Noodle Cafe — Restaurant in Newport

We stopped in for dinner after visiting my dad all day in the hospital. When asked about drinks, we ordered iced tea. We're told our options were green, jasmine, ginger, or Thai iced teas. We said we'd just settle for a pot of hot black tea. We're again told our options were limited to jasmine, green, or ginger hot tea. I ordered Thai iced tea. Mom told the server she didn't like Thai or jasmine or green teas at all, and she was REALLY unsure about the ginger, but she'd try it. We also ordered our food. I'd wanted bulgogi, but both bulgogi options were pretty pricey, so I settled for pho. Mom ordered beef lo mein. The lo mein was really 3-star (the meat in it was fabulous, the rest was fairly bland), but other factors mitigated my overall score down to 2, and I'm being generous, based only on what we had and the service we received.

Mom didn't like her ginger tea, and asked the server if she could maybe get some cream to put in it (she drinks cream in her iced tea quite often, and, let's face it, it's not unusual in Asian cuisine), but the server left the table and the owner returned in her place. She informed Mom she would be willing to bring her a slice of lime, but no cream because, "that wouldn't be good." Spoiler: The lime did not make Mom like it any better.

My pho was mediocre, 2-star at best, but I haven't had pho in years, so it satisfied me slightly more than no pho at all. The "Thai iced tea," on the other hand, was simply awful! It tasted like milky, flowery perfume. I couldn't figure out why at first, and then it hit me: It was made with jasmine tea!

Before we left, the owner stopped by the table again and asked Mom if she liked her ginger tea after she'd put the lime into it. Mom answered truthfully she did not. (It should be noted here that I'd left 7/8 of my glass of "Thai iced tea" and Mom's glass was still basically full, and we had already paid in full and tipped a little overc20%, while not asking for any discounts, etc.) Owner says to Mom, "You should have had Thai or green or jasmine tea." Mom explains she doesn't like Thai, green, or jasmine tea. Owner demands Mom tell her, "Well, what kind of tea DO you like?" Mom proceeds to tell her her favorite is Earl Grey and that she drinks a cup of salted caramel tea every day at home, but when she goes out for Asian food, she's always happy with a pot of plain, hot, black or oolong tea. Owner says (and I am NOT making this up), "Well this is CHINESE restaurant, and we only serve CHINESE food here!" I'm sitting there slack-jawed, looking down at my bowl of VIETNAMESE soup -- which I had opted for due to the pricey nature of the KOREAN options (the VERY FIRST items on their menu), while drinking was was SUPPOSED to be a glass of THAI tea (made from JAPANESE tea ingredients, though I could have opted for the green or ginger tea -- both JAPANESE teas), and knowing there isn't a CHINESE restaurant on the North American continent that doesn't plunk a pot of hot, black or oolong tea into the middle of your table the moment your butt hits the chair... except this one.

It goes without saying... WE...

We came here because it’s the highest-rated Asian spot in town, and given the limited variety in a small town, we figured it was worth a shot. Coming from Southern California, where great Asian food is always close by, I’ll admit my standards are probably higher than average.

Food: Potstickers: Honestly, the worst dish we tried. The wrapper had no flavor, the meat was just floating inside without any seasoning or cohesion—hard pass. Pho: The broth was bland, meat portion was skimpy, and when I asked to add pork belly on the side, the elderly lady flat-out refused, saying “it’s only for ramen, you can’t do pho like that.” To me, it made no sense, if I order it and pay for it, why does it matter which bowl it goes in? Thai Tea: Very meh, watery and lacking the richness I expect. Ramen: Looked and tasted like dry instant noodles—pretty disappointing. Mongolian Stir Fry: Flavor was solid, but it was 90% vegetables and barely any meat. Bulgogi Beef: This was the standout dish. The flavor was actually close to something I’d find back home, and it was the only thing I’d recommend food-wise.

Service & Atmosphere: This is where I had the biggest issue. The elderly woman running things gave off a very cold, dismissive vibe toward my table (and the other Latino tables nearby), while warmly greeting and chatting with white customers. The difference in treatment was obvious. Five of us noticed it immediately. I hesitate to call it racist, but the undertone was there, and it left a bad taste in my mouth. It also makes me wonder how she treats her Latino staff if that’s how she interacts with Latino customers.

On the flip side, her Latino staff were the complete opposite: welcoming, kind, and attentive. They honestly made the experience more bearable, and I want to give them their flowers because they were great.

The restaurant itself gave off hoarder vibe. One side of the dining area was literally being used for storage, which made the place feel cluttered and uninviting.

Overall: For a small town with few Asian options, I can see why this place is rated highly. But if you’re used to good Asian food (especially coming from SoCal), this won’t hit the mark. Between the disappointing food, lack of hospitality from the owner, and uncomfortable atmosphere, I personally...

The first time we went here we ordered tempura udon, pho, and shoyu ramen. Everything was soooo salty we had to ask for hot water to water down our broth. However, the ramen was really good. The second time we went here we all decided to get the shoyu ramen. Unfortunately, this time it was very salty and had a strange flavor. The broth was very dark and seemed like it had been sitting or old. Half way through our lunch the elderly lady owner began to “teach” a 20-something man how to eat his bibimbap. The lady he was with clearly was annoyed. Rather than explaining the elderly lady owner began to stir and mix up and add sauce to his meal. He was quite kind about it, but wow it was such a turn off. It’s strange because the elderly lady owner goes from kind to flat out rude depending on the customers she’s talking to. Her treatment is not consistent and quite off-putting. She was nice to our table, but again assumed we had no idea how to eat what we were ordering. She also comes back asking how everything is with this smirk on her face like we’d be idiots to not say it was good. Her demeanor is so arrogant. We will not be coming back here. The food is overpriced, the atmosphere where their tv is has become a storage area. It looks so sloppy, dirty, and dark. We woke the next day to puffy faces and ankles due to the amount of salt in the food. Spend your money elsewhere. You could go to a spot where the food actually has flavor and not just over salted and you’re not sitting in a closet eating, listening to the owner “teach” her customers! If I could give zero...