Soya Noodle Bar

Soya Noodle Bar is an Asian fusion restaurant new to Setubal as of summer 2025, but it is not new to Portugal. They are an expanding family-run chain with five locations around the country including in Cascais, Algés, Carcavelos, and now here in Setubal.

The location is ideal, right along the harbor and close to the beach at Rockalot. The presence of this new restaurant also adds something different to a stretch that is almost exclusively otherwise fish joints. 

The menu at Soya Noodle Bar focuses heavily on Thai dishes, including curries, pad thai, pad see ew, and others. However, it is not exclusively a Thai menu — with other options including ramen, gyoza, and bibimbap.

It is, without a doubt, so very welcome to have a new Asian restaurant in Setubal. However, the dishes feel like they are playing it too safe. They lack the myriad of flavors and complexities that a true Thai (or Korean or Japanese) dish has. At the very least, they lack spice. However, they also lack other distinct flavors such as lemongrass. 

This is not to say the dishes are not good, they are certainly pleasant enough. But if you’ve ever been to Thailand, or had more authentic Thai food, keep your expectations in check. This restaurant is creating Asian dishes to please the Portuguese palette. 

While I do not know where the chefs working in the kitchen at the Setubal locations are from, I did chat with the owner who is of Chinese origin. 

My group shared a starter of the vegetarian gyoza — which I highly recommend. For mains, I had the pad see ew, my friend the pad thai, and a third friend ordered the sweet potato noodles. The dishes were all a good size. Every dish can be customized to be served with chicken, beef, shrimp, or vegetarian. 

Beyond the food, the space is very well appointed. The outdoor area is bright and colorful and not too crowded. There is plenty of space between tables so it doesn’t feel too crowded nor too noisy. The entire outdoor seating area is covered over with umbrellas. Inside there are only a few tables — at least for now, they have not yet been open at this location through a winter. We dined here on a Saturday night and arrived around 7:30. We were seated immediately and though the restaurant was full throughout our meal there was never a line. While their popularity continues to increase, at the moment I do not believe a reservation is necessary. 

The staff are friendly — some of them speak English — and the service is quick. There was a mistake on the menu where one wine was marked as vinho verde when it was in fact a white wine. We pointed this out to them and they mentioned that they had noticed the error earlier, but hadn’t done anything about it yet — hopefully they will. 

For dessert we had the mango sticky rice as well as a chocolate mochi. The mochi was perfectly decadent and delicious and I’d recommend it as well as the gyoza starter as the two standout dishes.  

Overall, Soya Noodle Bar is an excellent addition to the Setubal restaurant scene and it will be exciting to visit again as they continue to expand their menu (I’ve heard rumors from a very reliable source of the eventual addition of pho). If you’re looking for something a bit different for dinner, at a decent price, in a great location, Soya Noodle Bar is the perfect choice.