I can see the roof of their building from my home which isn't *exactly* why we're there every other week but certainly helps! On our pandemic "Friday-is-take-out" nights, OBA has been a mainstay which is to say we've had a LOT of their soups and sides and been very happy. Daughter loves their beef noodle soup for the intense taste and melt-in-your-mouth beef. I'm a fan of their Wonton and Egg Noodle with broth. I just had the aha moment a week ago to add a side order of wontons to my dinner and I kept putting them into the soup. Really good idea. And I was really really full and kind of regretting it later because we also ordered the cucumber salad (so good) and another side (maybe the yummy crispy bok choy) and had Thai Iced Tea. Had to be airlifted away from the dining room table. The space inside is small so if you're thinking about eating in, make sure that you're comfortable with the proximity to people (the three tables are properly spaced but it's still a small place.) They've done a great job about setting up their take-out and hygiene, etc. You can feel good about going in. **oh and last summer we tried their (fresh) watermelon slush which was amazing and refreshing plus nice to walk along the Exeter waterfront boardwalk with drink in hand. read more

Service people are always super pleasant, food is excellent, and free pens are high quality! I love that there are three vegan main options. One thing to be aware of is that their spiciness scale is a bit intense--I'm usually one to order medium spice but the OBA mild is sufficient. Overall, 10/10 restaurant. Thank you, OBA!!! read more

Awesome scallion pancakes and vegetable dumplings! The sauces they use are so good and unique! My boyfriend ordered the vegetable noodle bowl and their spice levels go from a level 1-5. He went with a 3 and it was VERY spicy. To be fair the owner warned him haha. But it was so delicious. Definitely glad this spot opened up downtown. Will be back for sure! read more

Just ok Pricy for lunch Clean Good service Cucumber salad just fair, chunks of cucs Won't return read more

Oh my goodness! Noodle lovers dream. This place is delicious. I had the Thai noodle soup and the broth was complex and full of flavor. Not salty at all! Beautiful fresh veggies and rice noodles. Can't wait to have this again. I also got the shrimp chips. So so good! As others have said this place is tiny BUT the staff works fast and efficiently to clean the tables and turns them fast. They were great. read more

I'm surprised by the reviews. The food was average. Ramen is more than just a soup. Ramen's defined by the noodles and the broth. The noodles didn't seem to be hand made--that's fine, but the broth was flat. Just flat. It had no depth. It lacked flavor. It was the very definition of average. And to add injury to insult, overpriced. Ramen + appetizer + ice tea shouldn't be more than $20. Before Oba, we'd go down to Boston to get hand-made Ramen. For that we'd expect to pay a bit of a premium. I would not call this premium ramen but they are charging premium prices for average ramen. Disappointing as I would love to have a local ramen house to go to. read more

Outstanding food, duck, crab rangoon, and dumplings were all top notch as was the service. I would say that medium spice is about as hot as I would dare, next time I'll go mild. I cant wait to go again. read more

So many great things to say about this little place ! Their food is clearly made with so much love and talent, even takeout is as delicious as dine in !! They take the time to assemble your ramen bowl in one container without the broth and a second container with the broth so it all stays just as fresh and warm as it would be in person ! Staff is so kind. read more

Very tasty! Large portion Odon noodle soup with kimchi. Quality was great. Now the critique: no lunch menu, $16 for noodle soup at lunch is too much. Need to set a lunch menu as noodle bar is typically a lunch place and IMHO Exetonians will not spend $40 for 2 to eat lunch. "Noodle Bar" in bigger cities are cheap eats. Best of luck ! read more

Delightful. I ordered two dinners and accidentally ate both meals before my friend noticed... The staff is very patient when I'd like to try something new. It is easy to ask questions. This is a sure bet the food is awesome, quick, and easy. I recommend OBA to travelers because of the convenience and quality. Thank you! read more

The food here is delicious! I got the Duck Vermicelli dish as I am Gluten Free. I mentioned to the waitress and she was very helpful, explaining which dishes I could eat. I had her choose which dish I should get and I'm glad I did! The duck was awesome and the noodles had a great sauce on them. I also got the crispy Bok Choy which I had never had before and now I can't wait to eat it again. We got the pineapple sherbet for dessert and it comes served in a carved out pineapple. So awesome! read more

We love this place! Delicious everything- appetizers, soup, noodles, yummy mango sorbet for dessert. Such friendly staff, also. This is a great spot! read more

My husband and I are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary and we wanted to try something different. My husband loves ramen and wanted to try the "real" stuff. After searching around our area for places we came across Oba. We definitely were not disappointed. Friendly staff, clean dining, pleasant atmosphere and HOT, FRESH, FOOD! It's a bit pricey but well worth the money. We will definitely be going back! read more

Very cute restaurant and pleasant staff. The food was very good but a little expensive for lunch.

An hour and 40 min for 3 take out noodle dishes is unacceptable! Food was ok at best. Was really hoping it would be one of our new favorite restaurants.... but fell short in so many ways. I'll stick with the 2 great Thai restaurants in town instead. read more

I've eaten here 2x and have been underwhelmed both times. Most recently I ordered the veggie noodle bowl, which was supposed to be squash noodles. When I noticed I got cellophane noodles instead, the waitress seemed surprised that I questioned the ingredients. It was only ok. My husband got the pork noodle bowl and his pork was very fatty and grisly. The scallion pancake and fried kale were both except. Honestly, I'm surprised by all the 5 star reviewers here. read more

We ordered take out from OBA and were very happy with the quality of the food. We tried 2 different soups, the OBA super noodle and the Thai noodle soup, one with chicken and one with tofu. Very delicious. The ingredients were fresh, the broth tasty and the quantity perfect for a main dish. For starters, we had the cucumber salad, shrimp chips and crispy bok choy. Nothing was too spicy. We would definitely recommend this place and will return. The price is a little high for a small town, but based on the quality of the food and other comparable restaurants in Exeter, I'd say it's worth it. read more

Very nice service. Good food. No your run of the mill Thai restaurant. Cozy atmosphere. A bit pricey but good sized portions and delicious!

Honestly one of the better noodle places I've been to. I went here two days ago with the joys and we all enjoyed it. The prices were a bit high but it was all worth it. The food quality and service was outstanding compared to other places i've been to. read more

The noodles were great, the scallion pancakes were delicious, and the service was terrific!

Love this place -- make it a priority to stop at least once a week. Service is fast and friendly and the food is delicious. Lots of excellent gluten free food options and some nice local beers for the non-GF in your party. Oba's Tom Yum on the specials menu is my go-too. Tons of pork and the broth is perfectly spicy delicious! read more

This was really fast and tasted great! I got takeout and had the duck noodles. I look forward to going back and eating in. read more

Yum! The ramen here is yummy. It's a very small place but cute and the energy is great the food is AWESOME!!

My new favorite spot! The crispy duck ramen was just that and somehow remained crispy even in the broth. Scaling pancakes were some of the best I've ever had and the gyoza are super tasty! 10/10 would recommend checking out this place if you are in the area. Soup was a large portion and I love that you have options for how spicy you like it. Everything was delicious!! read more

Unable to actually give a review as I haven't eaten there (yet). Attempted to go for lunch Monday, as I'd heard they get crowded for dinner. Got there - only to find out they were closed. The website says "Open 7 days a week" and lists the hours as 11-3 on Mondays... disappointing start to something I was greatly anticipating. read more

OBA Noodle Bar - Noodles Near Me - Exeter, New Hampshire

It was okay. My daughter brought me in for Mother's day as I thought it would be a nice change of pace. First things first. We were greeted and seated right away. The restaurant is small/cozy but it wasn't busy. I could see it being uncomfortable if there were a lot of people in, but that wasn't the case while we were in. We ordered the crispy Bok Choy as an appetizer and although I have never had crispy Bok Choy before, I read another review someone posted reaching about it and they were %100 correct! It was FANTASTIC!! I could have sat there all day eating Bok Choy! It was delicious. For the main I ordered the Thai noodle soup with chicken and that's when things went south for me. I was just a little disappointed with the lack of flavor. For an almost $14 bowl of soup you'd think it would have a little more umph to it. My daughter ordered something from the special board with dumplings. The dumplings were amazing and stuffed with delicious goodness. The broth of her soup however was not very good in my opinion. I love that there is a Noodle Bar in our beautiful historic downtown. I hope that they put some different flavors on the menu and that things come together for them. read more

A fantastic hole in the wall restaurant, just what Exeter needed, the owner is really nice and the food is great. Comfort food done right!

Food is fantastic, we have eaten there a couple times and it been great ! I'm literally obsessed with their cucumber salad !

I was on the hunt for a Tom Yum noodle bowl. The only option was some Super Noodle bowl for $21.95. They are not very flexible for a noodle bar. You would figure they could produce a Tom Yum bowl for a lunch. The place is alright, people seem nice. I just cannot justify spending that much on a noodle bowl. Maybe you should let diners choose the broth, the noodles and the protein without having to spend $21.95 for a bowl, plus a drink and a tip. And please put out some chili oil or garlic chili sauce so people can spice it up. That should be at every single table. read more

Good little restaurant. The veggies and food tasted very fresh, although it somewhat lacked a little bit of flavor. Still was a great meal though, very filling read more

This place is absolutely fantastic! The staff is very friendly and the food is absolutely delicious! it is very refreshing having something new and different in downtown Exeter! If you're a vegetarian I would highly recommend the soy nuggets it is one of my favorites. I would recommend to anyone. read more

Sooooo good. I'll be back often. Get the pork bun for sure. Tiny and cozy with great service. Specials change often and have yet to have one I didn't love. I will definitely be a frequent visitor to Oba. read more

Excellent food. The broth is the best part. Fast service and top quality food. Only thing that would make it better is an option to create your own bowl. read more

Wonderful food, cute place and sweet people. They've done a great job tightening up the service pace, so my review is updated to five stars. Check it out! read more

So great that there's now a REAL place to get real ramen in Exeter. I was going all the way to kittery before. Our food was super tasty and fresh. Will be frequenting this place! read more

Casual, cozy spot for yummy noodles. The staff is kind and always remembers us. The green curry noodle soup is so good that my husband and I get it at least once a week. It's on par with anything we've had in Boston. I've also come here alone and read a book while enjoying a nice hot bowl of soup on a cold winter day. Really lovely place. read more

We just had the best relaxing dinner in this Exeter restaurant. The food was amazing and just what we were looking for on a cold winter's evening. The woman who served us made the whole experience so enjoyable. She was charming, warm and very professional. We thoroughly enjoyed Oba Noodle Bar and would highly recommend it. read more

Very delicious ramen! Service was top notch and the dining room has nice ambience. Prices are high but it is a unique food style for this area. read more

Family friendly and great food. Authentic Thai noodle bowls and apps. Price is right for great quality food. Service is amazing! Nicki and his team are so hospitable. You may recognize this team from 5 Thai Bistro in Portsmouth as it's the same owners and chef. Exeter is lucky to finally have an authentic noodle bar. read more

Tried the Wonton and Egg Noddle-delicious with or without broth. Got it to go without the broth but they were kind enough to give me broth on the side. Highly recommended. Can't wait to try the other menu items. read more