Simply Noodles — Restaurant in New York

Simply Noodles is such a delightful little noodle shop. TLDR; come hungry, come with company or alone to chilll, replenish and feel nourished. 😌

I came here with some friends on a recommendation from another that knew of my dietary restrictions. As a vegetarian that is gluten and lactose intolerant it is rare to find a place where I can eat and truly enjoy what I was served. Let alone one that has a variety of dishes to satisfy my "normal" friends and family. This was one of the rare dining experience where everyone wins.

Once seated, my friends and I were met by their courteous waiter, Aaron. As we were all new to the establishment he helped us get to know the menu and it's offerings. After he was made aware of my diet he helped me choose a rice noodle dish as well as make recommendations for the soy bean base meat slices. There were other rice noodle options but for my first time I wanted to taste what they offered unobscured by a variety of components.

The dish looked simple enough with rice noodles, scallions, seaweed and other vegetables. With one sip of the rich broth, however, it's warmth and complexity was enough to transport my taste buds away from memories of bland vegetarian dishes of my past. The noodles were succulent, and buttery smooth. It's texture reminiscent of salmon sashimi that I had previously eaten and loved years ago. Every savored slurp or bite of vegetable or tofu was infused with it's savory broth. And let me not forget the added hard boiled egg! I could easily continue to wax poetic about the flavors that pleasantly surprised my mouth after my first tentative bite but I'll leave that one as something for new diners to discover for themselves.

I had a lovely experience on this cold Spring day. With wonderful friends to reconnect with after years being away, attentive and inviting staff, chill quiet music to fill the silent moments as we savored our meal, or to quietly provide the background music for us to 'catch up' in. This cozy little nook may be called Simply Noodles but that may be their way to describe the humble beauty that's...

Came in during dinner hours on a Sunday and the small establishment was already full! We ordered the: Scallion pancakes - 6 pieces with a lovely crisp and perfect saltiness Soup dumplings - tasty but nothing particularly stellar about it (I wish that they provided us spoons to eat it with and the soy sauce/vinegar mix that usually accompanies the dish) Dan Dan noodles - wonderful flavor profile, tiny bit spicy, option of veggie or ground pork (pork was wonderfully seasoned) Miso ramen - (not my opinion) but it was noted that the broth was not so meat-forward (not too strong, not too mild) and had good reviews Mala spicy - Served in a large soup bowl to keep your soup warm. I requested replacing the rice noodles with egg noodles (which I'm sure was quite offensive as they are known for their rice noodles...) The dish had a good amount of spice, umami broth, and plentiful pork portions. My biggest complaint was the dryness of their char siu that lacked fattiness in the cut. Additionally, the toppings felt pretty sparce. Service was spot on and the food came out relatively quickly after ordering! I had a pleasant experience and...

The door is heavy, so you aren't sure whether you're allowed to head in or even leave. The atmosphere is worse than outside, peaceful but boring. The food is mid, the old lady looked offended when asked if they serve udon noodles. She was rude to a customer over the phone, about utensils they'd never put with their Togo order. Also rude to a few customers inside about tipping not being included, asking if the food was bad or if she did anything wrong. [Including for myself] I never heard anyone once ask if they were enjoying the food, if everything was ok, or if anyone needed anything. Poor customer service doesn't get tipped in my book, and it would be frowned upon in their culture, so begging did not sit well with me. One lady left mad saying it was tacky to confront over the tip, which did make me feel uncomfortable. I tipped a few bucks because she brought me A napkin when I asked for a couple. My nose was leaking like a faucet and I didn't wanna blow it in such a cramped room, so I was left wiping with TP basically. 3.5/10 would not recommend, I'd rather go to Panda Express, or even the Chipotle next door would...