Cha Pa’s Noodles and Grill
“We ordered rare beef pho (always my go-to) and their shaken steak (spiced flank steak, sauteed medium rare).”
“Another cool favorite among the lunch specials is Lemongrass Tofu Vermicelli Noodle Bowl, a bargain at $8 bucks.”
“We stopped by while waiting for the over-one-hour line at totto ramen.”
Cha Pa’s Noodles and Grill
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Solid pre-theater option for the theaters on the upper end of the theater district (Carnegie Hall, NY City Center, 54 Below, etc).
Pretty broad Vietnamese menu that includes pho, vermicelli noodle bowls, banh mi, etc. It may not be the cheapest or most authenticVietnamese food, but for midtown near theaters, it's fast, not too crowded (though there was a wait for tables by the time we started eating), and the food is yummy! I had the chicken vermicelli bowl, and tried others' food as well (fresh summer rolls, beef pho).
Best part- final bill for my portion was under $15.
A sweet little place. It feels very authentic & the staff is very attentive.
The pork spring rolls were just OK, but the hanger steak pho was excellent. A perfect warm meal for a chilly January night in NYC.
I'll be back on my next trip to the theater district!
Their clay pot entrees are not actually cooked in a clay pot. Which would be fine, if the entrees otherwise tasted good. But they don't. So, no thank you.
+/- THE FOOD
Was desperate for food at 9 PM on a Tuesday night so the boyfriend and I decided to give this place a try. I ordered the grilled pork vermicelli bowl and he got the grilled pork rice plate. Despite the both of us getting grilled pork, our meats tasted completely different. Mine was so dry, lacking in flavor, and cold that it was difficult to eat. His was hot, fresh, and really flavorful. What's the deal with that?? My noodles tasted decent and came with a bunch of veggies. Portion sizes are pretty big so get what you paid for.
Vegetarian pho was off the hook. Such a vibrant, colorful and diverse selection of vegetables. Clean and flavorful soup broth. Nice atmosphere and a great place to sit down and relax while getting your noodle fix. I'm a huge fan of pho and I would say this is one of the better bowls that I've had the pleasure of having.
The dishes tasted great, but were expensive for what we ordered. Not too surprising compared to prices in this neighborhood, though the atmosphere and the service are better than typical Asian restaurants. The restaurant itself is long and narrow with a small bar on one side, tables on the other side, and a separated waiting area by the entrance. It is rather clean.
We came for dinner and ordered…
$10 Special Pho – Pho Dac Biet with round steak, well-done flank, brisket, soft tendon and bible tripe:
Good pho with very tender rare beef and soft tendons. I was so glad to eat tendons that weren't as tough as an eraser. I had asked for rare steak on the side. It tasted very fresh, not frozen at all. The broth was pretty light in flavor. I'm used to getting a piping hot bowl of soup, but the temperature was fine to eat right away so you don't need to wait for it to cool. It's still good for dipping the beef directly into the broth to lightly cook it. You won't have to worry about the meat overcooking or drying out in this soup.
The usual condiments – sriracha, peanut sauce, sambal oelek, bean sprouts, jalapenos, lime wedge, basil were presented nicely on a sectioned plate. I don't know what you would use the peanut sauce for. I was a little surprised that it didn't come with hoisin. I'm used to bottles of sauces on the table though, so I can add as much or as little sriracha as I want, and so I can apply it directly to the meat. Not to be picky, because their way works too. I guess this way there is less waste.
$13.95 Braised Pork Bacon with Egg in Clay Pot:
This dish comes with rice. The braising liquid is very sweet, but goes great over the rice. The pork is very reminiscent of Chinese red-cooked pork (like 红烧肉). It was delicious with the tender braised pork skin. It's pretty expensive for what you get though.
We also got a Myanmar beer, which just tastes like a typical light beer, like Heineken or Qingdao.
I enjoyed the service here too. Our waitress was sweet and attentive. I was sitting next to their oscillating heater, and she was nice enough to ask me if I was okay with the temperature. I even liked all the '90s songs playing in the background even though I overheard some ladies who sat next to us making fun of the music.
Though I enjoyed the food, the cost will probably deter me from returning unless I am specifically craving Vietnamese food around this neighborhood. Overall, I give it a 7.75/10.
I ended up here for dinner on New Years' day, a plan B, to our Plan A of Ramen (either Totto or Ippudo). Both Plan A options were closed, and no surprise, since New Year's day is a huge holiday in Japan.
The TL; DR of this ultimately is, go to Obao instead, if you're craving better/more authentic Vietnamese.
Bf and I ordered spring rolls to start. Springs rolls were more chewy than crispy. It tasted average. BF ordered the clay pot pork belly. It should have been named cast iron pot pork belly, as it came in a handled cast iron pot. I hate when a menu sets you up for one thing, and then gives you another. The pork belly was braised in an overly sweetened soy sauce broth with vegetables, and the dish didn't particularly sing to me. I ordered a Cari ga, expecting a punchy, savory yellow curry, but this was more a cross between a Thai massaman and panang – sweeter, more reddish, with a peanutty undertone. It was again, not what I had expected. I don't care for overly sweet in my savory.
All in all, it was serviceable, but not quite there for me.
Ordered for lunch and it arrived in 45 minutes. My take:
Lemongrass chicken over rice – While the rice could've been fluffier, the chicken was nicely seasoned and super tender. I also loved the pickled carrots and radish on the side. The dish was on the sweet side, but I love sweet.
Vietnamese fish sauce – Their sweet fish sauce was a little too concentrated for me, and therefore quite salty. Some places dilute it a bit more, but then again you can always do it yourself by adding a splash of filtered water.
Will definitely order for lunch again.