Mecha Noodle Bar

Great food, great drinks, great atmosphere. The staff is friendly, but they may need more help! The service is on the slower side, so make sure you come with some time on your hands. I recommend Thai bubble ice tea with any food of your choice. Overall a nice place.

We went here for lunch today (my hubby, toddler son, and I) and haven’t been so happy about a restaurant here in CT in a long time!!! The pork belly bao was so good that my husband, who is usually very generous about sharing his food, didn’t want to share with his son! I don’t love pork in general so I got the KFC bao, which was delicious! For my son, we ordered the BBQ chasiu pork appetizer which was a full meal for a 3 year old. It came with sticky rice and pickles onions, and he finished everything! My husband and I both got ramen (pork tonkatsu for him and chicken for me). We were both VERY happy with our choices. And, we each got some bubble tea, which is a treat in these parts.
Additionally, the restaurant itself was clean. Staff was friendly and accommodating. And overall, it was just a really pleasant experience. We will definitely be going back. So happy to find such a gem so close to our home!

Love this place! Although the menu isn’t as extensive as the one in Fairfield the food is still good and fresh. I usually get the Phở Bo Vein and mushroom dumplings! Delicious! There may be a little bit of a wait but it’s totally worth it! Also make sure you try the Thai Iced Tea!

We love this place. Food and service are always great. I love the phở tai. But I’ve tried many other noodle dishes and there was not a single one I didn’t like. Flavorful and the portion is very satisfactory. The drinks are also really good, I specially liked the sangria.

Very tasty of the spicy miso and chili oil dumpling, our first try in SONO area already impressed us. The decoration also looks very modern and cool place. Highly recommended for the people who loves noodle like me !!

I have been to Mecha a few times and the only reason I am giving it 3 stars is because of the awkward interactions between workers/​management. The food is great (KFC buns!!!) but the interactions between employers is obviously strained and makes guests very uncomfortable.

We ordered two of the Steamed Bao… the «PORK BELLY» with hoison (sic), pickled daikon-​carrots, kewpie, cucumber, and the «KFC,» which was Korean fried chicken, gochujang, pickled daikon-​carrots, kewpie. For my main I ordered the «TONKOTSU,» pork ramen, chasu, spicy sprouts, egg, scallion, and my wife ordered the «PAITAN,» chicken ramen, black garlic, nori, scallion, egg, menma.
The pork belly bao arrived first, or should I say the twin baos; each order contained two buns, and they were petite. Each contained a thick slice of pork belly, which was topped with a slice of pickle a few slivered carrots plus a swath of kewpie (for those with MSG sensitivities be careful of kewpie). The flavors of the vegetables were fantastic, they were a perfect balance of tangy and bold. My complaints with the dish were the pork belly was 90% fat, much too fatty, with a scant amount of meat, and the bun was missing that pillowy texture, it was slightly hard and chewy in spots. I was even less enamored with the KFC. Again, it was a duet of baos and the chicken was miniscule, only slightly larger than the slick of cucumber, with much too much breading, the chicken itself was barely distinguishable, it was lost in the coating. The toppings were, like the pork belly, perfectly complementing to the chicken. I decided I wanted a little more heat and added a few drops of the Sriracha sauce. Again, the bun was not as soft as they should have been, crusted and chewy in spots.
The two large bowls of Ramen arrived after about a 15-​minute wait. After mixing all of the ingredients I tasted. It was full of a deep, rich flavor brimming with the essence of the stock evident in each bite. The noodles were perfectly prepared. The dish included three slices of the chasu and half a hard-​boiled egg. The chasu in the Ramen was a far cry from its counterpart in the bao. It contained a much higher ratio of meat to fat, and delivered a decent level of flavor and tenderness. The noodles were perfectly prepared and after it all cooled a bit I enjoyed the ramen immensely.
The Paitan was also delicious, although I only had a few tastes. The chicken was soft and still maintained a good level of flavor. The Paitan broth was true to its roots for being thick and opaque. It was also delicious, rich and almost creamy, much different from the Tonkatsu.

What a great find! Thanks Unilocal.We stopped for a quick lunch and had some wonderful soup. The service was quick and friendly. The décor was nice and very interesting.

Great atmosphere in the restaurant although it is pretty small place. They don’t take reservations, so if you go during primetime you will need to wait but it typically goes pretty quickly.
Food is great, the pork buns and red oil dumplings (our favorite) are very good. We usually get the tonkotsu but they have various types of Ramen and phở options.

OMG, Pork Belly Bao!
This place is good for lunch, happy hour, dinner, and late night snack… sometimes breakfast. I like the variety of Asian styles in their food, Phở from Vietnam, Ramen from Japan, but the Chinese Pork Belly Bao is 2^nd best I’ve ever tasted…(Best is in Charlotte… as my Asian relatives roll their eyes). As for noodles, I only get their Phở (haven’t gotten tired of it to move on to the Ramen), and they have the weird add-​ins only true Asian foodies would enjoy (tripe and tendon). Although not the most fantastic Phở soup recipe ever, it’s probably the best you can get in Southern CT (Yes that include Bridgeport).
Additionally, cocktails are actually pretty creative and good which makes this a good place for happy hour. And have I mentioned the Pork Belly Baos? Guess what, it’s $ 3 during happy hour.
Wait there is more! They occasionally have specials such as soft shell crab bao (I ordered 2), and giant prawns (the type you suck head and bite tail). So this place is worthy of praise.
Why only 4 stars??? 5 stars is reserved for the Phở stand in Vietnam.

Red Miso soup was excellent — I added bamboo and will try more spice the next time I get it (it’s spicy, but I like spicier). I went around 5p on a Sunday and it wasn’t too busy; when I left an hour later, the place was packed and a couple of groups were waiting outside.
I sat at the bar — Diego was cool to talk to and introduced me to soju, a smooth Korean liquor which reminded me of sake. Delicious. He said it was hard to get and they hope to make it better known. They have Nikka coffee grain whisky — I didn’t know there was such a thing! I will try it in the future.
Cool atmosphere and good happy hour specials.

Wow wow…
Its a new restaurant… fun ambience… Will get variety of foods… they were preparing the food in front of you only …its an open kitchen that’s amazing… food was delicious. service was so super… our waitress kat was wonderful .very helpful …
So let’s go, meet kat and have great food …

It’s the best phở you can find without having to drive into NYC. This location has a great comfortable fun ambiance. This restaurant is great for anyone including families.
I ordered the phở with shrimp and added bok Choy to my soup. It’s my comfort food stop for great noodles!

Awesome experience and fabulous food. Juan and team spin magic in the kitchen and at the bar. Awesome trendy and chill atmosphere. We’ve been to the Danbury location and Mecha is a great compliment to bring atmosphere to the cuisine. Tried the kimchi fried rice which they were able to substitute chicken with shrimp due to an allergy in the party. Growing up with a Korean mother, I know kimchi fried rice. They did awesome. Then had the red oil dumplings which were great with a bright tang from the vinegar. Then had phở which was amazing. Could be better than the Danbury location. Never took leftovers home due to noodles absorbing the broth but they did something I never expected. They separated the broth from the rest. Nice!
Don’t forget to try the Fever Tree Ginger Ale. So good!

Recently came here with 5 friends on a Friday night. They don’t take reservations and we were told there would be around a 20 minute wait, but lucky for us, 6 seats opened up at the bar while we were waiting. The space we had at the bar was actually larger than what we would have had at a regular table, so it all worked out pretty well. The ambiance is trendy, yet unpretentious.
We started with mushroom and pork baos. I had never tried one before and it turns out, they were great. I tried the shiitake bao and it was a shiitake portobello mushroom in a fluffy, doughy, bread. We then ordered ramen. They had about 5 or 6 options in total, but being a vegetarian, there was only one option for me. The ramen was great, everyone in my group thought so. The vegetarian one was sweeter (less salty) than I had before at other ramen places. The serving size was ample and I don’t think anyone in my group completely finished their meal.
I only took one star off for the drinks. They don’t have a ton of drink options. They have a small cocktail menu, sangria, beer, and sake. However, they have no soda and no diet beverages. Also, my friend ordered a bubble tea and the fruit at the bottom was larger than the straw, making it very frustrating and almost impossible for her to drink. This would be my only real critique of the restaurant. Other than that, I would definitely come back for more delicious ramen.

I met someone here for a business lunch on a Friday. We were greeted by a friendly staff and had a few choices for seating at the noodle bar. There are tables but they were full. This was our first visit and so the waitress helped us through the menu and came back shortly to answer questions and take our orders. We both enjoyed our selections however I thought the Ramon was more salty than I am used to. Although The place was pretty busy for lunch, our meals came after a short wait. The noise level was not bad at all and the seating was fine for our purposes.

Very hip with a youthful, energetic bar scene, the food is simple but tasty. Classic Vietnamese phở’s, Ramens and tasty additions. We sat at the bar though tables looked a bit crowded and the seats (stools) uncomfortable
Nice service and reasonable prices. But $ 9 for a draft beer?

So I have a complaint.
Why can’t Mecha be ALL OVER THE STATE?!
Because seriously, this place is so awesome. Loved everything about it. The good service with water refills galore. The KFC buns with sweet and spicy goodness.
The brussels sprouts which were NOT to be missed.
And then the ramen. Not too salty. Rich broth. Great noodles. What more could you ask for?
This place is a winner. I liked it better than the Fairfield location with some tables instead of just community tables.
Just go. No really. Stop reading and go.

We’re regulars at the Fairfield location and we were so happy that they opened one here in sono because it’s way closer! My friends and I ate here within the first week they opened. Appetizers were good but the servings got a tad smaller and pricier. The ramen was a huge disappointment. It was way too salty. Salty that I stopped eating after the 3^rd slurp. I thought it was just me but none of my friends enjoyed their ramen at all. It was a sad sad night for our group.
Hopefully, the broth will improve and the pork will be melt in your mouth soft again.
Thank goodness for the curry mazeman! It was delish as always–

Oh hello second Mecha Noodle Bar! So glad you are in SoNo! So tired of having to drive from Stamford to Fairfield or Bridgeport for a good bowl of phở.
This location has a bigger space, more seats, liking it! Food quality and portion is no different than Fairfield location. I had Phở Bo Vien and Tonkotsu ramen. Size and taste. awesome and delicious. Bar has high stools which is better than Fairfield, longer bar area too.
The only down side to this location is the parking situation. Gotta fight for that parking spot and pay for it… except Sunday. And one last down side, if you sit at the bar like I did, you would walk out smelling like what you ate. I really dislike when my hair and clothes smell like food after I walk out of a restaurant. But … watcha gonna do. One thing gotta give for good food. … I’ll be back!