Deejai Noodle Bar — Restaurant in Charlotte

Parking is VERY limited and compact, and we almost couldn't even get through the parking lot because one of the parked cars wasn't pulled into their spot far enough. (You will definitely not be able to park a truck or full size SUV in there.) There is a gravel lot down the street where you can park for free though, which definitely helps.

UPDATE May 2025 (5 stars): Great experience this time and (still) amazing food. Camilla specifically was wonderful! We were celebrating my birthday and she made me feel very special. She was attentive, friendly, and even brought me a dessert with a candle in it and sang happy birthday! The food was excellent! Everyone in our group really liked what they got but I want to call out specifically the khoa soi. It was SO GOOD!! I've tried Khoa Soi at a few other places in Charlotte and the one at Deejai wins hands down. We didn't have any drinks this time, so can't speak to that, but overall we were very happy with our experience and felt the staff and service were more organized and had improved since our last visit several years ago. I would definitely come back, but I do really wish they weren't so far away.

2021 (3 stars): Food was good (the sushi especially), but drinks were very disappointing and service was...confused? There was a rotation of 3 or 4 different people stopping by throughout our meal. There did not seem to be much distinction between host/hostess, kitchen staff, cook, waiter, etc. Which would be fine if they were on the same page. For example, we asked if they had hot oil (to add some flavor and spice to a dish) and the woman (who was either the hostess or a waitress, still not sure) told us they didn't have that. We asked if they had hot sauce, like Sriracha, and she seemed unsure. So I said to just bring "whatever was the spicy red sauce on top of the Kiss Of Fire roll". A minute later another person came out and said that for the dish in question, he thought hot oil would be better than Sriracha. We told him that's what we asked for originally but that she apparently had not know what it was or that they had it. He returned a minute later with some chili oil and warned us it was really spicy so use it sparingly. Several of us tasted it and it was not spicy at all. Not sure what happened there. The red sauce on the Kiss of Fire roll was way spicier than that chili oil.

Also odd, the restroom is in the very back corner hallway which apparently doubles as their storage. To get to the restroom, I had to actually close the kitchen door which was standing open and completely blocking the hallway due to all the boxes piled up against the opposite wall.

Service could be improved, but the food was good enough I would be willing to come back if it wasn't so far away from us. (We were in the area for an event nearby this time.) If we are ever already in the area again, maybe...

Drinks... Food.... Sauces... Everything was just FANTASTIC. I had Thai good 2 days before coming here so I was just not in the mood for it but I had to use a Groupon before it expired. We've all been there though right!?

I am so glad I came. It has a sexy "I feel like I'm not even in Charlotte" vibe but that's Noda for you. It's really small and can feel kinda tight but they make a really great use of the space.

I was really surprised at how inexpensive everything was. We had $40 for our Groupon and found it difficult to spend all of it without getting an appetizer, dessert or both. We went with both! .

Though it was tough to choose an appetizer (because I get pork belly whenever I see it on the menu and the pork belly tacos looks delicious) we went with the Thai wings but we were certainly not disappointed. They were so amazing! Their ranch was also very good.

For my meal I chose the pork and rice and I knew it was going to be delicious just from the presentation. I was right! So good! It came with two sauces and it was super hard to know which one to dip next. It also came with a soup with a cilantro based broth that was also very good. It was a nice surprise because I don't remember seeing it on the menu.

My wife. One of the Poke bowls. I can't remember which one but it's the only one that has jalapenos and it's also the most expensive thing on the menu. Also very delicious.

On the table you'll find your standard spicy garlic sauce but they had another green signs that I've never had at another and I Restaurant. You had to take him to go. It was so good!

Suffice it to say we're buying another Groupon and will be...

I was surprised to see Khao Piak Sen on the menu, especially in Charlotte. It is one of my favorite dishes. I don’t expect entirely authentic, because fusion done well can be satisfying as well. However, it tastes nothing remotely close to what it should taste like and it should be called something else or taken off the menu. Why bother putting something hard to find on the menu to only completely butcher it? What an absolute disgrace. Even for fusion food, it’s terrible. The broth tastes much closer to takeout wonton soup than anything. At least the friendly waitstaff was nice enough for me to switch it out with something else that tasted half decent.

My response to the restaurant’s response: it’s great that your broth is homemade and slow cooked, but it does not make the dish authentic. The flavor doesn’t have to be “heavy”. The broth is supposed to be thick and not too runny. You use udon noodles as the noodle (even though the menu said you use rice noodles) when it’s supposed to be tapioca noodles. No taste of garlic, no depth in flavor. Who puts bok choy in a khao piak sen? I can go on and on. And I’m not saying that the dish needs to be authentic. Americanized Asian food can be good too, but this dish just isn’t good. Name the dish something else maybe, because it’s not Khao Piak Sen. Can you not...