Since 2011, Nud Pob has been the restaurant of choice for many at Boston University. This pillar of BU’s campus is a haven for all demographics seen at at the university — from frat boys coming in after their recruitment events to busy-looking grad students trying to get in a quick meal and get out.
Come and people-watch at this hub of fast pad thai and faster students during their peak dinner hours:
(Possible) Frat Boy Trio — 6:56pm
Three frat-boy seeming men enter the Nud Pob and thoroughly debate what to order from the menu. Veggie Fried Rice is the choice of one, Shrimp Pad Thai for another, and House Fried Rice with Chicken is chosen by the third.
Girl With Glasses Enters — 6:59pm
After a quick decision, a girl with glasses orders a Pad See Ew with Tofu and a Red Curry Rice Plate with Coconut to go.
Veggie Fried Rice is Out — 7:02pm
Frat boy #1 gets his Veggie Fried Rice from the counter.
Brave New Decisions — 7:04pm
Another group of three college kids enter and courageously decide to branch out from their typical orders. A Vegetarian Drunken Noodle, a Yellow Curry Rice, and a Tom Yum Noodle Soup with Shrimp are selected from the menu.
Shrimp Pad Thai is Out — 7:05pm
Frat boy #2 gets his Shrimp Pad Thai. The third boy waits impatiently at their table, with one hand on their table and another on the back of his chair as he looks to the kitchen.
House Fried Rice is Out — 7:05pm
Frat boy #3 gets his House Fried Rice. He is noticeably the only one to say thank you to the woman working at the desk.
Decisive Group of Two Enters — 7:07pm
No deliberation. Pork Fried Rice and Crispy Chicken Fried Rice are ordered together.
Pad See Ew Out — 7:08pm
Girl With Glasses takes her order and leaves the restaurant.
Delivery For ‘Marisa?’ — 7:10pm
For Fly Wing Delivery, one man gets his take-out order and puts it into the black insulated box he wears on his back.
Brave Drunken Noodle Vegetarian Gets His Order — 7:11pm
Fourth Frat Boy Joins the Party — 7:12pm
Clad in a Questrom-looking suit, a new man joins the original party of (possibly) frat boys sitting at a side table in the middle of the restaurant. They talk heatedly about numbers and some event he’s just getting back from.
Pork Fried Rice and Crispy Chicken Fried Rice is Delivered — 7:13pm
Walking up together, the decisive pair from before take their meal and leave the restaurant.
Brave Order of Tom Yum Noodle Soup is Delivered — 7:14pm
Two Nud Pob Defenders and One Hater — 7:14pm
A new group enters the restaurant, with two of the three scolding their last friend about their hatred of Nud Pob. One man implores his friend to give the restaurant a chance. The Hater does not seem eager. He orders a Chili Fried Rice after a bit of hesitation.
Man Enters By Himself — 7:14pm
After some deliberation in front of the TV screen menu, one man clad in a black puffer orders some kind of beef dish.
Women With Curly Hair Enters By Herself — 7:21pm
A simple Chicken Pad Thai order.
Single Man Gets His Order — 7:23pm
Despite talking to his friend in a call through his Airpods, the solo man doesn’t forget to thank the woman working behind the counter while getting his order.
Nud Pob Hater Receives Meal — 7:25pm
The Hater receives his meal and eats it without any hesitation.
Duo With Shopping Bags 7:23pm
Indonesian Fried Rice and another meal are ordered to go.
Two Pickups in One 7:27pm
The Chicken Pad Thai women receives her order just as another woman walks in to inquire about her pick-up meal.
Pickup Mixup — 7:31pm
Tatiana, the woman asking for her pickup meal from before, has to verify her identity before picking up her order to go.
Runner Picks Up Meal — 7:32pm
A man in running gear comes and picks up his meal from the counter.
Big Group Deliberates Their Meal Choices — 7:32pm
Two men and two women order to-go meals after deliberating the menu. The two women are more decisive, ordering fairly immediately. The men, on the other hand, deliberate their orders a bit more.
Shopper Duo Leaves — 7:33pm
Courageous Group of Three Get Takeout Boxes — 7:33pm
As one of the earlier three walks up, he recognizes someone from the recent Big Group. They talk about the flyers on the wall and the chances of accidentally bumping into each other.
Women in Large Group Get Their Order — 7:39pm
All Four Frat Men Leave the Establishment — 7:40pm
The three clear their plates and put them away, and the one in the suit follows them out.
First Man of Large Group Gets Order — 7:43pm
Singular Man Leaves Establishment — 7:43pm
Gearing up once more with his black puffer and checkered scarf, the singular man takes his backpack and leaves.
Dancing (and Ordering) On My Own — 7:48pm
One woman wearing large headphones sits by herself at one of the front tables. She then gets up to ask about her pickup order at the counter, takes it, and leaves.
Gotta Go Fast! — 7:50pm
A speed walker comes up to the counter and makes a large order. Efficient. No room for doubt or niceties.
Last Individual From Large Group Gets Order — 7:51pm
Wired Headphones Woman — 7:55pm
Walking in with both wired headphones in, one woman picks up her order, thanks the counter staff, and leaves after picking up an extra set of chopsticks.
Quiet Man Enamored by iPhone — 7:58pm
One large but quiet man walks into the establishment. Looking at his phone, presumably with his online order on it, he mumbles his name to the counter staff and leaves with his meal.
A Very Thankful Pair — 8:00pm
Two Pad Thai and two Thai Iced Tea are picked up. The woman at the counter inquires if they are the order that called in earlier, which one of the duo confirms. The two individuals profusely thank the woman for their order before grabbing chopsticks and leaving.
Quick Man, Slow Order — 8:02pm
The Speed Walker from before receives his order. He checks that everything is there at a side table, then leaves quickly.
‘Alara’ and ‘Ameena‘ — 8:05pm
A group of four women all come in at the same time. Three ask for an order for ‘Alara.’ Another, separate woman waits behind them on her phone as the workers locate the order. She’s here for an order for ‘Ameena.’
Decisions, Decisions — 8:08pm
One man deliberates for over a minute on the menu. He lands on a fried gyoza order and a pork dish.
Fashionable Pickup — 8:10pm
One man in a matching sweater and track pants set picks up two large orders, one in each hand.
Even More Fashionable Order — 8:10pm
A Crispy Chicken dish is ordered by a man with a long silver earring in one ear. He picks up a Diet Coke from the refrigerator before sitting down at a side table next to a large, animal-themed artwork on the wall.
Short and Sweet — 8:14pm
Two students under 5’3″ order Thai Iced Teas, no boba.
Pretty Impatient — 8:16pm
The man with the silver earring takes a walk around the counter impatiently. The woman calls for his order right as he turns around, about to walk back to his seat.
Big Exit — 8:17pm
The large group from before lingers at the doorway of Nud Pob, admiring its flyers, before leaving.
Decisive Takeout — 8:18pm
The indecisive man from before receives his order and exits the establishment quickly.
Working Hard — 8:21pm
A man clad in construction-worker neon green orders chicken and beef dishes for himself and his coworkers, not too spicy.
Nud Pob Doppleganger — 8:22pm
A near-identical rerun of a man seen at Nud Pob earlier: a man, alone, black puffer jacket. He orders a Chicken Pad Thai to-go.
Bigger and Better — 8:23pm
A man comes in to request an Entree-sized Green Curry Pork order, for here.
Doppleganger Mixup — 8:29pm
The Doppleganger Man gets his order plated for here rather than boxed for to-go. The counter staff correct his order, and he takes his meal to go
Maroon Beanie — 8:30pm
A man in a maroon beanie picks up his online order after the to-go mixup is fixed at the counter.
Entree Eater –8:30pm
The Entree-sized Green Curry Pork is served.
Earring Man Leaves — 8:31pm
After clearing his plate, putting his utensils away, and finishing the last of his Diet Coke, the man with the long silver earring leaves.
Indonesian Fried Rice With Chicken — 8:32pm
A man comes and orders an Indonesian Fried Rice dish.
Daughter of Nud Pob — 8:35pm
A young girl, presumably the daughter of one of the Nud Pob staff, dances around the restaurant with a plastic bag in hand as the staff prepare to close the store.
Hater, Reformed? — 8:37pm
The self-proclaimed Nud Pob Hater from before asks the counter staff for the directions to the bathroom after finishing his meal and talking at lengths about video game characters with his friends. One of his friends uses the bathroom after him.
Indonesian Fried Rice With Chicken Leaves— 8:37pm
The More the Merrier — 8:44pm
A group of five individuals come and study the TV menu. They debate the soups, the Thai iced tea, and their typical orders for a few minutes.
The only man of the group inquires at the counter about the House Fried Rice.
The woman at the counter asks one person in the group to pay with Venmo.
On the Phone — 8:52pm
Two women enter for their online order, with one talking on the phone before speaking with the woman at the counter. The other woman checks out the fridge of drinks.
One Out of Five — 8:53pm
One woman from the group of five receives her meal from the counter.
Three Out of Five — 8:54pm
Two other women from the group receive their meal.
Four Out of Five — 8:55pm
The last woman of the group receives her meal.
Reruns — 8:55pm
Another solo man picks up an order in a black puffer jacket. The classic Nud Pob character, it seems.
Family of Three — 8:57pm
A family of three enters and goes to the counter. After confirming that that is the correct place to order, they consult to TV to decide on their dishes.
Sauces for the Table — 8:58pm
One woman from the large group asks the counter for a large container of a sauce for her table.
Pickup for Three — 8:58pm
A man comes in to pickup an order of three for ‘Shaun.’
Family Deliberations — 9:00pm
Basil Fried Rice and Green Beans are the dishes of choice for the family. They order for here.
When Life Does Not Give You Lemons — 9:00pm
A food delivery man enters and asks the counter if they have lemons. He’s holding a bag with an order seemingly from a different restaurant. The women at the counter say they do not have lemons there.
Haters and Gamers — 9:02pm
The Nud Pob Hater and his other two friends clean up and leave the restaurant. They debate about the Mega Man video game as they put on their jackets to leave.
— End of Coverage for Nud Pob’s Peak Hours —
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