I tried their suggested Dan Dan noodles, they were good but not great, a little heavy, not so interesting. The three appetizer dish was interesting but not that impressed, to be honest definitely don't consider this place a four-star pick. Still exploring the SGV read more

Almost every time I come here, it's packed - weeknights & weekends both. This place is not nearly big enough! I Recommend: Beef Noodle soup Fish potstickers green onion pancakes chicken and beef roll pork/beancurd noodles It's fairly clean, food is always fresh and yummy, and the service is prompt. Only thing - English is not their first language. This doesn't seem to be too much of a problem; even though their customers are mostly Chinese, I've seen a good amount of others there also. My only gripe is parking; it's very cramped and there's not much of it! Other than that, A+! read more

Nothing says love like mom's home cooking... I absolutely love this little hole in the wall of the restaurant. Every time I come in here, the staff is always friendly to me and in some cases crack little jokes. Just a good vibe. Makes you feel at home. Anytime you can walk in a restaurant and just feel that type of personality...it's always a plus. As mentioned, this really is a hole in the wall restaurant. It's right next to the dinky bowling alley right next door. The size of the restaurant isnt too big...I think there's only 8-10 tables in there. Most times I've ordered food to go but on occasion have ate here. I usually prefer coming here for the to go as its a quick fix for something. The fried pork dumplings are probably the best I've had in the area. Better than other dumpling places in the area like Mama Lu's, Dumpling House, etc. They are plump, juicy and the meat is nicely flavored. The biggest surprise here was the Hot & Sour soup they have. This soup is a real nice bang for the buck. They don't skimp on the veggies, tofu or meat. This thing is like filled with A LOT of stuff. I placed an order to go and they gave me 2 big plastic circular containers for 1 order. Most places will give you a dinky little cup to go but not this place. I also hear the beef rolls are good but have yet to try. I'll definitely be trying them next time though... read more

I've heard good things about this place from locals in the area, and I have to say...thanks for the recommendation everyone! Went here on a Friday night for take-out - surprisingly not that busy! Standard-sized Chinese restaurant with tables for small and large groups, with the register at the back to pay / order for take-out. The ladies working there seem nice, and straight to the point. Food highlights: +Beef rolls - this is pretty much what the place is known for, and I must say I believe the hype on how good this is! 1 order lasted for 2-3 meals along with the soup dish we ordered. +Ox tail soup with hand-torn noodles - delicious and plenty of flavor! They gave a decent amount of meat in it, although I wish there were more veggies in the soup. The total for two ox tail soups and one order of the beef roll was about $25. I believe this place is CASH ONLY so keep that in mind! The other dishes they serve look so good, I know we'll be back again to try them! read more

GET THE BEEF ROLLS! So good! I'm from NorCal and was only in the area for a day so my friend wanted to introduce me to the beef rolls here and they were bomb!! The flavor is awesome and the bread they use to wrap it is delicious and not too thick. We also had the xiao long bao, chow mien, and the pan fried dumplings. Everything was really good but I would rank the beef roll, pan fried dumplings, xiao long bao, and then the chow mien in order from most to least favorite. I am back in norcal now and am thinking about that beef roll! Too bad I can't get any up here :(. Will definitely stop by again if I'm in the area. read more

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All of the high reviews led me to believe that this place would be amazing. And it did fall short, but not in terms of the food. When we first arrived, there was a huge crowd of people waiting outside and we almost gave up to go somewhere else. But I took a peek inside the window and realized that several tables were open but they just hadn't been cleaned yet. I felt hopeful so I waited and waited and waited. There were only two servers and they were not able to handle the flow. It took them forever to get to anything because they were just so overwhelmed. Soon, the numbers ran out but no one bothered to make new numbers for customers to take. It became a chaotic situation outside. Luckily, we were seated before I had to push anyone out of the way. The waiter cleared the table but didn't get to wiping it down. I was not pleased at this point. It's a good thing that the food really lived up to my expectations. The beef roll was flavorful and juicy. I loved the slightly crispy exterior of the pancake. We also ordered 10 Shrimp and Pork Dumplings and they were exactly what I was craving. 101 Noodle Express is not fast and service and sanitation are lacking; but if you only care about the food, give it a try. read more

I came here a couple minutes before it opened and there was already a line at the door. I had heard amazing things about their beef rolls. It did not disappoint. We ordered the beef rolls and the beef noodle soup. Both were delicious! The beef rolls were crispy and full of flavor while the noddle soup was just fantastic. I will be back here soon! read more

101 Noodle Express - Amazing must have beef rolls! - Chinese Near Me - Alhambra, California

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The beef roll is street food at it's best. Like a very large burrito cut into many segments, this is a good amount of food for under $7. The duck sauce that lines the inside of each wrap seals the deal and jives so well with the beef. It's a greasy affair, but it's street food. I ordered this dish for take out, unfortunately it took 10 minutes or so to come out, but at least we know it's made to order. The ambiance of the establishment isn't very inviting, so if I make it back, I'll be doing take out again. read more

101 Noodle Express - Beef Roll - Chinese Near Me - Alhambra, California

Great place to taste the authentic and inspired oriental flavors in several dishes one including the beef roll ! Try it! read more

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Awesome place to order beef rolls. They are basically Chinese Pancakes wrapped in Beef with onions and sauce. They are delicious! Be sure to eat them right away because if you wait they get soggy after a while. They come in 6 pieces so definitely split it with someone. Additionally, they have really good rib noodle soup. Thier noodles are cut by hand so it has a different texture! The place is right in front of the bowling alley on Valley. There is a quickly next door if your looking for cheap and quick boba for $1.38 with your meal. Overall, great place to get some quick chinese food! read more

I've had to eat my words: hand-pulled noodles are FAR superior to the regular ones. They're tender and chewy and starchy and just gives you so much more texture to enjoy. I just had to come in less hung over to realize it =P In general the noodle dishes stand out more than the noodle soups though those are nothing to sneeze at. The best zha jiang mian I've had in a restaurant. Also in the running for the cheapest non-fast food meal around, I can't get enough and neither can anyone I bring here. read more

I happened to be in the Alhambra area and knew that a prominent Chinatown/Little Tokyo also happened to be in that area. Since I am partial to hand-made noodles, I made the decision to check out the chinese scene. Parking was quite easy with its own free lot. I started off with hand drawn noodles with ground pork in a soy sauce. I had promised myself to give my GI system a break and not make it spicy but once the dish came out, I found myself shoveling the hot chili oil on the table onto my dish. The noodle texture was only OK and the flavors were a little on the bland side thus the need for the chili oil kick. We also split an order of the mini soup dumplings. Soup dumplings has always been a very complicated dish for me but apparently on the west coast, it's quite common. The soup dumplings were all right, not much compared to Joe's Shanghai in NY where you have to be careful to not burn the roof of your mouth when biting into one of these. The dumplings were lukewarm but the flavors were ok. OMG! The beef roll was the star of the meal! the flaky outer wrap with the well seasoned beef and freshness of cilantro. Plus the chili oil, this dish is unstoppable! This was by far my favorite dish of the night, they should just put a huge picture of this dish on the front of their menu so people know what to order. But when I looked around at the other tables, I saw that other patrons already knew to order it because I kid you not, there was a plate of beef rolls on each and every table! Plus all the patrons were Chinese which is always a good sign for Chinese restaurant. read more

A spot that is similar to and definitely comparable to mama lu's dumplings and din tai fung. I recommend their beef wraps, steamed pork dumplings (aka xiao long bao), and minced pork noodles. I repeat. Do not get their scallion pancakes! They aren't good here. Why? Scallion pancakes are good when they are crispy. They are partially soggy and chewy here. It can get pretty busy here so if you were planning to dine in prepare to wait a little during dinner time. Take out if you must! read more

I tried their signature dishes, the pork roll and beef noodle soup (one with hand-torn noodles, one regular because I couldn't decide between the two) . The pork roll was amazing! I don't even like cilantro but the herb definitely added a nice minty quality to the intense meaty flavor of the roll. The pancake they stuffed with pork was crispy but not overly crunchy and had a good chew to it as well. The quantity you get definitely leaves room for leftovers. Both the regular and hand-torn noodles were pretty good. Similar in texture and toothsome (probably depends on whether you prefer to slurp your noodles or eat them in pieces). The meat was tender and cut in slices so you didn't have to bite big chunks apart like an animal and the broth was just the right amount of spicy to get your nose sniffly and not oily at all. Alternating between pork roll bites to noodle slurps, I found that the hints of sweetness of the roll offset the noodle soup quite well and the roll being crispy and all goes great with the soup! Nothing too special about the service but the ambiance had a nice homey feel to it. There is a parking lot outside so parking isn't too difficult to find. Overall verdict: Seriously delicious and for the prices you pay, the quality is high and beats many restaurants I've been to on the west side of LA! read more

101 Noodle Express - Hand-torn beef noodle soup - Chinese Near Me - Alhambra, California

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i didn't get the hype about the beef roll. it was just ok. i did like my lamb noodle, though. read more

101 Noodle Express - Chinese Near Me - Alhambra, California

I cannot believe it's taken me this long to try this place. At work, it's simply known as "beef roll." For those of my co-workers who have been here, that's all you need to hear to know that we're talking about this place. Absolutely delicious beef roll. Definitely a must try. Good advice on finding the place... it's next to the bowling alley (that has cheap bowling on Sunday mornings...) and a boba place (perfect for you post-beef roll experience). I'm definitely open to going to this place more often... Dangit, now I'm craving beef roll... read more

Customer service suuuuuuuuuuuuuucks!!! Cash only sucks. The food is pretty good, but I had SARAN WRAP in my beef noodle soup. At first they just apologized and asked if I wanted another bowl of soup. I asked them to comp our 2 for $4 drinks, but they graciously gave us the noodle soup free. I'm not coming back. read more

101 Noodle Express - Nowhere does it say Cash only. - Chinese Near Me - Alhambra, California

BEEF ROLLS BEEF ROLLS BEEF ROLLS BEEF ROLLS BEEF ROLLS one star for each time I had beef rolls in the last 3 weeks, even though I live 25 miles away, and minus one star for their really crappy service, but who cares if they have beef rolls made of stuff more addictive than crack? I actually drove there last night and ordered 1 to go after I had dinner in San Gabriel, writing about them makes me want to go finish it. Ironically I was told to go there for their eggplant noodles(make sure to order it hot), I thought it was good but my friends didn't like it that much, but we all LOVED the beef rolls. If you are into noodles, you can check out the da lu(that's how it's pronounced in Chinese, not sure of the english name) noodles also, not as good as mom makes it and I'm not sure why they won't cut the HUGE pieces of pork in there that are bigger than the bowl, but the noodle and soup are decent. Did I mention their beef rolls are good? read more

Ordered pork fried dumplings for to go on the phone. Upon arriving and paying I took a look at the receipt it said "bok choi" pork fried dumplings when clearly I did not order that. Waitress kept arguing with me and even gave me attitude.Are you kidding me? How difficult is it to just change my order. I'm not paying for something I did not order. THAT WAITRESS DEFINITELY NEEDS A LESSON IN BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE ! Waited around 30 mintues for them to make our food. Another new waitress walked up to us with our food and a check. All i wanted to do was just get my food and leave. However she looked at my friend and I and wanted us to pay AGAIN. really now? This just made me angry. The new waitress then went up to the previous waitress who handled the cash register when I paid to ask her if I paid. The previous waitress(the one who handled the cash register) then had to drop everything walk over to the computer to check if we paid. Unbelievable how can you forget I paid already even after that whole argument you decided to start with me. Now I honestly have to reconsider coming back here.There are plenty of other places WITH BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE where I would rather spend my money at ! read more

O..M..GEE...the beef rolls here are to die for..as well as the dumplings. I've been here a few times and have tried alotta of their menu items. Recently, I took my bf here and he absolutely love the beef rolls. Something about the crispy pancake exterior wrapped with abundance of marinated tender beef and cilantro and hoisin sauce that is so irresistable. We also got the pan-fried pork dumplings. Be careful eating the dumplings cuz they are super hot and filled with juiciness. My bf was impatient when the dumplings arrived at the table. He didnt take my warning and burned his tongue. This place can get pretty busy at dinner time. But this place is definately worth the wait. Ugh...craving a beef roll now after writing this review. I might be seeing you soon 101 Noodle Express..teeehee! read more

CASH ONLY. Beef noodle soup, beef rolls, and boba - that's all you really need to order. Expect a short wait, and the parking lot can get KIND OF CRAZY. Sometimes I give up and just order it to-go, and it's still amazing. That's hard to accomplish, so FIVE STARS. read more

Have been here countless times. Ordered a variety of things throughout the menu. Can never go wrong with anything. It's usually always busy but my food never takes more that 15 mins to come out. The kitchen staff is on point and the front of house is quick and to the point. Go in. Order. Eat. Pay. Leave. Easy. read more

The food was amazing. We had the scallion pancakes, stir fried vegetables and chicken soup with hand cut noodles. The hand cut noodles were definitely worth the extra 50 cents and they absolutely had the best scallion pancakes. read more

101 Noodle Express - Chinese Near Me - Alhambra, California

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the food was alright but nothing fancy! i had a wholeee issue with the service though. the lady came 5 minutes later after she sat us down. and we were seated second after another group that was behind us? soooo. was very upset about that. the check came late as well. all in all, late late late. :/ read more

Be aware of a wait if you come during prime eating hours. The thing that I hate the most is that each time I've waited outside the restaurant, there are always chain smokers waiting too. I guess they just love hand made noodles? The hand made noodles are good, but not the best I've had. If you ask them to make your noodle soup spicy, it has a kick! Otherwise they have the chilli oil with flakes on the side for you to add flavor if you want. I didn't like the xiao long bao here. The dumpling didn't have much flavor in the meat and the skin was a bit tough. read more

Are they the best Beef Noodle Soup and Beef roll I've ever had? Probably not. But this place is on par with most places that I've tried. I want to say the food is worth coming here and trying. My bone to pick is probably with the drinks. I will probably never order drinks from here again, tasted pretty bad. Worse than Lollicup... read more

Taiwanese style noodles. Taste is pretty good. I usually get beef tendon or the sour pork noodles. Its changes taste sometimes so very inconsistent with the chef. Also noodles here constipate me. Too much flour I guess :(. Other than that not a bad noodle place. read more

Beef roll is what I keep hearing about this place. It's good, but I think some of their competitors are better-- this one is slightly smaller and just as tasty... but the ones at some of their competition are bigger, more plump (is that a good word?), and just a tad more delicious from that perspective. Hand-torn noodle soups are very good, the chicken soup was awesome. The ox-tail was good but again, a little behind some of their competition. Xiaolong bao were solid but lacked the delicacy of DTF's. Pork potstickers were huge and fat and delicious, if the opposite of the beef roll- a little *too* big and fat. I think the pork and shrimp mixed ones might be better, a little lighter? Cash only, low-rent inside as per this type of place, and pretty tasty. Main reason for 3 stars? Just not quite as good as the best of their competition. A solid place otherwise. read more

Hungry and looking for authentic (for me atleast) then look no further ! Highly recommend this place ! Very good food and satisfies your late night cravings !! Had the seafood noodle dish and it was very filling and large in portion (devoured ) also they have a good variety of dumplings ( get them while they last) . Now a regular ! . Also staff is very respectful and on top of things . Thank you very much. Enjoy the 20% tip :) read more

101 Noodle Express - Chinese Near Me - Alhambra, California

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Picked up food here with my boyfriend for a late night snack. We ordered the hot spicy beef noodle soup, their steamed mini pork buns, and some beef rolls. The pork buns were really good and the soup inside was juicy. The beef rolls were really good as well! And the noodles were just alright. But overall, this place was good and they're open late so that's nice. read more

I'll admit that I didn't get the famous beef rolls, but based on everything else, I'm giving 101 Noodle Express 3.5/5 stars. The restaurant is good, but there's a lot of restaurants in this area with an overall stronger menu and better service. PROS: 1. The dan dan with hand cut noodles was very good. The meat sauce was just right, and the noodles were tasty. 2. The location is easy to get to, and there is plenty of parking. 3. Very clean dining area. CONS 1. The service was below average, and these kinds of restaurants aren't known for excellent service so that's saying something. My friend and I ordered a small appetizer platter, vegetable dumplings (she's a vegetarian), and dan dan for me. My friend's platter came out immediately, and it took several minutes for me to get my noodles. Our dumplings didn't arrive until after we were almost finished, and to our dismay, they gave us pork, not vegetable dumplings. Because our waitress was MIA for the most part, we gave up on the idea of sending them back. 2. Cash only, no matter what your bill is. 3. The dumpling filling had little flavor, and although the dumplings were fried, they were soggy instead of crispy. 4. There was a lot of food on my friend's appetizer platter, but it was just okay tasting and the ugly presentation looked nothing like the picture on the menu. read more

As Forrest D said, there isn't much more you can say when reviewing this place. With 800 people saying pretty much the same thing, nothing I say will really stand out. So here's my simple, uninspiring, bare bones review of 101 Noodle Express: Beef Noodle Soup (with hand-torn noodles) - Noodles are perfect in texture; Broth is refreshing and not oily; Beef is very tender. Beef Roll - Large enough to share with 2-3 people and packed with a good amount of beef. It's a must-have here, but I have to say I liked the ones at Mama Lu's a little more. Still very good though. Green Onion Pancake - Not huge on flavor, but the texture of the "pancake" is good. Plus, if you just add some of that special green sauce on the table (comprised of cilantro, garlic, and a bunch of other magical stuff), it's a great appetizer or filler while you eat your meal. That sauce is money, I have to say. Use it on anything and everything. Yeung Chow Fried Rice - Your basic fried rice. Won't rock your socks, but it's a safe choice if you're not really digging/craving any of the other dishes. Six of us had no problems getting a table at dinnertime on a Sunday night, but they do get busy. Service is good and prices are reasonable. And as others have mentioned... CASH ONLY. read more

Haven't been here for several years. Pleasantly surprised to see they expanded and remodeled. Nice and clean. Tea was pipping hot. Beef rolls, scallion pancakes, XLB and triple appetizer plate just as expected, very good. More than enough for four people with food to take nome. Service was good too for a Chinese restaurant but there is room for improvement. Arrived at 10 am to avoid the crowd. Adequate size parking lot. Would definitely come back in the near future with more friends. read more

It really *is* all about the beef rolls! Perfectly spiced, juicy, with a ton of cilantro that compliments (but not overpowering) the sliced beef and grilled wrapper. Heavenly! After you have your fill on the beef rolls, come back and try their over 20 types of dumplings! I've had many many dumplings in my life, but I've never had dumplings where you'd take a bite and have the sweet, savory meaty broth bursting out. Oh my! Everything is so good, and so cheap (less than $10 per person). This really is what SGV is all about. read more

Right when I walked up to the counter to make my order the waitress handed me a menu. I told her I already knew what I wanted, and her reply was, "beef rolls?". She was right, that is what I was there for. With all the reviews about them, I just had to give it a try. I must agree, the beef rolls are great. One order is huge, more than enough for 2 people to share. I also ordered fried wok noodles, which wasn't what I was expecting. By the name I thought I was ordering a stir fry type of dish, but it was a soup. It was nothing special really, a little too much ginger for me, but tasty. If you are in the area check it out, the portions are large and the prices are cheap. I have more than enough food for lunch tomorrow! I wish I lived closer to this place, because now I know I will be craving the beef rolls. I took a business card and found that they have another location in Rowland Heights, which a little closer than this one. read more

I love love LOVE the beef roll (perfect combination of meat, chinese pancake and greens). it was real good, especially with the sauces they provide on the table. My friend and I ordered fried dumplings and the beef roll and couldn't have been any happier. The dumpling was nice and plump, and my favorite part is the juices that run out when you bite into it. It's also real cheap, not expensive at all! I can't wait to go back to try their house pan fried cake!!! read more

I mainly went here because I saw the amazing yelp reviews. I shouldn't of set my expectations so high though because it honestly isn't that amazing. It's probably because I compare to to MaMa Lu's. MaMa Lu's so much better than this little hole in the wall. Their prices are pretty decent, but I've had cheaper. The beef roll is so-so. For some reason, when mines came, it had a sour taste to it. I'm not sure if something was old, or that's how it was suppose to taste. The venue is extremely small and it sorta looks like it was once a small chinese bakery. Even though the food is not too great and the place is small, the service is pretty good. So far I've only seen ladies working out front and they are all very polite and care a great deal about their customers. read more

I didn't know this place existed around this neck of the woods. I have heard about this place once, when I was in the OC. My party was debating about going there or another place. I was with another party, and our original plan was to go to Dip's Grill. Unfortunately, the place was packed due to a Lakers vs. Clippers game (one of the rare moments where I actually knew who was playing who that night) and was about to give up until one of the patrons waiting outside suggested next door, 101 Noodle Express. The name clicked in my head, associating the name with XLB, the nommy soup dumplings. We were promptly seated and was given menus very quickly. The place was pretty busy, but we just got lucky. Scanning through the menu, we decided to order one plate of each kind of dumpling, a XLB (made with crab), a pan fried (pork with something that isn't coming to mind) and a steamed (spinach with shrimp). Also, our options were limited, due to the fact that we did go in the evening, a little after the dinner rush. Also, while ordering, the waitress suggested the beef rolls. First time I ever had beef rolls, and I was doing cartwheels. The thin slices of beef with some veggies, all rolled into a standard crispy skin wrapper. The waitress sure knew what was good. Onto the dumplings, I was pleasantly surprised of the size of the dumplings, nothing on the one-bite range, and they didn't skimp on the filling. I only a few cons about them: - For some reason, the first piece of crab XLB tasted a bit off. I didn't know what it was, but it disappeared after I had a second piece. - We weren't given the customary ginger to go with the XLB. Maybe it's only if we ordered the pork ones. - Be VERY careful of the pan-fried dumplings. I was thinking that the XLB dumplings were going to be filled with scorching soup, but it was at a good temperature, but the first pan-fried dumpling I bit into, the liquid inside shot me in the eye and got all over my friend's phone case. Lucky for me, I was wearing glasses, so it didn't go into my eye. Overall, not a bad place to go, and I wasn't completely thirsty at the end of the meal, meaning there wasn't as much MSG as I thought there would be. Total came out to be under $30, for four plates, which isn't bad. read more

Yay! This place is one of the first places I think of when I get the hankering for chinese food in the Valley. Their beef roll is amazing because of the thin, thin wrapper. I love the pan fried pancakes my mom makes but these are sooo good. The cold apps are always a good thing to add on, as is the Shandong style chicken (piled on smashed pieces of cucumber, a very authentic northern chinese preparation). The noodles are decent and hubby and I always end up sharing a bowl of that along with the beef roll. The dumplings look really good, and they also look handmade, but we haven't had a chance to try them yet. WRT to waiting in line... sign up on the clipboard by the door, no one will acknowledge you and explain. I don't know when they switched to the new physical menus, but it's a lot friendlier to non-Chinese speaking/reading people and even has some nice pictures. Have no fear about ordering here if you're not chinese. read more

Come here for the beef noodle soup!! The dumplings and the beef rolls are very good...maybe not the best ever? The noodle soups was very very good and with the cut noodles made it really worth waiting the 25 mins for. read more

101 Noodle Express - Chinese Near Me - Alhambra, California

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