Min’s Noodle House 渔家重庆小面 — Restaurant in Chicago

POST Pandemic Sept 2021: updated review

DISAPPOINTMENT!

Decided to dine in, what a disappointment. Had to place the order at the cashier when you first come in. They didn't even serve us a glass of water or ask if we wanted anything to drink when we sat down, not even after the food was given to us. They also serve the soup in plastic bowls that are small with plastic spoons. When I dined in prior to pandemic it was large bowls and non plasticware. For the price of $12 we had small bowls, not worth it, rather go to E Ramen down the block, just wanted my friend to try this place.

Ordered one spicy noodle beef brisket and one non spicy pork belly rice noodle. In terms of the meat, the brisket and pork belly were very tender and good. The pork boa was good too.

However, the rice noodle tasted like a low quality spaghetti noodle, was gross. The non spicy broth had no flavor at all, tasted like water. They also didn't put much veggie like 2 little pieces of boy choy in each bowl. And the braised egg wasn't really braised it was a hard boiled egg. I've had braised eggs in noodles before and the yolk is a golden runny color and this was just a hard boiled that had a funny taste like it was old.

DO NOT recommend coming here they've gone down hill. I gave them 4 stars before pandemic giving them 3 stars now. Go to E-Ramen they are literally down the block and do serve the noodles in large bowls for similar price! Their broth is way more flavorful, braised egg always on point, and noodles are great! Plus they serve you water and non plastic utensils.

The only reason I didn't give Mins Noodle 2 stars is that they have different flavored iced teas. Didnt try them but if I'm craving I will come here, these are $2 cheaper than the refreshers at Starbucks which is down the street, which are essentially the same thing just over priced. I wouldn't come back for noodles only for their pork boa and to try the iced teas.

PRIOR to Pandemic:

Try the mix and match pork and beef bao very good! I got the non spicy rice noodle with braised beef super tender and the noodles were great. My bestie got the spicy chef noodle but it was very spicy so if you like it then go for the spicy. I've been to almost every noodle joint in chinatown and this place is way cleaner and you get a bigger portion for what you pay ($7 for noodles and $10 with meat added). I only gave 4 stars because they had a small selection on the menu but I would come back if I'm craving a big bowl of noodles!

Came back in Jan 2020 for a second round, I ordered the non spicy rice noodle with minced pork and braised beans. Delicious! The bowl of noodles was great, did not disappoint. We came on Saturday around noon super busy every table was full. I would return again but come at a less busier time....

Arrived here on a Friday around 7pm. Five people were waiting in the door and I thought oh boy, we will be waiting for a while. Nope, I was wrong. They were seated about 30 seconds later and then another 30 seconds we were seated so only waited a minute total. Our server greeted us after about 3-5 minutes which I was fine with because I needed time to review a new menu and decide what I was in the mood for. We had some hot green tea, it was fine, nothing fancy like the Jasmine tea in chinatown! But it was great on a 68 degree evening. Next we had the pork bao, we loved it. We also ordered a Beef Bing, we both took one bite (not knowing it would be cold meat) and we are not use to that and ultimately was not for us, we will not order a bing again. Next that came out was the chow mein noodles. They were delicious. And lastly, we had the original chung king noodles, which again were very good. The only thing for our taste buds was there was some lemon or lime or citrus zest we were tasting a lot of in the broth that we felt could have been dialed down a bit as it was too noticable for our likings. However, it was not so bad that I would not come back for the original chung king noodles. Overall I thought the service was fine for how busy it was, there was not an empty table when we left. And we will be back to order chow mein noodles, baos, and Chung king noodles. If you ask me, I say give this...

2025 update: shit is still fire yo

Don't get me wrong, Bridgeport has a lot of Chinese restaurants - and that's great, I love them all, though their differences can sometimes be subtle and their menu offerings quite similar they have all provided me with countless contented evenings and great memories. In fact, the variety of delicious Chinese food options in Bridgeport and nearby Chinatown has motivated me over the last three-going-on-four years to pursue making my own, I now own a variety of cookbooks in several different styles and an exceedingly well-seasoned wok.

Min's stands apart from all these places though, providing slightly more specialized and cuisine presented with zero pretension and outstanding service. I am possibly borderline obsessed with this place, they've stopped handing me a menu when I walk in. The prices are great, the service is prompt, and the food is almost eerily consistent.

My number one spot in the city right now, I've probably been twenty plus times since they opened, definitely my favorite noodle bowl. Do yourself a favor and go, I recommend the original chunking noodle bowl and liberal-though-not-excessive use of the finishing vinegar. The street food videos on the televisions behind the counter are just an added bonus, genuinely the only television in restaurant use I...