OB Noodle House Bar 1502 — Restaurant in San Diego

Visiting from out of state, OB Noodle was highly recommended, and we were excited to check it out. The location is great—close to the beach and surrounded by plenty of local bars and eateries, making it a nice spot to spend the evening.

We had a party of four and arrived around 6 PM, so the 30-minute wait was expected and not a problem. Once seated, we were promptly given water and sharing plates, which was appreciated. However, it took another 15 minutes before our waitress returned to take our order, which, while understandable during dinner rush, did start to feel a bit excessive.

The food, overall, was impressive. The fried rice was solid, and the Pan-Seared Crispy Egg Noodle with chicken was a standout—the balance of sauce, vegetables, and crisp noodles was excellent. We also tried the chicken wings, which had a unique flavor we’d definitely come back for. And if you’re a peanut butter fan, the peanut butter shot is a must.

Unfortunately, the service is where our experience took a downturn. Our server checked in only twice and both times barely gave us a chance to respond before walking off, which resulted in us never placing our drink orders. One of our meals also came out incorrectly, and when the mistake was mentioned, her response was unnecessarily defensive—even though she had written down the original order herself.

Later in the evening, it got cold, and I politely asked about turning on the heat lamp. Her reply—"We don’t need people getting heat stroke"—felt dismissive and sarcastic. Finally, the most concerning part: my card was charged twice, and it was never acknowledged or brought to my attention. That is not something that should be overlooked.

To be clear, the food and overall vibe were good—lively, upbeat, and inviting—but service matters. Our experience would have been significantly better with more attentive and professional service. I would consider giving the restaurant another try, but I hope this feedback is...

I've been to both locations. I enjoy both locations. This review is just for the bar. It is a bar, so it has more of a bar atmosphere. There is often someone celebrating their birthday, so you'll hear a bell ring, some yelling and witness someone, or multiple people, at one time try and chug a sake type drink. It is often hilarious. Every time I witness it, it's the same waiter doing the yelling intro. I don't know how his voice survives this every night. He has to have a voice care routine similar to a singer on tour. Maybe he gets some tips from Beyonce. The atmosphere is nice. I've often had great conversations with strangers waiting in line for the bathroom. I'm unsure of that's a testament to the restaurant's atmosphere or just my kind demeanor, but the ambiance is great. There are two bathrooms that are single stall and unisex. So it evens out the playing field some. Ladies, how many times have you stood in a long line at the ladies' room entrance while watching what seems like a mostly empty men's room maintain a steady flow of traffic. Every time that door swings, you consider walking through. That doesn't happen here. There is ample seating and tvs everywhere so you can eat and enjoy any sports entertainment that may be on. Oh, the food. Yes, the food. I am partial to the Korean short beef ribs. It's just a sizzling plate of ribs and rice, but it's one of the most magical things on earth. I'd take them over Disney land and day! All of the pho and noodle dishes are phenomenal. I took my toddler this past weekend, and she got the pan seared egg noodles with vegetables. She was happy. I love this place so much that I might go back tonight to get some of the Vietnamese BBQ. I have also come here with a large birthday party. It was a week night, but they were very...

This was disappointing and average at best. I moved to OB right before the pandemic and had not had a chance to try this popular spot. I had been planning to try it with a neighbor for quite some time now since she too has not had a chance to try it out. Only one person told me it was overrated but decided to try it out thinking you can't go wrong the basic: pho or vermicelli noodles. Anyhow both dishes were not flavorful and the fried spring roll with the vermicelli had an unfamiliar taste. We had the shrimp skewers wrapped in the crispy noodles which I've had somewhere else and was good. Here it was overly wrapped with too many noodles and over-cooked. My neighbor had the shrimp vermicelli and said they were over cooked as well and hardly no flavor to her meal. She had to add some other sauce. I love both pho and vermicelli noodles so I was pretty disappointed that both meals were not up to my standards. I've had way better with better portion sizes. Another friend of mine posted on Facebook that this place never disappoints so I'm not sure what happened this time but figured I'd write an honest review and Save going to a highly-anticipated place that is usually very packed,... save your time and get a better meal at another...