. Pretty cool stuff. Being the ONLY Burmese restaurant in NYC is pretty cool too considering all the cuisines and ethnicities represented here.

My brother was visiting and he wanted an ethnic spot for dinner with the parents. I’ve had this place bookmarked since a former coworker told me about it so I suggested we come here. Unfortunately I wasn’t very impressed. The restaurant itself looked shabby and in dire need of an overhaul. And the food felt like it was a watered down version of the original dishes. There was only one dish that stood out which was the coconut chicken noodle soup. We also ordered papaya salad, ingredient soup, mo-​goke pork, thousand layer pancake, and a stir fried dish with scallops and shrimp but these were all mediocre or average. Price is reasonable and the owner is very nice. I wonder if the food was much better before. Given the ethnic food options in NY I probably won’t be back. But this experience does make me really want to go to Burma Superstar in San Francisco next time I’m there.

My family was here for dinner the other night, after following the suggestions of my sister’s acquaintance. We were all newbies to this restaurant, but since I have been to other Burmese restaurants in the past, I had an idea what to expect.
Unfortunately, I have to say that the food here was hit-​or-​miss. We ordered several items: the spring rolls, the ingredient soup, the mo-​goke pork, the thousand layer pancake, some other soup that was based in coconut milk, and another dish that had shrimps and scallops in it. Oh, we also got the papaya salad.
Some of the dishes were blah, some were average, and some were amazing. It really runs the gamut of the spectrum here, so I am giving it a rating of 3 stars. Some dishes wowed me, but some dishes left me feeling underwhelmed. It was so different from my experience with Burmese restaurants in Buffalo (Buffalo has a large Burmese immigrant community), and this one failed to deliver.
Given the magnitude of choices for ethnic food in New York City, I am not sure I am coming back here again, as the competition is tough, and this one just doesn’t make it in my book when it comes to taste.

This place is pretty awesome. I’ve never had Burmese food, and before this I didn’t even know what this cuisine was (forgive my ignorance). I was exploring new food combinations and it was quite delightful to my tastebuds. THE THOUSAND LAYER BREAD was so GOOD!!! I’m used to having the chinese scallion pancake, but this was like a pancake with even better stuff on it, my favorite potatoes and beef. My second favorite was the mango curry, it reminded me of the thai version of curries as the chicken potato curry reminded me more of the indian version.
The Rangoon Night Market Noodles was alright– it tasted more like regular Japanese yaki soba, just with DUCK. The duck was really good, but there wasn’t that much in the dish.
Cute familial style place and the staff were really nice to us – we stayed there for a long time and they weren’t that annoyed. Although. they kept checking if we paid our check yet while we were sitting haha. It’s kinda hard to find this place if you’re not looking. There is a lot of construction in front of it as of now.