Christina Huynh
Google
I grew up with the scorching heat of SEA. Maybe that's why every year, when the winter chills start to sneak up, my homesickness always follows close behind. I’m not sure if it was fate or coincidence but I stumbled upon Noodles Party on one of those cold days that made the city feel especially far from home.
The moment I stepped inside, I was mesmerized. The space is so unapologetically authentic: the glass display case stacked full of skewers in the corner, the branded tarps covering the tables, the condiment caddies on top of the tables. For a second, Chicago seemed to blur away behind me and I felt like I was back at a hawker stall somewhere at home.
Their menu is small and rotates weekly. It usually consists of a few Thai noodle soups and street food dishes. To me, the noodle soups are the highlights with their incredibly rich and complex broths. So far, this is the only spot in the city that made me stop and think wow, this feels a little like home.
Chicago winters will still be cold but at least now I know where to go when my hands need to be kept warm with a steaming fragment of home.