There is all kinds of entertainment in Myanmar ranging from cultural shows to marionette performances, theatre, cinemas and plenty of karaoke entertainment. Mainly in Yangon there are Discos for night time entertainment. Most upmarket hotels in Yangon and elsewhere offer some kind of nightlife entertainment.

Some offer native shows with Burmese dancing and an orchestra as background music and maybe some artistic show like the Kandawgyi Palace Hotel which offers every evening a dinner show. Pubs and bars are also in the big hotels e.g. an Irish Pub in the Sedona hotel and a disco in the Kandawgyi Palace hotel.

Some pub - restaurants in certain places like China Town offer fashion shows where models show " homemade " fashion with background music. The best are in the Asia Plaza Disco from 10 pm to 1 am and the Zero Zone Rock Restaurant (rooftop) from 8.30 pm to 10 pm in Chinatown. The Zero Zone "Rock Restaurant" just introduced some more nightlife dancing shows and almost 2 hours of continuous fashion shows. The Zero Zone "Rock              Restaurant" also offers a tasty barbeque buffet.

Asia plaza - Chinatown         

Night life in Yangon 

You will find it mostly in hotels from about 6pm to 11pm. Paddy’s Bar, an Irish pub with music and a lively crowd, is in the basement of the Sedona Hotel. The Kandawgyi Palace Hotel has its Disco Pub and The Grand Plaza Park Royal has the Music Club, a place of some revelation.

Open all day to midnight, the 50th Street Bar and Grill, behind an impressive colonial facade on 50th Street, is a big, well laid-out pub with its wall scrubbed down to the brick, a mixed Western and local clientele and live music at the weekends. It is a very easy place to hang out and snack.

Mr Guitar on Sayar San Road is similarly popular with locals and foreigners, open from 7pm to midnight and features unplugged music, mega screens, installations by its artist-owner and an outside courtyard. In both you might get a decent conversation. A Mr Guitar 2 opened up a year or so back on Shwe Gon Dine Road – it is more of a restaurant (serving Thai hot pot and Chinese food) than a bar.

Taking a different tack altogether is BME 2, an independent outfit watched over by the biggest Burmese lads in suits you’ve ever seen. It stands in a large lot next to the Summit Parkview Hotel at 350 Ahlone Road. There is a bar, attentive waiters, a big disco dance floor and of all things in Myanmar, a local girl rock band.

Manis

1 Inya Road, Kamayut Tsp,
Hours: 11am-11pm (Happy Hour: 6-8pm)

Options are thin on the ground as far as sophisticated establishments go in Yangon.

Manis is one of the few upper-crust dining and drinking venues. Situated off Inya Road the mansion is like a dining playhouse — every nook and cranny is worth discovering. Although Manis is more expensive than most, its customers will happily pay handsomely for a drink knowing that a percentage of it goes towards the tasteful ambience. Recline and dine on the beautiful terrace with a frozen margarita dangling from your fingers for only US$7. Your order comes with two complementary bar snacks from a varying selection that includes chicken tempura, vegetable tempura and fish fingers.

50th Street Bar & Grill
9-13 50th Street.
Hours: 11am – midnight
Mon – Fri: half-price lunch
Wed: Pizza for $5
Thurs: Pasta for $4
Fri: 4-9pm almost half-price cocktails

This pub-style hangout is a good place to enjoy a pint or two. They offer a solid selection of cocktails and American-style chow while keeping prices reasonable with their various happy hours. You will never have to worry about seating — choose between the bar stools lining the brick walls, the comfy cane chaises or the four private booths along the side. Private functions can be held on the second floor. The retro interior and cheap pizzas attract a largely expat crowd on Wednesday nights. You might have to fight for a pool cue.

Dagon Bar
Summit Parkview Hotel 350, Ahlone Road,

Hours: 6pm–1am
(Happy Hour 6–9pm)

Latin nights (Thursday and Saturday) are the highlights of the week, encouraging dance lovers to show off their moves. If you’re lucky you will get to salsa with Patrick, the charming dance instructor and gym manager at Summit Parkview Hotel, whose students often grace the dance floor with their new techniques.

Watch and learn, and while you’re at it, try the rainbow cocktail, whose name derives from its seven different types of alcohol in varying colours. Or you can sip Patrick’s drink of choice: gin and tonic.

If you venture out on the first day of the work week, you will be greeted by a free snack buffet featuring seven different Asian delicacies.

Dagon Bar - Yangon               

Ginki Kids

18 Kambawza Road, Bahan Tsp
Hours: 11am-late

This intimate drinking oasis is a casual hangout for the 20s and 30s crowd. The interior is friendly, if a little rough around the edges, with a treehouse feel and down-to-earth furnishings.

The walls tell their own story: photos of good times at Ginki and posters of Bob Marley, Kurt Cobain and a Native American chief.

The second floor is an open-air verandah perfect for group get-togethers. Munch on spicy potato chips and shrimp salad. They also do a great chicken cashew.
Corkage is only K3000. If you’re looking for rowdy nights, familiar faces, cheap booze and good grub, look no further.

Paddy O’Malley’s
Sedona Hotel, Kabar Aye Pagoda Road, Yankin
Hours: 6–1pm (Happy Hour: 6–9pm )

You may not find any leprechauns here but there is always a live Filipino band rocking out to Ricky Martin, Queen and 80s and 90s music. No pot of gold, just golden hits.

The leather booths are conducive to quasi-business, quasi-pleasure outings. Mingle with the hotel guests and challenge them to a game of pool or darts.

This is a good place to go if you want to avoid the young party animals and get down to the funky beats of days gone by.

Strand Bar
92 Strand Road,
Hours: 10am–11pm. Happy hour: Fri 5-11pm half-price drinks and free snacks

Strand Bar is Yangon’s oldest bar, which opened more than a century ago in 1901. Its long standing history has attracted many celebrities including Rolling Stone’s Mick Jagger who had a few drinks during a visit to Burma in 2004. Recently, Hideshito Nagata from Italy’s Roma football team dropped in.

Be sure to join in the fun on a Friday from 5 to 11pm to experience the ‘Stranded Hour’, when you will find the bar packed. Order the well-known Strand Sour for $6 (or $3 on Fridays) and get to know the expats.

Other Night Spots & Entertainment