Beautiful space with plenty of seating! We arrived about 40 minutes before closing and were not rushed at all. General Tsos Shrimp (3/5) - flavor was there, in fact I liked how it wasn't too battered, but there were no veggies and the rice was over saturated with sauce, it was also $24 which I think is steep for the amount of food Pho Bo Vien (4/5) - great portion and flavor, add-on prices bring the dish higher than $17 such as adding tripe, tendons and even veggies Casual, clean and efficient spot! Our server went above and beyond, she was super sweet! Definitely want to come back to try their coffee drinks! read more

See all

I stopped by here for lunch, and I went just after they opened so the restaurant was mostly empty. For my drink, I ordered the tropical green tea, which was refreshing and not too sweet. It reminded me of Panera's papaya green tea. For my entree, I ordered the triple beef pho (braised brisket, rare beef, roasted bone marrow) and I added beef meatballs (additional $4). I was really disappointed. The beef broth was light and didn't have much flavor. My bone marrow was cold and when I mentioned it to my server, they asked if they wanted me to see if the chef could cook it longer but I told him I would just scoop the bone marrow and place it in my hot broth to warm up. The braised brisket had too much fat attached to it that I wish they trimmed a little of the fat off. Because the bone marrow and the braised brisket were fatty, the pho overall was too rich for my liking. It might have been better if I got the Pho Thai instead. Not only was I not a fan of the bone marrow but the meatballs weren't the best either. Most of them tasted okay but one of the meatballs tasted like rotten meat (past its expiration) and it had that sour taste that expired meat usually has. I had to spit it out on my napkin. :( Only the rare beef in the pho was good. Even though the drink was good, the food I ordered wasn't. My server checked in on me a few times but he wasn't that friendly (monotone voice and didn't smile). Unfortunately, I don't think I'll come back again. read more

Mecha Noodle Bar - Triple beef pho (with meatballs added) - Noodles Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

This was our first time trying their noodles as we've only been munchin on their happy hour menu on our last couple of visits. My takeaway? It's fine, but there are better noodle spots in Philly. I do like that you can come here and get both pho and ramen, so that type of variety is appreciated. For ramen, I would still prefer Terakawa and pho there's a number of other spots I enjoy over them - but I would still come back for a craving if I didn't want to travel down to south Philly or Chinatown. Overall both broths are solid, but just missing that depth of flavor from its competitors in my opinion The service energy was a bit off- I could feel his stress ..but I felt for the guy. It started off with "you're gonna have to give me a minute" He was running the whole front of house by himself and he said his staff called off when I asked. Overall, I enjoyed their happy hour munchies more than their noodles. I may give another ramen a try and update my review next! read more

Another great addition to the neighborhood! Their happy hour menu is amazing--there's a wide variety of appetizers that are half off, and everything we've tried has been delicious. They also have great options for kids, which makes it an easy choice for families. I've visited for lunch as well, and the coconut curry chicken noodle soup is absolutely yum--definitely a standout dish. We've been here 3+ times between lunch and happy hour and pretty much worked our way through the entire happy hour menu--fries, wings, dumplings, salads--you name it, it's all been great. The service is consistently excellent, the space is huge, and prices are very reasonable. We love this place and will definitely keep coming back! read more

See all

This is one of those times when being on the Elite Squad is helpful. Why? Because I know Ritesh, who reviewed this restaurant, and I know that the places he likes are often places I would enjoy as well. So, when we were in the hunt for a good lunch spot not too far from The Resource Exchange, we chose Mecha partly because I trusted his review. He didn't disappoint. The restaurant is on a corner, inside a new/rehabbed building right in Front street, with the Frankford L above us. The inside is sleek with lots of blond wood and dark seats. My lower back does not like those met stools, so we asked for, and we're seated at, a banquette. We were not quite at the lunch hour so it was fairly empty. We were quickly seated, offered menus, and water was brought. We were asked about food allergies, which was a nice touch. I do have a shellfish allergy, which was noted. It was really easy to avoid seafood as the menu is well balanced between meat/fish/veg. Equal time given to pho and ramen, with some other dishes offered as well. I chose the KFC bao, the burger bao, some pork egg rolls. Darling nephew got spare ribs, an eel roll and some ramen. Those two bao were great. The KFC is the stuff of my dreams. Seriously. Great flavor, and the heat hits late so you can taste the flavors before the spiciness. It was yum. The burger bao, I see why it's popular because it's also great, nice almost crispy beef made it taste like a burger at a barbecue picnic. The only soft spot for me was the egg rolls, which arrived right out of the deep fryer, which made them just too hot to eat. When they cooled they were oddly just kind of missing flavors, even with offered lettuce wrap and Vietnamese style dip. Nephew loved the ramen, he liked the spare ribs, which are always kind of a crap shoot to order anywhere. These were a little tough on the bone. Parking is about what you'd expect for this part of town. As in, take transit if you can or be prepared to walk a bit depending where you find a spot. Service was prompt and friendly. We would definitely go again, most likely after playing some board games at Bubs on the next block. read more

See all

It's not often my husband and I can both satisfy our want for Pho and Ramen at the same time, but Mecha entered the chat! Walked in on a Friday night without a reservation and was seated right away. For appetizers we ordered: Spareribs (5/5) and the egg rolls (3.5/5). The spareribs had a nice crust like finish and the sweet and sour glaze was flavorful. The egg rolls were good, but they were essentially spring rolls with a side of lettuce. The description reads as a DIY, protein and lettuce wrap situation which is what I was looking for rather a fried spring roll. But can't knock the flavor. The dipping sauce was a nice touch. The pho (4/5) and the ramen (4/5) were good. Flavors layered, broth did not fall flat, and both were served with a healthy amount of noodles and protein. The menu features add on (toppings) recommendations and they were clutch, and I agree adding them to your pho/ramen if you're looking to take it to the next level. Honorable mentions: our server Maggie was a treat. Her energy was unmatched and she made our dining experience a fun one. Also the 'drinkers confession' cocktail, is a fun play on an old fashioned with plum wine and other relevant ingredients instead. It's worth getting for the confession book alone ... iykyk. Definitely giving Happy hour a try, I want to dive into more munchies! read more

Mecha Noodle Bar - Shoyu Paitan (chicken ramen) - Noodles Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

Amazing food! First time at a noodle bowl restaurant. Ellendora was friendly just outstanding! You can tell she enjoys her job. Give us recommendations. Also some background on the owners. Love the ceiling looks like 2x2 boards hanging from the ceiling. Atmosphere was just asp relaxing. The broth in my noodle bowl lots of flavor! read more

See all

Great place to try! This new place is a mixture of East Asian flavors - ramen, pho, matcha, curry, poutine - this place has it all! We tried their vegetarian poutine and some drinks. I had their iced banana matcha latte and my wife got their cachaca/mango/pandan drink. The service was a little unorganized but food and drinks make up for the growing pains. Enjoy! read more

Went there one night for dinner excited to try this the munchies were the best part. lil disappointed in the ramen they were so SALTY. My boyfriend and I got kimchi fried rice (fire), the firecracker wings WERE DELICIOUS, spicy tuna hand roll was good, spicy miso 2.0 ramen was so salty but I love that the noodles weren't mushy, tonkotsu 3.0 ramen was just so salty. Def be back for the munchies but also service needs to be more attentive. The man came checked on us like 2 times and would never remove the dirty plates I had to keep trying to find room on the table to be able to eat. read more

Mecha Noodle Bar - Spicy Miso 2.0 Tonkotsu 3.0 - Noodles Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

A variety of noodles from multiple cuisines in a modern Japanese inspired style restaurant. They had anime playing all around, service was friendly, and not too loud. Easy to get seating. I got the curry laksa which was full of ingredients. Also tried their mala stir fry. I didn't get any drinks but they all seem to be Asian inspired which sounded super yummy so will definitely come back for them. read more

See all

Overall, a great spot to get your pho fix! The servers were kind and immediately greeted us. I ordered the pho bo vien that came with tai, but they forgot to include it so I did have to ask the waiter about it. The BYOB was a great appetizer to share among the 5 of us. I felt the broth was flavorful and on the sweeter side, though the temperature of the soup could be more hot. Some of us ordered tai steak on the side as we usually do at other pho spots, but this broth here was not hot enough to cook the tai steak to a medium rare. The ambiance of the restaurant was great for small and bigger groups. Small suggestion: regular napkins instead of the paper hand towels would be great- they're a bit rough when using it for your face. read more

See all

Came across an Instagram ad for Mecha and we are always on the lookout for new ramen spots, so decided to try. It is a chain, so not sure how freshly the food is made, but still lots of interesting menu options. The aesthetic is very warehouse - laidback, with mostly stools for seating and some booth seats. We shared the mushroom dumplings, Kinoko Vegan, and Curry Laksa (made vegan). The mushroom dumplings had great mushroomy-umami flavor, but were served on a bed of sauce / broth and got a bit soggy throughout dinner. Both ramen were tasty - the Curry Laksa is genuinely spicy and the Kinoko is very heavily mushroom-based, but I like mushrooms so didn't mind. Service was a bit slow, we had to call out to our server a few times to get their attention, and food took a pretty long time to arrive. Otherwise overall a good experience, and would come again if someone else suggested it and wanted to try it but wouldn't necessarily bring a friend visiting Philly here. read more

See all

I ordered the spicy beef ramen with the buttered corn topper. While the presentation was appealing, the flavor just didn't land for me personally. The broth wasn't bad, but it didn't quite come together in a way I enjoyed, so overall the food was a 2/5 for my taste. That said, the service was good--attentive and friendly without being overbearing--and the ambiance was gorgeous, with a warm, stylish vibe that made the space enjoyable to be in. If you're someone who loves rich ramen flavors, this may still be worth trying, but it just wasn't my thing. read more

Mecha Noodle Bar - Spicy ramen - Noodles Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

Great neighborhood spot -- finally tried it and loved it! We've walked past Mecha Noodle Bar a million times and finally stopped in -- and honestly, it was so good. We sat at the bar and had an awesome server who made the whole experience even better. We started with the Smashburger bao bun and the poutine, and both were killer. I got the pho, my husband ordered the curry laksa ramen, and everything came out super flavorful, hot, and perfectly done. No misses. The vibe is great too -- fun, lively, and just a solid place to hang out for a casual night out. Definitely glad this spot is right down the street. We'll be back! read more

See all

We went here on a Friday without reservations! It was crowded (but they managed it well!), there was a small wait but nothing crazy. There is a ton of space and we were seated at the bar and helped right away. Their beer list is small, and they don't have wine, but do have LOTS of sake and fun cocktails, and bubble tea. We didn't order fun drinks but those definitely looked delicious, but a little slow to come out (behind the bar is tiny and they were hustling.) Our crab Rangoon came out quick and it was really really fresh. The wait for our Bao buns, hand rolls, and pho took a little longer, but again, this was a Friday night on week 2 of being open. The food itself was great especially for the price. The ribeye on the pho was a little bland but it wouldn't stop me from getting it again. Will certainly be back! read more

See all

I was super excited to go here, but I was so disappointed. The server was training someone and maybe she was distracted. The main reason I was super excited to go here was for the alcoholic boba, but for some reason they gave me boba without alcohol. I got the mango lassi and sadly, it was just OK. It did have too much boba - it was a huge mouthful whenever I had a sip. Our drinks were also sitting by the bar ready for a long time. We shared the mushroom dumplings and they were VERY good. No complaints there. I got the vegan ramen with egg and corn. It was...so salty it was difficult to eat. And it's sad because that's the only vegetarian soup on the menu. The ambiance is very pretty and it might be nice to come for a happy hour. read more

Mecha Noodle Bar - Vegan ramen - Noodles Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

I was craving ramen, as I do when it gets cold o it, and I called up a friend who recommend we try out Mecha. I looked over their menu and I was so excited, and we reserved a table immediately. Upon entering, the lights were low and warm, seating was booths and barstools, and there weren't too many people inside. Our waiter greeted us and took us to our table which was booth and a low stool. My friend and I split a few items and got our own ramen bowls (not pictured). We both enjoyed the Kimchi Fried Rice and loved the runny egg. There was so much that we had to take some home. The B.Y.O.B. Was recommended to us as their play on a charcuterie board. I absolutely love the concept of this, but I felt underwhelmed by it. We also did not have a utensil to get the sauce onto our bread pieces so we had to open another pair of chopsticks to remedy this. My friend got the Spicy Miso 2.0 and I got the Shoyu Paitan. It was pretty clear halfway through our meal that our waiter forgot to put in the order and fixed that immediately. It worked out since the tables are small and we were not done with our munchies. I was pretty underwhelmed by my ramen even adding additional spices and sauces. At the end of the meal I asked about the happy endings, which is listed on the website and the waiter did not know what I was talking about. It sounded like I was asking for happy endings which was a noooo from me. I looked again to make sure and it is there, looks like desserts and night caps. By the time we left, there were a ton of people enjoying their food around us. I stood up from the stool I had been sitting on and my legs had fallen asleep from how low the stool was and how long I had been sitting there. Overall, I enjoyed my experience but there some hiccups. I am definitely planning on returning for happy hour and sitting at the bar. I will update this review when I do so. Thanks for having us! read more

See all

Very good ramen! I ordered the spicy miso #2 because the 3.0 was removed from the menu, and a mango lassi, unspiked/no boba. No sesame seed crusher and no garlic clove crusher at the tables : ( , but the spice amount was just the right amount - not too spicy, just right. And there's extra spicy sauce on the table if it does not meet your heat level. Needed more than just 1 slice of pork belly. Broth was good but they said they removed the tokontsu recipe piece from the menu - "NEW HAKKATA STYLE TONKOTSU 3.0" hakata style 24-hour pork broth, corn, tamago, peppered cabbage & beansprout, chicharron, chashu, recommended add-ons: chili oil & nori" Unfortunately, this is not available in person. They've removed this from their in person menu - the online one is different. read more

Came here from a TikTok so was super excited to try this place out. Overall the ambiance of the restaurant is super aesthetic with open seating and a lot of space. Their menu has a lot of selections but for the price we opted to try the smaller dishes. The poutine fries were the best - never thought to think to put japanese curry over fries. We ordered two lol. Runner up would be the KFC bao bun as well as the crispy pork belly. I wasn't too impressed with the chicken wings as they were on the dryer side. Their happy hour prices are super reasonable. From 4-6 we were able to buy sale bombs for $3 which is crazy! I definitely think this place is more vibey to come to at night but worth checking out for sure. read more

Service was great. However, most food was extremely too salty for my taste, and apps were not great/not a big selection. Was excited for a noodle spot in Fishtown, but this is not my favorite. read more

We went on a Saturday afternoon and sat at the bar. Both of us got the spicy miso ramen which we really enjoyed, flavor was great and it had the perfect amount of spice, and lots of pork. Service was quick and friendly. Excited to come back and try more! read more

Visiting Philly for a bit and Maggie made it special Food is fantastic and the music is the best ! Overall everything was worth the good price ! read more

Ambiance was very cool. Bar area looked nice. We sat in the dining room. Service was great. Very attentive. Food came out quickly. Ramen was mediocre. read more

Came back for a second visit on a chilly Saturday night and somehow loved it even more. Mia took great care of us and had spot on recommendations without pushing anything. We started with a small beaker of hot sake which we loved, the beaker idea just makes sense, plus a mule. The egg rolls were juicy and perfect wrapped in the lettuce and dipped, and the pork buns disappeared fast. For mains we went with the brisket pho and coconut ramen and that was exactly what we needed to warm up. Comforting, rich, and really well balanced. We also spotted our belly rubbing friend behind the bar this time. Apparently Rob does it all. Two visits in and we already wish we were in the area more often just so we could eat here again. read more

Don't know what I expected from this place, but I'm not feeling it. Atmosphere was odd, design is very corporate and bright, does not feel like a ramen joint at all. Concept was definitely drafted with the family crowd in mind. Food was extremely mid, super salty with not much substance. My advice: Hop on the El and get something more authentic in Chinatown instead. read more

So good! The meat was super , broth well seasoned, Shrimp was to die for, the banana pudding was faint worthy, the bubble tea was Top Tier, and I will be headed back for more! read more

See all

Outstanding. Very good especially for the price. Got the Pho Tai, Kimchi Fried Rice, Ginger Beer, and the Cheeseburger on bao bun. All delicious! Creative cheeseburger and it works well! read more

Loved this place will be back! Just very high sodium broth, so salty. As well as high concentrated teas, had to add water. Maybe it was just the batches I got but overall really good! read more

Food was good, service was so/so. Never received waters after we asked for them, never received utensils after we asked for them (for our kids who can't use chop sticks), was charged full price for happy hour items, we were issued a refund however still got charged the tip from the first transaction which was much higher? read more

This was probably my worst experience at a restaurant in Philly. The server was not very present and didn't seem to know anything about the menu. When asking about meatless options, or what the beers in the bomb were, or dietary restrictions her response every time was "I don't know." When we asked if she could find the answer she told us to just pick something else. The guy seating/running the food was so condescending as well. I like to give the benefit of the doubt, maybe someone's just having a bad day, but when we had issues with the food the server told us "oh I'll let someone know" and just walked away. We never saw her again until the check was brought, and she didn't speak a word to us when she brought it. I got a Thai tea, and my friend got a matcha, both of which were bland and honestly not good. I got a shiitake bao, and two other members of my party got the pork belly bao, and they came out hard as a rock. Mine, on top of this, was freezing cold. The server didn't seem to care at all that we had some issues, which we were reluctant to even voice as we all hate to complain at restaurants. Between the rudeness of the employees and the horrible quality of the food, I'm definitely not intending to ever return. I'd heard bad reviews from multiple people but really like to try things myself before firing an opinion and as much as it pains me to say about a restaurant, it was all warranted. I cannot recommend this place to anyone. read more