Go Myanmar Tours
October 2019

Discusses the top 10 restaurants in Bagan and list Sanon as on of these top 10 restaurants. 

Lisa Smyth
CEO Magazine, January 2018

"After a day-long bike ride, or an evening balloon trip, you will want to visit Bagan’s number one restaurant – Sanon. A social enterprise training restaurant for marginalised youth, our meal here was easily the best of the trip.

Opened only a year ago, it has already risen to top position on TripAdvisor, and its first batch of graduates are already employed. Housed in an open-air pavilion, a welcome breeze and incredibly friendly staff greet you as you arrive.

The atmosphere is lovely and the students incredibly attentive and well trained; but what sets this restaurant apart is that the food is genuinely delicious. The soft-shell crab starter with a tangy papaya salad is cooked to perfection, and the fish and prawn curry has wonderfully complex and tasty flavours. This meal alone is worth a return trip to Myanmar."

Tour Mandalay
28 July 2016

This is a blog article by Tour Mandalay introducing the recently opened "Sanon Training Restaurant"

"Sanon is a social enterprise well worth supporting. Not only does a meal here go towards a great cause, but you will also get the chance to try out what is arguably the best menu in Bagan. Being located in Nyaung U, some might consider it to be a bit out of the way, but it is only a 10-15 minute drive from Old Bagan (if that!) and a stop here also combines well with a trip to MBoutique before, or shortly after. Price wise, you will be looking at MMK6000-7000 per main, which equates to USD5-6 using today’s exchange rate (28/07/2016) – for the quality, presentation and portion size, Tour Mandalay think this represents great value."

Susan Bailey
Myanmore
16 September, 2016

Introductory aritcle discussing Sanon, its menu, service and student training program.

"Despite the great food and drink, it is the staff who really make the dining experience at Sanon a memorable one. Serving staff are highly knowledgeable and can explain, in detailed Burmese and English, each dish’s ingredients."

Planreterra Foundation

(Referenced from the Internet 20 March 2018)

"MYDI started the Sanon Training Restaurant in Bagan as a means to provide accessible training for youth in the region. This restaurant employs 30 marginalized youth every year, providing them the training and education they need to succeed in the hospitality industry. The youth are also provided with room and board during the training period. A major focus of the training is practicing verbal English skills to better accommodate international travellers and set these trainees apart from other hospitality workers. G Adventures will be sending 300 travellers annually to Sanon so the students can practice their skills with a stable customer base."

beirutibrit (a britsh girl abroad) (personal blog)
27 December, 2016

"I would whole heartedly recommend a meal at Sanon when you visit Bagan (my friend enjoyed it so much she went back twice!) The pretty garden dining area is a lovely place to enjoy dinner and the ambience is similarly enjoyable. Whilst it is a training school, the service when I went was excellent. Obviously this can change as new students come into the restaurant and I would generally recommend having a bit more patience than is usually  necessary, although again in fairness the same could be said of most, if not all restaurants I have eaten at in Myanmar!"

Mekong Tourism
27 August 2017

"Sanon is run by Myanmar Youth Development Institute, a Charity that has been working with vulnerable youth in Myanmar. Sanon is a training restaurant for marginalised as well as changing lives and building futures for Myanmar youth."

Bianca`
Grassroots Volunteering
18 July 2016

"Sanon Restaurant gives new opportunities to 30 students each year. The Myanmar Youth Development Institute works on community development in Myanmar’s most rural areas. The recent opening of Sanon in Bagan has given the organisation a new platform to offer professional training in hygiene, food preparation, and customer service. It also offers life skills training, accommodation, and meals to students who participate in their training workshops. Students are then given job placements and a further two years of support after graduating from Sanon."

Myanmar Times
22 April 2016

“This is about training 20 disadvantaged youth for 12 months in hospitality and English,” said Jon Amiss, one of the volunteer organisers of the restaurant. “Then getting them a job and monitoring them for a further two years.”

Chase Chisholm
The Culture Trip
28 March 2018

"The Sanon Training Restaurant in Bagan is a non-profit social enterprise organization aiming to train and assist local students in gaining employment within the growing hospitality industry of Myanmar. Not only does every bite taste good, it feels good to enjoy supporting such an initiative. Sanon’s inviting open interior and delightful outdoor garden area pair well with its excellent service. Definitely try the caramelized pork stir fry or the giant Irrawaddy prawn and catfish curry."

19 November 2016
Lonely Planet

A charming addition to the Nyaung U restaurant scene, Sanon has a classy but casual setting, with tropical plants surrounding an open-sided dining room....