Fermented green tea leaves mixed with crunchy fried split peas, peanuts, garlic, sesame seeds, dried shrimp, lime, sliced tomato and shredded cabbage. Burma Superstar's defining San Francisco dish.

Lephet thoke arrived in San Francisco with the Burmese community that settled in the Bay Area through the 1990s and 2000s. Burma Superstar opened on Clement Street in the Richmond District in 1992; current owner Desmond Tan acquired the restaurant in 2000 and built it into the Bay Area Burmese reference, making tea-leaf salad a cult dish. The Burmese fermented tea (lephet) is mixed at the table from a divided plate. Today Burma Love, Burma Bites and Mandalay continue the San Francisco Burmese tradition; the salad remains the city's most distinctive imported dish.

4 editor picks for Lephet thoke (Burmese tea leaf salad) in San Francisco, ranked by editorial score. All San Francisco signature dishes · Lephet thoke (Burmese tea leaf salad) across every city.

Mister Jiu's ★ 4.8

$$$$ChineseChinatown

Mister Jiu's in San Francisco is Brandon Jew's Cal-Chinese flagship in old Chinatown, holding a Michelin star and a separate cocktail bar worth a visit alone.

OrderThe whole roast Mongolian duck with house pancakes, ordered ahead.

TipSit in the upstairs bar Moongate Lounge and order from the full menu without committing to the tasting.

DirectionsView

Ferry Building Marketplace ★ 4.7

$Market

The Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco runs daily inside the 1898 Ferry Building, with Hog Island Oyster Co., Cowgirl Creamery, Acme Bread.

TipHog Island's bar opens at 11:00; arrive then for oysters before the lunch line stacks up.

DirectionsView

Burma Superstar ★ 4.3

$$BurmeseRichmond

Burma Superstar in San Francisco is the Clement Street Burmese room that taught the city to eat lahpet thoke; the tea leaf salad is the order.

OrderThe tea leaf salad, tossed table-side with crunchy lentils and fried garlic.

TipNo reservations; put your name in then walk down Clement to B Star for tea while you wait.

DirectionsView

House of Nanking ★ 4.0

$$Cantonese

House of Nanking in San Francisco is the Kearny Street Sichuan-Cantonese hybrid since 1988, with a sesame chicken set by an opinionated counter.

OrderWhatever the owner brings; tell him you trust the kitchen and let him pick three plates.

TipSkip the menu; ask the owner to feed you. Cash and card; the wait is shorter for lone diners at the counter.

DirectionsView

Learn to cook it, or eat it with a guide

Lephet thoke (Burmese tea leaf salad) makes more sense with someone from San Francisco explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.

Book food experiences in San Francisco

See all 443 bookable experiences in San Francisco