A small bar and café tucked away in a century-old renovated shop house is introducing a brave concept to Yangon: pay what you want.
You talk to the Hapa Coffee & Cocktail bartender about what you would like—cold coffee brews in the daytime, cocktails at night—and slide the cash you think it’s worth into a wooden box on the bar.
“Myanmar is known as one of the most generous countries in the world,” said its owner Su Mon Oo. “We are putting our trust in our community with ‘pay as you feel’. We hope people will contribute generously so we can continue.”
Hapa also stands out for its diminutiveness; with just enough space for 14 people, it claims to be the smallest café in Yangon.
But its size does not restrict an intriguing décor inspired by 19th Century Burmese tattoo manuscripts.
Painted by artist U Hla Hyat, the auspicious creatures, words, numbers and angels are said to protect from evil forces and endow magical powers.
One of the designs, a cat known in Myanmar language as “kyaung than,” has been adopted as the Hapa logo—hopefully sparking some magical generosity among patrons.
Meanwhile, “hapa” is a Hawaiian term that refers to anyone part Asian or Pacific Islander and part Caucasian.
Su Mon Oo explains the word has come more to mean “half or mixed blood” and as its “scientifically proven there is not such thing as a pure race,” she adds, “we are all hapa.”
Drinking glasses have been handpicked from the ruins of Yangon’s Nagar Glass Factory, which, although destroyed in Cyclone Nargis in 2008, is still open to visitors.
The talented Hapa mixologist pours into these glasses infusions of ginger, gin, lime juice tamarind and whiskey, or passion fruit, mint leaves, rum, vodka and Cointreau. Whatever you like, really.
Coffees include Hawaiian and Vietnamese blends, and there are plans to serve more food beyond the current bar snacks.
So whether your budget is tight or your generousity is boundless, drop in on Hapa—perhaps the first of many pay-what-you-want establishments…or perhaps the last.
Address: 494 Merchant street (between 39 and 40 streets), Yangon
Contact: 09 961 658877
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 8am-10pm, closed on Mondays
