Yamo
3406 18th St
(between Mission St & San Carlos St)
San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 553-8911
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: None
211 Reviews for Yamo
Delicious pile of food for under 6 bucks - an awesome deal. The food is filling and comforting and tasty. This isn't really the place you'd want to go for a fancy date but for a fun, intimate date, this tiny place is great - there is only room to sit at the counter. The staff is attentive and sweet, refills your water and tea quickly and is very accomodating. The Yamo house noodles with fried garlic and fresh cabbage and onions was the perfect meal for a misty SF evening. I can't wait to go back, I thought the Mission only had burritos but I was wrong! ;)
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Cheap, well-portioned, noodley tastiness. I like the black bean fish with noodles. I don't know how 'authentic' it is but it's a great quick lunch.
we had been wanting to try this place for months when we finally braved the line out the door last week. the wait was pretty much worth it; the ladies are super fast and work harmoniously in typical Asian restaurant fashion (take your order before you sit down and shuffle the poor person out of your soon to be seat while multi-tasking like mad and yelling things at each other).
food is a little on the greasy side but sometimes that is just perfect, with fresh veggies, yummy tofu and delish sauces. I have to agree though that a cold Burmese beer would really complete the experience.
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Like a foghorn over the ocean at night.
The foghorn being tasty filling CHEAP food, and the ocean being built of beer and Saturday night. I randomly wandered into this place instead of waiting out in the cold for the bus, what an excellent excellent idea. Yamo seems like it's been magically transported across great distances of time and space just to fill me full of Southeast Asian delight when I need it most.
I don't know if I would recommend going to this place specifically as a dinner spot, but if you're wandering the Mission drunk at night... this is a gift from the gods of cookery.
Noodles never really meant much too me until I discovered Yamo house noodles. The house noodles with beef are unassuming with very little sauce and a simple side of cabbage,peppers, and sriracha but watch out, these noodles are oozing with flavor. I don't recommend Yamo if you don't like 'hole in the walls", or if your looking for a five star dining room experience, but if you like grubbing arm in arm with other diners and watching the ladies in the kitchen go to town then Yamo is the place to be.
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it was soooo thrilling finding Yamo- it was one of those times when you almost walk past the place because its so obscure you would never think to peek inside - barely any sign that its the place you were looking for - staking your hopes on a satisfying meal to this little door with a light on a dark street - then you poke your head in and see that there's a person on every stool along the narrow 12 foot counter. so this might have some promise after all. you walk in and pick up the menu and decide to wait it out and see if it is worthwhile - and so it was.
we ordered the tea leaf salad, samusas, yamo house noodles with beef, and black bean fish. I would recommend the tea leaf salad if you're interested in a surprisingly crunchy and spicy salad. the samusas are cute crispy mini-versions of samosas with a plum-chili(?) dipping sauce. Yamo house noodles with beef were the prize-winning dish with great flavor moist beef and crisp veggies.
to top it all off the price was better than most places in the mission as noted in articles on their door. worth the adventure to find it & now i will definitely go back.
One of the best deals in town; home-cooked Burmese food made as you watch from the counter. Order the chicken soup or any curry plate. Fourth star will be delivered if they ever start serving beer. Note: wear clothes you don't mind getting a little greasy and don't expect fine gourmet dining.
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Yamo ladies swift
with wok of garlic noodles --
scent of grease lingers
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I don't understand, but I guess I should make note that I'm a vegetarian.
Not many options on the menu if you are....curry vegetables seems to be the cake. There was a tofu dish, but...meh. Kinda over tofu.
Fair enough. I like curry and vegetables.
It was $5.95 for the meal and the rice. That is this place's ONLY redeeming quality.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I see what you're doing here. Hole-in-the-wall "ethnic" place with no sign outside or anything to note what it's called - such style - but the line out-the-door for GUSTO. Inside: one long bar smashed up against the counter and absolutely NO STANDING ROOM. Super-hip clientele. (It IS in-between Mission and Valencia.)
And the food wasn't that good. Crazy spicy, "eh" rice, and some vegetables. Sure, it's cheap....but that's the case with the flavor, too.
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After reading many of the 4-5 star reviews of Yamo, the boyfriend and I were truly looking forward to having our taste buds treated to a great surprise tonight as we drove out to the Mission. As we arrived, I was already dreaming of the "tea salad", samusas and curry.
There were some positive things that I took note of right away:
94% inspection rating (hanging on the back wall)
Family owned and run
The ingredients looked fresh (as the ladies were peeling & chopping items right in front of us).
The young lady serving us was quite friendly and customer service oriented.
Yet, I must say that I was EXTREMELY disappointed with the food. While I read a few reviews raving about the tea salad and how it is so much better than Burma Superstar's version, I must WHOLEHEARTEDLY disagree. There really is very little tea leaf in the Yamo tea salad. While tasty, it is almost comparable to campbell's "chicken" noodle soup, where the chicken flavor is there, but the chicken is MIA from the whole equation.
The samusas were average, but nothing to go out of the way for. The beef curry that I ordered was dripping with oil, lacked any flavor (no spice at all) and I just couldn't make myself finish it.
Yes, it is cheap (2 curry meals, 1 tea leaf salad, 1 order of samusas = $19.20 w/o tip) and it may be convenient for some, but I just can't imagine eating there again. The food was pretty flavorless and just too greasy for me to handle a second time around. :(
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As we know, my current obsession is Burmese tea salad, and Yamo delivers in this department.
Not overly oily, (my only criticism of Burma Superstar's rendition), this tea salad smacks of tea, with about a hundred other flavors going on at once. Sweet, salty, savory, spicy. I love the chickpeas, dried fava (?) beans, fried garlic, and fried peanuts. And it's made authentically with shredded cabbage, instead of romaine lettuce.
Also, for a whopping $5.25, you can have a heaping place of about a thousand other curries and stirfries. I'd suggest mango chicken salad. Less so the beef curry.
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yummy! Almost scared to write this because there won't be any room for me at the counter. Small menu, with unbelievable fresh ingredients. The chicken noodle soup is so delicious. It's only $5! The 3 burmese ladies sit there and slice coconuts for you to drink out of, and chop fresh basil. Amazing tight ship, and most important, different and delicious!
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this cute hole-in-the-wall joint sells fresh, cheap food.
i wasn't, like, utterly blown away by my black bean tofu dish, but i'll definitely go back again. i'm curious about the house noodles.
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tiny hole-in-the-wall .. seats 10 .. you sit there and eat while you watch the burmese ladies cook right in front you ... the ladies never said a word to me ... they just looked at me and nodded .. I guess that translated into "you ready to order?" .. then I nodded, really meaning to say "yeah I'm ready" ...
I had the pleasure of watching one lady wash the dishes right in front of me, less than 2 feet away and facing me .. reminded me of when I was a kid, watching my mama wash dishes while I quickly scarfed down my lunch while sitting on a bar stool at the counter, which was opposite the kitchen sink .. so for that reason, I felt oddly comfortable watching the lady wash her dishes while I ate my food.
speaking of which..
yamo house noodles with beef: authentic burmese dish ... I was surprised at how boring the dish looked .. just a bowl of ramen noodles topped with tons and tons of beef and a little bit of chopped green onions and parsley ... it looked really oily too, and I expected it to taste bad but boy I was wrong .. the beef was high quality, lean, and tender meat ... it was cooked really well and slightly charred/crispy on the edges .. it was marinated in something I've never tasted before and it was a little bit salty ... which explains why the ramen noodles (also tasty and high quality) were underdressed with just a splash of sesame(?) oil .. for $5 it's a steal.
tea leave salad: wow .. you gotta get this ... they use a LOT of tea leaves and not so much cabbage, which some people love but it was a little too intense for me .. you should either share this otherwise if you eat the whole thing you might get sick of it towards the end .. or you can ask for more cabbage to balance out the strong flavors ... absolutely love the fried onions. $5
you should try this place out if you're in the neighborhood .. nice place if you're dining alone.
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Do you know why this place is called "Yamo"?
Because after you realize that their delicious entrees will only set you back $5.50, you'll turn to your date and say, "Hey, should we order some more?"
And she'll say, "YEAH, Mo'!"
JAZZ HANDS! I'll be here all week folks.
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San Franciscans are so lame sometimes!
Just because this place is a cheap hole in the wall and appears to be authentic, people swear its the greatest. They feel like its their little secret and they love bringing people there and showing off the cute old Burmese ladies and the totally affordable prices. It makes them feel cool.
But they aren't cool.
They are fools.
Because the food is wack. Its cheap, yeah, but wack.
So if you enjoy eating kinda wack food cramped shoulder to shoulder with other tasteless cheap geeks, bon apetite!
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If you don't know anything about Burmese food and a bit afraid to try well this might help simplify it for you. Its a bit of a combination of Thai and Indian as well as maybe Chinese as well. It definitely has those influences at least but does come out as being something quite unique to itself. If you like food that has a bit of a kick(spicy) then you will probably enjoy the food.
5 stars definitely for the food. I do have to take away a star just for the mere fact it takes so long to get seated and inside things are cramped. Its not the type of place you can just go to...you have to plan it out and explain to everyone that you go with that there will be a wait.
Yamo is very much like a walk-in closet, except there's no room for your clothes because there's a kitchen in it. Suck in your belly, find a seat at the counter, and wait for the Three Ladies to whip up some seriously tasty (and, according to a friend who has visited Burma many times, authentic) dishes.
I am a pot sticker connoisseur and can't remember having had better ones recently. We also got a chicken curry -- which was aggressively spicy, but in a good way -- and pork chow fun. No bland portions here: everything was really rich and really good.
Gotta mention the cons: the air in there is THICK with smoke/oil from the fryer. A little more ventilation would keep people there a little longer...although with only like ten seats, maybe they want high turnover. In any case, you've been warned. As other yelpers have noted, getting the attention of the ladies, even in a place this small, was challenging; but you sort of feel like you're flagging down someone in their own kitchen, which is pretty much what's happening, and that's rude. Still -- gotta ding them one star for barely breathable air.
That said, do not fail to visit Yamo. Holes-in-the-wall are by definition not quirk-free, but the food at this one more than makes up for it.
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This place defines "hole-in-the-wall"... it is basically involves a long narrow space of which 2/3rds is dedicated to the cooking area and the other 1/3rd to the counter, barstools and walking space... cramped is an understatement. I ordered the vegetable curry to go. The curry really wasn't a curry; it was more of a spiced oil... it wasn't bad; it just wasn't good.
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i won't repeat what everyone has already said, but i love this little place, the food is crazy good and CHEAP, omg CHEEEEAP!!! everything is pretty much five dollars or less! so for $10 I could get two delicious freshly homemade dishes and be set for the next two meals. you really can't beat that!!
and i hope the lady (one that doesn't speak english) there remembers me because the last time i went, i ordered something to go, $5.25 right? so I gave her a $20 bill, and she goes to find change.. comes back and gives me a $20, 4 ones and some change. i look at her like she's crazy, thinking WHY ARE YOU GIVING ME BACK THE $20 I JUST GAVE YOU?!! so i point that out and she laughs, kinda flustered and finds me the right change, smiles and thanks me. its okay, i'd be kinda out of it if i were standing in a shoebox size kitchen for 10 hours cooking food for hipsters and co. all day. but i digress.. anyways, point being, now if this happened at a mcdonalds, i would've just took my food and $20 and left, but not at yamo's because i love this place.. i better get extra potstickers or something next time for being so kind... ahah jk. or not?
and people, please try to not bring in a party of 6 and just take over the whole damn place!! get it to go at least and go eat it at the park or something! :)
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I would give this place six stars if I could.
Unbelievable service and excellent quality of food.
I walked into Yamo three days ago to place a rather large order for a meeting we were having at my office. Since I work at a non-profit and our food budget is limited, I'm not too flexible with how much we can spend, but I still have to find a way to feed everyone. I wanted to order a couple entrees on the party platter menu but the total was something that I knew my organization did not have room to cover. So then what? Well first of all the staff rocks and went above and beyond to try to accomodate our hiccup. Judy was awesome and did everything she could to get her boss Joseph (the owner) on the phone since he wasn't in at the time. When we were able to get a hold of him, he was incredibly kind and really tried to work with me on the price. In the end I was able to stay within budget and placed the food order.
Fast forward to two days later and all I can say is if you haven't been to Yamo, don't walk, run! The food was such a hit at the meeting that a couple of us, including myself, couldn't restrain ourselves and got second and third servings. If there weren't others around I probably would've kept going! Since I'm vegetarian, I only tried the samusas and curry tofu, both rocked! Others who had the pork chow mein, mango chicken, and beef curry only had raves to share.
This place is a little hole in the wall that is easy to overlook, but if you do happen to stop and go in, I guarantee, you will NOT be disappointed!
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I must have walked past this place a hundred times and never even noticed it was there. Too bad, because it's as delicious as it's cheap. Or is it the other way around?
Anyway, the tea salad is fantastic. It's not just that it's tasty, but it has this great, unusual texture - a perfect combination of soft and crunchy. The house noodles were great too. The curry was less exciting, at least to me, but with nothing on the menu over $5.25, what have you got to lose by trying this place out when you want to spend $6 on a meal in the Mission and can't stomach another burrito?
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To be completely honest, it's been so long since I've been here that I don't even remember what I ordered. (I live in SoCal), I'm mostly writing this review just to give a heads up to all the friends that left me and went up north.
Although I don't remember what I ate, I do remember it was delicious and I was really impressed with the place. I think it's changed a little since I dined there. For one, there were no ladies working the counter as everyone has mentioned. It was some "rock n roll" asian dude. He simply did not give a fuck. If we wanted something to drink, we were instructed to come behind the counter and grab it ourselves. We gave him an order and he fixed us "something like that", with his own delicious personal touches. The sign displaying the hours were "If the door is open, we're open. If the door is closed, we're closed"
The one thing I remember is they served black rice, and I wasn't expecting that. It was great though. Next time I'm in the area I'd definitely like to try it again and see if it's as good as I remember.
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Delicious.
Recommendations... Tea Leaf Salad. & Curry Fish w/ Noodles.
Ladies at the counter are great.
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I tried this place today with my brother at around 5. The food was good, the place cozy and the prices hard to believe.
I don't think that I had had Burmese food before and thought it was a bit like Indian in that the food has quite a bit of curry in it.
They make the food right in front of you so it feel cozy and intimate.
A little too spicy for my taste but you might love it. Considering every dish is around 5 bucks you can't really go wrong.
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A cyclone of ambrosial noodles and chicken that won't break your world bank aid.
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OMG...Yamo House Noodles w/Chicken is so f*ckin' good.
To say that I used to love this place would be a serious understatement.
Previous owner (I don't know...three years ago?) was doing a one-man operation thing, and he would project classic films on the wall while the turntable was spinning (and would let you pick a new record if the music stopped!). He was wonderful, served his curries over perfectly-done black rice, and made these smoky, intense, banana crepe/tortilla things that I loved.
I went there now. it's fine. I was in SEAsia in 2001-2 but Burma/Myanmar wasn't letting people in the country. So I don't have much comparison data.
Does anyone know if the guy who used to own this place has a new biz?
This place is like a strange fantasy land where you are some kind of cartoonish animal, and you squeeze yourself through a hole in the base of an oak tree, and find it's actually a restaurant where tiny asian women scramble around putting together fresh spring roles and yummy chow mein. You gladly watch the show while drinking some milky brew out of a freshly hacked open cocounut shell Wha!?!? it''s true okay, so f-you! I live right around the corner, and at 6 bucks a pop you can't go wrong.
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I love the fact that this place seats about 8 people and it's cramped and a real hole in the wall. The food is tasty, though pretty greasy - more or less what you'd expect for fast Asian food at $5.25 an entree. We enjoyed the piping hot samosas and the chicken salad especially. The curry chicken was good, though nothing particularly special. A great place for a quick bite with a Burmese slant in the Mission.
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Most people would take off a star for a restaurant being too small but I added one. This hole in the wall Mission eatery can only seat a handful of patrons who order on stools at the counter top. The huge dish of curry beef with rice and noodles is only $5.25 as is the delicious coconutty chicken noodle soup while appetizers from pot stickers to spring rolls are a steal at $3.25. Go here often and come hungry. Expect a wait and stalk a seat. You'll immediately appreciate Yamo's charm. It's yummy.
Prices seriously can't be beat. I think we stuffed ourselves with food the other night for like twenty bucks or something like that? It was insanely crazy.
Now, I will say that it's a small place, so those that are claustrophobic should not come in here. About 10 stools in total. You sit at the counter and you watch the ladies work their magic. Kinda cool actually. :)
The food was a bit too spicy for my tastes...and the curry beef dish was pretty plain. Nothing special about it really.
I wil make two recommendations. #1 is the tea salad. DELICIOUS! Had just enough spice and kick to make you wanting a sip of water, but it was all out awesome! #2 is the chicken noodle soup. It had this velvet-buttery taste that was sensational! OMG! That'd hit the spot on a cold night.
All in all, it's cut and it definitely has it's personality.
Would I force someone to come all the way across town for it? Probably not. But would I ask someone to eat there if there were in the hood? Definitely at least once.
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In the SF Burmese Bunch, Burma Superstar's the Marcia Brady...all the guys going crazy about BurmaSuperstar! BurmaSuperstar! BurmaSuperstar! Yeah she's pretty and has nice hair, but who wants to compete w/ all the other admirers for obscene waits? Mandalay's the Cindy, with more charm than its more popular sister...but just like that darn lisp, there's something kinda off about it. Then there's Yamo, like Jan - the overlooked, slightly homely sister. Except Yamo's not as annoying and desperate for attention - apparent from the 150+ reviews on Yelp!
The quintessential hole-in-the-wall, much of Yamo's charm is in sitting at the counter of no more than 6 people, watching the two women prepare your food right in front of you. The food is cheap and generally pretty good. Their fermented tea leaf salad is nearly indistinguishable from the ones you'll find at BS or Mandalay and appears to be more authentic (compared to some home tea leaf salad mixes I've tried). The taste is entirely another animal - very strong flavors, garlic, spicy, and a more briny fermented taste. It's good, though I have to say I like BS's version the best. In the catfish chowder category, Yamo's version has more oomph than Mandaly's version. Their curry chicken w/ noodles was greasy and pretty unmemorable flavor-wise, save for the chicken being tender.
Check it out during lunch hour and make sure they're open that day (I think they're closed Mondays). When it comes down to it, Yamo's a good, cheap alternative to its two more illustrious siblings. No, I'm not saying Jan Brady was easy.
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I love the sign on their storefront. I thought it was one of those avante garde record shops or underground design collectives in the Mission for the longest time and just passed by. Never would have guessed that it was authentic, circa 1980's?, signage belonging to an unassuming Burmese restaurant until someone tipped me off to it recently. Moving along to the food...
We got take-out, and my favorites of the night were the coconut chicken noodle soup and the tea leaf salad. They went to the trouble of separating the broth from the fixings so that they wouldn't get soggy, and they used quality tupperware. Showed they go the extra mile for the little things. The food was spicy enough that it left our mouths tingling for a while afterwards. Yamo!
Love kichy spots like this. I've had this bookmarked for over a year after living in the Mish. So, clearly I was so disappointed cuz it was such an AVERAGE meal.
Great prices. Women who've worked the wok for seemingly their whole lives right in front of you. 8-10 stools, coat racks, etc. AVERAGE FOOD. Officially UNbookmarked.
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Yamo is my favourite place to eat in the city.
With
Out
Doubt!
The food is amazing. The service is homely. The price is excellent. I leave this place feeling a bit more burmese (I started at 0%) each time. The ladies working there are wonderful, it's like watching that long lost burmese grandmother/aunty of yours whipping up a meal after you've gotten back from school.
Yup, I need to eat here again within the next week or I might turn into a frog.
I love Yamo both for the no-frills selections and bargain price!
Except for very few items, all dishes are for only $5.25 or less..and that includes the tax!
I have tried several including the chicken curry and noodles...and each one comes in a healthy portion and taste excellent for the price you are paying.
This place is very small located in a somewhat shady neighborhood so it really is best if you go during daytime just a bit before or after lunch to avoid lines. You won't even know where it is unless you look for the torn up awning above the front door. The walls outside have graffiti leading you to belive that it may not be safe to even eat inside at all! However, you can also look for this place just by looking for people waiting outside.
As you go in, you will only see a long counter with about 10 stools on one side. The other side is the kitchen where you will see the 3 sisters preparing, cooking and serving you.
The only negative I would say about this place is that the sisters are not that attentive especially when it gets busy. They get so busy chopping, preparing, taking orders by phone, etc., they would forget to refill your glass of water. At times, you have to shout a bit louder so they can hear you asking for more water or your check.
I go back to this place whenever I can, but I do not always expect great service each time.
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Does YAMO really need another 5* review? I doubt it...but I'm gonna give it to 'em anyway!
I don't even know where to begin, but if you haven't tried this place yet...DO, the food is very fresh and simply grrrr8.
I am looking forward to my next visit, and my next visit and even my next visit after that.
Perfectly named hole in the wall with super cheap Burmese eats. It's not exactly Burma Superstar but you can't complain when you're paying what you would at a tacqueria and can watch them cook everything in front of you. Try the samusas!
Hands down the best dining experience yet. Yamo is a little hole in the wall that seats about 10 people. It seems as though the locals know this place and I can see why. First off, every entre on the menu is $5.25. This will make you think that the portions are measily however, you are incorrect.
I had the mango chicken which was chicken, pineapple, green beans, cabbage, carrots and a mango sauce. This was served over white rice and the portions where heaping. While I was waiting for my meal, I noticed people drinking/eating fresh coconut. I thought about it for a minute and said what the hell, when am I going to have the chance to eat/drink fresh coconut. The coconut was a great experience and I would definitely do it again.
Bottom line, eat at Yamo you will not be disappointed.
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