Mecha Noodle Bar
Noodle shop · Capital City Market ·
Asian comfort food, ramen, pho, bubble tea, cocktails
Asian comfort food, ramen, pho, bubble tea, cocktails
"Union Market has exploded in the last couple of years with ultra-buzzy restaurants run by celebrity chefs with impossible-to-get tables. Mecha is different, as it’s one of the most casual places in the district, where it’s easy to pop in for a quick lunch or a low-key dinner. The best seats in the house are at the bar, underneath an installation of wooden beams that look like ramen noodles. We like to start with the roasted mushroom dumplings and the small but satisfying unagi handroll, followed by the vegan Kinoko ramen or the classic spicy beef loaded with vegetables. If the bowls don’t fill you up, try the General Tso’s shrimp, coated in coconut flakes and sweet chili." - madeline weinfield
"A Connecticut chain making its debut in the mid-Atlantic, Mecha is a high-energy hangout for ramen, pho, spiked bubble teas, and glass beakers full of beer. Non-bowl options include raw fish, cooked eel, and pickled vegetable-filled hand rolls or steamed bao stuffed with Korean fried chicken, pork belly, or shiitake mushrooms. Plenty of the “munchies” are half off during weekday happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m., including sweet-and-sour spare ribs, crab rangoon dip, Japanese curry-topped poutine, and mushroom dumplings." - Emily Venezky
"This Connecticut-born ramen shop just touched down in Union Market this year with plenty of interesting beverages, from spiked bubble tea to colorful cocktails made with shochu and plum wine. Adding some warmth to the current season are drinks like the Grow A Pear, with Elijah Craig bourbon, St. George spiced pear liqueur, amaro, honey, ginger, and fresh lemon, and a non-alcoholic sipper called With a Cherry on Top, made with cranberry-rosemary shrub, ginger, lime, orgeat, and club soda." - Emily Venezky
"A high-energy hangout for ramen, pho, spiked bubble teas, fast-dispensing sakes, and glass beakers full of beer touched down in the Union Market district in May. The Connecticut-born chain’s first mid-Atlantic locale, situated at the foot of the Edison apartments, sends out colorful cocktails made with everything from Japanese-made gin, yuzu, shochu, and plum wine to Mexican agave spirits. A “cheap thrills” happy hour is full of weekday discounts on bao and sake bombs." - Tierney Plumb
"This Connecticut-based chain just landed in the Union Market area serving a menu of bao, phở, ramen, bubble tea, and cocktails for lunch and dinner every day. We visited Mecha Noodle Bar and added it to the Hit List." - omnia saed, tristiana hinton
