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Bua Thai Ramen & Robata Grill

4.0
4
145 Reviews
$30 and under
Thai
Come to explore and experience Thai Cooking style that you might never have it before.

Make a reservation

2 people

7:00 PM


Booked 27 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Options

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  • Logo image for Postmates
  • Logo image for Uber Eats

Additional information

What 145 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.0
4 based on recent ratings
  • 4.1Food
  • 3.7Service
  • 3.8Ambience
  • 3.7Value

NoiseModerate

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  1. A

    Amanda

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 24, 2022

    overall2food2service4ambience3
    My food was mushy and bland. I ordered the equivalent of drunken noodles and dumplings. The dumplings we ordered came out in 1 minute and it was luke-warm. also had to replace my noodles because they were so bad! The peppers were raw and the flavor of the mock duck was bland. The tofu bao buns that I replaced it with was a little better than the noodle dish but overall, extremely poor quality. Very disappointed
  2. PD

    PrithiD

    Houston

    4 reviews

    4.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on November 18, 2022

    overall4food4service4ambience2
    4 stars for food, 2.5 stars for atmosphere, vibe, etc. I'll start with the negative. The place is stunning but in the back where we were seated was super cramped and we were packed in like cattle. On top of that, the staff were rearranging chairs and tables almost the whole time we were there to the point where we had to constantly shift in our seats to avoid being bumped by a person or chair. And the staff were also yelling at each other over all the other patrons trying to figure out how to literally pack more people in. As we looked around, it was clear many others were not enjoying their experience either. We picked this place based on reviews and because it was a 2 minute walk from the Comic Strip Live where we were going for a show. We had a 6:15 reservation. The postive was the food. Reasonable prices, nice portions that could be shared. The one miss for us was the baked crab hand roll. Not a ton of flavor. The crispy rice with spicy tuna and green curry with chicken were wonderful. Three drinks between us and our total tab was around $80. Nice prices for NYC...
  3. J

    Jeannette

    Minneapolis

    19 reviews

    5.0

    19 reviews

    Dined on November 15, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    The menu at Bua Thai Ramen provides a large selection of delightful choices. The food is tasty. The service is top-notch!
  4. TM

    TanakaM

    New York Area

    3 reviews

    2.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on October 16, 2022

    overall2food2service2ambience3
    We ordered Calamari and Thom Kha Ghai. Those were very good. That was the end of our positive experience, the Fried Rice Special was salty and the Japanese Curry had a very strange consistency almost gooey. We ordered Bao Buns and they were ice cold, I asked for new ones and they still came out cold. We tried the Taro Brulee which turned out to be scrambled and douses in condensed milk with cool whip on the side. Not a great dinner. Bought dinner next door on our way home.
  5. RC

    RoseC

    Cincinnati

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 2, 2022

    overall4food4service4ambience3
    Great food & presentation. Will eat there again!
  6. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    2 reviews

    1.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on September 23, 2022

    overall1food4service1ambience2
    Good main dishes - ramens and noodles. Appetizers such as sweet potato tempura and Asian taro were terrible. Service was abysmal so will not return considering all the other Thai restaurants in the area.
  7. TT

    TabathaT

    New York Area

    5 reviews

    1.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on August 13, 2022

    overall1food1service3ambience1
    I don’t usually post negative reviews, but this place was a real disappointment. THE SEATING: I understand small restaurants and tight seating, but packing guests like sardines is just disrespectful. We were initially placed inside but quickly asked to be moved outside because it was nearly pitch black, hot and like I said, claustrophobically packed. Outside was only slightly better, but hope you don’t get seated next to loud, obnoxious neighbors. THE FOOD: The food is NOT freshly prepared AT ALL. All of it arrived barely warm. We had pork and duck buns. The buns were cold, the meat luke warm to cold. The noodles were different levels of moist - some areas were somewhat dried because… not prepared fresh. Even the broth that came with the noodles and meat which was supposed to cook or warm the food, was NOT HOT. Finally, I asked for NO cilantro (not knowing the food was pre-prepared) and realized after getting little cilantro surprises in my food, that they must have plucked out whatever was visible before it was served to me. I do not understand all the great reviews at all. They lead me to a miserable birthday dinner, which I smiled through and made the best of. You have been warned.
  8. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    3 reviews

    1.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on August 10, 2022

    overall1food1service1ambience1
    Restaurant confirmed reservation and was closed when arrived.
  9. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on July 16, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great food, great owners !
  10. J

    Janice

    San Francisco

    10 reviews

    3.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on July 2, 2022

    overall3food3service4ambience3
    I should’ve listened to the other reviews about this place. Indoor seating was terrible. We were basically seated shoulder to shoulder with other guests. The food was nothing special. Do people come here for the ambiance? I had the chicken pad see ew and my date had the Bua fried rice. There were NATS FLYING EVERYWHERE. So it’s hard to enjoy your food when you’re swatting away at bugs. My white sangria was way too strong, it might as well have been a shot. The piña colada was just ok. I don’t think I’ll be returning here again.
  11. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on June 24, 2022

    overall5food5service3ambience2
    Amazing food! Deff rushed us through our meal but food was excellent!
  12. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on June 23, 2022

    overall5food5service4ambience4
    My in-dining experience was excellent. However, I placed an order to go (I loved it so much) and the food order was partially wrong and not the same excellence/quality. Next time I will check the order before leaving the restaurant to correct any mistakes prior to leaving. Otherwise, I’d highly recommend.
  13. GC

    GenistaC

    New York Area

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on June 18, 2022

    overall3food3service3ambience4
    Overall average experience. They made us wait over 30mins with a reservation. One of the waitresses kept offering us outdoor seating, even though we insisted we were not interested. After waiting 30 plus mins at the bar, and having the worst calamari I’ve endured, we were seated in at a tiny table in the middle of two couples, literally felt like I was a part of their dates. We asked to go back to the bar, only to be told we could sit at the back! To our surprise the entire back of the restaurant was available and free. Not sure why they were not utilizing it, but it’s definitely in poor taste to have customers wait for tables and you have free tables. Food was average, nothing I would write home about. Drinks were great. Very pretty aesthetic, and chill vibe.
  14. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on June 5, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Pina colada is amazing. One of the must haves. Pineapple Fried rice was really good and you can eat it all in one setting. Crispy duck is tender to the bone best ever.
  15. AC

    AC24

    New York Area

    17 reviews

    5.0

    17 reviews

    Dined on June 5, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Bua is great!! The food is delicious and is priced well! I love that they offer outdoor seating, however, there are too many tables outside and therefore it's a bit cramped! The table next to us was about 4 inches away from our table! It felt like we were all dining together. Other than that, I can't wait to go back to Bua!!
  16. VI

    VICKY

    New York Area

    9 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on May 31, 2022

    overall5food5service4ambience4
    Efficient service. Food and drinks were excellent.
  17. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    St. Louis

    3 reviews

    2.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on May 29, 2022

    overall2food2service1ambience2
    Food and was delivered quickly but that’s the only thing I can say was better than expected.
  18. WW

    WhitWhit

    New York Area

    5 reviews

    2.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on May 26, 2022

    overall2food2service2ambience3
    The temperature of the food wasn’t great. When I told them they heated it up in the “microwave “ I’m assuming because I didn’t receive a new dish. The soy garlic edamame was good.
  19. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on May 22, 2022

    overall5food5service4ambience4
    First time there and the food was amazing
  20. DO

    DukeOfDining

    New York Area

    31 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    31 reviews

    Dined on May 17, 2022

    overall3food3service2ambience3
    Foods good, Service is just eh.
  21. KC

    KCHS

    New York Area

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 14, 2022

    overall2food2service2ambience3
    Did not enjoy the pork belly buns or the chicken buns.
  22. k

    kavithac

    Toronto

    11 reviews

    3.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on May 13, 2022

    overall3food3service2ambience2
    The food is average. Too loud. Staff wants to turn over tables as soon as possible.
  23. PK

    PremK

    New York Area

    8 reviews

    4.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on May 8, 2022

    overall4food4service4ambience3
    Food was great! The service was great too! To dine during the day it was pretty dark
  24. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    7 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on May 1, 2022

    overall5food4service4ambience5
    This place was wonderful, will be returning.
  25. TC

    TroyC

    New York Area

    8 reviews

    3.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on April 28, 2022

    overall3food3service2ambience2
    I heard about this place for its food and drinks. So this made me want to try it out and I did. However, the ambiance is low here. Dinning area is moderate dark to be serving food. I had uninvited guests at my table which was flies. That's not a good sign. The tables are too close to other guests. Which made me feel somewhat uncomfortable with covid still going on. They were training a new person at the time and was submitting food & beverages orders to the wrong table multiple times. The food itself was decent, tasted fresh, but the flies was too overwhelming for me, so I had to take my food to go. I just hope that Bua can fix the lighting and fly issues right away.
  26. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Montreal

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 23, 2022

    overall3food3service3ambience4
    Food was a bit disappointing, not as authentic as i would have liked. Menu had food from all across Asia and perhaps too scattered.
  27. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    17 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    17 reviews

    Dined on April 15, 2022

    overall4food5service4ambience2
    Good excellent. Noise/music simply too loud. Impossible to communicate with servers and within our party.
  28. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 9, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Always love coming here
  29. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 3, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    The pineapple fried rice with Pork Belly is Highly Recommended. The pìna colada inside an actual Pineapple Was Spot on !! 5/5 stars definitely will be coming back more often .
  30. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on March 16, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    My Youngest daughter’s 20th birthday. We have been a few times before. And it’s always amazing I have seen a few negative reviews. During the pandemic were they had to replace some of the staff and of course they bumped heads. But this place overall is definitely delicious and worth a visit. Not saying this because I am a regular. The food and ramen are absolutely incredible
  31. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 26, 2022

    overall2food2service3ambience4
    The manager was extremely rude and unprofessional to us and the staff. The food is very mediocre and overpriced.
  32. SR

    StephenR

    New York Area

    21 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    21 reviews

    Dined on February 19, 2022

    overall3food4service2ambience1
    Patrons were seated shoulder to shoulder. Terribly unsafe during Covid. The health department should correct the situation.
  33. SK

    SuchitaK

    New York Area

    6 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on February 18, 2022

    overall1food4service1ambience1
    Terrible service. Extremely rude staff.
  34. JV

    JimmyV

    New York Area

    3 reviews

    2.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on February 15, 2022

    overall2food3service2ambience1
    Thais restaurant die teveel verwesterd is helaas.. eten was wel oké maar wat een chaos daarbinnen
  35. B

    Biba

    New York Area

    15 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    15 reviews

    Dined on February 6, 2022

    overall3food5service1ambience3
    The service was awful! We had a reservation and we had to wait and then we were told that there were no tables available, just outside. We stay outside, not to wait any longer. We had our own bottle of wine and we asked to uncork it several times. They did it only after all the food was out and they did not bring glasses at first! Also we had to ask for napkins and chopsticks. The food was not brought out for all of us at the same time so one of us was finished when another still had to start. They also did not bring all the food we ordered. When we told them, they tried to argue with us as if we were not telling the truth. They did not apologize for the abysmal service nor offered any discount. It’s a shame because the food was very good, but we won’t be back.
  36. BM

    BrandonM

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on February 3, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Good food and service
  37. F

    Fatima

    New York Area

    3 reviews

    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on February 1, 2022

    overall3food3service3ambience2
    The seating arrangements tonight did not make sense. Everyone was seated on top of each other and it made for an uncomfortable experience. The food was lackluster and did not taste the same as it did a year ago. The pad thai lacked so much flavor and basic salt. The thai ramen however was flavorful. My only complaint is the price and value for the soup is astonishing. $30 and I received 2 head on shrimp is absolutely ridiculous! The drinks are really good but of course can use a bit more alcohol for the price. The waiters are only upbeat when its time to pay.
  38. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 15, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Currently my favorite restaurant on the UES. Food and drinks are phenomenal and reasonably priced.
  39. N

    Nickyoxford

    New York Area

    7 reviews

    2.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on December 25, 2021

    overall2food4service1ambience2
    Very disappointing, the server was rude and the experience not great. Happy to leave!
  40. TB

    TimB

    New York Area

    8 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on December 17, 2021

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    GREAT FOOD In a FUNKY ATMOSPHERE .....................

FAQs

Bua Thai Ramen & Robata Grill does offer delivery in partnership with Chow Now, Postmates and Uber Eats.

Bua Thai Ramen & Robata Grill is rated 4 stars by 145 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

7:00 PM


Booked 27 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Options

  • Logo image for ChowNow
  • Logo image for Postmates
  • Logo image for Uber Eats
Google Map for Bua Thai Ramen & Robata Grill

1611 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10028

Additional information

  • Neighborhood

    Upper East Side

  • Hours of operation

    Mon–Thu 11:30 am–10:30 pm Fri, Sat 12:00 pm–11:30 pm Sun 12:00 pm–10:30 pm

  • Cuisines

    Thai, Unspecified

  • Dining style

    Casual Dining

  • Dress code

    Casual Dress

  • Parking details

    None

  • Payment options

    AMEX, MasterCard, Visa

  • Additional

    Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Wine

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