Recommends

Patrick Heig

Joined 5 years ago

Citysearch Editorial Review. The definitive hole-in-the-wall in the Mission, Yamo is simple, delicious and so cheap you almost feel guilty. The cuisine is Burmese--tea salad, fish and noodle soups, and fantastic curries--and remarkably interesting, complex and rich, especially considering most meal-sized dishes cost about five bucks. The word, however, is out on this one, so expect long waits at prime time (there are only 10 seats), and, obviously, don't expect white tablecloths or expert waiters, or any waiters at all: The whole place is run a pair of chefs behind the counter. Yamo doesn't have beer, wine or liquor and doesn't take kindly to BYOB-ers, but finding a place to get a pre- or post-dinner drink in the Mission is like hunting at the zoo--easy. What is hard to find, in the Mission or anywhere else, is food this good at prices this trivial.

Recommends

hungrysf

Joined 7 years ago

Classic Cheap Eat...Great Burmese Food & Service!. First off, to clarify the current YAMO has been in business since September 2005 and the food is Burmese, not Thai or Vegetarian. With that out of the way, this place is classic! What stands out even more than the food (which is great) is the warm, friendly and fun all-female, all-family staff. The place is tiny, with only 9 counter stools, but that's what makes it so great. The price for food is beyond reasonable. Two of us ordered the Samusas, Potstickers, Yamo Cold Noodles, Curry Beef with Rice and a Fresh Coconut Drink. All the dishes were delicious, prepared right before your eyes and were piping hot! Oh yeah, all that only set us back $20 and we were stuffed. Go experience this hole-in-the-wall gem!...PS: This place puts Burma Super Star to shame!

Recommends

dancergirl21

Joined 7 years ago

Very good Thai food at a price that can't be beat!. For about $5, you can get a great meal here. Funny, because just around the corner, same type of food can turn into $9 per pop. I like the mango chicken dish. The service is wonderful, friendly, and homespun. If you eat in, it IS a very quaint hole-in-the-wall. I'd like to see the fried rice have more vegetables or other ingredients. Great value, definitely go.

Recommends

lancer23

Joined 8 years ago

excellent place. very small, tiny hole in the wall. truly great burmese eatery. great atmosphere.

Recommends

frankiesfus

Joined 7 years ago

Yamo is Burmese Now. I remember last time I went to Yamo it was a vegetarian place. And before that, it was Thai. Now I found myself caught with something new again. Burmese Food. I didn't have much experience with Burmese and what the hell. Lets try everything once. I had ordered Tea Salad and Curry Chicken Noodle. I didn't expect much. But I was dead wrong. The food is really amazing and well prepared. The price is really reasonable and each dish is cost average about $5.50. With that price, usually I just expect to fill up my stomach. I highly recommend Yamo for their value and the food.

Recommends

scmurray

Joined 8 years ago

Love the ambience, love the food. After having my expectations severely lowered by all the other reviews here, I headed over to Yamo last night and was more than pleasantly surprised. First off, this place is 100% vegetarian, which is a major plus in my (flesh-free, plant-based) book, yet no where is that mentioned here. (They even have Thai Iced Tea with Soy Milk.) Second, I loved the red-lamp lighting (a la Boom Boom Room, Cassanova) and kitcshey decor. Third, I loved the chef/host. Yes, he is a character, but that's why we live in the city, people, and don't eat at Cracker Barrel on Friday nights. Suck it up. A classic SF experience.

Recommends

abiku1

Joined 9 years ago

Creative and Exciting Food!. If you're looking for the same old thai food, don't come here. But if you're looking for an interesting and different meal served by someone who is passionate and excited about the food he's making, enthusiastic about telling you about the ingredients he's using, this is your place. The last time I was there we ordered the Tom Yum soup, which was richly spiced, and I've been craving it ever since. We asked him about one of the ingredients, and he explained that it was a piece of turmeric root, something I've never seen outside of its powdered form. Most of the dishes, including the tom yum and the curries, come with seasonal fruit cooked in--recently blueberries, pluots, and prickly pear. This is not your typical dining experience, sitting on barstools watching a one man staff cook and serve at the same time, but it's a wonderful one.

Doesn't Recommend

missstella

Joined 9 years ago

worst restaurant experience ever!. Worst restaurant experience ever. Very politely said to surly waiter/cook as he was starting to cook our order "Please, we do like it very spicy!" He whirled around & screamed "DON'T ORDER ME AROUND!" & more... After regaining our composure, we told him we thought that his behavior was quite rude, and that we were leaving. He yelled, "YOU were rude! You had your chance!" (?!) We left, and as we exited, he held the door for us! Very strange & completely unpleasant. How can he keep a business, treating customers this way?

Doesn't Recommend

themailvoid

Joined 9 years ago

Very disappointed.. I used to go to this restaraunt before the owner change and I always thought it was ok. I thought that it would be better with the change because the old owner was a bit, er, eccentric. I have to say, though, that I am extermely disappointed.

We got the tofu panang (red curry) and pad thai. Both were awful. Actually, the worst thai food that I have ever had and the worst meal out I have had since I moved to San Francisco 8 years ago. The noodles were soggy and flavorless. The panang was somehow bland and spicy at the same time. And the spring rolls were a disaster.

I would actually recommend you go around the corner to Bankok 16 and actually enjoy your meal.

Doesn't Recommend

yumyum2

Joined 9 years ago

disapointed. after exploring thai places in the mission i stumbled on yamo. the small space is an interesting change. i saw numerous people eating alone at the counter and expected that a place that kind of looked like a charming hole in the wall would have great thai food. unfortunately that wasn't the case, by the time i got my food home about an inch of oil had settled on top of the curry, and the pad thai was so slippery with oil i had no choice but to throw it out. maybe if you ask for light on the oil you'll do better