Absolute Noodle

Very good. Authentic Thai flavors. Lots of options. Allow you to replace meat with tofu. Friendly waitresses. I will be coming back.

I ordered through Unilocal Eat24.
One word: Food Poisoning.
My friend ordered the Bulgogi Udon and I ordered the Saigon noodle soup which is Tom Yum soup with glass noodles in it. The soup came in a small 16oz container with way to much noodles in another container. The broth had two mid sized shrimp in it. The taste of the both dishes was meh.
I started feeling nauseous after an hour or so after eating. Spent the rest of the night running back and forth from the bathroom throwing up (which is crazy because I have a pretty strong stomach; the last time I threw up was 5 years ago), and went to bed miserable waking up a couple times because of it.
I’m guessing that the shrimp was bad. On top of paying $ 12 for mediocre food, getting sick from it is unacceptable.
Needless to say. Will not go back. It was a horrible experience and I do not say that lightly. Sad day :(

Since Dailaya was quoting me a 2hr wait, i rolled around the corner and found this little shop. I ate at momofuku the night before and had a terrible time feeling robbed.
I ordered the same meal here and paid $ 15 less with a MUCH better experience. The tonkatsu and duck soba were delicious. Same beer i ordered at momofuku cost me $ 3 less too!
Docking one star due to the meat being a little bit tough. Nail the meat and it’s a full 5 star review.

Came here looking for hot ramen. The kimchi ramen was really good and filling. I came on a Sunday afternoon. The place was empty and we got our food really quickly.

Large portions and fresh for only $ 10. The veggies weren’t limp like at some similar restaurants I’d been to.

This place is WAY better than Daikaya.
The broth, the noodle, and the meat are so much better here. Plus since everyone is over waiting in line at Daikaya for 62 minutes for a seat, this place has ample seating.
Staff has always been friendly when I’ve visited.

Totally underwhelming. Ordered for lunch on a rainy day thinking this would be a nice treat. If you like more garnish than food this is perfect for you. For the price you would think you would get better quality and dishes that fill their to-​go containers. The crab croquette was something clearly frozen and then fried, Could not find a piece of crab in it and believe me, I tried. It was a creamy goo that was not appetizing. Noodle dish was dry and had no sauce. Also no silverware when you get delivery… come on. Will not be returning.

In the past I’ve come during lunch on a weekday. This is my first time coming in on a weekend afternoon. To start the food was a bit more expensive. I don’t know if the price just went up or there are weekday lunch specials but my food was $ 4 more expensive this time around. Additionally, some of the chicken in my crispy basil chicken were not as fresh as others. Some pieces we tough and chewy, as if the had been reheated. I didn’t experience that in the past. Perhaps it’s due to the fact them seem much busier during the weekdays. I did get the veggie spring rolls for checking in. The were nice and crispy, light and not oily. Overall I felt that at the price I paid and the quality of the food I would recommend that you go during the weekdays rather than the weekends.

Absolutely NOT.
Unacceptable.
I ordered delivery through Unilocal Eat24. The food arrived in less time than it would for a pizza or something so not that long. When the food got here I’m pretty sure the delivery guy tried to hustle me out of my money but that’s neither here nor there.
I ordered the spicy miso ‘ramen’ that’s already customized on the menu and spring rolls.
The spring rolls were okay they weren’t bad at all and the sauce they served them with was great.
Everything went to #**¥ when I opened up my ramen. I ordered extra noodles and I’m guessing it was all stuff into the one bowl considering the one solid circle of noodle I got. I’m guessing these were egg noodles because they kind of tasted like eggs. The broth. Unacceptable. Absolutely flavorless. I got extra spicy and there was no spice to it at all. They gave me a little container with crushed red pepper and oil and I’m not sure if this was their attempt at a spice bomb or not but that’s NOT what I ordered. The soup was just lacking.
Moving on to the bowl of noodles and veggies etc. The meat was okay not sure what it was at the moment. But before I could consider eating any of it I was smacked in the face by a repulsive smell. I couldn’t figure out what it was at first but the bamboo shoots and the greens smelt like trash. They smelled like something else but we won’t go there. After removing what I could of those I poured in the broth to try and loosen the congealed noodles. The experience was just me trying to salvage the $ 22 I spent for the food and delivery. I added some sriracha out of my own fridge and it didn’t help. I ended up throwing the mess away.
DON’T ORDER RAMEN HERE. My food arrived 20 minutes ago and here we are.

An ok place for not-​too-​stale food when you have extra time for lunch and other places are too busy.
The food is pretty ok. They have sushi (though hard to rely on freshness as the place is mostly empty). Noodles are not awful: they have variety of noodles and broths, so some reasonable picks there.
The service is mostly bad, but if it’s your lucky day, mediocre. It’s slow (which is really strange; even on Fridays they have more wait staff and cooks than the customers), staff seems to not know the menu very well, some prices seem wrong in the menu vs the bill, staff periodically drops things (on the floor if you are lucky, on you, if you are not), they are very particular with where to seat you even in a fully empty restaurant.
Definitely a place to pick when all amazing places in vibrant restaurant district are packed… And you are super hungry… And you don’t care about service… Or food quality… Or taste… Or value… So basically: «I need some calories and have a little time but not too much time to wait for a good place and all food trucks left» place.

I’ve only ordered delivery from here but I have loved it both times. The first time I had Singapore noodles which actually had great flavor beyond just curry and salt. My friend had a noodle soup which he enjoyed, albeit a bit pricy (it seems the «create your own» versions run pricier than the other pre-​set options on the menu). We had the dumplings as well with pork which were SO flavorful and decently spicy with a tasty dipping sauce but again, a bit pricy for what they were — 3 shumai sized dumplings for $ 5. They’re good enough that I’d order them again though despite the price.
Today I had the dumplings again which were spot on and the coconut lemongrass soup which was really great. It arrived hot with a ton of ingredients and had a nice citrus-​y sweet undertone with that classic coconut tom kha base. I did not think it was spicy at all if that concerns you. At $ 10 for a bowl I could only finish half of, this one was a good deal.
I really appreciate that Absolute Noodle actually has dishes with flavor instead of just relying on oil, salt and spiciness. Much better than most places you can get Asian delivery from.
Delivery was quick (30 minutes) and the drivers are friendly. Cannot speak to the actual restaurant experience.

This is my go to place now for noodles and sushi. If you have independent judgment you might prefer this place over some other trendier noodle shops. I love this place for both dine-​in and take out. Never too crowded. The noodles are freaking awesome and the sushi is great too. Right now my favorite is the Donkatsu Ramen. The broth is super flavorful and rich and the noodles and pork are really well made.
They also have alot of other types of noodles and asian foods. You won’t have a problem with selection if you bring your friends. A huge bonus is they give really big portions. The servers and other workers are super friendly too. If you’re not focused on trendy but actual good food at a good price and good portions come here. Awesome place.

I really like this place. Menu has a great variety, beers on draught and you can walk right up to the bar. There is honestly only one thing I can complain about, but first let me tell you about the food. I work nearby and had heard good things about the lunch specials and as a true soup feign, I had to try this place out. The beef bulogi udon– delicious! Phở? Delicious! Also tried the «spicy» lemongrass coconut broth, wasn’t spicy at all to me. I’ll be sticking to the clear broths from now on. Come to find out this place has sushi too! Messed around an ordered the «regular» sushi lunch combo the other day, winner! Can’t beat getting a California roll and 5 pieces of nigiri for $ 11. This place is great. The staff is very attentive and friendly. If you want to have a working lunch, better have a hot spot or a jet pack. There is no cellular service in this place. NONE. Not even near the door. All this place needs is a wifi network to get an all star rating from me.

Excellent sushi, Tom Kha soup, and phở. A great experience, and a really good price for the service, speed, and quality.

I visited Absolute Noodle during a business trip to D.C. I arrived on a Sunday afternoon and it was fairly empty, and I was looking forward to trying a soup since I was getting over a cold.
I was warmly greeted and sat, and had a piping hot mug of green tea within a few moments. I did the build-​your-​own soup with Udon noodles, classic veggie broth, and tofu. I added several veggies as well — bok choy, extra ginger, and carrots.
The soup arrived quickly, and was nice and hot, and properly seasoned. The tofu was hot all the way through and held together well, and the broth’s flavor came through as very nicely salted. There was a heap of veggies, and I was able to actually slurp my way through about 75% of the bowl.
Overall, there isn’t anything particularly special about Absolute Noodle, but it seems like a steadfast option for noodle soup in the Chinatown neighborhood. I would probably go there again, but I might be more inclined to try something new when I’m in town again.

I am noodles for Absolute Noodle! This place is kind of a hidden gem in Chinatown. A buddy and I were looking for places close to the National Building Museum, since we were visiting the beach, and found this place tucked away underneath an apartment complex.
The inside décor was a contemporary modern feel with a ancestral oriental vibe. Maybe it was the bamboo and chinese art floating around. The kitchen is exposed and is pretty small (I would say maybe 20 feet). The sushi bar is right next to the kitchen and theres a standalone bar at the entrance which I’d assume would be great for fast service for happy hour.
As for the food, it was absolutely delicious. We got the Drunken noodles and the Absolute Bento Box. There was an option to create your own noodle dish, but we decided to go with the known favorite. The Bento box was delish but small and expensive (we paid around $ 29). It came with 6 pcs of sashimi, 3 sushi rolls, 3 pcs nigiri, steak, seaweed salad, and tempura friend veggies. We were pretty full after that. The service was very friendly and attentive, which is always a plus. A+

This is my absolute FAVORITE place for Sushi in this area. I usually get the lunch combo that comes with Miso Soup and a Garden Salad. I’ve also have had some awesome Phở and other soups during the colder seasons. All the waiters are super friendly and prompt with everything, and although the restaurant is slightly on the small side, it never feels overcrowded. All in all it’s a great place, don’t hesitate to try it!

In town for 4 days and I had to stop by for lunch… spicy Thai Lemongrass soup kills it !!
Don’t miss Absolute Noodle, a smoky little place with great service and menu.
More to come!

This is one of my go to lunch spots for some hot noodle soup on a cold day.
Their broth is good, the servings are gigantic, there is never a wait, and the hot soup comes out fast. There is easily over half a pound of noodles in every bowl. I eat about half the noodles (and usually most of the broth), then I take the rest to go for lunch the next day. For $ 2 extra, you can get another container of broth, then you don’t have to eat dry noodles on day two.
Some of my favorites soups are the Thai Spicy Lemongrass (rice noodles in tom kha coconut broth with well seasoned chicken breast – no rubber chicken here) and the Siam Noodle (glass noodles in tom yum broth with ground chicken and shrimp). At $ 10, the Thai Lemongrass is a good deal. The winter special Tonkotsu Ramen ($ 14) I tried on a recent visit was too salty and the noodles were overcooked, but the soft boiled egg was spot on.
It’s no Toki Underground or even Daikaya (hence why I usually don’t go for ramen), but you get what you wait for.

My husband had been home bound for 2 weeks since his surgery and literally tried every restaurant/​food options in the area — we decided to give in to his noodle craving and gave Absolute Noodle a try
I stopped in to place an order to go — to my surprise, price was much more expensive compared to what was listed on their website. $ 15 dollars for a bowl of noodle with just one protein seemed a bit ridiculous especially the ones in such poor quality — overwhelmingly salty miso broth, undercooked udon, overcooked ramen, and dry, tough Bulgogi beef.
And since my brother in law really wanted sushi, we added the Godzilla roll — worst decision ever — it carried a strange foul, fishy aftertaste. We threw it out after half of a bite.
The service was extremely slow even though there was only one additional occupied table. 45 minutes just for two bowls of noodles and a roll of sushi? Furthermore, we felt ignored and forgotten in the corner after we placed and paid for our order.
Again, another Asian food fail in DC.