Fewer parking spaces mean fewer customers. The din from heavy machinery rattles the door so hard it’s triggered a security alarm on several occasions. The neon orange barricades from Purple Line construction that box in the restaurant give the false impression to some that it’s closed.

But Mandalay in Silver Spring has kept its lights on to serve delicious and bold Burmese cuisine.

“Burmese food is very unique. When we started out, we didn’t know whether people would like it,” said Kyaw Myint, who co-owns Mandalay with his wife, Latt Niang, and goes by “Joe.” “When we were going to open, a lot of people discouraged us from opening — even Burmese people.”

The cuisine takes cues from some of its neighbors. For a simple shorthand: Think rich, long-simmered curries from India blended with punching, complex heat from Thailand.

The restaurant started in 2000 in College Park — it was born out of the Myint family’s doughnut shop. It has been open since 2004 in its Silver Spring location on 930 Bonifant St. Businesses along the strip have voiced their struggles since construction on the light rail link between Montgomery and Prince George’s counties got underway in 2017.

Construction was one thing, but the Covid-19 pandemic’s effect was more immediate. The restaurant closed from October 2021 to June 2022 but opened back up for takeout after an outpouring of public support, Myint, 57, said.

The once-sprawling dining room has only partially reopened for lunch service from Tuesdays to Sundays and dinner from Tuesdays to Thursdays. One half of the main room on a recent dinnertime visit was half-lit and obscured what could be best described as a family living room rather than a dining area — perhaps because Myint’s mother-in-law was lounging there between busing some tables. Since the restaurant’s reopening, Mandalay’s Facebook and Instagram account will post callouts for old and new customers.

“Mandalay family,” a Sept. 26 Instagram post reads. “Once again we need to ask for your support for Mandalay in Silver Spring. The continued construction in Silver Spring and the disruption it has caused is impacting our business. We need your help to remain open to serve you the delicious Burmese cuisine that you have loved for over twenty years.”

Myint estimates that he’s lost about 50%-55% of his business following the pandemic and construction obstacles. These callouts provide a short-lived swell of business from longtime customers and some first-timers that inevitably tapers off. “I need a lot of support from my customers, but I don’t want to abuse it, so that’s why sometimes I don’t say anything,” Myint said.

Flavors of Burma

Those who do make it to Mandalay are treated to some of the most flavorful dishes in all of Montgomery County.

Myint immigrated to the United States in 1989 and his family wanted to bring flavors from their hometown, Yangon, Mynamar’s most populous city.

Burmese restaurants in the larger region are few and far between — Myint knew of only two others in D.C. and Virginia that have both shuttered in recent years. The restaurant is only called Mandalay, Myint says, because it was the only recognizable name for a restaurant that wasn’t already taken at the time, such as Burma in D.C.’s Chinatown or Rangoon, an Americanized name for Yangon, in Philadelphia.

Standouts from recent Mandalay visits include the shrimp version of mote nyinchin htamin gyaw, which melded sour mustard greens and fragrant jasmine rice that were both nicely charred from the scorching wok. Even devout carnivores could enjoy the vegetarian options such as pe pyar tha yet thee hin, with cubes of tofu sitting in a tangy and bright pickled mango sauce.

If you go on a Thursday, bring your appetite. The special for that day, ohnhta min hin, sees a chicken thigh, nearly the size of a dinner plate on one occasion, and a drumstick swimming in an almost mocha-colored curry sauce of caramelized onions. The poultry sits on a generous bed of rice that cooks in coconut milk to impart a subtle sweetness.

For nearly every entrée, be ready to understand your tolerance for spice: mild, medium or spicy. Myint will kindly suggest to diners that medium can always be made spicier with some Thai chilis, many of which he grows in his own home, but that spicy can’t be toned down. I went with spicy for the heaping plate of chicken and had no regrets — along with enough food for two meals.

An uncertain future

Over more than two decades, he has grown a steady base of loyal customers, some of whom have started families and brought their kids to Mandalay. But Myint admits that one of the issues he’s facing is that his clientele is older, so he’s eager to extend his social media outreach to attract younger customers.

Before the pandemic struck, Myint had a plan to move the restaurant into a building he purchased along Georgia Avenue and lease part of the space. But that fell through, and he has since sold that property. He tried opening a takeout-only outpost from a commissary kitchen in Washington, D.C., but his operation is unlikely to reopen, Myint said. His family also still operates Bandoola Bowl, a fast-casual eatery in a D.C. food hall.

Myint hopes things get back to normal once Purple Line construction wraps. He told The Banner that Mandalay could stay afloat if it had about nine months of consistent patronage but may have to move elsewhere — ideally around Silver Spring, he says — if the completion of construction coincides with a rise in rent.

“It’s almost done,” Myint said with a grin before trailing off. “I hope.”