YANGON—Yangon restaurant and bar scene newcomer Bart provides an arts theme and a comfortable vibe. Opened just in the last two months, the bar is built in an older downtown building on Merchant Road.
There is an upstairs and a downstairs area. Once you enter the bar, you’ll notice large paintings of female portraits. There are a few tall tables, a long bar and a few normal tables.
We chose a seat upstairs, where the owner has decorated the walls with a mix of posters and photos. It’s a different vibe from downstairs but the theme is similar.
It was early evening when we arrived, so the pop songs were playing to a mostly empty room. The staff offered drink menus—no smoothies, but they do have soft drinks like Coke and Sprite, plus, of course, a wide range of wines, cocktails, shooters, beers, spirits and mixed drinks.
Because they offer lunch, the food menu has many items to choose from. It is a popular mid-day pick for local employees from nearby companies.
Most of the dishes are similar to other bars in town, but they do have a unique ‘Norwegian Salmon’ main dish, which I ordered. The manager recommended their cheese sandwich. My friend ordered hot and sour prawn with rice.
It took a bit long for the food to arrive, but because the bar has so many Instagram-friendly shooting spots, it was alright with us.
The ‘Norwegian Salmon’ is grilled and accompanied by a few vegetables. The salmon quality was very good but the middle of the fish was undercooked. It still tasted fine. A more even grilling would have made it super cool.
The manager’s recommendation of the cheese sandwich was perfect. The baked bread was perfect, and a bit crispy.
The hot and sour prawn and rice had a great taste and the prawns were really fresh, but the prawn portion was a bit small.
I had a ginger margarita, a tequila-based ginger and lime juice cocktail. They make a good one. I’m a ginger fan and always love to drink a cocktail made with ginger.
Prices range from 3,000 to 4,000 kyats for food and drinks start at around 4,000 kyats. The bar has a wide range of draught beers, including Carlsberg, Tuborg and Black Eagle Stout.
It’s a new bar with a new unique concept in downtown Yangon, ready to provide a different, cool vibe. It’s clean and the staff is helpful. The bar has happy hours, promotions and events announced on their Facebook page.
Bart is located at the corner of 39th Street and Merchant Road. It is open from 11 a.m. to midnight.
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