Hotco Noodles — Restaurant in Madison

Had to check out Hotco Fresh Noodles, a new restaurant in the Global Market & Food Hall. They had samples of the Hotco Chicken Karaage appetizer and Beef Stir-Fried Noodles from the Hand Crafted Noodles menu, both delicious. After placing our order at the touch screen kiosk, we had a delightful conversation with the owner Silvia, who was so so nice!

For dinner we had to grab an order of the Hotco Chicken Karaage and chose the octopus balls as appetizers to share and picked Spicy Hand Pulled Noodles and Dan Dan Noodles from the Hand Crafted Noodles menu.

The Chicken Karaage was a hit and we would go back just for more of that. Tender, juicy fried chicken chunks, coated in spicy numbing chili oil. So good. The octopus balls were lightly fried dollops of a mild batter studded with chewy pieces of octopus, served drizzled with mayo and a shower of bonito flakes.

The stars of the show were the thick, chewy hand-pulled noodles. Both dishes featured generous portions of the namesake noodles in spicy, tangy, sauces. My Dan Dan noodles were piled atop a spicy mound of minced pork in fragarant chili oil, redolent of star anise, with numbing Szechuan peppercorns. Laura added slices of tender beef to her dish of spicy stir-fried noodles and vegetables, but wished it was a bit spicier - we failed to suss out how to request different spice levels on the ordering kiosk.

As we finished up dinner, Sylvia surprised us with a couple of adorable steamed dessert bao! The molten chocolate filled bear was the clear, messy favorite. Hotco Fresh Noodles will be a welcome addition to our list of favorite comfort food...

We visited Fresh Mart (an international market) for the first time today, and I saw a big sign that said “Pick Up Noodles,” and then I saw an electronic ordering screen in the bakery area. As I was checking out noodle options, a very nice lady came over to help us with our questions. My husband had the vegetarian hand-pulled noodles that reminded me of dumplings and had a bit of vinegar in a good way. These were wavy, a bit thick, and absorbed sauce well. I had the spicy beef noodles ($15 large, enough for 2 meals). Both dishes were delicious, and my hubby was pleased that the vegetables weren’t overcooked. I recommend this place & will prob order a pound of beef dumplings next time ($10). I can tell from the texture and flavor of the hand-pulled noodles that the dumplings will be excellent! I’ve been on a quest to find fresh (not frozen) Chinese noodles that I can cook myself for holidays like the lunar new year. The owner was nice enough to give me a free sample of uncooked noodles as well as the tasty Hotco chili sauce. I cooked them up, and I’m happy that I now have an option to buy fresh, hand-pulled noodles! Check this place out? The texture & taste of homemade noodles is so much better than machine-made dry or frozen noodles! It was also fun to walk around the international grocery store while we waited. There’s a casual cafe where you can eat the noodles, and there are lots of specialties from the Middle East, India, Eastern Europe, and Greece...

I had been wanting to try Hotco Noodles for a few months after allot of positive comments I had heard . And so I finally stopped in for take out this weekend . Wow … I should have been here months ago !

Extraordinarily good noodles that you can tell are made with love . I got the Dandan noodles which are not as spicy as I expected; note to self : ask for more heat next time . Peanuts are very crunchy and add nice texture to plate . Meat is surprisingly hiding on the bottom so make sure to stir and mix up noodles thoroughly to get that full experience.

Also got the Hotco Chicken Karaage to try and it was amazing. Great spice that is flavorful and won’t linger or numb the palate , and while it may look burnt in the photo , I assure you it is not . The outside spicy marinade and crunchy texture are worth every bite .

I am a fan — can’t wait to try the other items on the menu very soon .

Great job to the Hotco team . What a gem for the area...