The Noodle Shop — Restaurant in San Mateo

Neighborhood mom-and-pop Hunan Chinese food restaurant filled with Chinese speaking Mandarin. Came here for lunch on a Friday and this small place was packed. You don't come here for the atmosphere, but for the generous portions of Hunan home-style cooking. Service was really friendly and prompt.

Had two of the lunch specials served in bamboo dim sum baskets ($7.50/ea) that start with egg drop soup, an egg roll with the meal and end with slices of fresh fruit (orange and watermelon) for dessert: Shredded Pork with lots of Bell Peppers in Garlic Sauce on white rice and big meaty Hunan Prawns with lots of broccoli flowerettes on white rice. Both had enough spice to give it a nice kick, but not overwhelmingly spicy hot. Really like the fresh, crunchy (not from a can) bamboo. We also ordered the Hunan Special Combination Chow Mein and the 8 piece Xiao Long Bao dumplings ($5.95). Egg rolls were okay, not crispy skin, but a little soggy. The thickness of the XLB was a little thick for me, but overall flavorful taste, broth in dumpling, and the quantity make up for the dumpling skin's thickness. It was good, just not earth shattering great!

Noodles were thick, wheat, like the size of udon noodles. There wasn't much of a combination. Two shrimp, some slices of chicken, some fish, no meat, no veggie, a slice or two of green onions. A little oily, not spicy at all. Wouldn't order it again.

Couldn't finish our "basket" meals so we did bring home leftovers for lunch the next day (which the Hunan flavors permeated over night and tasted even better the next day). Closed on Tuesdays. Street parking is 2 hrs and free. Would return and try out the 3 dishes for $23...

This is by far one of the BEST RESTAURANTS in the Bay Area, but you have to know what to order. Years ago, a work friend introduced me to Noodle Shop, and at one point, I literally went there 4 times in one week. The dishes that you have to get include dry chili fish filet (best thing on earth and likely made with crack), cumin lamb, and mapo tofu. Every week now, I order that exact same meal, though sometimes I double the order of dry chili fish because it's that addictive. One time, I ordered the dry chili fish on my way home from work and was intending to have it for dinner, but I made the mistake of leaving it in the front passenger seat. After the long traffic jam, I noticed when I got home that all of the fish was gone and I was covered in chili. That's how good it is. I now know that you cannot have it within arm's distance if other members of your family want some too.

It's unfortunate that Noodle Shop doesn't get the foot traffic that the other San Mateo restaurants in the downtown get because I can tell you that I've tried those other places, and they don't hold a candle to Noodle Shop. Every time there is a potluck, I just bring NS, and I win the meal. Right now, they're only doing take out, but I hope that we'll soon be able to dine-in again so that my friends and I can go back every month for our work reunions like we did before. I'm salivating and getting hungry now...

They're open for quarantine take out!!

I had this place saved for a while and finally was able to try this place. Inside is unassuming and is a simple restaurant. We came here a little before the shelter in place was implemented. We ordered the pork with preserved cabbage noodle soup, shanghai soup dumplings, chicken with string beans, and napa cabbage pork dumplings. The noodle soup was amazing. It tasted really authentic and wasn't too salty. The dumplings went really well with the soup and glad we ordered the soup noodles. The soup dumplings were also really good.

At first, we were honestly skeptical since the place was empty at 12 pm. Soon after we sat down, the place started to fill quickly. Once we left, the place was almost full. We have also ordered to-go here during quarantine. Support your...