OBAO Midtown — Restaurant in New York

OBAO: A Dining Experience That Will Leave You… Hungry for Better Options

We had a reservation—because we’re classy like that—but still had to wait, which would be understandable if the place was slammed. It wasn’t. There were more empty tables than good decisions made that night. We were greeted with, “ you have 90 minutes to two hours” instead of welcome to Obao. —sad and tacky!

Our party of seven got seated upstairs, directly above what I can only assume was a DJ audition for “Worst Club in Midtown.” The music was so loud it felt like the bass was physically trying to chew our food for us. Not exactly the vibe you want when trying to taste your pad thai instead of feel it.

Now, the food: pork belly? Chef’s kiss. Everything else? Chef’s meh. It was like the kitchen peaked early and then went on autopilot. Average at best—but not offensively bad. Just… aggressively okay.

Halfway through, our waiter—who I’m convinced was a human embodiment of a shrug—told us we had to be out in under two hours. Joke’s on him, we were already planning our exit strategy. The service was so disoriented at best. Missing entrees, confused glances, and a tea order that got lost somewhere in the sonic boom of DJ Disaster downstairs.

We’ve been to OBAO before and remember it being better—so maybe it was just a perfect storm of bad vibes and worse playlists. But hey, here’s some tips:

Turn the volume down from “Miami nightclub” to “actual restaurant” Remind before ppl order about the $30 minimum per person Train your staff to do more than just orbit the table And maybe don’t rush us out like it’s a fire drill. Final verdict? Skip the sit-down. Try takeout. At least then the only thing that’s loud and disappointing will be your...

🔥 Flavor: First off — the sauce. Wow. Deep, savory, and just the right amount of sweet with layers of umami. It’s that addictive mix of light and dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, and just a hint of fish sauce, but what really sets it apart is how everything tastes freshly balanced. You get this slow-building heat that doesn’t overwhelm, just warms up your palate enough to keep you going back for another bite.

🌿 Aromatics & Ingredients: The Thai basil is incredibly fresh — peppery and fragrant, it gives the dish that signature lift. The garlic is toasted perfectly (not burnt), and the bell peppers and onions are still slightly crisp, offering a nice textural contrast. You can tell nothing sat in a pan too long — everything was cooked just enough to keep its integrity.

🍗 Chicken: The chicken deserves its own paragraph. Juicy, tender, and thinly sliced so it absorbs the sauce without getting soggy or dry. You can tell they either used thigh meat or treated the chicken with care because it didn’t have that bland, overcooked strip texture you sometimes get in stir-fried dishes. It actually added flavor instead of just being there for protein.

🍜 Noodles: The wide rice noodles were exactly how they should be — soft with a little chew, slightly charred on some edges from the wok. You can tell the kitchen has high heat control because they were coated in sauce but never mushy or clumpy. Every bite felt like it had that perfect wok-seared kiss.

🌶️ Spice Level: I ordered it medium, and the spice was just right — enough to make your nose run a little by the end, but never so overpowering that it drowned out the other flavors. You still taste the basil, garlic, sauce, and veggies. That’s a sign of a...

My daughter and I were touring the new East Midtown Greenway Extension and decided to and walked over to 2nd Ave to find a place to lunch. I asked a local walking her dog what places she'd recommend and she raved about this place so it was an easy decision.

The space has front curbside seating that leads right into the from bar area and then the main dining which is beautifully decorated with running ants alongside wooden tables.

There is back garden with seating for no more than about (5) that the workers seem to use for their lunch hour.

We arrived around 1 and there was starting to get packed for the lunch hour. Within about a half an hour, just about except table inside was occupied.

For appetizers we ordered from hr Vietnamese chicken wings, chicken and shrimp dumplings. We ordered (2) other small dishes: the Cashew Chilli chicken and shrimp basil fried rice.

Everything was full of flavor and delicious. The portions were well sized and that allowed us to eat family style just pulling from the table to sample. We had so much leftovers to go. The next day we were more than happy to dive in again.

Overall, this was a great find. The service was attentive without being intrusive or abrasive. We got a quality dining experience for the cost and the food was delicious. I will def revisit.

Decor:9/10 Service:...