5 /5 Jacob K: We visited Lahpet Shoreditch for the first time and had a genuinely interesting experience overall.
Lahpet is one of the few restaurants in London focusing on authentic Burmese cuisine, brought to life by founders Dan Anton and head chef Zaw Mahesh, both of Burmese heritage. They started with a market stall and pop-up in Hackney before opening this Shoreditch site in 2018, and have since expanded to the West End and Bermondsey. Their mission is to introduce London to the nuanced, fragrant and relatively unexplored flavours of Myanmar. 
The menu reflects that heritage and diversity. Burmese cooking draws on slow-cooked stews, earthy spice blends, fragrant aromatics like lemongrass and tamarind, fermented fish seasonings and pickled tea leaf (lahpet) — a historic national delicacy traditionally served as a social gesture of hospitality. 
Starters were solid. The A-kyaw fritters were pleasant but fairly ordinary, and the yellow pea flatbread felt like a discovery — unfamiliar, earthy and genuinely new to our palates, which is exactly what Lahpet aims for.
The chicken and coconut noodle bowl was the biggest disappointment. It came across more like a very ordinary ramen than a standout Burmese signature — fine as a bowl of noodles, but bland and not what we expected given the kitchen’s strong focus on distinctive regional cuisine.
The braised beef was tasty and well-textured, with slow-cooked depth, but didn’t push boundaries.
The tofu dish was the highlight of the meal. Silky, rich, surprising and layered with flavour — it felt like discovering a new “colour” in taste. This was the one dish that truly delivered on the promise of something adventurous and memorable.
Both desserts were enjoyable and balanced sweetness well without feeling heavy.
Service was impeccable — attentive, warm and professional. The atmosphere is lively and casual. It was calm at 6 pm when we arrived, but by 7:30 pm it was quite loud, with conversation rising across the room.
This isn’t a fine-dining masterpiece, nor a place that will blow every dish out of the water, but it is very good at what it sets out to be: a relaxed, socially-driven restaurant with genuinely new flavours and thoughtful ingredients. Perfect for a no-fuss dinner with friends or even a comfortable evening with family.
Good place. Worth trying, especially for the tofu and for experiencing Burmese food beyond the familiar.
