Walk into Mecha Noodle Bar and you almost immediately get the vibe of “here, let us feed you.” With friendly faces, clever décor and welcoming food and drink, that isn’t by chance. The “Mecha” of Mecha Noodle Bar is Vietnamese for “Mom & Pop” and that’s certainly what comes across from the beginning to end of the dining experience.
When we walked in, there were two or three people keeping to themselves at the bar, happily hunched over their steaming bowls of noodles, slurping as they are supposed to do. There was a group of friends at a big table laughing over after-work drinks and happy hour specials. A couple conversed over what I’m betting were awkward first date questions. A couple of guys sat catacorner from each other at a four-top, so as to allow space for their long limbs to stretch out. My husband and I? We sat side-by-side against the wall to take in the whole scene and to watch the restaurant get busier and busier as the evening progressed. It was great people-watching. The only thing better was the food.
About Mecha Noodle Bar
The restaurant was founded by two childhood friends, Tony Pham, son of Vietnamese immigrants and Rich Reyes, who immigrated from the Dominican Republic at the age of four. The two come by their love of restaurants naturally. Pham grew up in his family’s restaurant, learning a variety of skills. At NYU, he and Rich ran a pop-up dorm room restaurant, a preview of things to come. Rich was raised in his family’s Spanish deli. After owning his own restaurant, Mezón, he partnered with Tony to open the first Mecha in 2013.
There are 11 Mecha Noodle Bar locations across six states. The restaurants all have a mission implemented through their nonprofit organization, Eat Justice, to which they donate .50 from every ramen bowl sold to local charities, raising nearly $1 million by the end of 2024. Each month, a different community organization is the recipient.
Our experience at Mecha Noodle Bar
Drinks:
We started with the One Way Ticket ($15) from the cocktail menu. It had roku, elderflower, lavender, fresh lemon and mint, garnished with a delicate sprig of lavender. It was delicious and enjoyable to drink in its coupe glass.
Strawberry Matcha Bubble Tea ($14/$8 if not spiked) contains strawberry matcha, coconut milk and mizu green tea. I didn’t mix up the drink but should have. The strawberry part at the bottom was so good, I just sipped away happily on that which left the green tea, which was a little too bitter. Together, they would have been great.
Starters:
I’m a freak for Bao so, naturally, we had to try one of each ($6-$7): Shitake (moist and flavorful), KFC (classic Korean fried chicken with ideal crunch to doughiness ratio), Smash Burger (if you get it, eat it first while it’s still hot because it’s really lackluster if it’s not) and Pork Belly (a “must” with perfect sweet-savory stickiness).
Hand Rolls ($7 each). We had the Spicy Salmon with mango sambal, chili panko and Thai basil and Kani with yuzo, pickled daikon-carrots and togarashi. Both had great flavor and texture, especially the Salmon, but are awkward to eat. Too much for one chomp, biting them in two leads to major spillage so at least eat over your plate and apologize to your dining companions for the mess on your face and hands – it’s worth it.
Red Oil Dumplings ($14) feature pork, shrimp, Sichuan vinegar and cilantro. The texture was meaty with the right amount of firmness. The flavor was complex but comforting with enough heat to excite but not overwhelm. I’ll be ordering these every time I return to Mecha Noodle Bar, guaranteed.
Miso Caesar ($11) was one of our favorites of the night. I could happily make a meal of this salad and maybe a Bao. While the overall flavor is certainly reminiscent of a traditional Caesar salad, it’s made so much better with napa cabbage instead of Romaine, white miso, chili panko (think crumbles of crouton that won’t break a tooth) and crispy Asian anchovies that, at first, freaked me out a bit. The teeny, tiny, curved fish sub for the usual filets. Once I got past the “stop-looking-at-me-fishies!” factor, they were great – the perfect level of umami countering the creamy dressing and mild cabbage.
Main Dishes:
Laos Crispy Pork ($23) is a make-it-your-own plate. Pork belly, sticky rice, pickled daikon and spicy cucumbers are in their own portions on the plate, with the shoyu jalapeno and jeow som sauce in the middle. Our server told us some people like to dip each, individual item in the sauce, making their way around the dish. Others like to spear some of this and some of that together. And yet others remove the dish of sauce, combine everything on the plate and pour the sauce over it. We did the second option of some of this and some of that because we enjoyed focusing on each item’s flavor.
Super Pho Sizzle ($25) confused us a bit at first. It was served with a separate plate of juicy, tantalizing New York Strip and chimichurri sauce with marrow oil for extra richness plus basil, sprouts and a wedge of lime. That was supposed to be added to the bowl of pho which we didn’t quite catch onto at first because the steak plate was so beautiful, it looked like its own dish. But it was, indeed, to mix in. A roasted bone marrow is available as an add-on, just one of the extra options including tofu, meatballs, tripe, greens and others. The leftovers of this dish were especially good the next day!
Dessert:
Bonnie’s Banana Pudding lived up to being in the Happy Endings category (along with night caps). Vanilla pudding and ube are mixed with vanilla wafers and banana chips for a treat that took me right back to my mom’s version – but made so much better and in a lovely shade of ube purple at that! Sorry, mom, I have a new favorite.
Mecha Noodle Bar does a great job of taking the basics and amping them up just enough to make them special but not overly fussy, or trying too hard. Portions are hearty, prices are fair for what you get, the food is full of flavor and varied textures, and the service is warm. We’ll definitely be back, including for Happy Hour, Monday-Friday from 3-6pm (love those expanded hours) where select items of baos, bites, and beverages are half off and are for dine-in only.
Mecha is located at 2801 Walnut Street in Denver. Visit them on their website, here.
-Story and photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough, Publisher & Managing Editor, InGoodTasteDenver.com
Please note, we were hosted at Mecha Noodle Bar to help facilitate this article. However, as is always the case with the writers and editors of In Good Taste Denver, that doesn’t sway our commitment to providing our readers with an honest and objective opinion of our experience there. To learn more, visit our Partner With Us page.
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