Noodles & Company
Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: The Loop180 N Michigan Ave
(at Lake St)
Chicago, IL 60601 (312) 981-7110
- Nearest Transit:
Randolph/Wabash (Orange, Brown, Purple Express, Green, Pink)
Lake (Red)
Washington (Blue, Red)
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: None
6 reviews
Neighborhood: Near North Side
"My kind of town, Chicago is... And 676 is my kind of restaurant. Lucky me, I got to have two meals there. Lunch on a Friday and dinner on a…" read more »
20 Reviews for Noodles & Company
I love me some Noodles.
This location in particular has given me nothing but positive experiences.
The staff is friendly and efficient, the store is relatively clean (even the bathroom!), and sitting along the Michigan Ave window makes for some good people watching.
I have never had to wait longer than 5 minutes, and have always had my food at most 10 minutes after ordering, but I always go at off times.
I'm admittedly biased, as my sister works at this location...sooooo:
Noodles on Michigan is fabulous! =)
Seriously though, try the pesto cavatappi with shrimp. Or the -anything- with the seasoned tofu. It's even good in the (drool) mac & cheese. And don't skimp on the sides; the flatbread is amazing. Replace the egg with the tofu if you're getting the pad Thai, in my opinion. Even the boring "buttered noodles & parmesan" has excellent, flavorful seasoning. Plus: you *have* to try the Rice Krispie treats. I don't know why they're so good, but they are.
And if you run across a super-friendly and adorable red-headed cashier, be extra nice to her. :-)
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For those of you looking for a casual and delicious dining experience, this is the place for you. It's not hotsy-totsy and it's not fast food. I find that I can get a quick, healthy meal here and that's not always a simple feat. The menu is easy to navigate and has something for everyone. From spicy and sweet to mac and cheese, you're sure to find a dish to tickle your fancy.
Another nice thing about them is that they offer sizes. If you're starving, they offer a larger size. If you're feeling a bit peckish, they've got a smaller size for you. Both of them will be delivered to your table, with a smile, in a timely manner.
All in all, I whole-heartedly recommend Noodles & Company to everyone. Kids and adults alike. Something else you might like? This one is very reasonably priced. And everybody likes that, right?
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So far, I've eaten the mac & cheese & mushroom stroganoff.
I order a small mac & cheese & a large stroganoff, but honestly, I couldn't tell the difference in size.
The mac & cheese was interesting & tasty, but only when the bite had part of the melted cheese on top. When it was just the mac & cheese base, it was bland.
The stroganoff was also bland. The sauce was not creamy enough &, while I'm used to rice, they serve it with noodles (natch) ... but the noodles were all sticking together.
I'd probably go back, but, I dunno. I'm not jumping up & down about it, y'know?
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It pains me to give Noodles & Co. 3 stars, BECAUSE the mac and cheese is definitely worth 4. However, the rest of the menu items just don't cut it. I've tried quite a few things there now, hoping I'd find something else that measured up to the awesome mac and cheese, but I've now given up on that dream.
One of the Italian dishes (I forget which one) wasn't bad, but certainly wasn't spectacular. The beef stroganoff was meh. The buttered noodles were phenomenally bland, and the Japanese pan noodles, well, there are really no words to describe how little impact they made on me.
But the mac and cheese OH THE MAC AND CHEESE! I love the way it has shredded cheese on top that melts as you stir it into the macaroni. I love everything about it, and I am picky about my mac and cheese. If that's all they served, I'd give this place 4 stars in a heartbeat!
An American restaurant that got Pad Thai right? AMAZING!
The Udon noodles are steamed and seared. The portions are huge, and well worth it. It's fast and inexpensive. There is plenty of seating and no long waits.
Very vegetarian and carnivorous friendly menu.
It is a hidden gem on the Mile.
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How craptacular these noodles are. I have some in my mouth (Japaneses pan) right now and I fee like I'm eating worms with maple syrup on them. YUM!
I had the mac and cheese, too. They decided to use the new genetically altered cows to make "tasteless cheese...the cheese that has no taste" (coming to a Jewel near you). Radical!
And the chicken? Hey, I didn't know you could get airplane food when you're NOT in an airplane. Rock on!
Ever have Kool Aid without the sugar? There's the curry soup. Hey, it's Cub Scout initiation all over again. Who new bad soup could get nostalgic. Dope!
Hey, and I only had to wait in line for 20 minutes! I'm giving it two stars because it hasn't made me sick yet. Do yourself a favor...walk down the street to the 7th floor of Macys. Those noodles are tubular, for realz.
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I don't know what happened when you bad reviewers went to this place; every time I've been there it's been friggin' amazing.
This place is a fairly longish walk from work, so I don't go very often. I've gotten the whole wheat pasta with tofu both times and it was delicious. You get a pasta dish, an extra (meaning a meat or tofu), and side for, I think, $7.99, which is actually worth it.
The line is long when you get there, but moves fast. The employees are very nice (complete with high fives because of my Obama button). The only concern is that there isn't anywhere to put people while they wait for their food. You're kind of crammed in there trying not to be in anyone's way. I'm only giving four stars because of that and because they don't deliver.
If they delivered, we'd get it twice a week.
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I'm giving one star less than Tobia. I ate there with him for lunch, his review is spot on, except I have shooting pains going through my stomach. I will never be eating there again!
ps - For the amount of noodles we got, $7.25 or whatever it was, was too pricey.
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I passed by Noodles & Company on several occasions on my leisurely walk back to the Conrad from work, and I always thought that one day when I'm mad hungry and need a quick bite, I'll get dinner here on my way to the hotel; that day finally arrived yesterday. I was here for an early dinner and thankfully there was no one in line ahead of me, so we ordered and to find a table but, I swear, all of them were dirty. We decided to sit on the high stools by the windows but there was no footrest, weird. Someone finally cleaned the tables so we found one to sit at. The food came within 5-7 minutes or so and wasn't bad at all. Given that I spent $15 on the two of us, I suppose I got what I paid for. I also didn't expect non-Asian options on the menu, which actually outnumber the Asian ones. Mediocre to good quick food, I'd say.
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Noodles & Company is one of those places where the idea has potential but the execution of said idea is less than stellar.
First off, I think the idea is a good one. There have been many a times where I've craved tasty noodles for lunch but didn't have the time to go to an actual sit-down Thai/Italian restaurant. In those instances, I usually will go to a food court (Chase Tower, Aon Center, etc) but it's never quite the same. So I was very excited to give Noodles & Company a try. Unfortunately, the place fell short of my expectations for a couple reasons:
- WAIT: It's a long one. I got there close to 12:45 PM and I still waited about 15 minutes before I could get out the door. I don't even want to think what kind of wait I'd encounter if I went there at noon.
- TASTE: I got the Trio, which is basically a small order of noodles and a side soup (Tomato Bisque or Chicken Noodle) or salad (House or Caesar Salad). I went with the Indonesian Peanut Saute w/chicken and the Tomato Bisque. The noodles were a bit too sticky and clumpy but I thought the flavor was ok. The bisque tasted no better than what I can get out of a can.
- VALUE: The small order of noodles was indeed small; I think I finished the entire thing in about eight bites. I will commend them on not skimping on the meat though. The soup is pretty small too. All in all, not a great deal for the $7.99 that I paid but nothing exorbitant either.
- OVERALL: I have a feeling this place will do well for awhile only because it offers a novel concept. And to be fair, I only tried one noodle dish so maybe the other noodle dishes are better. I wouldn't recommend taking a pass on the place but definitely don't go out of your way to give it a try.
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I waited a few weeks thinking the mad rush to try this place would be over. I also waited until 1:40 PM to go, thinking there was no chance for any sort of rush. Boy was I wrong.
I arrived, waited about 10 minutes in line. I could see that there were people everywhere... probably 20 or 30 people waiting for food. Probably about 20 people in the kitchen, and 5-10 helping run food and taking orders. So it seemed like even though there were a lot of people they might be somewhat quick. Boy was I wrong. VERY wrong.
Just after ordering, I overheard some girl saying she ordered an hour ago and still was waiting on her food. I thought she was exxagerating, then over the next 5 minutes people were going up to the register demanding refunds.
I waited. And waited. And waited some more. Some girl came around saying she was sorry for the wait, "free lunch coupon" ... I was temporarily appeased by thinking they were doing something nice about it. They also offered a few cookies to some people. Really I would have been a lot happier with a drink or something while I waited...
About 45 minutes later I heard my name being called for my takeout order. I really wanted a cookie but nobody offered me one... I went back to my office to and ate it.
The food was OK. I had the Indonesian Peanut Saute with chicken. For the "regular' size it was $8, no drink. Perhaps a little pricey for some fast food noodles.
I looked at my coupon, and it's not actually a free lunch, it's a "buy one get one free" ... Kind of lame, wasting an hour of people's lunch hours.
...This place will have to get their act together quick or they'll be out of business in no time (they're already in a cursed location as it is!). Loop lunch crowds don't have 45 minutes to wait for food, let alone 1 hour+.
That said, I guess it might make sense to call in your order ahead of time and hope for the best, if you really want to try it.
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Pesto Cavatappi was great, but yes, a little light on the sauce if you expect every bite to be dripping with flavor. The seared chicken is very salty and not breast meat, but softer like rib meat if that bothers you.
I love the idea and the variety, I'm just going to avoid it from 11:30 to 1:30.
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I generally don't like to Yelp about large chains, but I've never come across a Noodle&Co before and like Sonia C said, living where I live, any new opening is cause for great excitement.
By the time I went here, I think 5 of my classmates had already tried it. I made the mistake of opting for the Japanese Pan Noodles - some craving kicked in. Of course, it wasn't good, but I held my expectations in check. Whatever. Don't get it. Essentially it's supposed to be a stir-fried udon dish, but the noodles tasted weird like they used Barilla pasta - was kind of hard. The small portion is REAL small. They do add some healthy veges, I'm a fan of bean sprouts, broccoli, and shiitake mushrooms as much as the next guy, but the combination was odd, more like it was just placed there rather than meant to be together.
I did however, try some of the Indonesian Peanut Saute and that had a nice zing to it - appropriately spicy and the peanut sauce was tasty. Likewise, I heard that the Mac and Cheese is good (although it wasn't proclaimed Best in Chicago).
Oh, and their rice krispies kick major ass - just the right amount of marshmallow goodness.
For you late niters, this place closes at 9 early in the week (until Wed), but opens til 10 after Thurs and I believe through the weekend.
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This was my first time at any Noodles & Co location, and honestly, I expected more. Any decent place would have a monopoly on good food in my area because there's really nothing to eat in the downtown vicinity. My options in 1 degree weather have been limited to Chipotle, Subway, & Giordano's - even Potbelly is too far away.
I ordered the small Thai Curry Soup and it came with al dente rice noodles which I liked. However, the soup was lukewarm and they were quite stingy with the ingredients - there were only a small handful of noodles, a few onions, and a couple leaves of spinach. After I had fished everything out in a few minutes, all that was left was a large bowl of tepid curry soup.
In terms of variety, there's really not that many options. There are 6 options each of Asian, Mediterranean, and American - and not all of them contain noodles either, so there's really only 13 "noodle" dishes or so. Portions, even the regular size, aren't very big and I can imagine I wouldn't be too full after consuming a whole order.
The inside of the restaurant is nice and clean. Service was fast - order & pay at the counter and they bring your food to your table.
Overall, N&C leaves much to be desired, but it's a good option when I'm tired of my Healthy Choice meals and canned soups. I heard the mac & cheese was good, so I'll probably try that next time - after all, they are an American chain.
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What makes a fast-food legend most in Chicago? Creating flavorful cuisine, being open later than average restaurants in the area and doing it all for under $10. Noodles & Company opened their first downtown location on Michigan Avenue south of the river in what is quickly becoming a well-traveled tourist path to the area's newer hotels and nearby student dormitories.
The premise of Noodles & Company is to offer three to four noodle dishes within three main cuisine choices--Asian, Mediterranean and American and a la carte selections including salads, soups and deserts. You may order a "Trio"--a combination meal of a noodle dish, choice of meat, shrimp or tofu, and a soup or salad. You may also mix things up with myriad options.
I have never had a bad meal at any location, but keep in mind this is good fast food, a tad healthier than the typical burrito and sandwich places nearby. I suggest one of the Mediterranean pasta dishes (the Pesto Cavatappi is my fave) and select a tossed green side salad.
Oh, one last thing: avoid this place from 12:00-2:00 unless you can eat a leisurely lunch or call to order ahead. As with any relatively new fast-food place, everyone flocks to it for the first few weeks/months and expects all their kinks to be worked out. The crowds will die down a bit, and they'll work out the ordering/serving kinks. It'll just take time.
To the delight of carb lovers all around the Loop, Noodles & Company finally opened its doors today. Though the wait was long (about 1/2 hr from standing in line to receiving my food to-go) it was worth it. As far as casual chains go, I think Noodles does a great job of providing healthy, customizable and affordable options. I've been eating at Noodles for years after having lived in Evanston, and they recently opened a Lakeview location right by my current apartment - hooray! So even though I miss the Baja Fresh that used to reside in this spot, Noodles makes a great addition to the Loop lunch scene.
They have three main categories of cuisine - Asian, Mediterranean and American. Each has a few noodle entrees, a soup and a salad. Everything comes in either a small or "regular" size, and you pay extra for the protein of your choice, if desired.
My favorite dishes are the Japanese Pan Noodles (in a sweet sesame sauce), Indonesian Peanut Noodles (they have a slight kick, but not too spicy) and Pasta Fresca (balsamic sauce, and great with Feta cheese instead of Parmesan). What's great about the menu is that you're basically encouraged to make substitutions and get the food exactly the way you like it, because each of the dishes are made to order. Even today, as I was anticipating screw-ups due to the stress of opening day, my lunch was perfect. And it's a great place for vegetarians - the tofu is really tasty added into any of the Asian dishes and all of the entrees across the board are loaded with veggies.
Another thing I love is that when you dine in, they give you giant water glasses and you can refill drinks yourself. I hate how most fast casual places give you a Dixie cup when you say that you only want water and not a fountain drink. Thanks for trusting me, Noodles! I promise never to steal pop from you!
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Only my second time at a Noodles and Co. This location is new and I get a sense that lots of people are excited for it. A co-worker and I went just before noon and there was a sizable line (which I expected), but it moved quickly. We got one of the last available tables.
I had a regular size whole grain linguine with parmesan crusted chicken. The food came fairly quickly and it was good quality for a quick lunch. I think I'll put this into my regular rotation - especially when it's nicer outside.
Today was my first experience at a Noodles & Company and I wasn't too impressed. I had the Bangkok Curry Noodle with chicken added and my take on it was that it had too many veges. Usually, noodles are the hero of the dish with the protein and/or veges as the accoutrement but it seemed that every bite was taken over with the roughage of cabbage and carrot.
I'll give it 3 stars for now and will report back after I've sampled a few more dishes.
We went at 1:30 and waited 30 minutes for our to-go order, probably because it just opened.
5 stars because this is exactly what my neighborhood needed! Relatively healthy fast-food that's tasty. I've tried all of the noodles in the asian portion of the menu and they're all yummy. If you're looking for authentic ethnic cuisine, this is not your place.
Added plus: they play cool music and the booths are comfy.
P.S. For dinner, The best time to go is around 8 especially if you have a big group.
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