Review Obao Noodles & Bbq - New York City

Stopped in for a birthday late lunch. Food was fresh and really delicious. It came out quickly. The staff was super attentive and friendly. The drinks were also really good. We would definitely come back.

Excellent cocktail selections! Nice little street patio as well, fun overall atmosphere. A great spot for lunch, dinner, or just drinks and apps! Edit*** it was SO GOOD we came back a second time on our trip. Seriously such a gem in the city and a must try for a delicious meal. Service was excellent on both trips as well.

A hidden Gem! This restaurant is a few blocks from our hotel, needless to say I’m glad we made the choice to dine here. The service here is excellent, fast and clean! The atmosphere is also fantastic. My mother and I have a shellfish allergy, which was able to be accommodated. Instead of having shrimp in our rice and Phad Thai we were able to substitute for chicken which did not take away from the flavor at all. In addition, our server and manager Wen, mentioned the happy hour specials so my mother ordered the black berry mojito which was sweetly refreshing. We frequently travel to NYC and this gem has been added to our favorites list. Can’t wait to come back.

Food was pretty good! Everything was fresh and hot. I don’t drink alcohol and the staff were able to make me a custom mock-tail; I hope they develop a a full mocktail menu but it wasn’t bad. Service was excellent and our server was attentive and friendly.

The food was pretty good we ordered 3 plates and we couldn’t pick our favorite, all of them were amazing; they also have a great atmosphere and excellent customer service!

AMAZING!! Came here during restaurant week and got the fried soft shell crab, and short rib massaman curry. Both of these were some of the best dishes I’ve had. Highly recommend the short rib, the meat was fall off the bone, tender, and the curry was sweet, creamy and flavorful. In addition, the back of the restaurant is very cute with suspended plants and our waiter was great and very attentive.

We stumbled across this restaurant and fell in love with the food and service! The pho was delicious and will definetly be making our way back here next time we are in NYC!

Visiting from out of town, I decided on Thai food. Let me just say, if you haven’t been here, run here! Everything was fantastic. We started with crispy pork belly, which was hot and crispy. Next, we had pad Thai noodles and udon noodles, both with shrimp. This was my favorite meal throughout my trip! I can’t wait to come back and have it again.

I visited this restaurant once and have been wanting to go back ever since! Took my friend today and she loved it too. Aside from the food being amazing, the waitress and manager were super friendly and helpful. I would definitely recommend this place

Was recommended this place on our first night in New York! Food was delicious — highly recommend the short rib massaman curry + the pad see iew! Servers and manager were very friendly and attentive. Definitely stop by if you’re craving some Thai food in New York!

After a few days resting in Miami Beach, we have decided to go to NYC, the must visit place for every working holiday student, who spend summer in USA. I was really excited to go to big city as I was expecting tons of good food and some shopping. We had an early flight so we have arrived to the hotel to early for check in.

So my family and I have been trying to get together a bit more frequently. These days I don’t really hang out much socially, but we have committed to sharing more time together. It’s important to make time for the ones who matter most.<br/><br/>I was trying to pick a place for my mom and sis, and after my failed suggestions of Japanese, and BBQ, my little sister suggested Thai food. I looked up a place that was easily accessible by train, and we chose this spot.<br/><br/>They were having a lunch special, so we picked a few appetizers from there, and some main dishes.<br/><br/>You’ll see on the menu, that some of the items say, “Michelin recommended,” so I asked the server if they had a Michelin star, and she said yes. She looked very proud as she said so. Okay, cool beans. At that point, you are now being held to a higher standard. You know how that goes, right? <br/><br/>We were given some of those really awkwardly high seats. I asked if they had any others available, to which they replied that those were the seats they had. Later on, as I went to the men’s room, I noticed that there was an entire back side to this place. The seats there were lower, and better for my older mom who has a hard time climbing into those higher seats. We had already started eating, so I let it go, but I thought it was worth noting this.<br/><br/>I don’t know exactly , but the entire time I was there, I felt slightly uncomfortable. It was as if we weren’t wanted there. Now, I recognize that this could be all in my head, but I simply wasn’t getting nice vibes.<br/><br/>Another thing that strengthened that sentiment was at the end. Before I even finished eating, and before asking if we wanted anything else, or dessert, etc, she plopped the bill on our table. Nothing says “Leave” like a check being put on your table. Some places will say, “No rush, but whenever you are ready, here’s the bill.”<br/><br/>Anyway, I don’t feel like wasting my time writing about the food, but that’s why you guys are reading, so here goes.<br/><br/>Calamari: Probably one of the better items I had there. It was spicy, but good. My mom was also a fan of this. The breading came off easily, but I think that may have been part of the idea? I’m not sure, but the sauce and calamari was very good.<br/><br/>Spring Rolls: Nothing exceptional about this. Acceptable at best. It didn’t taste good, and it didn’t taste bad. Could I have gone without it? Sure, don’t really care of it.<br/><br/>Ribs on cane skewer: this item is one of their Michelin recommended items. But neither my mom or sis were feeling it. I ate it, cause I’m the one buying. Hah, but I wasn’t impressed with this item at all. Not sure what the michelin person was thinking here?<br/><br/>Cashew chicken: My main dish, this was also one of their better items. The chicken was nice and crispy. Peppers, cashews and onions accompanied this one, along with a side of rice. Pretty good dish. Quite filling.<br/><br/>Coconut juice: the juice was good. It had a nice couple of coconut chunks in it, and some good flavor.<br/><br/>Overall the food was okay. My sister seemed to like her shrimp dish, and my mom liked hers too, albeit while saying it was too spicy.<br/><br/>The final thing I’ll say on this place is that considering that they have a Michelin star, one would expect that they’d be a bit more accommodating to older people, and go a bit further in making you feel welcome. I wasn’t feeling it there, but hey, that’s just me.

We had the tofu red curry and spring rolls. It was a TON of food and we couldn't even finish it. The waitress was super courteous and constantly refilled our drinks. Not bad for about $30 for two people.

Tasty food, nice ambiance, great prices. Would go back. The photo is good and seemingly never ending. Add the beef balls for an extra $2. Would go back.

To those looking for Asian fushion, Obao can be a good start..<br/><br/>A wide range of menu with the Asian twist, Obao is surely full for lunch and dinner ;).<br/><br/>They have those famous dishes from Thai, Viet Nam, China et Indonesia as well. So you will see some familiar names on the menu like pho, fried rice, spring roll, pad thai, duck noodles and more..<br/><br/>My favorite is the crispy salt and pepper shrimp and fried tofu. The springrolls are lovely as well and the Pho is not that bad. I also tried its fried rice and loved it.<br/><br/>Desserts are abundant but I forget the name >_< . There is one yummy custard pudding that I like but as I said I forgot the name.<br/><br/>Make sure you have a reservation or you can just walk in and wait for a while. They have quite a spacious room in the back as well :). The ambience of the restaurant is nice as well so you will have a nice culinary experience here.

Great!. Great fresh food at a reasonable price! Modern and chic layout. Definitely come back!

Good service but food was very salty not that great !!! Very ordinary

Fusion that works!. Chef Chef Michael Bao Huynh’s is the Iron chef Vietnam. So it makes sense that his Vietnamese dishes would stand out. However we did not try any of the Vietnamese dishes yet. We used to go to a great Vietnamese restaurant called Song in the West Village and Pho Viet Hung in China Town which I understand is now Chinese owned since 911.(many of the good restaurants in China Town closed or reopened under new management after 911. But most of the Vietnamese restaurants in NYC have been lacking anything but Pho and Bahn Mi. There are a few good Vietnamese restaurants in Jersey city but the best we have had are in Falls Church VA. So we will return to Obao to check out their Vietnamese cuisine.<br/><br/> We went to this restaurant mainly because it was listed as Singaporean in some guides.<br/> There are very few Singaporean restaurants in NYC. Many people who are now NYC residents are from the Midwest and have no frame of reference for Singaporean cuisine. So the restaurant is now listed as Asian fusion. Singapore is a culture of fusion of Chinese, Indian and Malaysian. So this menu concentrates more on other cuisines inside of Singapore. For great Malaysian food I go to Malaysia Grill uptown Manhattan or New Malaysia in China Town.<br/> The menu also includes cuisine from Laos and Singapore, adding creative touches that truly work. Don't miss the fragrant curried catfish satay or the coconut juice straight from the shell. I had the national dish of Singapore chicken and coconut rice. The rice didn't taste like Coconut rice but rather Jasmine rice. My husband and guest said their dishes were good not great!<br/><br/> From their web site- Chaserestaurantgroup -"OBAO (opened in 2009) introduces “Modern Thai” to New York City, sharing influences from neighboring Vietnamese cuisine to create a unique “New” Asian palate. Nobody is on the edge of innovation culinary concepts like OBAO, blending the best of Thai and Vietnamese ingredients to invigorate a modern approach to Asian Cuisine. The affordable, casual spot earned a rating by the highly acclaimed Michelin Bib Gourmand consecutively in 2011 and 2012."<br/><br/>The decor is very nice and roomy for Manhattan. Plus the Michelin guide has recommended it 3 years in a row. <br/> The food is not outstanding but it is a good value and unique. <br/><br/>Again the food itself is mediocre but the fact that it has real fusion and not something made up just to make money is rare in NYC. Fusion is usually better in Hawaii. NYC not so much. For the best Thai food in the country I suggest Falls Church VA. Most "Thai" restaurants in NYC are Chinese owned. There are a few authentic ones but they are not as good as the Thai restaurants in Falls Church VA. <br/>The decor, value and space are why I would go back but I would like to see some more Singaporean items on the menu and what they do have I would like to see the quality improved. t was not bad just not great. The chicken was dry and I could not taste the coconut. Since it is the national dish of Singapore and this is NYC where many New Yorkers are well traveled I would like to taste more authenticity. But I liked it and will go back to try more!

Food was expensive, small portions and not all that great. I went to lunch with a group of friends today at the newly opened Obao in 33 water st. We all chose the Lunch Special for $8.50 which consist of 2 entries and the choice of white rice or brown rice for $1 extra. We order a variety of choices like Basil Chicken, Panang Beef and Eggplant Vegetarian Duck with Tofu. The place is very small, and appears more to be like a "take out" food place and not a restaurant. The display of food isn't great. <br/><br/>For our surprise we were very disappointed at the small amount of food served for the price ($9.25 with tax). The place ran out of Brown Rice, and it was only 1pm! The servings were very small, only a few pieces of meat in each container, and the food wasnt all that great.<br/><br/>The food is not worth $9.25 for the "lunch special". Considering that this place just opened up, I was expecting a great food.<br/><br/>I will not recommend this place to anyone.

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I'm catching up and making up for every bad pad thai I've had in this city.