What A Soup — Restaurant in Cambridge

For those who aren't aware, this space used to be occupied by Nu Do Society, a laid back spot for some of the best value Asian noodle dishes in the area. There was a stretch of time when I lived near Central and would go there almost every weekend — that's how good it was. It's unclear to me if this place is run by the same folks, but after seeing the similarities in the menus (as well as all the hype on social media), I decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately I was disappointed.

Let me start by saying that the food is good. I had the shumai and beef boat noodle soup, the former of which I particularly liked. The problem is that the prices are significantly higher than the analogous dishes were at Nu Do, and the portions are noticeably smaller. In fact, you can get similar dishes at other restaurants — say, a few stops away on the Red Line — for lower prices, and those noodle soups will actually be enough for a meal.

In terms of the ambience, they've rearranged the space to fit more tables and seats. Some people might like the livelier atmosphere, but it was a little too loud and crowded for my liking. Speaking of seats — and this is an issue I had with Nu Do as well — I really wish they had chairs with backs on them so you'd have somewhere to hang your jacket/coat.

Maybe it seems unfair to compare this place to its predecessor; certainly, much of my disappointment comes from the fact that the restaurant in this space is no longer what Nu Do was. But even ignoring those comparisons, I find it hard to justify coming here when there are competitors not too far away with similar food at a better price point and with more comfortable seating situations.

While What A Soup seems to be marketing itself as a unique spot for Thai noodle soups, the reality is that it doesn't really stand out amongst the many Thai restaurants in the Boston area. In my opinion, Nu Do — with its laid back atmosphere, wide range of noodle dishes, and great prices — was much more unique, and the fact that this place is its replacement is a huge...

I've stopped by What A Soup a few times so far and overall I love it here! Definitely recommend dining in, the 10-15 min wait is worth. I think this is also a cute date spot :)

The decor here is so cute! Love the boat noodle themed art! When entering, even if its's busy, the friendly staff here greets you with a smile and acknowledges you.

This place is POPPIN! There is a wait every time I go but its no more than a 10-15 minute wait. Just enough time for my friends and I to look over the menu and think about what we want to order.

The food takes between 10-15 mins to arrive, but if it gets busy I don't think its an issue to flag down the staff to check on the food, they're so nice here. You can also ask them for an extra tray of condiments to make your soup spicier, etc.

We ordered the following: -What A Signature: They don't call this their signature dish for no reason. I LOVED that they put the soup in a separate kettle so you can pour it in your bowl yourself. The wagyu is lightly cooked as your pour in the broth. Its the softest slice of meat and I loved it so much. 100% recommend this one.

-Beef Boat Noodle Soup: This is a rich broth, perfect balance of sweet and salty thats very flavorful. I LOVE that the broth sticks to the noodles, making those noodles super savory. I personally don't think this one is spicy at all but the best I can explain is that there a small tingle at the end of each bite. (Its as spicy as a lick of black pepper lol)

-Pork Ball Noodle Soup: The giant pork ball is super impressive but I broke it down to eat with my noodles. Its so soft and inside and was perfectly flavored to go with my noodles.

-Thai Tea Custard Toast: I loved the thai tea here but that thai tea custard is such a fun light treat to finish the meal. I loved how crispy that bread is and that custard was perfectttttt even on its own.

-Coconut Pudding: These coconut puddings are no joke! Pandan hidden beneath coconut! They come piping hot but its so frigging good, just sweet enough, not overwhelming flavors, I...

This is not a disability friendly place. Please do not do this to anybody ever again. If you have any disabilities, please avoid at all costs.

What A Soup was normally my favorite place to eat in Cambridge, but I am extremely disappointed by their staff on Monday June 2 who was working between 12 pm and 1:30 PM. The restaurant only had two eating parties, a group of girls and us. The group of girls was seating in the middle of the sofa area, with two tables empty on the side of the sofa area both of which could have parties of two.

I came in with three elderly friends (in their 80s, with health challenges). We asked if we could move the stools to extend the seating in the sofa area. This meant the waitress just needed to move a nearby table. She told us that she doesn't want to do this because there are "no extra tables".

At first it was three of us (me and two elderly friends). Then, my uncle who had recently suffered a stroke came in. We were still refused seating in the sofa area.

Because of the seating on the stool, he fell over. Your waitress saw this. Only at this point, were we told we could move over. The waitress now added a second table to the sofa area, no problem. We shifted all our food items at this point, so my uncle who had a recent stroke could finally sit down on the sofa.

I am so disappointed in you, What A Soup. Imagine if my uncle had fallen, he would have needed to be admitted to the hospital again. Everyone who came was extremely visibly old, and clearly unable to sit down on the stools. When the restaurant was mostly empty, and there were so many extra tables, and it would take you only a few seconds to move over the table, you refused to do so. It is heartbreaking that only after seeing a really frail old man fall over on your stool because of his stroke, did you allow us to move. It shouldn't have taken that for you to accomodate us.

This is not a disability friendly place. Please do not do this to anybody ever again. If you have any disabilities, please avoid...