88 Beef Noodle — Restaurant in Arcadia

This is my favorite traditional Taiwanese beef noodle in the area - my favorite interpretation goes to Mandarin Deli but for a traditional hot bowl of good broth, noodles, and beef? 88 all the way.

Getting here: Easily seen from Baldwin Ave, 88 Beef Noodle is in its own small building in a parking lot shared with others. There are a few 30-minute spots right in front for easy pick up but usually we can wrangle a spot elsewhere.

Ambiance: The owner lady is usually around or maybe chilling at a table, and she greets and seats you immediately - usually no wait! Tables and seats fairly starkly modern, a counter area for take-out pickups on your right and glass all around; tables stocked with sauces and utensils. Pretty straightforward spot and not particularly romantic or anything.

Food/Drink: 88 Noodle delivers on comfort food that's well-seasoned and with good portions.

Beef Noodle Soup: The #4 spicy half beef half tendon noodle soup is my usual order; greens, a scattering of green onions on top, and a deep and savory broth with noodles (very "Q"/toothsome/springy) and soft tendons and very meaty flavored beef chunks. Not served with pickled veggies but it doesn't need it - I love strong flavors and this soup is wonderful. Price is higher than competitors but with the quality and quantity of beef and noodles, I think worth it.

The watermelon drink is very refreshing during hot summers (I believe they do not have A/C and leave the door open for a breeze for hot days).

Shoutout to the hot pot too! We tried Pickled Hot Pot which is made with pickled veggies - we missed this traditional taste from Taiwan and wanted to see how they made it. Oh man. The lady comes by with a covered metal bowl with a flame underneath, and boom that nostalgic scent of pickled veggies - and the broth is STRONG and SOUR which is unabashedly what we were looking for. Excellent Excellent. Even with all of the toppings, that level of flavor makes sure every bite is still worth savoring without your palate tiring of it.

So far anything we've ordered has been excellent. Oxtail noodles - great, with similar strong depth of flavor. Fried noodles (#8)? Lots of toppings and seasoned well. Fried rice (#17)? Same deal.

Service: The owner lady is friendly - as with many local/hole in the wall type eateries it's pretty relaxed here and you don't feel rushed. The first time we came here we were slightly amused at how she loudly announced our orders to the kitchen - just part of the experience :) will be coming back as usual,...

I understand this is a mom and pop shop so I am not trying to be mean or anything. But I tried this place due to the reviews and the beef noodle soup was so salty, the saltiness was so overwhelming I ended up throwing it away. It's as of someone dumped half a canister of salt.... that's how salty it was. I tried to rinse out the saltiness by pouring out the broth and adding water but the noodles were super salty as well. I don't like to waste food and my food history has some quite unpalatable dishes. I'm not sure if it was an off day or the cook was stressed out? When I went to get my food there was another party of 3 at around 2-3 pm in the afternoon. Most of the reviews kept talking about authentic taste and everything but I don't think so unless it's supposed to be this salty?

I also ordered the 5 spice dish.... it's less salty than the beef noodle soup. But still salty as well and the portion size is very small about 5-6 slices. Same for the beef tendon dish.

I'll give them a star for actually responding to online orders and letting you know when you can pickup your food. Some places you literally...

I ordered the House Beef Noodle Soup, and the meal is so flavorful and delicious it made me come back for more whenever i stopped by Arcadia.

The Food: The beef noodle soup bowl consists of noodles, braised beef, vegetable leaf, and the soup contains chili oil and some other flavors. When you start off with the noodles, the texture is a good balance of not hard nor soggy. It's soft and chewy. The beef is very savory. When you bite the meat, it's soft and easily melt in your mouth. Also, the beef doesn't contain a lot of fat, which is a good thing. I like eating the meat because it gives a sweet spice aroma and it's warm.

The atmosphere is nice and quiet. You have the view of the busy street to view while enjoying your meal. Parking is available, but it's small. The restroom is outside the corner of the restraunt.

Service: The restraunt also take orders thru food apps and phone orders.

Conclusion: i give this a 5 star because this place is one of the best beef noodle soup restraunt in the SGV. If you're coming to the SGV or near Arcadia, i suggest you visit this place and give it a taste. You won't be...