CoBa 53

went to eat phở right when we came to nyc. the phở with beef balls were pretty good. my family and I finished them really quick. plus the egg roll appetizer was pretty good also. it was our first time trying the egg roll.
for the price I think for the phở was right. for the eggrolls, it was 3 for around $ 7, which I thought was pretty high.
but overall the food was great. next time I should try the hot pot since, when we went there everyone ordered it.

Best Vietnamese food in Hell’s Kitchen hands down. I get the Phở once a week :)

This place just became my favorite Vietnamese place in the city! I live in Korea town and I never experienced such a delicious food as one here! Shabu Shabu (hot pot) is amazing! You have two different types of soup and you can choose your own vegetables and meats (many too choose from)!

Ordered delivery and both chicken and brisket phos were cold. The brisket looked old and was given only about 4 pieces. The chicken had absolutely no flavor. Couldn’t even eat my meal. Very disappointed.

I really enjoy coming here. It is a great spot with great food. I enjoy it especially on a rainy day. Nothing like a big tasty bowl of steaming meat and noodles on a dreary day.

I am a fan because of the wonderful authentic Vietnamese food, and even more smitten when you account for the general ambiance and décor. I always look forward to eating at CoBa because I can count on a great dining experience — wine, great conversation with friends and excellent food. No hassle, memorable times.
My favorites are the red snapper, calamari and clay-​pot salmon. Even though I now live in Chicago, those dishes keep me going back whenever I visit NYC — which is soon, for the Christmas holiday.

First time having Vietnamese food and I’m a fan. The restaurant is located on 53^rd, so could be miss, if you’re waling down 9^th Ave trying to find it. However the good was really good. I started with the Muc chien don or Lightly fried chili-​­pepper calamari and had Udon chay — Udon noodles with vegetables and I added shrimp. I’m a fan and will venture out and try other restaurants now.
The only down side to this place is the noise, while dinning there was a table of 4 guys, who might have had a few drinks and they were really loud and a little obnoxious. But otherwise, it’s a good place.

Enjoyed my Phở and pork belly bahn mi! Quick and delicious lunch.

The taste is average. But what I want to point out is that when we checked out, it already added a 20% tips and did not mark it out. I almost paid the tips twice which makes me really unhappy. And the waiter is always in a poker face. So I don’t recommend this place.

Yikes! Avoid this knock off Vietnamese joint in Hell’s Kitchen.
After waiting for over 1 hour to get my delivery (and I live only a few blocks away but was too busy to go pick it up myself), the food arrived cold. Had that been the only issue, I’d probably just let it go… however the food cost $ 15.00 plus tax and tip and was VASTLY OVERPRICED. I got the Dinner Bun Ga Nuong (lemongrass chicken with rice vermicelli). The chicken was smaller than a little cutlet and the noodles were dry and flavorless. My limited knowledge of Vietnamese cuisine would have turned out more flavorful food. It was seriously smaller than a lunch portion (definitely under 8 oz of food) and was completely devoid of flavor.
I had hopes for this place since there are basically no other options for Vietnamese in HK… but I should have gone with my gut and stuck to only getting good Vietnamese food from somewhere in the Chinatown area.
Gosh, it was so bad…

People this is not Phở. The only thing makes this 2 stars is the atmosphere. It was nice .
Food is way expensive for what we should pay for and yeah the beer. Ridiculous expensive …$ 7 for a 333 beer ?? Won’t come back.

Came here with a couple of friends for an early dinner on a Saturday. It had just opened for the day so the place was really empty. Ordered the tofu chien (lemongrass crusted tofu), muc chien don (chili-​pepper calamari), five-​spice quail, and the pork belly banh mi. The tofu was alright, nothing special. The calamari was also alright, nothing special. The quail was dry and disappointing. The pork belly banh mi was average and tasted like any other banh mi. Our server was patient and friendly as we were waiting for the last person in our group to arrive. If you are looking for a casual Vietnamese restaurant, CoBa 53 is not a bad option, but don’t expect anything great.
Taste | 3
Atmosphere | 3
Presentation | 3
Service | 4
OVERALL | 3

I had wanted to come here for a while and had gotten into the city early and walked to the restaurant-​i got a series of small plates-​spring rolls with a lime dipping sauce, mango salad with shrimp, spare ribs with crushed peanuts and shrimps in a rice situation with a peanut dipping sauce. All were delicious-​I would recommend and return.

Great Vietnamese place for weekday lunch — the service was quick, the food was good & reasonably priced. Went there on a Friday at 1pm for lunch and it wasn’t crowded. The place wasn’t big but but I liked the ambience — brick walls and the big windows which made the place really bright.
I do have to say that they don’t have a lot of vegetarian options but perhaps they can make it if you ask them.
Recommendations: Grilled Shrimp Over Mango, Julienne of Jicama

I popped in for lunch today and had the BÁNH MÌ THT KHO: Caramelized pork belly braised in coconut juice with grilled pineapple, house-​made pickles, cilantro, and jalapenos.
This sandwich is soooo delicious and fresh. Just beware of the jalapenos because they cut them thick, and they are raw. I asked for mine on the side. The Phở was a bit tasteless, it needed some salt, nice to warm up the belly but I probably wouldn’t order it again…
Side note: Im also a Ramen fan more than I am of Phở, so its a tad biased =P
There was only one server here, not that it was super busy but he didn’t seem too happy to be there. — CHEER UP!

appetizer: we ordered this shrimp coconut rice cake. not what I expected. it was like a mushy giant square with not much on it. I also didn’t see any shrimp? not recommended.
entrée: I ordered the ginger chicken bowl with bok choy. it had too much sauce on it that tasted like teriyaki chicken. otherwise the chicken was very tender. less sauce would’ve been better.

Phở + bahn mi lunch combo deal for $ 12!
Really cute way of doing a soup and sandwich deal, Asian style!
The phở comes in a cup size. Not the best, but good enough for me. However, I was sadden to find a piece of hair in my broth!!!
I got the bahn mi bó which is beef slices. Again, not be best bahn mi but enjoyable. I really enjoyed the sauce they used for the sandwiches.
My boyfriend for the traditional bahn mi which is cold slices of meat. Good good.
The summer rolls were served with prawns. I liked how the prawns were hot and not the traditional cold shrimp most restaurants use. I wish they would serve more than two rolls though because the price was pretty high $ 7.50.
Service could have been better and friendlier. Overall I would come back again for lunch. It is not crowded and rather peaceful. You get a view of the city and can people watch all day day long. The Straw hat décor in the restaurant was really cute too.

Nice dinner spot. Great ambience and classy décor.
l really enjoyed my ginger chicken clay pot dish — juicy chicken, lots of veggies, and the crunchy rice soaked up all the sauces and flavors. My friend enjoyed the phở (whatever the standard combo is called), with its delicious soup.
We weren’t big fans of the fried spring rolls appetizer — a bit too doughy, and the ratio of meat to other stuff seemed off.

After reading mixed reviews about Co Ba 53 and being some sort of a phở snob, I was a bit apprehensive about trying the classic phở here. Originating from Atlanta where Vietnamese food and people are abundant, I find myself constantly comparing Vietnamese food in the City to that in Atlanta.
Co Ba is one of maybe two Vietnamese restaurant options in the Midtown area (Saigon 48 being the other). The décor is modern and the restaurant is quite clean, despite the few flies buzzing around the place (annoying). My coworkers and I came today and there was literally one other party in the corner of the restaurant. The waiter mentioned that lunch is more busy in terms of delivery and dinner is busy for dine-​in. I should also mention that there was only one waiter. Service was a bit slow, we walked in and seated ourselves; probably waited almost 5 min for our menus and waters. Our food took at least 10 – 15 minutes to reach the table as well.
**Menu online is out of date — prices are incorrect** 10/​23/​2014
As for food, my 3 colleages and I opted for the phở (small bowl) and banh mi (¾ of a regular-​sized banh mi) for $ 12 — we got the classics of both (1^st choice on the menu for banh mi and noodles, respectively). This is the best choice if you’re craving both noodle soup as well as a sandwich and the price is actually very fair — getting each of the items alone (though full size) would cost a lot more.
I read mixed reviews on the phở here and actually, I found the broth to be quite decent. It’s flavorful compared to other places — one of my coworkers actually said this was way better than at Saigon 48. The small bowl that comes with the combo is satisfying and comes with very hot soup and a decent amount of meat — add jalapeño into the soup broth if you want it spicy (I don’t like putting Sriracha in my soup).
The classic banh mi was a little more disappointing, as there wasn’t much filling inside. There needed to be more pâté, as we couldn’t taste any of it. Still, it is a decent Vietnamese sandwich, just not as good as other places. The bread is supposedly Challah bread.
Overall, decent lunch for an okay price — ~$ 15 after tax and tip. If you want a Vietnamese fix for lunch and you work in Midtown, hit up this spot.

Feel high class without the hassle.
Five stars Vietnamese in Hell’s Kitchen? Phở seemed like a good detox after a weekend of burgers and beer, so we decided to give Ço Ba 53 a shot.
Walking in, it gives off an upscale feel. The bf mentioned feeling underdressed in our tanks and shorts, but luckily there was no dress code. The interior, with its dark interior, chandelier-​like lighting, and table side candles, could’ve signaled $ 20 – 25 an entrée. Surprisingly enough, the food was extremely affordable, $ 10 – 15 an entrée and $ 5 – 7 apps. We decided to split the papaya and shrimp salad, a large bowl of beef lemongrass phở, and a ginger chicken clay pot.
The salad was out in under three minutes. The papaya was crisp, the shrimp was tender, and the spice and sour were in good balance. A really solid start to the meal.
The clay pot came next. Presentation gets a thumbs up: the chicken and bok choy were carefully placed on the bed of chicken rice. The rice was a little too peppery for my taste, but the other flavors didn’t suffer.
The phở was the curveball. I didn’t realize lemongrass broth would be so dark. It reminded me of Taiwanese beef noodle soup more so than Vietnamese phở. Equally delicious, the meat and noodle proportions were on point and the broth wasn’t too salty: the bowl was licked clean by the end of the meal.
Service was good throughout. Our water glasses didn’t run on empty and plates were cleared right when we finished and not a second earlier.
~$ 16 per person, the atmosphere and quality of food definitely make it a place to revisit. Thai is plentiful in Hell’s Kitchen, but it’s hard to find a decent Vietnamese place when you need a fix. Ço Ba 53 makes that list.