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101 Noodle Express
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 9 am - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
103 reviews for 101 Noodle Express
Review Highlights
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"Possibly the best beef roll I've had can be found here." In 38 reviews -
"...there are the beef rolls and the fried pork dumplings." In 7 reviews -
"Chinese herbs, some dan dan chronic." In 9 reviews
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103 reviews in English
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Review from sara l.
Can I have another helping of heaven? Yes, yes I can. Here at 101 Noodle Express (which I'd heard of but never tried 'til my in-laws suggested going) I can have whatever the hell I please. Their xiao long bao are by far and away the best and ONLY XLB I've had in Southern California that fairly compare to Din Tai Fung's. The skins are thin and delicate, the pork is juicy and flavorful, and the dumpling doesn't break when you pick it up. AT least not most of the time.
The dan dan noodles are SUPERB (if a teensy bit too greasy, but then, who doesn't like extra chili oil?). The beef and chicken rolls were a huge hit with my family...if you haven't had them, it's basically like a cross between moo shoo and peking duck (but not duck) wrapped up in huge scallion pancake like a burrito. I think for some, this dish might actually be the definition of heaven.
Their hand=pulled noodles are stupidly delicious. The cold cucumber appetizer is wonderful, and their stir-fried greens are always perfectly cooked, never overly so, and plenty garlic-y. 5 absolutely AMAZING stars. -
Review from Hannah E.
5/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
Watching a steaming beef wrap the size of my forearm get marched by our table after I had ordered, I felt a fleeting stab of regret at having ordered dumplings. I felt another brief stab of it after my clumsy chopstick technique sent my dumpling crashing into my plate of soy/vinegar/pepper mixture, splashing it all over my sweatshirt.
But taste-wise, no further regrets here. I ordered the yellow leek, shrimp, and pork dumplings, steamed, and they came out mild, thick-skinned, relatively juicy, and clean-tasting. Nothing seemed particularly memorable about them, but I felt good after eating them.
My vegetarian companions - two of them this time! - managed to wrangle veggie dumplings and some kind of bok choy omelette that tasted like a Cheez-it to me. I didn't deign to try their dumplings, but I guess the joke's on me because neither of them managed to splash themselves with dipping sauce.
We all also shared a 3-item appetizer platter with shredded tofu, cold mixed vegetable salad, and pork ears. Obviously the pork ears were all mine, and they were delicious. The salads were good too - there's no going wrong with mustard green salad (unless you're at Liang's Kitchen) - but I refrained from hogging them.
We had a charming and effusive server who politely switched between speaking Mandarin to my Mandarin-speaking boyfriend and speaking English to me. She even made sure that I knew there were going to be pork ears in my appetizer in case I wasn't going to be OK with that, and that the vegetarians knew that all of the appetizers would be touching each other in case they weren't going to be OK with that. -
Review from Angel Q.
Huntington Beach, CA
5/3/2012
One of my favorite places to go to because i like this type of food. Its actually pretty good and not too bad. Beef roll and dumplings are great here. The only bad thing is it is so crowded. I took a bite of the dumplings one time and it was filled with liquid broth inside. It was so juicy that all the juice came flying a feet away and almost got one of my friend. Luckily, he sat far enough away from me.
I really like this place but the line and the parking is the only thing that will prevent me from coming more often. -
Review from Jennifer T.
Long Beach, CA
4/30/2012
We actually come here quite often.
If I'm basing this on food alone, I would definitely go up to 4 stars.
I really really enjoy the spicy beef hand torn noodle soup. I mean, this stuff to me is on par with pho, and I think I can eat pho everyday! But the main reason why I love this beef noodle soup over the other two next door and one across the way is the damn cilantro/jalepeno/preserved sour cabbage salsa!!! Ok, I call it salsa, but it's probably closer to a dressing or a flavor enhancer. Well I like a lot of this stuff. And for those that aren't lucky enough to eat noodle soups with me- I'm very particular about mah shiet.
I like the proportions to be even, and I'm a major sauce girl. I like a bit of soup, one good size noodle or a couple smaller ones (yes, yes I'm anal.) a bit of meat, and a sprinkling of that "salsa." And that's just how I enjoy my noodle soups, particularly.
Anyway, the "salsa" nazis here are absolutely ridiculous. I feel like they're literally staring me down with every scoop. Three times, they've actually come to my table to "SNATCH" the salsa away!
Ridic.
Absolutely. -
Review from Drunh H.
Coos Bay, OR
5/23/2012
the rice is half-cooked; give me hard time in bathroom.
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Review from Sorina P.
Irvine, CA
4/28/2012
Very good green onion pancakes, fried dumplings, and beef roll. We also had the special chicken on waiter's recommendation, but could have gone without it.
Be mindful of the pickle in the jar. I've heard some testimonies of people who have had adverse reactions to it.
And, beware, they only take cash! -
Review from John L.
Irvine, CA
4/17/2012
Things that we've ordered and would recommend:
(1) Beef Roll
(2) Spare Ribs Noodle Soup
(3) Dan Dan Noodles
When ordering noodle dishes, I would recommend the hand-torn noodles.
We've also ordered the juicy pork dumplings but were underwhelmed. I'd skip that dish.
Note that this is a cash-only establishment. -
Review from Sandy K.
4/5/2012 1 photo
After reading Tiffany Y's review and I was en route to Laguna Beach I decided to check out 101 on a Sunday afternoon. The place was full so they asked you to sign your name and number of your party on the waiting list. I didn't get this BC a table of 4 got seated before myself and another mother and daughter group. What's the point?
Anyway I was seated next to a couple with two younger boys - one was refusing to eat and It was entertaining BC I had to listen to the mother and father to continue to threaten the boy if he didn't cooperate! Since I was dinning alone I ordered the beef noodle soup with fresh noodles. They charge a buck more but the noodles are really perfect. The broth was hot and flavorful and the portion was good in size.
I saw the beef wraps here and they looked tasty so I'll have to return here again when I'm in the neighborhood. -
Review from Alice C.
5/3/2012
THe best beef rolls ever. Beef noodle soup with homemade noodles are delish as well. A definite place in competition with a&j. Will have to see if their breakfast menu is like theirs or if they have one!
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Review from Lauren B.
Updated - 3/13/2012 4 photos
I do love their dumplings and now they have XLBs! Which is great! :) However, I did try their Dan Dan Noodles last night and they were just weird. They have a peanut sauce feel and are a little sweet, not enough cucumber. I have not had a lot of Dan Dan noodles in my life but, I do not think they are suppose to taste like Thai peanut sauce?
The veggie dumplings and the veggies noodle soup was good. Just don't get number 61.Listed in: Yum Yum for My Tum Tum!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/16/2011
I love this place... BUT, hate this place. The service here is horrible and I always end up getting… Read more »
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Review from Michelle L.
Irvine, CA
3/29/2012
Dumplings. Get the dumplings here and you won't be sorry. I came here for dinner with a friend of mine and the only thing I really remember are the dumplings. We got out beef dumplings steamed instead of fried and it was delicious. Juicy and piping hot. I could have eaten the whole plate by myself.
I also ordered the beef noodle soup here as I always do in Taiwanese restaurants and I have to say that it wasn't that good. It was lacking depth and was bland mostly. A&J's or Liang's Kitchen's beef noodle soup is a lot better in my opinion.
This place is cash only! Come and eat their dumplings. 3/5 -
Review from Ai-Viet H.
Santa Ana, CA
4/8/2012
Beef Roll and Spare Ribs Noodle Soup are my favorites here.
Enough said. -
Review from Tiffany Y.
Dublin, CA
3/5/2012
This restaurant is really small and simple, you will probably be forced to share tables with random people because they do not have enough space.
I feel so bad for the 2 men who had to share table with us, by the time that we ordered and received ALL of our food, they still had not received their food. Apparently the waiter forgot their order, so when we left the waiter JUST placed their order to the kitchen. These men spoke Mandarin too, so I am thinking that you must be very direct and speak intelligibly or else the waiters will completely forget what you are saying.
Another thing about the waiter service, our waiter literally RAN our food to us, i was so scared when he set it down that the food would splash us in our face. His hair was sticking to his head, and it was quite funny. Alot of the waiters looked really rushed because they were running around everywhere.
We ordered the spicy beef noodle soup ( hand pulled noodle), another type of pork noodle soup, fried pork dumpling, beef roll, and steamed veggies.
The hand pulled noodle is so nice and chewy, I really enjoyed eating these because each of them was different size and you can really taste the effort that was put into making the noodles, it is worth the extra $1 in my opinion. Plus you know that these are fresh, instead of being imported from who knows where and cooked who knows when.
The beef roll is very crispy on the outside, and on the inside is parsley, sliced beef, and hoi sin bbq sauce, which is my favorite !!
The dumplings are soooo good. I like the fried ones because their is a contrast between being crispy on the outside, as well as nice and juicy on the inside.
Cash only !!!
P.S. Be careful when eating the dumplings, my friend bit one of the dumplings and juice literally jizzed (pls excuse my dirty mind) out in a stream about 1 ft. in front of us. I guess that just proves how juicy they are. -
Review from Bryan T.
Irvine, CA
4/2/2012
I had the beef roll and mini soup dumplings.
Bring on cilantro in the beef roll!! It totally makes it!
If you like soup dumplings -- you will need to try this place out as well. Not as good as 'din tai fung' -- but you can't really expect any other place to be. Still, not bad, and good for Irvine.
Pretty good -- this will definitely be one of my staple dinner spots in Irvine from now on! -
Review from shery m.
Mission Viejo, CA
5/7/2012
This place doesn't match middle eastern taste.
Most of the dishes has pork in them and most watery noodles they don't have any chow main.
most of the appetizers are pre made kept in the front refrigirator.
By the way there is no dessert!
Make sure to bring cash no credit card accepted. -
Review from Jeffrey J.
Irvine, CA
3/27/2012 5 Check-ins Here
I can't believe I haven't reviewed 101 yet as it is ONE OF MY GO TO NOODLE HOUSES IN THE OC! This place ORIGINATED in the 626 and has finally opened up shop in Irvine (well... actually like the 2nd half of 2011... sigh late review!) but 101 Noodle Express has definitely become a staple in the 626 http://www.yelp.com/bi... -- check out their reviews. They have a ton of commercials on the Asian channels at home and the restaurant is really good! The one in Irvine that opened not too long ago started off kind of slow but has definitely picked up as of late. I remember when it first opened and I came here to try it out. It was average at most but I gave it chances and came back every couple of weeks and they got better and better. More people started to come, appearance changed, servers got more comfortable, and the cooks mastered their techniques. Now the transformation is nearly complete and I have really seen the blossoming of what is the 101 Noodle Express of today.
I love this place because yes they serve Taiwanese food here but they speak Canto! Just like in 626! It's like I never left! But on top of that they have this unique style that differs from the usual you get at A&J's and Liang's which seem to mimic each other. The food here has a slightly different flavor and way of preparation which makes it very yummy and filling. They also have the one garnish that I absolutely LOVE!!! It's a cilantro-jalapeno-mustard cabbage-y garnish that is one of kind and a specially IN-HOUSE ONLY SAUCE. They don't sell this in markets nor do other restaurants have it. They only make it at 101 and have it at 101. GOOD STUFF!
Their beef noodle soup is good, not the best, but good. I'd probably still stick with Liang's and A&J's for that because they pride themselves on that particular dish. However, the other selections here are what separates 101 from the rest! SPARE RIB NOODLES. DA LU NOODLES. OX TAIL NOODLES. SOUR VEGETABLE PORK NOODLE. MMMMM!! All of these are so yummy and consistently good and HUUGE!!
Overall, I love 101 because of the fact that they've kept a lot of the things they do right in the 626 and brought it to the OC. Now they are a little more expensive than back at home... but it's Irvine, it's kind of a given they have to raise it like 50 cents more... but WORTH IT! Great improvement since they started, and I'll definitely be coming back when I'm craving my Chinese noodle soup. -
Review from Linda T.
Irvine, CA
3/4/2012
Yes the beef roll is tasty. I give them that. But that might be the only good thing I had there.
I had the Dan Dan noodles. It was extremely oily and bland. The oil is probably still coating my arteries right now.
Green Onion pancake. Ok to be fair, this was pretty decent but probably because the beef roll and this are made from the same dough.
My friend had the fried dumplings. Once again extremely oily.
The beef noodle soup was also bland.
Maybe i've lived in socal for too long now but I just cant take all the oil. -
Review from Eric S.
Irvine, CA
2/2/2012
Waiter: How do you like'em sir?
Me: Boiled.
Friend 1: I want fried.
Fried 2: I like steamed.
Waiter: Well we can do all of that.
Me + Friend 1 + Friend 2: WHOAAAAAAAAAA!
So contrary to the name, this place in my book is more known for their dumplings. I mean, their menu for dumplings exceed than their selection of their noodles. Why don't they just rename it to 101 dumpling express?
My usual is just pork, shrimp and pumpkin pan fried dumplings, beef roll, pork and shrimp steamed dumplings and a random mysterious dumpling.
I never tried the noodles here. I duno why. My friends and I always refer this place as the dumpling house.
Me: Wanna go to the dumpling house today?
Friend 1: Yea man, I've been craving those dumplings.
Me: Have you tried the noodles?
Friend 1: No, but why start now. They're dumplings are good.
Me: Yea. We always go another place when we crave noodles.
One bad thing about this place is their service. It's totally like ur in Asia. You have to tackle your waiter down to get your order in. It's ridiculousness. Come during lunch rush? well you can hope your lunch can extend beyond 1 hour. Although the food comes fast, but this place gets packed fast. It feels like you're in a sardine cans. For faster tables, make sure your party comes in four. Tables are hard to come by for 5 or more. Then you have to wait for your dumpling awesomeness.
This place is ok for dumplings. I can't vouch for other stuff. -
Review from Jun z.
Mission Viejo, CA
This place specialize in noodles and other dishes using flower. It's pretty authentic and food is always great. I always end up ordering too many dishes cuz I just want to try everything! Yum yum yum!
I like their grilled lamb kebabs, really delicious with cumin seasoning and reminds me of after school street food in China. Beef roll is very good; I get that every time. They also have great dumplings, xiao long bao (with soup inside), lamb noodles, and other dishes.
At lunch time this place could have a wait, and it might be difficult to find parking. The service is the same as any other Chinese restaurant. They're not gonna ask how your day went, but you'll get your water, get your food, and get your check at the end.
All in all I like it a lot! It's one of my favorite lunch spots. -
Review from Tiffany H.
Irvine, CA
12/16/2011
This corner used to be a mediocre Taiwanese place and I was afraid that it was replaced by another really mediocre Taiwanese joint. But, stupid me didn't make the correlation between the 101 Noodle Express in Arcadia and the one here :D
Came here for lunch with a coworker. Seated quickly, decent service.
They recommended their chicken wrap ( since I don't eat beef I asked her if their pork or chicken was better) and their fried dumplings.
WARNING: fried dumplings are very juicy and will squirt oil all onto your jacket/table :( I learned the hard way. These were pretty yummy!
Their chicken wrap was delicious as well. I let my non-Asian friends try it and their consensus was that it was almost like a burrito and quite tasty.
If this is really like the Arcadia one, I'm definitely going to try their spare rib noodle soup AND their hot & sour soup (if they have it! - I hope they do!) -
Review from Dennis H.
Updated - 10/25/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I have been here again and it was the total opposite of my first time other then the service was still crappy and slow.
Some of the yelp reviews are true... I noticed some of my dumplings were undercooked UGH!!
I am just happy I didn't get food poisoning.Listed in: NEVER FORGET
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/18/2011
It looks like A&J has some competition.
101 Noodles would get 5 stars if they had better service...
… Read more »
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Review from Stephan Y.
Irvine, CA
12/6/2011 2 Check-ins Here
My review about this place is OK. From what Ive seen and heard about this place...this place prides itself in the beef wrapped pancakes...I ordered them and they were guud!
I also ordered the BEEF NOODLE soup...which wasnt too bad. They had an option of serving with fresh cut noodles or regular noodles...buy the fresh cut! there def. worth the extra buck!
I also ordered the fried dumplings....eh these seemed whatever. Nothing special in the dumplings...they were juicy though! but nothing too special with it
& finally...I ordered a HOT & SOUR SOUP...it was pretty guud! It had a light and pure taste...but def. with that HOT & SOUR kick. I wouldnt consider this place as my favorite and top HOT AND SOUR soups...but its not bad...I would def. order again if I were here.
On a side note...this place is CASH ONLY
The title of the restaurant says 101 NOODLE EXPRESS...you would think that a place that calls themselves in NOODLE EXPRESS would have more noodles right? WRONG!
UNTIL THEN!! ^-^ -
Review from Hannah K.
12/2/2011
Overall, quite delicious, but hit-or-miss.
We had green onion pancake - could do with a little more salt in the batter. But, it was super thin and crisp, which is a must.
Pan fried dumplings - Yum. Great with some black vinegar.
I took leftovers of both home bc there was too much for us two and they heated up great.
We also had the ja jang myun. Now, yeah, I'm Korean and my ja jang myun is greasy, saucy, carmelized and amazing. I'm a fan of Chinese style too... but the more similar to Korean-style, the better. I've had good Chinese style ja jang myun (Dai Ho), but this style was not that good. They also say it's better with the hand cut noodles... but I think I prefer the store bought thinner noodles. The ja jang was a quick stir fry, not the carmelized, saucy goodness that I love. And Dai Ho's isn't like Korean-style, but it still has carmelized flavor which is the most important part!
I'd def go back again, but no ja jang.
I think we missed out on some bomb diggity beef roll up though - everyone ordered one except us. -
Review from Angie D.
Lake Forest, CA
12/14/2011
The beef roll is something you must try! Never tried one before and I'm glad I had one because I was missing out! You get 6 pieces in an order and shared it with the dad and sister-- 2 pieces was not enough!
We also ordered some dumplings () and the Beef Noodle Soup. The dumplings were alright, I'd like to try a different type next time and the beef noodle soup was good also. The broth was light and not heavy and the beef was really tender. Overall very good meal. Ended up being around $24 total. Will definitely come back again. -
Review from Angela D.
Updated - 1/29/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Still feel the same about their dumplings but their BEEF ROLLS are AMAZING! YUM IN MY TUM!! :D A huge portion and stuffed with beef, cilantro, hoisin sauce, and green onions.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/17/2011
Came to try their Xiao Long Bao and was pretty disappointed. Lack of soup inside the dumplings. The… Read more »
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Review from Ming-Jou C.
Torrance, CA
9/17/2011 5 Check-ins Here
After having waited months for the crowds to die down at 101 Noodle Express (which used to be Nice/Good Time Deli), I finally got to try it for a late lunch with the fam today. We were seated right away and the staff seemed aware and attentive to the people waiting outside.
There are four-person booths that line the two walls and then tables in the middle. The decor has changed a bit and they brightened it up, but the place does look worn already. Like it was trying to get dressed up to go out, but then decided to change into sweats and eat a tub of ice cream in front of the couch. You'll know what I mean if you go.
We ordered beef noodle soup with hand-pulled noodles for $8. Regular noodles is $1 less. They have a long list of different steamed and fried dumplings. We got the yellow leek and pork steamed and the regular leek and pork fried. Dumplings came on plates of 10. And we had a green onion pancake to boot.
For four items it was $30. The beef noodle soup was really good (better flavor and noodles than next door at Chef Chen), the green onion pancakes were cooked just right and had tons of green onions in them with just the right amount of saltiness, and the dumplings had a lot of meat in them and were pretty big. The guy next to us ordered the roast beef roll and it was about twice as big as Chef Chen's at about the same cost.
Service was actually really good, too. They saw our tea was empty and refilled it. I asked for ice water and they brought it out right away. They got our to go boxes, took away plates, and asked us if everything was okay. Atypical for a Chinese cafe.
Although their prices aren't the cheapest, I'll definitely be back for beef noodle soup. Chef Chen's are usually always a little on the soggy side for me, but 101 Noodle Express does it just right. -
Review from Lanna K.
Irvine, CA
4/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
V and I have been going to 101 Noodle Express after Chinese class almost every week now. The lady that works there is super nice and actually remembered us the second time we went. We've taken out every time we've gone here. So far, we've tried: dan dan noodles (they ran out of the thin noodles so they gave us the hand cut noodles which were fine but I think it would have tasted better with the other noodles), oxtail soup noodle with hand cut noodles (ehhh, not that good. Not worth getting), beef roll (was pretty good. I personally think Liang's is better but that's probably because I'm not Chinese and I don't know what they're supposed to taste like), pork and celery dumplings (pretty good! They ran out of the pork and leek ones so would definitely go back to try the pork and leek), cucumbers (it's kind of weird because they take off the skin so the cucumber is a little too soft. The flavor isn't as good as the cucumber for AJs or Yu's.). I've only come here late at night (after 9pm) so I don't know what the wait/service is like during peak hours but they have been quick and friendly every time we have gone!
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Review from Jeremy F.
Tustin, CA
3/7/2012
Service was pretty good, the lady that served us was pretty friendly. We tried the spicy miso ramen and a tonkotsu ramen and both were very tasty and not too oily like some other places. I will go back!
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Review from Marian B.
9/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've had this place bookmarked since it open. I was finally able to check it out over lunch recently. The portions are pretty generous and the food comes out quick.
Beef roll: When I Yelped this place, I saw "beef roll" come up all the time. So I figured, I would try it out :) It was pretty good. The serving is ginormous! It looked like two giant burritos for about $7. Lots of shredded beef, lettuce and a sweet and sour type of sauce. Very filling! I recommend people to try this out.
Pork and Shrimp Dumplings: You get 10 pieces in this order and the dumplings are big. The wrappers are pretty thick though and was just too much carbs for me. I ended up not eating the entire wrapper and just the meat inside.
Oxtail Noodle Soup: I am a HUGE fan of anything with oxtail so when I saw this on the menu I immediately knew I wanted to try it out. DISAPPOINTED :( The oxtail meat was not tender at all and only had 2 pieces. The broth was so bland and flavorless.
Spicy Beef Noodle Soup: This soup was delicious! Luckily my friend ordered this so I just had the broth from this soup because it was spicy and full of flavor. If you want soup, try this one out.
Overall I liked this place even though the Oxtail was a total miss. Not as great as I expected it but you get a lot of food for the price. They had a lot of other things on the menu that I want to try so I will be back. :)Listed in: Taste the World, Noodles!!!
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Review from Andrew N.
Fullerton, CA
4/4/2012
Been here twice within the last few weeks. I've gotten the Xiao-long-boa and the beef roll and 1 or 2 other dish I don't remember at all. Pretty much the only thing that attracted me to coming back was the beef roll.
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Service here sucks for the most part. 1st time coming here was on a busy night. I went and got take-out. The staffs didn't really pay attention to me until i walk all the way to their display case where they have the appetizer dishes. Even then, it took a min or two until they bother to acknowledge I was there.
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2nd time coming, came in late afternoon. The place was rather empty, only probably 3 tables for dine- in for early dinner. I was attended by a staff much quicker than last time, but he wasn't particularly polite or anything. I was really turned off from 2 things that day. 1) they pretty much completely ignored me when I exited the store after getting my food. While I notice another guy dining alone, when he exited they at least bother with a "thank you." (both the staff at counter and the staff who took my order ignored me when i walked out).
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2) When there was only 2 tables or so that were occupied for dine in. I got beef roll for take out and went elsewhere while they made it and came back. I waited an additional 10-15mins inside the store and no staff came to me asking me if I had a take-out or telling me if my order is ready or not. It wasn't later that i noticed there is a bag for take-out behind the appetizer display. That's when i thought, perhaps I should ask...if that happen to be mine....since there's really not much other ppl in the restaurant at that time.
It ends up it is..... so ok...there's like a staff at the cashier area doing virtually nothing....and he knows I've been waiting for like 10-15mins sitting in their restaurant and he didn't even bother to check?! wow.... talk about lack of service!
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this place seems to have a strong preferential treatment btw customers. My impression is If you go in alone and get a take-out, they pretty much won't bother
with you in terms of service. If you dine in and have a few ppl with you, they pay more attention to you. I noticed the 2nd time when I was there, when one of the 2 tables was a large party of like 6-7 ppl...the staff that took my order was so much more friendlier to them. I don't care if they may be possibly old customers or not (or the fact that they will be paying a good tip cause of large party)....the stark contrast in their customer service bw customers really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
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so yes, i won't be coming here often unless I really want a good beef roll.
And as with most Chinese places....the annoyance of "cash only."
Seriously..... we live in a modern society.....no one wants to carry a large wad of bill in their pocket. These type of restaurants need to really grow up and learn to accept credit cards. If even coke machines nowadays can do it.... i don't see why can't they? -
Review from James K.
Garden Grove, CA
9/1/2011
*WARNING* *HAZARD* *CAUTION*
***READ ME AND SAVE YOUR MONEY***
So where should I begin? I will let everyone know that I am a gentleman and when I visit an establishment I abhor making any kind of scene. Why? Gentlemen do not create "scenes." That is for women (sorry ladies, bad joke).
On the other hand, sometimes the scene is made by management then at that point, "Sir I must defend my honor," and I will then proceed to create the most amazing, awarding winning, dramatic performance that will leave management in awe and remorse, while receiving applause (standing ovation) and cheers from the other patrons that should be honored by such an event.
The 1 STAR 1 STAR 1 STAR rating should give it away, but this is going to be a "negative" review. I will now start with something called restaurant management ethics. Something this establishment has none of. Absolutely ZERO, , , , NULA, không, , cero (all mean '0') accountability or sense of management ethics.
I was very nonchalant about the food taking over 40 minutes to make, I was forgiving when my guest's order was forgotten and not even made, but I will NOT forgive them for insinuating that I am a liar and arguing about what I ordered.
This lady actually had the nerve to come to my table and try to make an argument that the order that they brought for me was something that I specifically ordered. She spewed this garbage at me in Chinese and I told her that I do not speak the language. She tried to spew it at me in broken English. I then proceeded to ask her if she understood what pointing a finger means and if she can read Chinese? CASE CLOSED. When my waitress took my order I pointed, she pointed, I nodded, she nodded. So this lady is standing there dumbfounded and just looked plain stupid in front of all her patrons.
I do not see where a language barrier has anything to do what had happened. This lady does not offer to take care of the bill, she does not offer to make another order, she does not do anything but stand there looking stupid. Being the gentleman that I am I paid the bill and left a tip (gentlemen always leave a tip). How much tip? Drum roll please... a whole $0.01. I turned from my tip nodded to the patrons who nodded back, heard no apologies from staff or management, exit stage...that's a wrap!
FOOD REVIEW:
If the service is bad, then the food is bad. Why? They do not care about their customers so the food would get the same attention. Had 2 different bowls of noodles and an order of dumplings. Soup was bland and I got the runs from the MSG that was used. Hand cut noodles are not cut well and poor in presentation extremely uneven. Fried dumplings were decent in flavor, but way too greasy. By the way I ordered steam dumplings, but they refused to change the order. The food would have received a 2 star rating regardless of service. I am not being biased about the food due to service. Bottomline the food was not good. Price: 7.50-8.50 per noodle bowl (pricey)
In conclusion...
To ALL restauranteurs: DO NOT ARGUE with your patrons. That is a universal rule that should be followed, excluding very special circumstances. Service was bad. Food was bad,so I would not recommend this establishment to anyone. Go to another place next door and save your money. -
Review from Alan C.
Carlsbad, CA
11/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
The only reason I would come back is just for the Beef Roll/Wrap. At $8 its pretty expensive- but its the best you'll ever eat.
The other foods aren't that good :(
Noodles and the dumpling dishes were just bland and forgettable.
So basically..... get the beef roll to go and eat somewhere else. -
Review from Jamaicanese l.
Irvine, CA
12/3/2011
3.5 Stars
I've been here two or three times and have always had a good meal and no issues with service and this was during pretty busy lunch times. GET THE BEEF ROLL - it is GINORMOUS and super tasty with tons of fresh cilantro between layers of savory slightly sweet beef flank inside a light and crispy green onion pancake.
Seriously their GREEN ONION PANCAKE is probably some of the best I've ever had - tastes homemade with a light flaky slighty chewy texture - not greasy or too thick. They also have a dish which is thin strips of this pancake tossed with fresh bean sprouts - kind of like a bread salad - YUMMY. There's a pic of it in the menu.
Even though the name has noodle in it they really have a million other items such as a large variety of dumplings. Their soup dumplings aren't as good Din Tai Fung (but really whose are?) but a lot better than a lot of places you'll find in Irvine. Yu's garden has better Beef Noodle Soup but again they have a pretty good one too -get it with hand cut noodles.
So all in all they have pretty darn good food, good prices and so far pretty good service too. -
Review from Vy N.
Mission Viejo, CA
11/22/2011 6 Check-ins Here
I love this place. I crave their spicy beef noodles all the time. The broth is not oily, beef is tender and the noodles hand torn. The cilantro is a key ingredient.
The beef roll is good but very filling. This is sharable.
I like their dumplings also. I've tried a number of them and haven't been let down. Most recently I tried the pumpkin and shrimp dumpling which was a very nice surprise. If your looking for sweet and savory, try it.
Price wise, it is unbeatable. My bill for 2 people is always about $20.
Hot tea is complimentary. This place is authentically Chinese, and a good rule of thumb is to go to places where the people match the food. There are always Chinese patrons here. -
Review from Kent H.
10/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Horrible service, even when there are barely any patrons in the restaurant. However, I'm not rating it by the service.
The food was subpar. I ordered the steamed dumplings, of the variety of 3 and it tasted like it was frozen defrosted and purchased at the market. The ingredients lacked texture and it was just a ball all rolled together. The xiao long bao was dehydrated to the point of not being tasteful. I was expecting as usual to have the hot juices gushing out with some ginger to give it flare, but the bao was lacking in every way. -
Review from Stephanie N.
Irvine, CA
Updated - 2/20/2012
Despite the TERRIBLE service we initially had at this restaurant, we went back for the food, and now I'm updating my review on the service.
Seems like they upgraded the staff! The servicers are FRIENDLY now. Thank god. And in the last few times we've been to the restaurant, we haven't seen the rude lady who had dangled our to go boxes in front of us and dropped them onto the table.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/23/2011
Service: VERY BAD
Decor: HORRIBLE / DISGUSTING
Food: GOOD
Service:
- We sat down and waited for… Read more »
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Review from Cheri D.
Mountain View, CA
9/4/2011
Went here for dinner tonight, and had a very enjoyable meal with the family. Beware - it's CASH ONLY and small so it gets crowded on weekend evenings, but luckily there is a 99 Ranch and a few shops nearby to keep you occupied while you wait :) Here is what we ordered...
Mixed cold appetizer (small) - large portions, overall pretty tasty
De Zhou chicken - pretty flavorful, but apparently not authentic
Lamb noodle soup - love that they serve it piping hot, but not enough meat :(
Vegetable noodle soup - also good, but thought it had too much black pepper
**ordered both soups with hand torn noodles, and loved their chewy texture!
Beef roll - VERY good, maybe even better than Mama Liang's next door -
Review from Mike N.
10/1/2011
3.5 on some dishes, 4.0 on others.
This strip of restaurants has some of the best Chinese/Taiwanese food in Irvine, that's not saying much since Irvine and Orange Country in general don't have too many good authentic Chinese places.
This place's Beef Rolls and Green Onion Pancakes are much better than the competition in the lot. If you want a beef noodle dish, I would go with Liang's kitchen down at the other end or A&J in the plaza across the street because the broth here is a bit lacking in flavor...still good but it can be better. Dumplings are okay, definitely had better. I have made dumpling my entire life. one of the most annoying things to me personally is when the meat inside the wrapper is "loose". Once in a while the water they boil it in gets inside and when you bite into the dumpling, you end up with a mouth full of bland water. -
Review from Dan H.
7/8/2011
Beef roll!!! That was the hit with me and my lunch buds today. Lots of tasty tender beef rolled up like a burrito or a sandwich wrap. You get two huge rolls for $6.95, an absolute bargain for the price. We were all blown away by the size/value. Really good.
It's a noodle and dumpling house but I wasn't really excited about ordering noodles, perhaps a dumpling or two. I was focused on the beef rolls that Jonathon Gold highly recommended at one of their other locations. He is my hero BTW. But my buds had been here before and insisted on ordering one noodle dish (minced pork) and 2 orders of dumplings (lamb and bok choy shrimp). What the hell, a couple of dumplings each doesn't sound like overkill. What?!?! They come 10 to an order?!? Holy cow. And that's exactly what I'll feel like after 2 huge pieces of beef roll, 6 huge dumplings and a few schlurps of noodles. No wonder I only eat out once a week for lunch.
The noodle dish was very enjoyable with nicely seasoned pork and fresh tender noodles, glad I tried some. The dumplings? Just OK. Maybe cuz I was getting a little full, but the wrappers are way too big and thick compared to what I am used too mainly at dim sum shops. I mentioned that they were really greasy, but one of my friends pointed out that I was putting a somewhat heavy slather of the very good chili oil on them. Oh, yeah, that might be compounding the issue. But still, they were pretty oily with out the chili sauce add on.
Regarding the oft reported lousy service: Really? Our main server lady was so nice and welcoming, with smiles and politeness all around. I even got a laugh out of her.
I'll def be back for that beef roll, and probably some noodles again one day. No hurry to try the dumplings again though.
Tips: No credit cards and no beer. Dumplings with out beer? No wonder it felt like I was missing something. -
Review from Daniel S.
Wilmington, DE
11/22/2011
I would give this place two and half stars if I could ... mostly based on how this place is in comparison to it's other location in Alhambra.
We had the beef roll, green onion pancake and cold mixed vegetables. I do love the beef roll, and would go back just for that whenever I'm in Irvine. However, with both of the entrees, the outside was a bit chewy rather than crispy, and overall was more oily than the Alhambra location. So yea ... Meh, I've experienced better...
