In my hometown, there is no Noodles & Company. Â There's not really one anywhere near my hometown. Â So when I decided to try a new chain restaurant, I was going in completely blind. Â I was not disappointed!
Noodles & Company is located on Kirkwood, right off of Indiana and across from Kilroy's. Â It's right on the edge of the bar scenes and just a few steps off campus. Â It opens at 11am every day and closes 9p-11p throughout the week, as well as an astonishing 4am on Fridays and Saturdays. Â It's a casual place, too. Â 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. Â I'm not used to almost every dish being the same price, varying only by size. Â The regular sizes are $5.50 each, while a small size runs $4.50. Â Pricing can also vary depending on added meats to the dish or side salads and soups. Â 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. Â I chose to stop in around 5:30, aka normal dinner time. Â The restaurant was pretty busy inside, but it was still too cold for people to be sitting outside. Â I grabbed a table in the back and waited for my dish. Â Just a few minutes after ordering, a waitress found my number and delivered my dish with a very pleasant demeanor. Â The dish, as advertised, had a bit of a spicy kick to it. Â The noodles were coated in some delicious Asian-inspired sauce and served with crisp carrots, strips of beef, and a handful of bean sprouts. Â 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. Â The namesake noodle dishes are very reasonably priced, especially given the quantity of food. Â 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. Â It's also a great place to go with friends. Â 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. Â It's a nice little stop for some food outside the normal.
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.
Review Source:I always enjoy Noodles and Co. Â I got the Penne Rosa with chicken and it was great. My boyfriend got the Bankok Curry with shrimp. Â I tried it and it was good as well, however he got food poisoning... likely from the shrimp. Â I'm hoping it was just an off day because we usually love going there!
Review Source:You said it, accompanying pre-generated rating exclamation: I am a fan. Four stars!
I went with one of my buds, and a very funny story came as a side to my mac and cheese. Â My friend Alex, who is blond haired and blue eyed ordered some Bangkok noodle dish. Â I--a half Asian--ordered the macaroni and cheese. Â When the waiter came, he motioned the mac and cheese towards Alex while timidly guessing, "Who got the mac 'n cheese?" Â Alex pushed the bowl toward me after the waiter set it down on the table. Â He then said, "I had the Bangkok noodle." Â
We had a good laugh after he left. Â It wasn't racist; it was using context clues.
And that's why you get four stars, Noodles & Company. Â You taught your employees to use their context clues well.
Not superb, not awful.
Pluses:
1) Close to campus
2) Hot food on a cold day is great
3) Fast service
4) Variety of choices to select from
5) Oddly enough, they have good taste in music
Minuses:
1) Expensive... I can open up a box of mac n' cheese for $1 at Kroger; this place is way overpriced
2) At peak lunch hours this place gets crazy packed. if you are looking to seat a large group, come early or late
3) It is a chain.
To sum it up: I come here on busy days when I haven't packed a lunch and need a quick bite to eat. Not my first choice, but certainly convenient.
The price is a notch above fast food, but the quality is *two* notches better.
I love this fast casual restaurant. Â This is the third location I have visited. Â I anxiously await for location to open in my hometown.
I received very friendly service. Â I also enjoyed the layout of the dining area with seating to suit those looking to be social or those wanting a little more privacy. Â There is also covered, outdoor seating.
I thougt this place was just okay. It offers several different kinds of noodles (Itallian, American, Asian, etc) but they all end up just being average. Nothing ever stuck out. The prices are pretty decent. Overall, it is a good place to go to if you are near, but definitely not a place to go out of your way for.
Review Source:Noodles & Company is a good place to grab a quick lunch with friends, but it's nothing particularly special. The Japanese noodles are nice and thick with a spicy sauce, and the boyfriend likes their stroganoff. It doesn't offer the healthiest menu around, but it's better than McDs. The decor is okay, though the seating area in that narrow hall in back is a little claustrophobic. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there, but I wouldn't cringe at the suggestion of it either.
Review Source:I can't really say much about this place except.. Meh. My noodles were uninspired, uninteresting, and the only reason they had any flavor is because the cook poured a bunch of cayenne seasoning on it. Even then, I still had to put soy sauce on it.
Comparable to Pei Wei, which is priced similarly, Noodles and Co. is just not that great of a restaurant. However, seeing as there is no Pei Wei in Bloomington, I would say that you are better off going to just about any other restaurant in the area.
Why noodles doesn't serve the best food in town, they do serve what they have fast and at a reasonable price for all of the college students on a budget. While a chain, and while the restaurant looks very similar to many of the others in it, it still has the feeling of an eclectic original place to it. I suggest the Japanese Pan Noodles for anyone who goes.
Review Source:Justin S. is right, it's nothing spectacular. But it's not a bad place, either. Yes, it's a chain, and yes there are far better noodle-serving restaurants only a block away, but the food isn't terrible, the prices are reasonable, it's fast and the service has always been good. Still, I would choose a 4th street restaurant over Noodle's about 9/10 times.
So, when would I choose to eat at Noodle's?
1) I'm downtown and only have time for a quick meal, and I'm not in the mood for a sandwich, pizza or a burrito.
2) Late-night. On the weekends (during the academic year), they're open until 4 AM. It's really the only option besides sandwiches, pizza or a burrito.
seriously? i just don't get it. a chain restaurant, that occupies a renovated bloomington landmark, serves chain-style americanized somewhat flavorless versions of cuisine you can find in "authentic" restaurants in town for the same price if not cheaper (and one hundred times tastier)... i guess it's the students keeping it alive?
Review Source:
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