OB Noodle House

I had never even heard of OB Noodle House before but it was selected as the location of a Meetup group's dinner and I'm always eager for an excuse to check out a new restaurant. I was totally unsure of what to expect and the last thing I would have guessed they served was Vietnamese food. An interesting concept in a laid back beach town, I looked forward to sampling some of their more familiar dishes.

I went with the standard #1 pho dish that you can find at any Vietnamese restaurant, the extra large pho with mixed cuts of meat. The soup was really under seasoned for my tastes, and even after adding the obligatory sauces, didn't help in adding the great flavor I'm used to from solid Vietnamese food. I can see why the food here would appeal to the OB demographic, especially when paired with the copious amounts of alcohol served here. However, I'm not fooled by the toned-down flavors of a westernized bowl of noodles.

While it was OK for what it was, I was generally not impressed by OB Noodle House's food. I have to compare apples to apples and it just wasn't up to par with most of the Vietnamese food in San Diego in terms of both taste and value. The food cost about 20% more than a standard Vietnamese restaurant and it's difficult to ignore when I'm used to paying much less for a better version of the same thing, and with a much larger portion. While it's clearly a popular restaurant with a large fan following, I don't think I will be back. If you've got a dog, the place is pretty friendly and there's a few tables outside where you can enjoy your dinner with your pup after a walk. The opportunity cost of not going to a place like Pho Ca Dao is just too high.

Food: 5/10

Service: 5/10

Price: $

Atmosphere: 4/10