House of Nom Nom

I love the coconut bubble tea from here! Hands down best bubble tea in Hickory! Every time I walk in I am welcomed and greeted very nicely. I also like the carne asada fries. I haven’t tried much of the other food here, but they have a lot of different options. Everyone is so kind here, if you’re looking for something new to try, definitely give House Of Nom Nom a visit!

What a gem! I came here seeking the kimchi fries, and was not disappointed. I ordered the pork banh mi, kimchi fries, and mango bubble tea smoothie. Everything was exceptional. The flavors were rich, and tasty. Everything was priced in the $ 5 range, which is a huge bargain for the quality. A great spin on neo-​Vietnamese. Only waited about 15 minutes for our food. The staff there was very friendly, and smiled through all of our interactions. The décor was contemporary and modern, with a young crowd. Will definitely be coming back.
**Update– we came back 3 days later! We couldn’t stop thinking about the food. Got the banh mi burger, asada fries, and guava bubble tea. Was even better than the first time! Highly recommend!

The food is so good here, and the bubble tea is amazing as well. This review is short but sweet. Its flippin’ amazing,

So delicious! We shared a sandwich and kimchi fries and were happily satisfied. Staff was friendly and helpful. Highly recommended!

This place was AWE-​SOME!
ORDERED
Pork Banh Mi, ⁴⁄₅
I was asked if I wanted the sandwich with or without jalapenos. I chose without, and I’m glad that I did. My benchmark for Banh Mi comparison is of course «Le’s Sandwiches» in Charlotte. The pork banh mi at House of Nom Nom (HoNN) was much smaller and the soft fresh bread wasn’t quite as good as the crusty French baguettes that Le’s uses.
But then again, HoNN’s banh mi didn’t have the soapy tasting overabundance of cilantro characteristic of Le’s, all the ingredients were super fresh and tasty, and it wasn’t nuclear spicy hot like Le’s, and the price was reasonable. So all in all, I was completely satisfied with HoNN’s banh mi, because it was delicious. I WILL definitely order this again. (–1 for the lack of a toasted French baguette)
Kimchi Fries, ⁶⁄₅.
Sweet baby Jesus, this was off the chain good. Think of Canadian Poutine, but with a Korean interpretation. The base is French fries, topped with gooey broiler melted cheese, Sriracha sauce, sour cream, green onions, and other sauces. Plus, the spicy toppings greatly accentuated the taste of my pork banh mi. The Kimchi fries was one of the top three best things that I have eaten since coming to Hickory in 1988. (The other two were Thai massaman curry at Thai Lotus, and the short ribs at Josh’s on Union Square.)
Caution: One reviewer said that one serving is enough for two people, and I went «Oh, I’m a manly man and I can eat the entire thing — no problem.» Wrongamundo! I ate about ½ of the serving comfortably, and I barely managed to eat maybe one quarter more, plus the toppings. Those French fries are really filling. Two people can EASILY make a meal from one serving of Kimchi fries, with some fruit Boba smoothies — for about $ 12.00. ORDER THIS!
Strawberry Boba Smoothie, ⁵⁄₅.
Delicious. Refreshing. Fun to drink. Plenty of Tapioca pearls. The whole nine yards. I will order this again. ORDER THIS!
SERVICE, ⁵⁄₅.
Smiling. Super Friendly. Helpful. Young. Korean. Employees.
These people COULD NOT have been nicer or more polite. My food was delivered to my table. Two people came by to inquire about my meal. And I’ll be darned if the friendly young gentleman who took my order didn’t come by to bus my table for me. Then another young lady came by and asked me if there was anything else that I needed. The service here is excellent. I was very much impressed.
CLEANLINESS? 4.50 /​5.
95.5%. They’re new so I will give them a pass this time, but I would like to see this score at least two points higher. The place «LOOKED» spotlessly clean to the casual observer.
TOTAL COST? $ 14.44 pre tip.
SUMMARY?
Unilocal hits another home run. THIS PLACE IS AWESOME!
Please support this family owned and operated restaurant!

I stopped in for the first time today and overall I was very impressed. I tried the kimchi fries and bulgogi burger and both were delicious. I highly recommend trying the kimchi fries, if anything!
I loved the quick service atmosphere with excellent quality food. The portion of kimchi fries is large so definitely share with a friend. The service was excellent and everyone was very attentive.
The interior of the restaurant is so cute but I wish I could say the same for the exterior. It is hard to spot from the road. Regardless, this place is a real gem in Hickory.
This is definitely one of my new favorites!

Teriyaki Burger and Baha MI sandwhich… Tons of fries, spring rolls… should be House of yum yum!!! Clean place, very friendly staff!

The smoothies are great they are all fresh fruit. Can not wait to try other things here. Everything here freshly made and family owned.

I heard about this place when it first opened from friends but I never had the chance to try it until now. My husband and I were in Hickory, North Carolina for the weekend and our friends took us to House of Nom Nom. We were able to try a little bit of everything.
We came in the evening and there was a huge crowd ordering and waiting for their orders. The staff were very busy but they never failed to maintain a smile, a cheerful attitude, and they kept on with their work. I ordered a lychee boba tea but had to remind them that I ordered one and they made it for me quickly and with no problem.
The food is amazing – the best I ever had. Their boba tea is also the best I’ve ever had. It’s smooth, the flavors aren’t too overpowering or lacking, and the boba pearls are just the right texture. My husband is a huge lychee boba fan and he had nothing but praises for his boba.
Their seating is limited and their location isn’t ideal but I really don’t mind because the food and the staff makes the place amazing beyond words.

The staff is so friendly! My papaya salad had the perfect amount of spice, but the avocado bubble tea smoothie topped my expectations. You could definitely have the smoothie as a meal. The only suggestion for this place would be to have more Thai options. I will definitely be back!

My favorite little lunch spot!
Negative bits first, just to get them out of the way so I can tell you all that I love about this place.
The location is far from ideal. Something tells me that the Quiznos that was there before might have failed for that reason alone. The sign is easy to miss. Also, portion sizes are a little bit on the small side. I think they’d be smart to serve their burgers with fries instead of as a single item.
But enough about that. I love this place! They’ve done a great job of transforming the interior, and tactfully reusing the equipment the Quiznos people left behind. I especially love the conveyor belt toaster oven being used to make the kim chee fries. It doesn’t feel cheap or cheesy, and they have some really talented people in charge of their chalkboard art.
Speaking of the people, the staff is excellent. From what I gather, it seems like a mostly family-​run operation, but everyone seems fairly young. You get the feeling that they’re more than just kids earning a paycheck – that they’re really invested in this place. Incredibly kind, and always cheerful. You’ll be in a better mood going out than when you came in.
The food is great. A quirky blend of Vietnamese flavors and classic little burgers. I’ve tried all the burgers except the American style ones. Each one is great, but my favorite is the Phở.
The kim chee fries are excellent. Tangy and just a little bit spicy. But definitely grab a fork. You don’t want to eat them with your hands. I highly recommend the curry wings as well, if they’re still serving them.
And definitely, definitely try the bubble tea. They have an amazing blender, and add a dash of half and half, so the smoothies are creamy and wonderful. Also, their tapioca pearls seem to be a higher quality than other places I’ve been. Whatever the reason, I can’t help but get a bubble tea every time I go.
Give this place a chance! They seem to be doing alright despite the bad location, but I would hate to see this little gem of a burger joint go away. Absolutely worth the trip.

Excellent Food and friendly people. We just had the Bulgogi Burger, Kim Chee Fries, and banh mi. Wow! Great prices too! You shouldn’t leave without a Bubble Tea Smoothie too. The Tapioca pearls at the bottom of it is treasure with each slurp through the fat straw! Great Job House of Nom Nom.

Nothing to brag about.
Interesting concept but food preparation lacks. Too little meat on sandwiches and overcooked.
Oh, if they change their signage out front, people may be able to find it easier. Light blue on white backdrop is hard to spot, especially when there’s a tree half way blocking sign.

Food; I ordered loaded potato fries. This order consists of fries, bacon, sour cream, cheese, and green onions. The fries were crispy. The amount of toppings could have been a little more. I feel like this really doesn’t seem like it’s worth $ 4. The presentation is nice. I also ordered a mango bubble tea with boba. This was definitely worth $ 4.25. The bubble tea was blended smoothly and the mango flavoring was sweet and flavorful. I would order the bubble tea again.
Area; Many of the tables were still slightly dirty with crumbs. The décor is nicely done. Very modern.
** The sanitation rating is 94. I feel that with such a new place, it shouldn’t be that low already.
I would visit again to try something else. I would definitely get the bubble tea again.

Great food, great people! Most unique restaurant in Hickory. Also free WIFI! :)
If it’s your first time, I recommend the WINGS! The Hot one is pretty spicy, but he Mild one is good for first timers. The Honey Barbecue one is by far my favorite!
Out of all the fries, try the Loaded one first, but if you are daring try the Asada!
Oh the burgers. I recommend the All American, and heres a secret — you can add Bacon & Egg to anything! Awesome! The Phở burger really tastes like PHO! Juicy & Tasty! And oh the Banh mi Burger is a must have!
If anything at all, the Bubble Teas are BOMB!
And if you’re not full yet, try the Bubble Waffle! Add Fruits & Ice-​cream!
#BombDiggity

Have been here three times so far and I can honestly say this is my go to restaurant in Hickory! I love the atmosphere and the staff is wonderful :) Not to mention the food. Me and my boyfriend have traveled all around the world and to find a good Asian fusion place is a rarity. The sauces are what really caught my eye. Or shall I say my tongue! They’re the right amount of tangy with just a touch of spicy but not to the point where I’d need to down 5 gallons of water! He absolutely loves the pickled vegetables in the subs and I can’t get enough of the pineapple teriyaki burger. Still have yet to try the wings and fries but everything else down to the bubble tea is perfect! Definitely suggest trying this place out!

When I first heard that this place opened up I was so excited. Hickory doesn’t offer a diverse amount of cuisine so to have this type of food served here is a blessing in the first place.
My first impression: interesting concept, interesting choices on menu, large space (includes patio) and friendly staff.
I ordered (for 2 ppl) — pork banh mi sandwich, bbq bacon burger, kimchee fries and avocado bubble tea.
1. Pork Banh mi — Larger in size than your ordinary banh mi sandwiches. Great for a hungry person. All the ingredients on point — the meat is juicy, sautéed style. Different from the traditional but relative to the concept of «quick» food.
2. Bbq bacon burger — tasted awesome! Only issue is the small bun. I think if the bun was toasted it would have brought an extra bonus to the already awesome burger.
3. Kimchee fries — wouldn’t change the ingredients! Just wanted crispier fries. The fries were a little soggy. Seriously still can’t get over little olé Hickory being introduced to KIMCHEE!!!
4. Avocado bubble tea — seriously been to NYC and back and couldn’t find this flavor. So glad I found another place in Hickory (besides phở 777) that offers my favorite flavor. Very blended and sweetened to perfection!
If anything I think this place has the potential to be the next big thing in Hickory. It’s in a prime location located near the movie theater and mall. Would love to get more signage as it is blocked by a tree.
Will be back for more!

House of Nom Nom is located in a great area where Quizno’s once was right beside the mall and across the street from the movie theater. Because we went on their opening weekend, it was relatively full of patrons but the food still managed to come out quickly. Let me start off by saying I loved the concept of this restaurant. It was something new and modern that Hickory has never had before. But oh how disappointed I was with the execution of the food… the group of friends I went with all ordered something difference because we were really curious with the menu. All the burgers we got (Banh mi, bulgogi, and phở burger) were bland. The burger patties most definitely could have used more seasoning. I personally ordered the hot wings and they were pretty disappointing. First off, they were not cleaned properly and there were still feathers on them. The Korean hot pepper paste they used to dress the wing was a little thicker than I would have liked and the wings were drowning in the amount of sauce they used. The fries were soggy instead of crispy and the cheese they used had congealed shortly after we received our food.
The only reason I am giving this restaurant two stars instead of one was for their bubble tea. It was the smoothest bubble tea I’ve ever had in Hickory. Where most places had unevenly blended chunks of ice left throughout their bubble teas, Nom Nom’s tea was very smooth and consistent. It does not have the best bubble tea I’ve ever had (that honor is reserved for Phở An Hoa in Charlotte) but definitely the best in town.

Overall the food was ok. I’ve ordered the banh Mi burger, however; it didn’t taste like a Vietnamese sandwich if that was what he was going for and the kimchi fries., well I wasn’t to crazy for it either. I think they shouldn’t have loaded cheese with kimchi. Just saying. I thought the fries had a unique weird taste to it. It wasn’t my favorite. I think the food needs a little tweaking. I know they’ve just opened but do recommend they need another blender because we finish our food before our avocado smoothie came out.
Although, I have to say the mother of owner was very kind and kindly ask if everything went well. Maybe I’ll go back to try something different.

I stopped by on Grand Opening day and giving that it was their first day, I totally understood that it was going to be a little crazy…
They had a lot of family and friends supporting them.
I just thought the place was a little too noisy.
Service Rating:
The young girl making the drinks looked aggravated the entire time. I don’t blame her. Everybody was so loud. Please fix.
Food Rating:
My friends and I got one of each on the menu, just to try everything. Overall the ideas are amazing but we believe the flavorings need tweaking. These people seem like great people but probably lack kitchen skills.
For example my friends Asada fries came with pulled pork. Once again, great idea but poor execution. The pork was dry and her cheddar cheese was already solidified into the cold and soggy fries. Another was the kimchi fries. On the menu it states FRIED, but on my fries they seemed straight from the cans from the store.
I barely tasted any bulgogi sauce on my bulgogi burger. My egg was a little undercooked (runny egg whites).
The phở burger was just okay BC when I think phở I think crazy meats, veggies, broth, noodles! I think noodles should be incorporated some way some how. GO CRAZY WITH IT. This COULD be your signature BURGER, SO make it count! No other place has a phở burger, So if you’re going to do it, go big OR…
YEAH!
With just a little more exquisite ideas and tweaking, this place can finally start smooth sailing.