Noodles & Company

Had dinner here with the family on Easter holiday. Not a very good experience here. My wife got the Bangkok Curry which her biggest complaint was that it didn’t have any curry in it. I had the Thai Hot Pot and the portion was way too small. Service was ok. I gave it two stars because we got the Korean bbq meatballs which were tasty.

I’ve been to this Noodles several times. The food is good– no frills. You order at the counter and the food is delivered to your table. They have some limited outdoor seating which is nice in summer, but right next to a busy parking lot.
The food is mostly pasta. You can add proteins and they have a limited sandwich selection. The dining room is also fairly cramped and loud. The food is generally inexpensive and good. They are good about providing caloric information if that is important to you.
It’s fine for lunch; a step above traditional fast food restaurants.

I got the edamame which has gotta be tough to screw up. It was fine.
I was fascinated by their fancy-​schmancy soda dispenser.
The were pretty busy for early afternoon on saturday, but things moved quickly and efficiently.

Good thing the food is good. Most tables are dirty, the floor is dirty, ladies room is out of toilet paper, and most of the staff are standing around doing nothing. Restaurant is not busy at all at 4pm on a Saturday.

We have always had excellent service at this noodles. Our last visit was no exception. They now have larger plates and bowls. Don’t know if this is country wide or not but it is an answer to one of my complaints about the dishes being too small. The servings have always been perfect. I just want it to all stay on the plate. My soup came with an extra plate underneath it now which is a perfect touch. I ordered a Corona and they put a lime on it. Simple but nice. It’s the little things that count.

I don’t know if it is because I am Asian, but I LOVE NOODLES! I have always been crazy for noodles ever since I was a child. I could not believe it that there was a restaurant dedicated solely to noodles. I actually ate at the first Noodles and Co. in Wisconsin many years back in Madison. Many years after that, I needed a job during college and there happened to be a Noodles and Co. being constructed right next to my apartment. So, I got a job there and worked there for a year or two. After being out of the country for two years and now being in a city that has no Noodles and Co., I crave certain dishes every now and then. When I am back in Wisconsin, Noodles and Co. is definitely on my list of places to go. I’ve only been to the West Bend location about one or two other times, but that was a long time ago. I recently returned on one of my visits back to Wisconsin.
Service: Go up to the cash register and order. You will be give a cup for drinks, if you ordered them. You can get a cookie or a home made rice krispy bar (yes they are home made, I know because I used to make them when i worked at Noodles and Co. in Milwaukee). After you have paid, you will be given a number and you can choose a table.
Food: I could go through the entire menu, but I will stick to the things that I ordered during this visit.
–Japanese Pan Noodles: Of course this is not an authentic Japanese dish, but the udon noodles are pretty darn good. The sauce is a soy sauce based type of sauce. It is supposed to be kind of sweet and spicy. There are carrots, shiitake mushrooms, and bamboo shoots in the dish. It is topped off with a mixture of bean sprouts and green onions. Yummy!
–Thai Curry Soup: Coconut milk based. This too is a combination of sweet and spicy. This one really is a bit on the spicy side. So, for those who cannot handle much heat, beware. There are rice noodles, mushrooms, onions, and some other vegetables in the soup. I absolutely love the broth, it is a good rendition of the soup that is available at most Thai restaurants.
–My dad ordered Japanese Pan Noodles as well, but he did not like them. He ordered them with beef, but did not get any beef. I had to go up to the cash register and tell them, and they brought some out. My dad said that the beef was really good. He said that the flavor was good and that it was very tender. He ate all of the beef and left most of the noodles. Of course, it was not at all a surprise to me that he did not like the noodles, as he has a very boring taste when it comes to food.
Even though I worked at Noodles and Co., I will never get my fix of noodles. Whenever there is a Noodles and Co., I can guarantee that I will make an effort to stop and grab a bowl of noodles.