Every once and a while you walk into a restaurant and are hit with an immediate vibe. As a person who walks into many restaurants, I’ve encountered many such vibes. Sometimes it’s a sophisticated one, a casual one, or maybe even a homely one. But when I was invited to Noi Due Cafe I was hit by an inherent impression that the crowd was having fun.

Even dining on the later side of a day in the middle of the week with suboptimal weather, Noi Due was packed when I got there. The Upper West Side staple was full of young professionals seemingly hanging out with their friends while sharing conversations, pizzas and laughs. The space isn’t huge and the demand is high, so there’s a good amount of people (and therefore, noise). But don’t be deterred, the cuisine is worth it.