Chop Chop

I had the pork ramen. First the positives the environment almost makes me feel like I’m at a rustic ramen shop in Japan. The pork belly was crisp but but not fantastic. The egg was cooked perfectly with a gooey yoke. The noodles were springy and aldente. The cucumber was well flavoured and tangy. The broth was a let down for me. Tasted like chicken broth and was clear with not much depth of flavour at all. Wouldn’t come back for the ramen possibly the fried chicken.
The beer was surprisingly enjoyable definitely had that refreshing crisp taste that is familiar with Japanese beers.

So good! Reasonably priced, a great place to meet up with friends and relax. Helpful friendly staff who won’t rush you either! Good drinks list and atmosphere. Makes sure you get the Korean chicken. They’ll cater to gluten free and can amend their recipes for other dietary requirements too.

I really enjoyed the noodle here, stumbled upon this place when I was walking around the street food area and decided to chose this spot over burger burger cause there was no wait and I love noodles. I have to admit this place is pretty good! It is on the pricier side for a noodle in my opinion but it was really good noodle that I wouldn’t mind paying it again. Their soup base was good and the rye noodle was delicious. I didn’t really like their beef however because it was really fatty. The service was friendly and the food was good. If you are in the area I would definitely recommend stopping by, the have a huge variety of cocktails as well but I decided to pass on it because I had a long walk home ahead of me.

Epic. Definitely on par, if not better than blue breeze. Brisket ramen, mean. Korean chicken, mean. Brisket, mean. Baby back ribs, mean. Mean

Terrible Ramen and bizarre experience. Five of us visited around 6pm on a Friday recently — we had visitors from Nelson so, on our first visit, I presumed Chop Chop would show how fancy we are here in Auckland. Service was not only patchy in terms of presence but also pretty indifferent in terms of not seeming that bothered if we were there — I know this is a two-​way street, but I can’t think that we annoyed the hosts that much.
Bar tenders were having an awesome time though, playing their favourite music at ridiculously loud levels — especially for the time of night.
None of this really matters though if you enjoy good Ramen but sadly this was the worst ‘Ramen’ I’ve had and I LOVE the stuff.
Would never ever go back, regardless of service, the Ramen was insulting.

Good food, friendly service, and a fun setting. I’ll admit that a big part of the draw of Chop Chop is the atmosphere: it’s tiny, you sit at the bar, and their theme is super fun. It’s like a spaghetti Western with ramen noodles bunched it, and I adore it. As an American, how do I say no to cowboy hats, whiskey, and noodles?
Service was fast and really friendly. The ramen noodles had a different flavor to them – probably owing to the fact that they’re rye? The broth was fatty and fabulous, and the pork was crispy and full of flavor. Also tried a beef brisket bun, which was really nice though a bit pricey for its size (and messy, or maybe that’s just me!)
Chop Chop is a tad on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for.

If you’re wanting a good ramen noodle dish this is the place to go. This is our go to place when we’re wanting a excellent noodle dish!
My husband is from Hawaii so he is always craving saimin dishes which are similar to noodle dishes! This hits the spot. Our favourite dish is the pork ramen — Tasty broth, yummy boiled egg, generous pork belly, herbs & good serving of an Asian mushroom. Great dish!
It is a cute little eatery in a hip Ponsonby marketplace where you are able to watch the chef cook your ramen dishes as you sip on your chosen drink.
They make the best lemongrass tea with real lemongrass & generous herbs! The best herbal tea I have ever tasted! And it’s great for you. If you’re into herbal teas you can’t visit this place without trying the lemongrass ginger tea!
I rated this a 4 star because it is a regular place we visit & is the go to place when we are craving noodles. Lovely décor restaurant with an interactive dining experience.

Chop Chop; a hole-​in-​the-​wall noodle bar in Auckland’s Ponsonby Central, owned by the creators of the Blue Breeze Inn — Renowned restaurateur Mark Wallbank.
At first glance, Chop Chop looks a bit like a Tiki hut crossed with an island beach bar, with kitchen and bar combined into one. Sturdy wooden bar stools are positioned at the door and ready for our butts.
A focus on a variety of steaming bowls of soup noodles, some of the more popular Blue Breeze Inn classics such as the steamed pork buns and more. I wasn’t that chuffed with my noodles, there was a lot more than the Pork although the pork was crispy skinned and cooked perfectly. My soft shell crab bun had chewey flesh but the bun and other accompaniments were nice. The Pork one looked much better. I wasn’t overly impressed and probably can find better places around. I don’t think it was as good as Blue Breeze Inn.

Well i was kinda looking for something special to be able to write about for my 100^th review as it is a little bit of a milestone for myself, and along came Chop Chop! Or more should i say we came across Chop Chop. Wandering into Ponsonby Central looking for a place to eat, we thought a little and a little more about what was on offer inside and finally decided to give this place a go. And it turned out to be a perfect choice! Firstly we had stopped at the entry and the staff member behind the bar had spied us and quickly came out to ask if we would like a table. Good service as he could have just stood behind bar and waited for us to come to him. When after perusing the menu and what was on offer and we decided to take a seat we chose to sit on the stools that surround the bar /​kitchen area. The barman was ever attentive, ready to take our order when needed and always watchful not just to us but we noticed to anyone else who may need service. When we had went in it was not to busy but by the time we left it was picking up quite well. In the end i chose a Chop Chop Pork Bun, these buns being one of my favourite when eating in the likes of the Xian Food bar. I had chosen well as i even ordered one more after devouring the first so delicious they were. In difference to other buns i have had the pork is not minced up in these ones and instead is one solid piece of pork. I do not know if that was the reason but it tasted so much better than some pork buns i have had. Number two was equally as delicious! On order as well was the Crispy Fried Jerk Chicken with tomato, green chilli salsa and rye noodle. Which went down a treat as well! This place was really proving to be a first class find for us! How could we have not found it sooner! Tempted too by the array of drinks available i selected a Virgin Hong Kong Cat which consists of prune, red grapes, plum syrup, agave syrup and pineapple juice. And surprise, surprise… it tasted so good! Our taste buds were sure getting a treat !! And so unfortunately as much as we had loved this particular dining experience we had to leave and so overall the price was not too bad, the service was outstanding and the food was so delicious! Well worthy of my 100^th review!

I thought this place was great, can recommend the courgette salad with crispy pork, squid and caramel miso and the Korean fried chicken (this one’s got some heat). Try a cocktail or two (they’re almost like smoothies)… the Drunken Master with pear, pineapple juice, crème de bananas and vodka is everything it promises. This is affordable but good dining in Ponsonby Central.

Just a lovely spot for a lunch or more. Noodle and buns with Asian inspiration. Pork Ramen, 12-​hour braised brisket Ramen and even the Barley Veggie Ramen is worth trying. However, if you prefer Japanese style Ramen, with rich soup and beautiful flavor, pork beef more tender texture, Chop chop noodle is a bit different. But it is still favorable, young and fun! Don’t miss the Korean style fried chicken, crispy skin and tender inside with a little bit of spicy and creamy sauce, it turns out perfect. It reminds me of Noodle Bar in «Beijing 1949». (If you have a chance travelling in Beijing, you can try there)

YUM!!! Loved this place and will be making it my regular. This busy restaurant seems to be always full and I now understand why. There are long sharing tables and bar seats and albeit quite tight they manage to fit in most walk ins. The highlight for me was definitely the korean fried chicken and the soft shell crab bun. The ramen was good but I wouldn’t run around the room shouting hallelujah about it. The egg net of minced prawn and the southern style chicken was also delicious. Great place to share a few dishes — that way you can try it all ! You can’t book but there are lots of bars to have a drink while you wait (IF you have to wait). Great prices for excellent food and service… tick tick tick.

Finally made it here last week and loved it! We ordered a whole bunch of things to share which was the way to go in my book. Lots of fried chicken that was delicious and the noodle soups were delightful. Goat Ale was a treat!
The lighting is dark but the high stools close together and casual wait staff make for a great atmosphere

Fab ramen as usual. Great service and brilliant deconstructed pork buns. Highly recommended!

Mate. This place is yum
I found the fried chicken had a little too much fatty layer for my liking but I am the fussiest chicken eater there is so don’t be too put off by that
The egg net is quite the masterpiece and was delicious. We actually ordered it only because the people next to us had it and we thought it looked cool. So perks that it tasted amazing too
The ramen bowls are nice but very large. We ordered way too much so maybe didn’t enjoy the ramen to it’s full potential but it had a good broth with it (spicy)
PORK BUNS FOREVER. Pork buns are my weakness so I was all about their version. Super fluffy and doughy and sweet and salty.
There was a cocktail we tried that might have been called ‘Drunken Master’ or something of the like. It was a fruity tangy milkshake and I have ordered it three times since!
Cool vibe. Dark and moody and you can eat in peace but still do the slight people watch if you need.

It’s yum… But Really over priced. This is made up by the fact the portion is massssive though. The pork ramen was ok but the noodles weren’t as springy and the soup not as flavoursome as I would normally expect. The pork bun had an amazing refreshing sauce to go with it. The ginger was great! But don’t think id come here again. Really didn’t satisfy my ramen craving.

Chop chop didn’t impress me that much, but only for the reason I didn’t enjoy the cuisine so this review may not be too accurate (that’s my disclaimer) I came here for a quick bite on a Tuesday night. The atmosphere was good it was about half full which was enough for me to think it looked good. We had pork buns and the fried chicken I wasn’t a major fan of the fried chick as I don’t like too much fat/​skin and it was quite fatty (Mexico’s fried chicken is better or Yuzu). The waiter recommend the brisket so maybe that would have been a better option. The service was good overall and the waiters were all hot/​foreign which was a bonus but besides that I probably wouldn’t go again — I would recommend it to people who like trendy Asian infusion restaurants but this is not really for me.

I was so excited to try Chop Chop that I first tried to go four days before they had even opened. Once I finally got to try the place I had mixed feelings. The meals were, I think, good value for money, particularly as the pork ramen has generous amounts of both pork belly and sliced pork (unsure which part of the pig this is). My whiskey and house made white coke was also very good.
Where the place fell down was on service. We had a super awkward effort ordering food. We asked a question and the waiter answered and started to run away, we grabbed him back and said we were ready to order food, he took our food order, and then started running away. We hauled him back and asked to order drinks and he took those and then started running away. I then grabbed him and asked for the chilli condiments — he hadn’t given us the low down on these — what he liked and would recommend etc, but this guy was in such a hurry I didn’t want to ask any more questions. Almost rubbing salt in the wound, my mate then called him back and changed his drink order.
Anyway, the condiments never came, nobody checked how we were doing, and I feel the ramen would be exponentially better if you got your add ons right, such as chilli, and miso butter. Fingers crossed the next visit will be the five star I was hoping for.

Wow I have really been looking forward to a new Ramen joint to open and Ponsonby Central is such a great location.
The atmosphere is spot on, the theme is sort of Asian Western inspired — Whiskey and noodle dishes to a western/​country beat. It’s really tiny and be aware the seating is not that comfy but the food comes out super quick so you shouldn’t need to be there long!
For the Ramen i’d expect a bit more flavour — the noodles and pork are perfect and I like the secret spice condiments (the more condiments the better) but the broth itself lacks the deep richness i’ve had elsewhere.
I’d like to see some fresher options for sides/​starters.

A welcome addition to P. Central, Mark Wallbank and Che Barrington (Moo Chow Chow, The Blue Breeze Inn) have done it again. Whisky, noodles, country music, an open kitchen and waiters donning cowboy hats… seriously, what’s not to like!
Yes, it’s expensive for Ramen ($ 18) but it’s worth every mouthful, served in big boy bowls with generous amounts of melt-​in-​your-​mouth meat, noodles cooked al dente and a perfectly salty, meaty broth. Oh and don’t forget to stir in their secret spice and vibrant chilli sauce before chowing down.
Already a massive hit, I predict this will become my go-​to lunch spot in Ponsonby!
Note: keep in mind, the only seating option is high stools on communal tables so perhaps not suitable for all occasions.