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Located on a busy stretch of Mott Street in Chinatown, this Vietnamese noodle shop specializes in the titular Pho Bang, a clear broth featuring beef and rice noodles that you season yourself with a series of sauces scattered across your tabletop. Appetizers include the proverbial spring and summer rolls dipped in peanut sauce, and main courses feature all the inevitable rice and vermicelli dishes with grilled or sliced meat, as well as Com Tay Câm, a Vietnamese rice dish served in a clay pot that’s perfect for cold winter nights. A glorified soup kitchen, Pho Bang nevertheless makes for an exotic eating adventure in Manhattan's most frenetic neighborhood. — Andy Bailey

Pho Bang (extra large bowl), $6.50; summer roll (shrimp, pork and vegetables), $4.50