SFReview
photo credit: Haley Heramb
Yamo
Included In
Imagine you just found $20 in the back pocket of your jeans. You could take the cash to your favorite bar and get a cocktail, or you could go to Trader Joe’s, buy exactly six avocados, and throw a guacamole party for all your friends (BYOB, obviously). But are all these ways the best use of your newfound treasure? A smarter thing to do is go to Yamo, and, for under $20, you can order a lot of really good Burmese food - and have plenty of leftovers the next day.
Everything on the menu at this cash-only spot is less than $8. And for the cost, the salads, soups, and noodles are delicious and large (we’re talking, “this price must be a misprint because this plate of curry looks like it could feed a 49er” large). We always start with the spicy and crunchy tea leaf salad ($8), which is easily one of the best salads in the city. If we’re starving, we also get an order of the ginger, cabbage, and pork potstickers ($5) before moving on to the bigger plates. The best value at Yamo, however, are the House Noodles. They're $8 for a bowl of garlicky, salty stir-fried lo mein noodles you’ll become more attached to than your AirPods.
The one thing you will spend a lot of at Yamo is time. The two women who run this place crank out dishes faster than you can flip through Bumble, but in the evenings you can expect to wait outside, even if you're ordering to-go.
But the things that make Yamo great outweigh any drawbacks. Where else in the city can you get an appetizer, a salad, and a big plate of chicken or noodles and only spend $21? A well-portioned three-course meal like the one at Yamo is a rare thing, like catching a foul ball at a Giants game. So the next time you find a wadded-up bill in your laundry or decide to hit an ATM for the first time in a decade for whatever reason, make the smart choice and come to Yamo for one of the best deals in town.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Haley Heramb
Potstickers
Samusas
photo credit: Haley Heramb
Tea Salad
Papaya Salad
Chicken Noodle Soup
Mango Chicken
photo credit: Haley Heramb