Cravings - Noodles
The sloppy, wet slurp of a good noodle is one of the more satisfying feelings when eating food. Other satisfying "food feels" includes biting into a perfectly crisp chicken wing dipped in your favorite sauce, or the mouthfeel of a hot, warm, and gooey freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. Some mouth feels stay with you, and just thinking about them makes you salivate. Just looking at a noodle pull picture can evoke that feeling. When you pull a mouthful of noodles into your mouth, sauces or broths flying all over your face, that is a forever food sensory memory that will stay with you.
When I’m having a noodle craving, you’ll find me rotating throughout the list below. Not mentioned are Pho Hao and Anh Hong which are probably the top two places I grab quick dinner ramen (alas I had no pics) but there are quite a few spots like Soupa Saiyan that I still need to try.
For what it’s worth, here are, in my opinion some places to get solid noodles.
The Ramen
UPDATE: This restaurant has closed.
Vibe: This place has serious diner vibes. It’s not trendy, or hip, just a casual unpretentious Ramen joint downtown and I dig that. It’s all about the food.
What I ate: The Black Tonkotsu. I enjoyed this bowl quite a bit thanks to great flavor in the broth and a nice texture to the pork.
What to know: It’s counter service and very affordable. Easiest parking is on the street.
The Vibe: If you don’t often visit Orlando’s “Little Vietnam” you may feel out of place for a split second upon entering any restaurant, but these gems are worth visiting. Lac Viet is causal, and usually quiet with hospitable staff and good eats, always.
Winning bowl of Noods: The #70 (Bún Lạc Việt) which is a filling bowl of vermicelli noodles, grilled pork, grilled ground shrimp on sugar cane, grilled beef and egg roll. All the great flavors with no hot broth is a winner when you don’t feel like overheating.
WA Sushi
Vibe: Couldn’t tell ya, I ordered it through a food delivery service.
What I ate: Miso Tonkotsu. The Ramen held up through transportation to my house and was still delicious which bodes well for dining at the actual restaurant.
What to know: If you feel like trying this place out it’s on the Bite Squad app.
Vibe: It’s trendy, often on a wait, and an Orlando hot spot.
The noods I love: I ordered the New Japan Mazeman ($13) and out came a full bowl of their house made noodles with black garlic oil, scallions, Japanese beech mushrooms, kikurage (mushroom) Chashu ends (pork) and Ontama (egg). I really loved this dish. The texture of the noodles were perfect, not to soft, and the black garlic oil and Kewpie mayo gave it a really rich texture.
What to know: You will most likely wait for a table unless you hit a lull, but you can hang by the bar and chill until your table is open. Domu’s new location in Dr. Phillips should be opening soon for another location option.
Vibe: If I lived closer, I’d be here much more frequently because the atmosphere is just so fun. It’s a decorative feast for the eyes, and a literal feast for your stomach.
What I ate: The Tonkotsu ramen that came with the standard pork chasu, shoyu soft egg, bamboo shoots, scallions, and nori. This bowl had me slurping the broth at the end. Very satisfying with other fun menu items to accompany it for a full experience.
What to know: Great service, innovative fun drinks, and worth a drive into the forbidden attractions area.
Vibe: Jade has a posh vibe inside, without making you feel like you need to dress up to eat there. On a cool day I love sitting on their patio.
What I get: I got the Tonkotsu bowl (pork Chashu, shoyu soft egg, bamboo shoots, Bok choy, nori, tonkotsu broth) and was pleasantly surprised at their ramen.
What to know: They’ve had an amazing cold summer noodle dish that I think about often. Honestly, most of their menu slaps, so if you don’t like ramen, it’s still a place you should go.
Vibe: Super chill here in this cozy, unassuming spot.
Took me by surprise noods: The Garlic Noodles here are just SO GOOD! Packed with flavor more so than most noodle dishes I find. I’ve even ordered it for delivery and it still bangs. Their ramen is great as well, so you have two options for noods that can soothe you.
What to know: I’ve gone several times with a particular dish on my mind only to see that it’s sold out for the day. It’s a positive things are made fresh, but just a fair warning, your craving may not always be available.
Vibe: As most eateries on Sandlake Road’s “Restaurant Row” Dragonfly Robata has more of an upscale vibe. It’s pretty dark inside, so you can take your pics outside if you need to capture a dish. I’d make a reservation on any given weekend.
The Noods that Got Me: Miso Braised Rib Ramen ($12) braised short ribs, bean sprouts, corn, cabbage, poached egg, mayu, menma, nori, miso pork broth, and scallions. The braised rib was perfect and it was rightfully the star of the dish. I have no idea if this is a regular menu item, but if you see it, get it.
What to know: Dragonfly is a bit more upscale than some other casual spots in this list, so keep that in mind. They also have an expansive patio for large parties which makes it a great place to keep in mind for celebrations.
The Vibe: Very casual and quiet, clean and no frills.
Noods for a cold: They have a delicious soup, Bún Càri Gà, which is rice vermicelli with chicken in coconut curry broth. It hits all the right spots, especially if you are sick.
What to know: Nothing special to note here, it’s just a really good spot for Pho dishes.
Mamak
The Vibe: Mamak is such a cute spot, maybe it’s because I love anything yellow, but the space is beautiful and huge, great for large parties.
Everything with a side of noods: The tapas style menu lets you try lots of dishes, including their noodle soups, like the Kari Wonton Mee. It comes with wonton egg noodles, shrimp, BBQ pork, wontons, veggies, and is topped with fried shallots. The servings aren’t huge, which lets you fill up on other goodies like their amazing Roti and Five Spice Fries, and Sesame Chilled Noodles.
What to know: The restaurant faces E. Colonial, but the parking lot is behind it.
Chuan Lu Garden
The Vibe: Unassuming and casual. You’re coming here for the food, not to see and be seen.
Spicy noods: If you’ve ever had the Dan Dan Noodles at let’s say Pei Wei, and then you order them at an authentic restaurant, you’ll laugh at yourself. The Dan Dan noodles from Chaun Lu are so good, fresh, and spicy (at least to me). The ground pork and hand-pulled noodles, mixed with the delicious peanut sauce make it one of my favorite dishes. Add some pot stickers and send me home full and happy.
What to know: Careful where you park, this area tows cars!
As usual, all meals featured were paid for personally. This is not a sponsored post. All images belong to LemonHearted Creative.