Noodle House — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

Short Story: This place is amazing and absolutely worth your patronage.

Long Story: I don't normally write reviews. In fact, I've never written a review before in my life. But for this place, I felt compelled to write one because it is criminally under-patronized.

It's a very simple, hole-in-the-wall, ramen place. I walked in with my roommate a couple of months ago during the lunch rush one day only to find the place empty of customers. The staff jumped into action, no doubt excited to finally get some customers. I got the seafood ramen dish (I forget the exact name) and fell in love instantly. The broth was flavorful, the noodles well cooked, and it was filled with the meats and vegetables rather than being 90% noodle with other ingredients as toppings.

The wait staff were very nice and sure to keep our water topped off. The place was nicely decorated and light Japanese music was playing in the background, not too loudly like in many places frequented by college kids. The chairs are wooden stools with no backs, which may be a problem for some, but certainly not for me.

I hadn't been back to this place for a while, mostly due to a lack of time, but when I went yesterday, I got the pork rice dish, and it was god damned amazing. I'm going again after I finish writing this review and get off of work.

I've eaten a lot of east and southeast Asian food in my life, and this place still managed to surprise the hell out of me. I beg you to go and try this place. It's good food and they deserve business. You...

TLDR: Don't bother with this place anymore, seriously.

You see, restaurants usually have two choices when dealing with inflation and pandemic: They either increase the price or reduce the quality/quantity of their food, but most restaurants only do one of the two, not both. But this place? Not only they increase the price by charging more if you use credit card (hard to believe anyone still does this in 2022), and the food quality has become very inconsistent and even unsanitary: Pork was missing from my ramen once, the pork can also smell like ammonia, the soup has no taste nor flavor, and sometimes they even use the wrong noodle.

I have been coming to this place ever since it opened, and it was pretty decent until COVID hit. The original owner must have sold the restaurant to someone else, and their standards have dropped considerably ever since. Honestly, it's pretty sad to see how far this place...

Working downtown gives me a unique opportunity to order out and take a bit of something distinct from time to time. I'm no stranger to Japanese cuisine, but it's rare I can get something that suspends my disbelief in something authentic around here.

This was a slap in the face in the best kind of way. Every bit of this food felt authentic, and was delicious.

From the takoyaki, to the pork bun, to the ramen I had? I was floored. More than that, I have been regularly craving the same flavors, textures, and smells since I've gone here. In a way that's leaving me struggling to find replacements.

As such, I'm just going to actually have to order it again.

My first time was a delivery order, though now I'm genuinely thinking of stopping in the next chance I...