Just a year and a half after opening in Bay View, Ni Burmese (2160 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.) has announced that it has shut down. The news went out September 2 on the Southeast Asian restaurant’s Instagram page.
The reason given is family/health related. Co-owner Ni Ni Lin wrote in her social media post, “My mom’s health has been declining, and have found myself needing to be there for her more; as much as it breaks my heart, I’ve come to realize that I can’t continue to give the restaurant the love and attention it deserves while also being there for my mom.”
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I’ve also wondered, pretty much since it opened, if the restaurant was doing OK. It looked busy whenever I drove by (which was fairly often). However, Burmese cuisine doesn’t have the level of familiarity here in the states that Thai or Vietnamese have both garnered over time. Which is unfortunate because Burmese cuisine has its own distinct flavors and trademark dishes, like the fermented tea leaf salad and the noodle stir-fry called kat kyi kaik, which were both served at this charming restaurant.
The owners had realized their restaurant-operating dream with this casual, but modern and serenely designed storefront space inside the Kinetik building across the street from Room Service and EsterEv.
There are still local sources for Burmese and Burmese-inspired cuisine. Taste Amir’s Roti and Khan Aseya both offer it on menus that also feature Malaysian dishes.
But Ni Burmese was special, and I’m sure going to miss it.
