OB Noodle House

Shredded Chicken Phở #17 was LEGIT. We also got the seafood fried rice. I’d give this review 5 stars but the imitation «krab» threw the dish off. Next time I’ll order it without the «krab»…or maybe OB will invest in real crab meat

Love this place, both locations. If you want great phở, good beer, and pleanty of noise go to the original location. The newer location or outside at the original is much quieter and more to my liking. Although, I only gave 4 stars because the last star got lost when they stopped serving tea a while ago… I may never forgive them for that, I really like tea with my phở :(

VeRy TasTy.
Excellent Service
For Lunch haD the House Combo FrieD Rice w/​meat $ 12 =Reasonable for quality
$ 60 foR 4 Peops
EveryBoDy HaPPy!!!

If you come here and don’t get the chicken wings, you have made a huge mistake. Chicken wings are mildly spicy and has the perfect seasoning (garlic and the right amount of salty). I will definitely come back for the chicken wings soon.
Side note: the restroom is kind of scary.

Wow, I never thought I could ever fall in love with phở that much until I came here. After watching the episode on Diners, Dives, and Drive Ins, I knew I had to make a pit stop when I was in San Diego. The two items suggested were the chicken wings and the beef noodle soup, which I ordered! The chicken wings were more of an entrée than an appetizer to me! 12 deliciously seasoned wings with a side of ranch. You might want to be careful eating these because they definitely stained my hands afterwards, but I didn’t care. It was too goood. Next came the phở. The broth was light yet rich and full of flavor. The noodles were cooked perfectly and the meat was so so tender! My bf loved it so much, he cleaned the whole bowl (with some help from me of course).
We will definitely be back the next time we’re in San Diego. I thought I had some good phở from NorCal but this just blew it out of the water! Thanks for the recommendation Guy!

Whenever I’m in San Diego I always make a point to stop in for phở. Love the broth, the pricing, the rest of the menu, the ambience, and the staff. It’s usually overly busy at peak times so I try to go at odd times for lunch or dinner.
They recently changed the layout of the inside I think due to the other location opening but I like the new layout better with a more open feel and better seating options.

I’m no phở expert, but I know quality and flavorful food and this is it! The broth was definitely the tastiest I’ve ever had. I ordered the OB Special (#1) which included rare steak, well done steak, flank, brisket and tripe. At first I was quite hesitant because of the tripe, but I’m so glad I didn’t let that turn me off. It was deeeeelicious. So go out of your comfort zone. Personally I did not think this particular bowl of phở needed any additions. I generally add a good amount of condiments, but a squeeze of lime, bean sprouts and basil was more than enough.
I also had to order the Spicy Garlic Wings. Do not leave without having these! They are flavor packed and not too spicy. I do wish they paired it with a house-​made ranch as opposed to a pre-​made one.
The rest of my party ordered Seafood Phở (#19), Teriyaki Chicken, Pork Fried Rice (which I took a couple bites of, very good), and Beef Crispy Egg Noodle. They all really enjoyed their dishes.
The reason I deducted 1 star is because of the service. Honestly when it comes to the service they deserve no stars! The hostess was unprofessional and did not give us an accurate wait time. It seems as if they don’t know how to handle parties that are larger than two. Our server was a complete fool, inattentive, and should not be in this line of work. That being said, I’d return because the food is truly that good. Perhaps I’ll just go with take-​out next time, or request another server.
OB Noodle House is in a «beachy» part of town, so good parking is a gamble. Be sure to take your patience and walking shoes with you.

Food was great but a little overhyped, and probably not worth our struggle to get a table on a Saturday!
Arrived during a busy time (1 PM on a Saturday) and were told that it would be 20 — 30 minutes until our party of five could be seated. No problem! We went for a 20 minute walk and wandered back to the restaurant, hoping we’d get a table soon. It took another 30 minutes (50 minutes total) before we were seated, which I could forgive if we hadn’t watched probably at least a dozen two-​tops be seated immediately upon walking up. It’s a little ridiculous that they could seat so many couples immediately but we had to wait almost an hour. Not a good location for groups for sure.
We were starving when we finally sat down, and really loved the spicy garlic chicken wings — not super spicy, in my opinion, but a LOT of great crispy garlic flavor. The egg rolls were good too. We all ordered phở, with varying meat choices — I had rare steak and well done brisket. It was really good, but I wasn’t blown away. The broth was light and delicate, everything was super fresh, and the meat was very high quality — it was good. Just not the most amazing phở I’ve ever had — and since that seems to be their claim to fame, I was a little let down.
I would go here again for sure, but I was really disappointed by the long wait — especially because none of the employees were at all apologetic or seemed concerned about it.

Place was yummm but dont get fried rice. Want cheaper fried rice and better go to Minh Ky on El Cajon blvd its small hole in the wall but super good oh and wonton soup there is the best in SD! Phở was yumm but you get bigger bowls for the same price and fresher noodles at Phở Hoa Cali express in Mira Mesa. Eggrolls were good here but real authentic ones are at my moms house or Au Chau on El Cajon blvd little to go food place with also the best viet sandwiches for like $ 4 ;) oh also the wait was like over an hour and they gave away our table when they claim we didnt get there within 5 min of calling us… wtf i waited over an hour and you cant give me 5 min!!! #lame #idontneedyourpho

Yes you read that right, 5 stars!
I love how there’s 2 locations, literally five blocks away from each other which makes it possible to always get a table!
App’s: def the wings. Holy crap, literally the best wings I’ve ever had. Then you have to get the shrimp spring rolls (a little greedy on the amount of shrimp used).
Phở: the best I’ve had in SD. I’ve just recently been turned onto phở and I absolutely love it.
The broth is perfect & so are the portions
— I went with the rare steak and brisket. Both meats were amazing, no fat at all.
Kerry our server was AMAZING (shouts to you for the awesome T-​shirt one liners & bomb service of course)
The patio was great and everyone is super friendly! Can’t wait to go back.

Great food
Cheap food
Restaurant has more of a small bar feel
Great drinks
Cheap beers
Ordered a $ 2 gingerbread beer– great flavor not too bold
Great selection of beers
Good service
Energetic scene
Helpful and friendly waiter
Ordered:
chicken wings – so good – crispy bite with some spice
House Special Fried rice – really tasty – huge portion
Phở beef and meatball-​broth was so good – fresh mint, jalapeños, and bean sprouts

Parking is a struggle
Restaurant isn’t that big so expect a wait.
Come here for the WINGS. Seriously, just put in 2 orders as soon as you sit down. I could eat these all day.
Phở is solid.
Korean short ribs and House fried rice are also winners and probably one of their most popular dishes aside from the wings.
Their flavored sake carafes are fun to share with the group. So smart how theres a hole in the middle of the carafe with ice to keep it cold without diluting it !

When I think of the phở joints I’m used to, I think family-​owned, Asian servers (if any), sketchy bathrooms.
Walking past OB Noodle House, I hardly believed they served phở. Huge flat screen TV’s. Groups of rowdy people drinking bloody mary’s in their Chargers jerseys. Man running around pouring shots down the throats of any jersey-​donning female after the Chargers scored.
Yeah, this place is about as whitewashed as you can get. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have solid phở! The #2 phở tai with rare steak, brisket, flank and tripe did not disappoint. I didn’t have to add any sauce to my broth and that’s my indicator for a good bowl of noodles.
I tried a strawberry pilsner after peeking at their lengthy craft beer list. Enjoyed people watching for a bit. It’s a hop and a skip from the beach so the laid-​back vibe definitely carries over. The unique ambiance here is worth checking out at least once.

Came here on a Saturday morning. Wasn’t many people here and parking wasn’t an issue.
Got the spicy garlic wings — they were phenomenal. Good amount of garlic and spice! The meat was infused with a reddish paprika color. It comes with ranch, but you definitely don’t need it. 12 wingettes (I personally don’t like the drumstick so this was another plus).
Ordered the rare phở (phở tai). It was good; up to par. The broth was on fleek and beef was tasty. The size was relatively small from what I’m used to. They do have a large size, but that large should be the default.
I got the sizzling fish which came in a butter sauce, cilantro, scallions and fried onions. I would’ve preferred a soy sauce based sauce with some ginger/​lemongrass.
Good spot — would return

I came here on a Monday night with my girlfriend & the wait was 20 minutes, but decided to sit at the bar seating because it was open seating. This is a very popular restaurant, especially because it was on Guy’s Diners, Drive-​Ins, & Dives, so depending on the day & time, you can expect a wait. There are plenty of televisions throughout the restaurant, fantastic for Monday Night Football! Our bartender/​server was awesome! She was friendly, attentive, & spoiled us with Sake shots!
Spicy Garlic Wings (12 pieces) = Served with Ranch dressing — Delicious! The outside is perfectly crisped & flavorful & the meat is tender. You can request for less spicy.
Stir Fried Crispy Egg Noodles with Chicken & Assorted Vegetables = Delicious noodle dish with great sauce!
The portions are big!
White Peach Mojito — If you are going to get any beverage here, get this one! Sweet & refreshing!
Horchata Sake — Say what?! Of course I had to try this & I loved it!

Parking is difficult to find in this area of Ocean Beach. I recommend coming early. It’s within 5 – 10 minutes walk to the beach so that’s to be expected.
Ordered a #2, the rare steak, brisket, flank and tripe. The broth was tasty with quality tender meat. There were decent size bowls and quite filling nonetheless. The verdict from parents is that the phở here is just decent, but it provides a unique ambiance. And I would have to agree. It’s a somewhat of a misfit. A very Americanized bar setting, yet they sell Vietnamese dishes.
The highlight would have to be the sizzling fish. We ordered one to share and it came with a side of rice. It was boneless and had everyone’s favorite bold aromas of a hot plate combined with subtle oriental flavors.
Garlic edamame made a good appetizer.
My only disappoint was it was a Vietnamese restaurant that lacks the usual Vietnamese drinks. Instead you get alcohol, like sake. So I tried the white peach mojito, which had white peach sake that gave me a good buzz.
Different unique and unexpected place to find phở. Still has good number of asian patrons to validate authenticity of location.

Las mejores chickens wings en todo San Diego, en un ambiente estupendo. Música buenísima, camareros encantadores, fantástica relación calidad-​precio. La mejor opción en Ocean Beach con diferencia.

OB Noodle house, you’re laid back vibe, great tasting food, awesome happy hour prices and lengthy beer list makes you a go to spot for me anytime I’m in San Diego.
I was first introduced to OB Noodle house while watching Dinner, Drive-​ins & Dives. Guy (The host) was brought there by a friend of his because of their amazing wings, house fried rice and they’re noodle dishes (mainly their Ph). I’m happy to say this place lived up to the hype from the show. First of all who ever came up with the recipe for those wings is a genius. I absolutely loved them. The sauce there coated with had a nice kick but nothing so strong that it was overwhelming. It really was the perfect balance of heat and deliciousness and might I say finally a place that uses actual sized chicken wings instead of these child size portions of chicken they wanna pass off as wings.
The house fried rice was my personal favorite. It was so good you could serve it to me inside of someone’s shoe and I’d still eat it. Ok maybe that was a little gross but that’s how good the fried rice was. They used Chinese sausage for that smoky but sweet flavor as well as healthy sized shrimps. They combined it with cuts of beef and Chinese broccoli for some crunch. It helps to change the texture of the dish so you’re mouth doesn’t get bored. I could go back and eat that for my three meals a day. It has everything you need in a dish; you’re grain, protein, seafood as well as you’re sweet and savory, what a combination.
To add to the specialty of this place They literally have so many different kinds of beers on tap that instead of telling you, it’s just easier for them to print it all out on one long receipt. Why bother wasting you’re breath on listing off what they have when you can just read it for yourself. The staff here are so chill and even the customers were friendly and gave my wife and I great tips on what to eat.
OB noodle house you guys truly rock and I will make it a point to come by every time I’m in San Diego.

Well, I reaaaaallly wanted to like this place and I hate to be a not five star review but damn, I have definitely had way better phở. I was hoping for the face Guy had on Triple D when he first tried the food but I was unfortunately left wanting more. My dad loved the OB special phở bowl but then again he hasn’t had phở at other places… the broth left me wanting more salt, & more flavor – definitely wasn’t a «wow»! Also, the environment… lets just say I remember why the show was called diners, drive ins and dives. Very dive-​y. There were flies all over the window we were sitting facing. And the seats were torn and it was just dirty. This place could use a little love I think.
Ok, the positives: The house fried rice! Amazing. That sausage. Gosh, I haven’t had anything that good in awhile. The amount of meat they pile into that dish is awesome. I meant to just get the pan seared dumplings like they had on the show but accidentally ordered the fried dumplings and wasn’t disappointed! They were delicious as well! Very nicely crisped up and the meat inside was savory. The service was actually pretty great. The waiter we had, young gentleman with a beard which I distinctly remember because I was admiring it haha, I wish I knew his name, was very pleasant. Attentive but not smothering. Helped package up our phở and cracked a few jokes. Helped this get 4 stars. Probably would’ve gotten three if the service had been shit. Luckily, no wait, walked right in. Price was on point so that was nice. Overall good food, but not worth the drive coming from Carlsbad.

Was in the Ocean Beach area and decided to check out the noodles.
1. Parking is crazy. Not a fan of driving in circles looking for a spot that isn’t 4 blocks away.
2. Flies. Lots of them. I was doing my Karate kid impersonation and trying to catch one with a pair of chopsticks.
3. Phở was ok. Has potential. However, the veggies were poor quality and they served me basil that had been eaten by bugs.
4. Chow fun was not good. Not enough noodles. What noodles there were, were broken apart and choppy making them hard to eat.
Based on these points, I can not recommend this place for the better than average «Foodie»

My friend and I went here for the second time. She’s been here multiple times and has introduced me to this place.
I’ve only sat outside to dine only because the inside looks cramped and we enjoy being outdoors. Each time we’ve come, we haven’t had to wait, we were seated right away but it may be because we went at an off hour.
I’ve tried a few things here except the phở and fish, both which have excellent reviews… will have to try those at a later date. I did have their wings in the past, which were great and filling because the chicken wings are HUGE. The crispy eggrolls are pretty standard at most Asian restaurants. The giant crispy tiger shrimps… now those were excellent. I liked how they were in a shape of an onion ring too. The dry veggie and tofu chow fun reminded me of regular chow fun at a Chinese restaurant, fairly average. My friend really loves their fried rice.
I think one of their most unique dishes is the bamboo sticky rice. They’ve cleverly placed the sticky rice inside the bamboo that you’re to peel off and dip into the condensed milk. Unfortunately, due to the size of the bamboo, there’s a limited amount of rice they can stuff into the bamboo.
Prices are fair. Parking can be a challenge. Diversity of staff and interesting too, overall very attentive.