DC Noodles

When fall comes and decides to stay for a few weeks here in DC, it’s hard to find a better excuse to strap on some boots and go walking around the city. The nights here teem with electricity and life, with people out everywhere, off in search of food and fun. Jen and I wandered around from place to place, trying to find something new that could quell the pangs of hunger and subdue the low growls emanating from our bellies.

It wasn’t until we started walking down the U Street corridor did we start to find places that weren’t completely filled to the gills, but also didn’t have such a din that we’d be forced to shout our conversation across the table over dinner. And that’s when we found ourselves walking into DC Noodles.

DC Noodles is one of the many restaurants that have sprouted up along the U St. corridor in DC. The restaurant is paired with an open doorway to the retail store Stem next door, offering various Thai fashion and home decorations, and is the latest offering from the Sak Group, who also lay claim to the successful restaurant Rice along 14th street.

The decor inside is simple and contemporary, with a large spray-painted mural on the wall greeting you as soon as you walk in. The staff here is very good, with quick service, attentive to filling your glass when it gets too low, and always appearing at just the right time with more food.

While noodles get a lot of the focus here, that doesn’t keep the chefs in the kitchen from playing with seasonal tastes and textures. Jen and I instantly gravitated towards the pumpkin empanadas as our appetizer. They arrived neatly packaged in a golden, flaky crust, with a sweet, warm, and creamy filling on the inside. The taste of the empanadas were strong enough to stand on their own, but a different experience altogether once dipped in with the accompanying spring roll sauce.

Pumpkin Empanadas

Jen put in an order for the Lad Na – wide noodles with tofu and a creamy gravy sauce, an unexpectedly filling comfort food. I was instantly envious of her superior choice in noodles. Damnit. How the hell does she keep doing that?

Lad Na - Noodles in gravy

The picture above doesn’t really do it justice, but this dish is HUGE. Not even a ravenous Swiss midget expedition team would be able to finish off the amount of noodles that comes in this bowl.

I ordered the Kua Gai – wide rice noodles with chicken and soy sauce, mostly because of a pretty seriously craving for the noodles. A very simple dish that wasn’t very complex on flavors or textures, but does wonders to sate those noodle yearnings.

Kua Gai - wide rice noodles with chickum

Again, these noodle dishes are enormous. How enormous?

Large enough for me to have a hard time finishing to bowl.

Well, to be fair, I did have a small tenderloin steak just a couple of hours prior to heading to DC Noodles, but still. You get your money’s worth here, which in a sea of high priced restaurants that can easily cost run you close to a Franklin for two, it’s always refreshing to see that some places can still provide great food at a great price.

Best of all, this place delivers.

Recommended for:

• Noodle afficianados
• Chopstick experts
• Vegetarians
• Secretarians
• Those birthed through Cesarian

Not recommended for:

• Low talkers
• Carb nazis
• Strict paleo diners
• If your last name is Venkman, Stantz, Spengler, or Zeddmore

DC Noodles can seen on a map here.

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