Noodles Etc

CHEAP thai place for Uchicago visitors and students. Good options, food is tasty and large heavy portions. But some problems. For the curry dish, the rice was not a lot, and whilst the curry soup was very creamy and rich, the beef was okay at best, not tender, and very chewy! Plus $2.50 upcharge. Plus it was probably too rich as i had a big stomachache afterwards and had gastrointestinal problems afterwards. The drunken noodles were good and and curry noodles also, but not amazing. I ordered the curry noodles to go and it took ages for it to arrive. And they make you pay beforehand which is quite annoying. Service was decent, not the best and most friendly, depressing atmosphere, but overall good American-thai restaurant

The food is always gonna be good.. the portion sizes have gotten smaller.. we came in and sat down for almost twenty minutes and we finally asked the server, if they were going to serve us.. she pointed to a very small QR code on the table and told us to order our food there after going back and forth online we were about to pay and the page expired. We then went to the front register and ordered our food.. the food came out we ate and left.. this place has gotten progressively worse over the years..

One of the best dining experiences around campus! The dishes are ABSOLUTELY amazing! 👍👍👍

Honestly great prices and speedy service. Probably cheapest dishes in the area. But regarding the portion sizes, they do give sizes randomly, so you could order three of the same things and one will be double the size of the other. Personally, I don't mind this, and I think there's a nice variety of options, but keep it in mind.

Great taste, great food. Horrible and unfriendly service. Quite frankly, the staff couldn't care less. Still, the food is worth your time and money. The curry options are delicious and you can customize how spicy your order will taste. All food tastes very Thai and it is a great experience if you consider the flavor regardless of the poor service.

It was an okay experience. The food really lacked flavor. If that was fixed then I think it would be a pretty good restaurant for the cost. The best things we got to try were the croquettes and the Bai Mi sandwhich. The staff was kind of lax on serving / paying attention.

Went to Noodles today, and while the food was really good, the ordering system needs work. The QR code requires entering your full card info and address, no Apple Pay or saved payment options, which slows things down. Our waiter seemed overwhelmed, and a few items were missing from our order that we had to ask for more than once. He also just announced dishes instead of verifying specific orders, so someone from my table and I accidentally ate each other’s meals before realizing! That said, the Pad Thai was delicious with a healthy portion (enough for leftovers), and the miso soup was excellent. Great food, but the service process could use some fine-tuning.

I had the pad woo sen, Singapore noodles, and the curry puff. I personally don’t do good with menus that have a to many options so I ended up getting one for dine in and one to-go. The dine in portion was huge. So I really didn’t need the to-go. Both were as described. No complaints with anything not matching up. The curry puff did have much more “puff” than I expected. That’s a lot of crust! I ended up taking most of it off but what was left was flavorful and I’d order it again. Wouldn’t order the Singapore noodle again… the curry just didn’t do it for me. But the space is calm, clean, & inviting & staff were friendly so it was a good overall experience.

Tofu pad sew introduced me to my love for Thai food I strongly recommend. All the noodle dishes are great, but that's my favorite.

Ordered the vegan pad Thai and it was absolutely disgusting. No flavor whatsoever. I felt like I was eating chewy spaghetti noodles. The lady that runs the place is even more of a nightmare. She was horribly unprofessional, unkind, and extremely rude. Avoid at all costs.

Great location near to universities and walkable neighborhoods. The crowd was very diverse from students to what appeared to be a ladies afternoon lunch group to couples to law-enforcement of Asian descent. My date and I blended right in! As my date was born and raised in Chicago, and often talked about not being able to find drunken noodles in other cities, it was a no-brainer when he asked me where I wanted to eat during our trip last week. I was not disappointed at all! The drunken noodles came with heat level from regular to 911. My date selection was 911, of course. The Tom Kha soup, lack the presentation received, but the content was equally good. Actually welcomed emphatically due to the cold temperatures. I also had the garlic udon noodles (normal sauce) with shrimp. Very tasty and well seasoned. Included a room, temperature, Vietnamese, tea, since hot was not an option and a hot Vietnamese coffee to go! Everything was delicious and great service throughout. Will definitely return during my next visit.

Mid "asian" food without the best/most taste. At least the broth is hot which is good on a cold day or if you are feeling under the weather. It also comes out quickly and service is friendly

This was my first visit. I ordered several appetizers and my favorite was the egg rolls (shrimp and pork). Didn't think the chicken satay had much flavor but it was fresh and hot. My entree was really good - drunken noodles with chicken. It's also very clean with attentive servers even though quite a busy Saturday afternoon crowd. Great portions for the money and street parking

Hit or miss, big time. Pepper steak has wonderful rich flavor but the ramen and shrimp fried rice were completely devoid of flavor. I wish I had some chicken bullion to add to the ramen. Chicken broth richness for me is a bellwether of an Asian restaurant's quality. Pork gyoza and fried BBQ pork roll appetizers were very good but roll portion was small. The restaurant is half service as you order at the counter but are served the food and water is refilled. The A/C made the room very comfortable on a hot sticky day. I really hope there are other flavorful things on the menu.

12/10 one of the best restaurants in Hyde park I have been here over 20 times and have NEVER had a bad experience the food is ALWAYS delicious and the service is top tier! The pad Thai is the best thing on the menu and very authentic and affordable. I don't understand the negative reviews because I have been coming with friends for years and the food Aya's always been great and affordable the servers are always very attentive and helpful. I would DEFINITELY recommend. Definitely a Hyde park staple

Had a good lunch here recently when out doing shopping and business. It gets a little busy at lunch. Noodles Etc. is another place that's popular with Hyde Park locals, including UC faculty and students. Certainly has a casual feel. This isn't anything fancy, and the prices reflect this. Because it was cold I needed to get something warm of course. It's hard to beat noodles and soup in this kind of situation. Thankfully this was pretty close so I got over here and got a table. It has a lot of different broths and noodles. Most of the entrees use broths made from animal products. A few don't. The best one of these is the Vegetable Noodle. It's $8.50 for a pretty big bowl. This has bean sprouts and rice noodles. Certainly if around here I would come back. It makes a very good lunch. This is best when it's freezing cold outside.

I gave it another shot . NEVER AGAIN. if i could give it a zero I would. No care in making the food. egg shells in my pad thai, attitude when told them about it, remade not to my satisfaction, still attitude from the counter girl, rolling eyes and wanted to argue, 3 time made i just walked out. Never will i return

Came in with my baby right after his doctor's appointment at the University of Chicago and was not greeted at all when I walked in. Two of the servers looked at me then away and I'm unsure why. However a lady finally turned around and greeted me after I was standing for about 2 minutes without anyone assisting me in getting a table. While in the restaurant, I heard the servers speak Spanish and they must not have thought that I spoke Spanish because I do and they were making jokes about me being alone in the restaurant with my baby. I felt completely ignored the entire time at the restaurant. No one asked if I was okay or needed anything else. My food was not so good either. I ordered chicken lo mein and all of the noodles were broken up into little chunks. it looked like someone had already ate the food honestly and had put it back into the plate. I won't be back.

Stopped in when Medici was closed. This was a good pivot! We ordered a bunch of stuff off the appetizer section and it was all tasty! Service was friendly and food came out very quickly as well.

Came here for a quick dinner with a friend on Sunday night. We were seated immediately and brought water. To order, you have to go up to the counter and pay there. We forgot to do so which meant that we were waiting a little longer unnecessarily. My friend ordered the ramen and I ordered the pad see ew with tofu. It was quite good. Not the best pad see ew I'd every had but good portions and the broccoli was flavorful. I've come here multiple times and it has some of the most consistent Thai food in Hyde Park that remains decently priced. Definitely worth checking out again.

I'm back! Met a friend here in this lively spot. Oh! The food was good too! So I came back! Having the baby chicken rolls and chicken panang (sp).

While I enjoy the food I couldn't believe the poor customer service I recently received. After ordering dinner for my daughters last night with specific instructions to prepare. I was surprised to receive my order for delivery completely wrong, ignoring all request I made for the preparation of the meal. When I called to gently express my concerns, it was evident the attendant over the phone understood my concerns and was willing to support with future credit considering the kitchen was closing soon. Following up with this request the very next day, I was denied service although the attendant recalled my complaint. In fact, this adult recited my concerns without my input and still denied service. This is not an attack just for all to be aware. NOODLE ETC DO BETTER. This was terrible for me, but most important my girls.

Fresh and flavorful food! Fast and cheerful service Great menu and excellent prices. Easy ordering! Yes!

Very laid back spot in Hyde Park that can get super busy quickly. This is not your typical dine-in restaurant. You go in and (1) select your seat and view the menu from a QR or (2) ask for menus up front and find a seat. Either way, you order and pay up front at one of 2 desks and everything is brought out to you as it's made. They are very busy with takeout. I have yet to try an appetizer I don't enjoy! I particularly like the Gyoza and BBQ pork spicy rolls. Each time I go I try a different dish, and the portions are enough for a midnight snack. My last dish (stir-fried vegetables) needed a little more seasoning, but nothing a lot hot sauce couldn't fix. Prices were fair. Overall, I will go again!

Had good food here before and it's usually consistent. Last couple times my noodles did taste exactly like a burnt frying pan and not much else though... I've had way way way worse dishes in Chinatown and the service here is exactly how it should be. Quick, consistent and simple Asian food.

The last time I ate from here was six years ago. I worked in the Hyde Park area. My coworkers and I would order from here often. Well let me tell you something (Young Jeezy Verzuz voice)...They are still delicious!!!!! I usually order through Door Dash but didn't today and I found you guys on Grubhub! I ordered my old time usual.... 911 spicy Beef Pad Se Ew and a Lemonade. My Pad Se Ew was hottttt just like I ordered. So delicious and hot! It had a slight sweet undertone, tender beef, broccoli was cooked to perfection and it was saucy just like I like it. The Lemonade is sweet (not cloyingly sweet), tart and refreshing. I don't think it's freshly squeezed but it's delicious. Noodles Etc has great Thai Food that is very reasonably priced!! Check them out you won't be disappointed!! *** Sorry I was so ravenous I ate before I took my pics)

The food was overall pretty good, however one of the servers was not hygienic whatsoever he was putting away silverware and every so often he would rub his nose and go back to work passing out the food and putting away silverware I also saw him sneeze and not cover right next to the plates. Along with that, the woman who worked behind the counter just stood there and since this was our first time there we were kind of confused about how we would order but after a while we realized that we needed to order online, wish they would have specified that when we walked in so we wouldn't be so lost, Noodles were pretty bland but the broth was flavorful. Not returning.

This place was great. The pho had a lot of flavor and they gave plenty of beef in my pho. I enjoyed the food and will definitely be back!

Food was not badly priced. Service was pretty good as well. Didn't like the online ordering. Ambience was ok. Thai tea was not too sweet. Go the pho which already includes beef so do not add more unless you want extra.

Great chicken noodle soup and nice lady that greeted us and took our order. Worth the trip!

I order the Pad Thai noodle. I wanted chicken with added shrimp. The older lady told me I couldn't do that, but I order it before. Before my order was ready I ask the another lady about it and she told me yes I could have order the chicken and added on shrimps. So when I got my order the older lady told me that I would get more shrimps but when I looked at it it was the same amount of shrimps. So the older lady took my food and dump it out and brought me out 8 shrimps on the lid and said here is the 8 shrimps and put it on top of the noodles and tried to hand it to me. I told her what kind of service are you doing digging through my food to search for some shrimps that you probably added. Instead of remaking my order the way that I ask. I told them to give me my money back because if I was a white person this would have NEVER happened. I would not ever go back and I don't recommend it.

Here's my updated review! I've been coming here for years. The chicken gyoza, pad see ew is very good. I typically do takeout and the food is always fresh. Don't recommend the ramen tho.

Terrible new way to order. No more service? The patron has to do all the work? They use to take your order at the table now you have to prepay ? Food is still good and so are the prices but why tip???

Good, fast food with excellent service. D and I both had Pad Thai. I had Tom Yum soup while D had the vegetable croquette for appetizers. I thought the food was good. It was D's first time eating Pad Thai, and she is not a fan. The staff were very attentive and quickly removed dirty dishes and filled water glasses. If your looking for good food and great service, you should give this place a try.

Amazing, fresh Pan Asian cuisine. I've come here many times and it never disappoints! The staff are super friendly and efficient- it usually takes 10-15 minutes for the order to be ready. I recommend their Beef Salad as a light meal, and the Crab Rangoon is a perfect appetizer to share with friends :)

Great little thai food option with friendly service that I'm glad we visited. It's been some years since I've been here, and the quality is good as ever.

Very impressed by the quality of All the food; not just the noodle dishes. Best crab Rangoon I've had in Many years, excellent - tho somewhat odd-looking - chive dumplings. The bbq pork fried rice doesn't taste like ANY fried rice I've ever had. Some might find it problematic but I thought it was excellent. I dining partners had the Udon soups and I was Very jealous because they looked delicious and good Udon is hard find! I had the Singapore noodles which I ordered despite the fact that I really don't like curry flavor all that much. But it was still a winner. Service was prompt and efficient. Would definitely go there again if we found ourselves in Hyde Park again.

Met up for a quick working lunch and our server clearly understood Lunch hour! our food was served under 10 minutes , chow chow , talk talk and we were out in under 45 minutes. 5 stars for service, the food was pretty good but not the best! Will certainly revisit!

After an adventurous day at the University of Chicago, we decided to eat at Noodles Etc located a close 10 mins walk away from the core of the campus. Unlike other schools we've seen, the University of Chicago didn't seem to have a main food spot where restaurants clustered. Instead, they had little hubs in different areas of the school. Even though it was pretty warm that day, we decided to go to Noodles Etc because it was a "Michelin guide recommended restaurant" so it had to be good right? Although there were many options to choose from, I settled with the curry rice noodle with chicken. Unfortunately, it wasn't very impressive. The curry was too coconut-y so you couldn't taste any spices in it. With that being said, it also packed a spicy punch. The rice noodles in the dish were also very clumpy which made it hard to mix in with the curry and not very enjoyable to pick apart and eat. On the bright side, there was a good portion of chicken and veg

I was out in Hyde Park for work all day and leaving to head back to the Western Suburbs so I had a long trip ahead of me. Before I hit the road, I placed an online order to Noodles Etc. and I can safely say it is my new FAVORITE! It is SO rare a place can/will make you pancit without meat so when I requested it to be made with tofu, I expected a call to say no can do. When I went to pick up (my food was done right on time), the incredibly friendly hostess at the stand said happily we went ahead and made yours fresh with tofu and no meat! I was so, so thankful. I also did their veggie egg rolls which were DELICIOUS and perfectly crispy. I did their lo mein which was good but the pancit was the real star of the show. Thank you for the tasty food and the wonderful service!

Lots of food for decent price. Mountains of options, almost too many to choose. Clean but bland environment, not a fun place to eat but surely go for the vast menu and food.

My daughter and I love Noodles! After school on any random day, I will surprise My kid with dinner at Noodles Etc. She doesn't know mommy doesn't want to cook, too tired so we go with it! We always order the gyozas, chicken fried rice and the basil curry. Anytime I switch it up and get something else, I always crave the curry so, I'm going to stick with the basil red curry and be satisfied. It's a smaller establishment and yes they have outdoor seating. Never had to wait for a table. Usually great service. The last time wasn't so great but won't stop us from coming back! Try it!

Great food, great portions and great flavors and reasonably priced! This is a serious win in my book. The bamee and the pho are deliciously packed with flavor! The spring rolls are great with peanut sauce if you are looking for a light snack. The only drawback is it gets warm inside with all the people. This doesn't stop me from returning and trying other dishes. We pop in here frequently. Always packed, but never have to wait very long. The tables turn over quickly and there is some outside seating when it is nice outside.

I'm surprised I haven't reviewed Noodles Etc sooner, I eat there so regularly I take it for granted. noodles etc is my go-to to grab a bite to eat in Hyde park, the menu has great variety and everything is cheap, hot, and delicious! I love the red curry and the pho and I have had only great experiences for the past 5 years.

Noodles Etc always hit the spot when I'm craving Asian-inspired dishes at work! My favorite is the Panang curry with chicken and chicken satay. They have fast service, and it is always clean when we go there. It's housed near a college campus, so a lot of students and staff eat there. What I like about their menu is that it gives you many options. They even have a Filipino dish! Menu is priced OK for the amount you get. Definitely a great lunch break spot.

Food quality was decent, service was fast and overall few complaints. I would have liked some less noodle to soup ratio.

Pretty disappointed in this place. They charge for every add on at outrageous price for a small amount (hence the shrimp)$3.00 for about 4 pieces of shrimp is a rip off. Not only that but there dishes are loosing their luster in flavor. I don't know if this place has been sold to new owners, but the food and prices are not the same as I remember.

炒麵有臭雞蛋味，湯麵聞起來有點像垃圾桶，蝦有酸臭味，兩個人花了30幾，回家馬上拉肚子 真的洗胃 A fried noodles with stinky egg smell, soup smells like a trash, shrimps are not fresh. Can't tell how clean this place is lol btw using QR code for ordering is so stupid, your menu website have a lot of bugs. I can't even add a credit card until I turn off all my privacy and ads strategy on my browser

A great local spot for Asian fare, focusing on Thai food. I came here by suggestion of my girlfriend, who's a UofC alumna and has frequented this place a lot in her college days. The food was delicious -- picked a variety of noodles and appetizers that I shared with my family. I had placed a pick up order so my experience was quick and smooth. I will definitely go back next time I'm in Chicago.

It's the restaurant for modest daily eating. Nothing is outstanding, and opposite is true too, which is nothing is bad :) I usually ordered fried rice with shrimp and beef or chicken pad thai to go. When I dine in, usually order chicken noodle soup. It's almost my choices every time.

Ordered a few weeks back, and had a subpar experience. The food was good but I was missing items and I felt the girl at the front to be very rude. Today I gave it another chance, since I work so close to it, and had a very similar experience. The sauce containers included with my meal were all crushed and spilled out. I am not sure how it's possible unless it happened before packaging seeing the entire meal is in a hard plastic container and there was nothing crushing these containers. I ordered a mango drink that was not included in my order. The girl at the front desk was again pretty disrespectful. I was asked if I wanted chopsticks or hot sauce. I said "Both please". She very blatantly rolled her eyes at me. Just completely unnecessary. I wont be back after this experience. The food is good, but to be missing items in 2 out of 2 orders and have rude service in 2 out of 2 orders.... a waste of my money.

I am a regular here. Love the pho. As soon as you walk in all the employees are very welcoming. I've been coming here for years and their pho is the best I've ever had!

Zero f***ing stars, I repeat: ZERO F***ING STARS!!! I ate here a few years ago, and it was bad enough that I never went back. Tonight I thought, 'hey, let's give this place another shot!' Wow, do I feel stupid. First of all, the website prices are wrong. They have raised prices by 20-30% depending on the item I guess, which feels like a bait and switch. For good food and service I wouldn't mind. This was neither. Note to management: if someone asks how long an order will take, it may mean they are in a hurry. Therefore, do not lie and say seven minutes when it's going to be 15 or more. Again, wouldn't have minded so much had the food not been the worst meal I have had in six months. The chicken teriyaki was prepared as follows: 11 pieces of broccoli, three tiny pieces of chicken, three carrot slices, rice, and the most disgusting teriyaki sauce I've ever had. So... $12 or so for some broccoli?? Also got green curry with tofu. Green curry is supposed to be the spiciest of the curries. This was the most mild, bland shit that I have ever had. The tofu was disgusting. The menu says it comes with red peppers. It does not. It came with green peppers, but they were mushy and gross. Absolutely the worst garbage in months.

I had forgotten to eat and by the time 3 PM rolled around, I was starving and walked into the first place I could find which just so happened to be Noodles Etc. I ordered the Pad Thai with tofu and was served incredibly quickly. The waitress checked in on me multiple times to makes sure that I was doing okay which I really appreciated. I would definitely recommend coming here.

The best way to survive the pandemic is to pick up the Singapore noodles and have a picnic on the beautiful campus of U of C! I even ordered Pancit noodles for lunch for the next day. Life is good with Noodles!

I don't know whether it was because we were hungry or because the food was actually good, but the spicy pad thai and basil fried rice were SO delicious!! The portions seemed kind of small though. The service was good. I wish she had asked us if we were student (we had backpacks on) because we remembered to ask for the student discount after we had given our card to her.