Cha Pa's Noodles and Grill
I work around the Rockafeller area, and I had to walk towards the Midtown West for an errand during lunch. Near the area that I was in, I noticed this Vietnamese pho restaurant that didn’t have many people. Since it was cold outside and before I head back, I decided to check this out for lunch, considering it had some basic pho options. When I walked in, there were some solo diners who were scarfing their noodles fast, so I felt at ease that this was would be a quick lunch spot.
Ambiance & Service
The interior has not much to write home about. When I walked in, they seated me, and I ordered within 2 minutes. They knew I was here to dine and leave. Once I ordered my pho, it was literally out in less than a minute. I was in and out of this restaurant within 10 minutes, literally.
Food
They give you a small bowl of garnish which includes bean sprouts, jalapenos, mint leaves, and a wedge of lime.
The Pho Special ($16.50) came with round steak, well-done flank, brisket, soft tendon, and bible tripe. The soup was quite good and reminded me a bit of some family owned Vietnamese pho places in the greater Los Angeles area where there are many pho restaurants. They were a little shy with the quantity of meat, but all of it tasted pretty much what I expected. The noodles were a little on the al dente side, which I thought was fine as I prefer them to have just a slight firmness to them. In all, this pho was surprisingly good!
Final Verdict
For a very fast lunch spot, check this pho place out if you’re around the 52nd and 8th ave area. The menu looks pretty extensive, so I would not be surprise if I came back again and tried something else.
Yelp Jabs
We requested for boiling hot soup but our soup was not even hot enough to cook the thin meat instantaneously.
You don’t need to have boiling soup to cook the meat. Many people that eat pho regularly prefer the brisket meat to be on the rarer side, and the soup is hot enough where it will gradually cook the meat to a certain point.
The broth itself was savory but much too salty.
I thought the broth was seasoned fine, and I don’t particularly enjoy super salty foods. The restaurant definitely added just a little more salt to the soup to cater to the general population in NYC, but I did not feel it was excessively salty. It was quite decent once you eat it with the noodles. In most pho places, I do end up drinking a lot of water, so it’d be hard press to find much pho broth anywhere that wasn’t salty.
Revisions
- Jan 25, 2023 - Initial revision.