Issei Noodle — Restaurant in Carlisle

First of all I want to explain how you order here since at first I was slightly confused since I was new to the restaurant. You will go up to the front counter and they will give you a table to go to. They will also give you a menu. Then you will seat yourself, go through the menu, and pick what you want. If they don’t have space for you, they will give you a buzzer and it will buzz when there is a table ready. You will pay at the front counter and get the food afterwards. The food here is very good, I got the issei chicken pho, the fried tofu, and the fried gyoza. The chicken pho is extremely good, if you’re a picky eater I think it would be fantastic since chicken pho is very reminiscent of chicken noodle soup. If you want something with more flavor and kick I suggest the ramens since there is more complex flavor in ramen in general. The portion for the soup is huge so if you don’t eat much like me, then you’ll be happy to know you’ll have plenty of leftovers! The tofu was very crispy and not greasy which is great. I would keep in mind it does stay hot in the center for a while so be careful not to burn yourself (like I did stupidly). It comes with this sauce on top that I think is sesame based which is very nice. If you are expecting sweet fried tofu this is NOT sweet tofu. I was hoping it was and was surprised when it wasn’t, but it was still very tasty. The gyoza is nice and crispy, it’s not too greasy and tastes amazing. I highly suggest them. Gyoza is also good for picky eaters since they’re almost always the same no matter what and have simple but tasty flavors. The service is very good. The Thai tea is very rich and seems authentic. I love Thai tea so 10/10 The lady at the front is extremely considerate and friendly, very good at reading customers. They make sure to get you seated and eating ASAP and are always hustling which I admire and love. The atmosphere is lovely. I love the colors and how they made a small space feel so open. The brown they chose for the walls was probably the best for this store since it helps make it feel open and friendly. Although it’s busy as a bee, it is very calming and chill. I’m an introverted person and I didn’t feel too stressed being there alone and hanging out...

I'm very confused.

Atmosphere: comfortable and quiet Seating: tight, but workable Employees: welcoming

Food...

This was my first time here. After looking at the website, and reading the reviews, damn, I was very excited to try this place. My husband and I spent about $47.

Food review and some notes down below—

Fried tofu: beyond saturated in oil Veggie eggrolls: decent

D2 chicken & egg: mild flavor, and very misleading. $16 for like 2 cups of rice and about 4 nickle sized pieces of chicken and 2 small peices of bokchoy. The egg was mixed in. Maybe 1 egg. Maybe.

Anyway, it had a mild flavor that I enjoyed, my husband ate 3-4 bites and gave up because he couldn't taste anything and he didn't feel like gorging on rice after he had his "portion" of the nickle size chicken, which I understand.

I'm actually a diabetic, and so as I'm writing this, my heart is going 90 miles a minute because I shouldn't have eaten as much rice as I had, however, I was hungry, and wasn't given much choice seeing that the porptions of food at this place is about 94% carbs —at least for what we ordered.

Chicken Pho: this was a confusing item for me. Everything was made fresh, and the chicken was SO SO SO tender (again, nickle size, I think I got maybe 8 nickle sized pieces, however this dish was only $10), but there was no flavor. I put my single slice of jalapeno into my bowl after tearing it into 3 small pieces, I squeezed my line and used up all my basil.

That was the only flavor in the soup. The lime and basil, and it was surface flavor, because it was limited and a garnish.

The broth, if you could call it that, was just warm salted water.

The chicken was not seasoned, despite being so tender.

This was frustrating because everything was fresh, everything was tender, but ultimately, we didn't eat it and left it nearly entirely entact and walked out because it was the most underwhelming PHO I have ever eaten in my entire life and I am not kidding. I've been around. I know what Pho tastes like, and that was not it. Didn't even come close. Which is a shame, because if the flavor had been there, I'd be eating...

On Today’s Episode of Secret Kid-Friendly Eats (That Parents Also Love) in Carlisle…

We braved a chilly morning at swim lessons, stopped by Georgie Lou's Retro Candy for a candy reward (because parenting is 85% strategic sugar deployment), and ended up at Issei Noodle for a hot noodle fix that turned into one of the best family meals we’ve had in a while.

Roland confidently ordered the vegetarian ramen with spicy tofu and sampled everyone else’s too. Rhys, who usually side-eyes anything new, happily devoured a plain ramen bowl. River, originally expected to live off gummy sharks from next door, took one bite of Ridley’s spicy kimchi fried rice and claimed it as her own.

Ridley negotiated a trade: he kept the eggs and passed the rice to River, then went full mad ramen scientist. He ordered a bowl of miso, dumped in a side of rice noodles, and crowned the whole thing with a fried egg. It was a masterpiece. He polished it off like a pro.

I had chashu ramen and added the fish cakes. They were every bit as cute and delicious as they looked. Our friend ordered the chicken pho and looked equally pleased.

The boba was next-level. Watching my kids drink it with wide eyes and dramatic gasps made the whole table laugh.

The staff was patient, kind, and completely unfazed by our large, chatty, spill-prone party. The online ordering was down, but they handled it all smoothly, pushed a few tables together, and made sure the baby had a safe spot.

The only mild complaint is that their hours can be unpredictable. I’ve pulled up ready to feast before, only to realize it was their off time. That said, the food, service, and atmosphere are always worth the trip.

The open kitchen adds to the charm. There’s something satisfying about seeing the food being made while the kids color, sip boba, and try to slurp noodles without launching them across the room.

Issei Noodle is officially a new go-to for our crew. Comfort food, great people, and a kid-friendly vibe that never feels dumbed down. Carlisle,...