Noodles & Company

In my hometown, there is no Noodles & Company.  There's not really one anywhere near my hometown.  So when I decided to try a new chain restaurant, I was going in completely blind.  I was not disappointed!

Noodles & Company is located on Kirkwood, right off of Indiana and across from Kilroy's.  It's right on the edge of the bar scenes and just a few steps off campus.  It opens at 11am every day and closes 9p-11p throughout the week, as well as an astonishing 4am on Fridays and Saturdays.  It's a casual place, too.  No need to dress to the nines here; I walked in with a T-shirt and an old pair of jeans.

When I looked at the menu, it took a while for me to find the prices.  I'm not used to almost every dish being the same price, varying only by size.  The regular sizes are $5.50 each, while a small size runs $4.50.  Pricing can also vary depending on added meats to the dish or side salads and soups.  There is also a small sandwich menu for those who aren't the biggest fan of noodles (although there are other restaurants that don't serve noodles).

After looking through the list of Asian, Mediterranean, and American style dishes, I finally settled on the Japanese Pan Noodles.  I chose to stop in around 5:30, aka normal dinner time.  The restaurant was pretty busy inside, but it was still too cold for people to be sitting outside.  I grabbed a table in the back and waited for my dish.  Just a few minutes after ordering, a waitress found my number and delivered my dish with a very pleasant demeanor.  The dish, as advertised, had a bit of a spicy kick to it.  The noodles were coated in some delicious Asian-inspired sauce and served with crisp carrots, strips of beef, and a handful of bean sprouts.  When I decided that my regular size was larger than I anticipated, I got a to-go box and had a nice snack later that night.

Overall, this is a very good restaurant to eat.  The namesake noodle dishes are very reasonably priced, especially given the quantity of food.  I would recommend going outside of normal meal hours; the restaurant is a bit small, and it doesn't take many people for it to get loud.  It's also a great place to go with friends.  The inside has plenty of large tables for groups, and when the weather warms up, the outside tables would be great for a late lunch or early dinner in the fresh air.  It's a nice little stop for some food outside the normal.

Got the BBQ Mac and Cheese and chicken noodle soup. Soup was okay but not spectacular but the BBQ Mac and Cheese did not have enough cheese. It just tasted like BBQ on cooked pasta. Eh.

I've really come to strongly dislike this place over the course of multiple visits. The food is overpriced and bad--especially if you carry-out. Multiple times I've received undercooked noodles splashed haphazardly with sauce--seriously? This has happened with the Macaroni and Cheese as well as the Asian dishes. Macaroni and cheese is easy to make. Easy. In fact, i almost feel guilty ordering it because it's requires so little effort to cook (Uptown's is delicious fyi). It's one of these new-style chain restaurants which masquerades as a local place, except the food is just mediocre. There are so many restaurants in Bloomington that do noodles, and do them much, much better, most within easy reach. Don't waste your money or time here.