This hidden gem is one of my top recommendations. Kirin Noodle House in Irvine is seriously being slept on. The braised pork belly in the noodles is incredibly tender. But the braised beef brisket is the standout and even more tender.  We also had the crispy pork meat pie and dumplings. read more

Service was excellent. The guy was super friendly, but the food left a lot to be desired. We had a really late lunch so maybe the cook was on break already? They have posters on the wall featuring their highly recommended dishes, but when it came, I felt like we got catfished. The photos looked way better than what we got and what we ate. - Nanjing Salted Duck - Tasty, but portion size was so small. - Wontons in Chili Sauce - A bit tasteless and not spicy. - Sichuan Boiled Fish - This came in a huge bowl and I got really excited at first, but then we quickly realized there was more sauce than fish. The fish they used was good but not enough and it only had sprouts and no napa cabbage. It also wasn't very fragrant. read more

I was actually considering ordering off Hungrypanda since I didn't want to talk to anyone, but since there wasn't anyone inside at the time my friend and I went inside to order food. They had both physical and QR code menus. Since I'm not too fond of verbally speaking these days I was originally going to try to order with the QR code but we got attention from the staff. The staff member taking our order spoke with an accent and my friend attempted to ask for recommendations, which we did receive and she ordered after some difficulty in communication. However, when we were notified that they were out of stock of the item she had to additionally communicate her dietary restrictions to the staff member to find something else she could eat--in doing so, the staff member recommended something that DID contain the item due to a misunderstanding. She eventually managed to clarify what she needed, but given the fact that no one seems to understand us when we have dietary restrictions, I wasn't too confident about it, but she seemed to like it and had no complaints about it. It took differing amounts of time for each food to come out so I had to share mine with her while she waited. I had to pay with the staff member rather than paying online. They had a handheld point-of-sale system that I could pay with. The parking wasn't that good and we had to walk over from Daiso. The establishment was close enough to the Pokémon GO gym at Mitsuwa to interact with it. I might consider takeout at the Lake Forest branch some other time, if only so I don't have to deal with all this verbal communication. read more

I came with a friend on a Saturday afternoon and it quickly became packed after we got seated. It's in the Heritage Plaza, which houses a ton of places to eat at, get drinks, and more, so parking can get full sometimes. While we were lucky to come when it wasn't full yet, it took a while before we got our order taken despite no one else being served. Service was okay overall not taking into account of that. We both ordered the braised beef brisket soup. I got it at a level 1 spice while he got a level 3. I enjoyed mine since it was a nice mild, while he said his was pretty spicy, so keep that in mind. The beef was a bit iffy, overall it did taste good, but some pieces were really tender and great, while others were a bit rough. The noodles were good and, like I mentioned earlier, I did enjoy the broth as well. I wish there was a little more in terms of meat and vegetables, such as the bok choy, but overall the bowl was pretty good. If I'm ever in the area, I'd consider coming back to try more of their menu! read more

Kirin Noodles House - Beef Noodle - Noodles Near Me - Irvine, California

I have very high standards when it comes to Asian food, and this hole-in-the-wall spot is absolutely one of those spots I highly recommend. Kirin Noodle House in Irvine is seriously being slept on. They've got an open kitchen here, and I always make sure to get a noodle dish. This time I tried the braised pork belly noodle which comes with a huge slab of the most tender pork belly. The soup was savory and not too heavy and boiling hot which is just the way I like it ;) The braised beef brisket is the dish to get though. I don't know how they do it, but this might actually be more tender than the pork belly...so freakin' good. We also got their pork meat pie which is so thin and crispy with a savory meat filling, and some dumplings of course. Thanks for reading! ^-^ read more

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While in the mood for soup, I decided to come by because I remembered it being pretty good the first time. On a Sunday at 12:30pm, almost every table and booth was full and we were lucky to snag one of the last tables. They give you physical menus, but you order on your phone via QR code, which includes photos of the food. It's a very casual eatery with pictures of the most popular dishes posted on the wall. We didn't have to wait too long for at least one of our dishes. We ordered the braised beef brisket soup at level 3 spice and the pork and cabbage potstickers. I remember the soup being a lot more flavorful the first time and the beef being more tender. This time, the beef tasted tough and overcooked. The soup mostly tasted like mala spice (but at the perfect level) without much depth to it. My favorite part was the perfectly cooked noodles, which were bouncy and chewy. Unfortunately, our pork and cabbage potstickers never came out. A worker notified us halfway through eating the soup that it was going to take an extra 15 minutes, then later came back to say something wasn't working in the back, and eventually just canceled the order altogether. I think my memory of the first visit may have hyped this place up too much because it just wasn't that great this time around. If I do come back, I'll probably order differently and hopefully none of our dishes get canceled. read more

Kirin Noodles House - A lot of mala, not much flavor | Braised Beef Brisket 招牌红烧牛腩 spice 3 - Noodles Near Me - Irvine, California

The food is amazing!! I ordered the dry dishes to eat with rice and was surprised how good it is. Not only known for their noodles, I highly recommend the stir fried dishes as well. I had: 1. House special dumpling 2. Braised pork rice bowl 3. Salted popcorn chicken (crispy salted chicken) 4. Wok-fried spicy pot cauliflower 5. Double cooked pork slices read more

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I come to Kirin Noodles House all the time whenever I can't decide what to eat -- their braised beef noodle soup is basically my comfort food at this point. Today my friend wanted boiled beef, so of course I brought them here too Boiled Beef A must-order if you love spicy food. The portion is HUGE, basically bigger than a washbasin The beef slices are super tender and flavorful, soaked in that numbing, spicy broth that hits all the right spots. Honestly, I could finish two bowls of rice with this alone. House Special Braised Pork I think they use pork shank because the texture is unbelievably soft and melts in your mouth. The sweet-savory flavor is perfectly balanced and not greasy at all. I usually don't even like fatty pork, but I kept going back for more. Spicy Diced Chicken & Dry-Fried Green Beans Ultimate rice killers. The chicken is crispy, fragrant, and addictively good without being overwhelmingly spicy. The green beans have amazing wok hei and are so flavorful I could eat them on their own. Beef Chow Mein Packed with wok flavor, with tender beef and noodles fully coated in savory sauce. The portion is generous too. Chicken Wonton Soup The surprise favorite of this visit! The wonton wrappers are thin and delicate, filled with juicy meat, sitting in a light but deeply flavorful chicken broth. There's a hint of white pepper in the soup that makes it extra comforting and satisfying. read more

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On a dreary and rainy day, I like to order soup. A friend recommended this spot, and we've enjoyed the Kirin in Lake Forest (are they related? IDK), so we thought we'd stop by. We were seated immediately upon our arrival and were served cups of ice water. Hubby ordered hot black tea, but the iced jasmine tea only comes in bottles, so I declined. I ordered the Braised Beef Brisket Noodle Soup. The noodles had a good chew and there were lots of beef chunks. I was disappointed that the soup was only warm, not piping hot. Hubby chose the Kung Pao Chicken. The sauce was on the sweet side, but not unpleasant. We shared the House Special Dumplings. They come 10 to an order. The dumplings might be housemade--they are large with a thickish skin and the sauce has chopped peanuts. The shopping center has a surface lot. We found a space a few rows over. Fair prices for the portion sizes. read more

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Open late - nice bonus Servers - nice Toothpicks and floss sticks - nice Music - not too loud, easy to have conversation Menu - good variety of foods Food - disappointing The beef noodle soup did not have beef flavoring at all, it was just hot water with chili oil in it. Noodle were boring, slightly over cooked The pan fried bao buns, not juice at all. Took 2p minutes to get them. The beef roll was just cold dishes wrapped in a pastry that was t pan fried it was like raw dough. Unexpected but we ate the foods, utilized the space to have late night conversations. We won't be coming back for the foods though. read more

Kirin Noodles House - Beef brisket noodle soup, mild spicy - Noodles Near Me - Irvine, California

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Stopped by after a long school day while sick and needed something warm. The braised beef brisket noodle soup (spice level 3) really hit the spot -- rich broth, tender brisket, and a nice chili oil kick. Love that they're open late, which made it the perfect comfort meal when most places were already closed. Only small qualm: my order was ready earlier than expected but I didn't get notified, so it wasn't piping hot when I picked it up. Otherwise super delish. The ambiance inside was surprisingly chill, and now I want to come back and try dining in next time. read more

Kirin Noodles House - Braised Beef Brisket Noodle Soup - Noodles Near Me - Irvine, California

SO DELISH!! Perfect combination of items- numbing chicken, sour soup, and decadent noodles. Quick and friendly service. Dumplings were undercooked when they came out but kitchen recooked. Sauce was really good! read more

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The Braised Beef Brisket Noodle Soup, Pork Meat Pie, and Braised Fish with Tofu were decent. Nice variety of noodles, hot dishes, pancakes, and more on menu. read more

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We've been to the Kirin Noodles House in Lake Forest so we thought we'd try the Irvine location in the old He's Noodle Zone spot. Ordered a couple of dishes - pork wonton soup and the fish with pickled vegetable soup. The wonton was decent but the soup was quite peppery. The fish and pickled vegetables soup looked deceptively bland but had a burn to it. On the positive side, it was a huge portion for $16.98 and we even had leftovers of that fish soup to take home. I wish I could give 3.5 stars. I prefer their Lake Forest location. Business was pretty slow during a weekend lunch (He's did better business and they closed). Parking in the lot. read more

Kirin Noodles House - Noodles Near Me - Irvine, California

Been coming here for over 6 months. Unfortunately the food is highly inconsistent from week to week. It's like they get a new chef every week. This past week someone decided to add a weird brown sauce and vegetable (bell pepper) on the orange chicken. Orange chicken usually doesn't have vegetable in it. They also decided to mix up the veggies and put it in other dishes. It's like having 4 restaurants in one. Unfortunately 3 are really terrible. Bring back the normal orange chicken! read more

Kirin Noodles House - Orange chicken with lots of bell pepper in it (not supposed to be there) - Noodles Near Me - Irvine, California

When we first came in, we saw that it was a quiet and calm atmosphere. It feels so peaceful and gives a very comfy vibe. We got seated and the kind waitress could probably feel we wanted more space and offered us to sit in the light with more space. Very thoughtful. We ordered the braised pork belly with noodle, xiao long bao (20 min to make), and sweet& sour pork with rice. It was pretty good! Would come back read more

Kirin Noodles House - Sweet And Sour Pork Sparerib 糖醋小排 - Noodles Near Me - Irvine, California

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surprisingly really good. This restaurant definitely surprised me. We had the salted duck dish, beef noodles, and a side of rice. The duck has lots of flavor and went really well with some rice. Be careful though theres a lot of bone, and not much meat. Wish there was more meat. The beef noodle soup was tasty as well. Will come back again to try other dishes. read more

One star for prices and portions, as well as friendly staff. Met my friend for a late dinner, and had to pick something open late. First time for both of us, and sadly our last. The dishes were lacking flavor, the beef wrap was wrapped in a room temperature flavorless tortilla. It was so odd, the first time I have seen an Asian beef wrap using a tortilla. The beef lacked flavor, the rice and noodles were very oily, not to mention bland. While we were there, we heard a clicking sound and noticed one of the servers leaning near the trash can, clipping her fingernails. We were speechless and just bewildered. I don't understand the five stars, because nothing was great. read more

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Kirin Noodles House is one of unique restaurants located in Irvine, California. They offer Sichuan dishes along with northern noodles dishes. The vibe is clean, modern Chinese restaurant and opens late til 11:30pm! Service is very friendly. Although the kitchen does take its time. The dishes do come out looking good, smells good. Orange chicken is right amount of sweet, but not too thick with batter. Sichuan boiled fish is tasty. They are all generously sized and pricing is great too. It's a true gem in the neighborhood. Will be back to try noodle dishes. read more

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It's hard to find good Chinese food in Irvine, so I'm glad this restaurant is nearby. If you're in the mood for some beef noodle soup then this is the place to go. They have the best beef noodle soup in the area in my opinion. The other dishes are also good. The braised pork had good flavor but the pork was a bit tough. The pan fried bao were delicious and hot! The only down side when I went was the service was a little slow. There was only one person doing everything in the front. Other than that I would still come back again for the good food. read more

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Surprisingly this was a good Chinese/Taiwanese restaurant my friend I stumbled upon. We got the scallion pancakes, potstickers, braised pork rice, and beef chow fun and everything was tasty and good. I really liked how the fat in the braised pork rice just melts in your mouth. A great option if you're looking for a casual eats spot with authentic food. read more

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I came here with 3 other people on a Tuesday evening - we had to wait a little since there weren't a lot of tables that can fit 4 people (a lot of 2 seaters though!) We ordered 5 dishes to share, which was honestly plenty (one person took home the entire chicken dish, which ironically came out last even though it was an appetizer). The fried rice was delicious, but had a lot of MSG I think (a little salty but awesome). Scallion pancake and potstickers were fairly standard and yummy. I would say the real winner was the beef noodles - the texture of the noodles, the flavor of the beef were very good. If I come back here I want to get this again for sure!! Overall a decent Chinese food place in Irvine. The prices were very reasonable, and the servers were attentive. read more

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My family of 4 arrived here on a weekend around 745p and the restaurant was somewhat busy already. We were seated immediately and given the menu following iced water was brought out to us. The restaurant is small and has some tables for parties of 4 and some tables for parties of 2. There are to older male staff who ran the resturant. They did it pretty well and was on top of things. There were lots of to-go orders and the restaurant itself got busy after we started eating. All the pictures on the wall of various plates looks so good and we wanted to order them all. We ordered the following: 1. House special dumplings: very flavorful and wrap tastes very fresh. The chili oil is not spicy. 2. Braised beef brisket noodle soup, medium spicy: My 12yo ate this and says it's good. Soup is a little spicy for him but he seems to enjoy it. He says the noodle is perfect and the beef is very soft. 3. Braised pork: very tender and the sauce is thick and savory with just a hint of sweetness so we enjoyed it greatly. 4. Orange chicken: wow! Delish! Thick orange sauce and chicken is tender. 100% better than Panda Express. 5. Wok fried string beans: savory and crispy. We had left over of the beans and the braised pork which we ate the next day for dinner and it was even more delish. We definitely will return in the future when we are in town. read more

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I ordered takeout recently and overall thought the food was decent but nothing special. The best item I ordered was the beef and onion potstickers and the worst was the pork and cabbage dumplings. The Dan Dan noodles were good but weren't spicy at all - I'm not sure if they were supposed to be but it was fairly jarring as I'm used to having Dan Dan noodles have a nice kick to them. The food was ready pretty quickly (under 20 minutes after ordering) and there's always plenty of parking in the plaza. Overall a solid spot but not a place I'll frequent. read more

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Food here is very delicious!! The potstickers - pork & veggie (not pictured because I ate them so fast), were just amazing- so juicy!! Service is quick and friendly. Cute small interior but can fit a party of 10 if you call ahead. read more

Kirin Noodles House - Beef Chow Fun 牛肉炒河粉 - Noodles Near Me - Irvine, California

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Easy 5 stars! Kirin has a nice clean atmosphere and the service was quick and kind, the food was definitely delicious and everything tasted freshly made from scratch. The dumplings were great and the beef noodle soup had super deep flavor. The chow fun was also a hit and the pork baos were great too! Four adults were fed for $100 for 5 items. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys noodles and dumplings and I would definitely come back! read more

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Good noodle spot! Pretty standard stuff for braised beef noodle soup, exactly what you want with the flavorful soup and bok choy and bouncy noodles. I liked the picked cabbage beef noodle soup more though- the picked cabbage really added that extra flavor profile and came to our table significantly hotter than the braised beef soup. Portions were pretty good noodle wise, maybe could have used more protein but honestly fair for the price. The interior is super nice and modern as I believe this is a pretty new restaurant in the Heritage mall. On my way out I saw that they have a breakfast menu which looked even better than what I had today so I'll have to come back to give those items a try. read more

Kirin Noodles House - 8.Pickled Cabbage Noodles Soup - Noodles Near Me - Irvine, California

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7/10/25 - I ordered the Braised Beef Brisket Noodle Soup which was about $16. I also got the Sesame Balls which consisted of 8 pieces for around $9. Both of the things I got tasted good! The noodles were thick and chewy, the soup was rich in flavor, and the meat paired well with everything in the bowl. I was really craving the sesame balls, but otherwise I would not have bought them just due to how much they cost. They definitely satisfied my cravings though! When you're seated, there's a QR code at the table that you can scan to order your meal. Otherwise, a staff member does come up to your table in case you want to order with someone who will assist you. The staff was very attentive. It was all a quick process in terms of getting seated, taking my order, and bringing my food out. read more

Kirin Noodles House - Braised beef brisket noodle soup - Noodles Near Me - Irvine, California

Stopped by for quick dinner. I tried wonton soup, pan fried dumplings and xiao long bao. Generous portion, good price. Pan fried dumplings are my favorite. read more

Great for late night eats, especially if you're a fan of spicy food! We got the crispy chili chicken, xiao long bao, and beef fried rice - the portions are massive and everything came out super hot and fresh. I loved the chicken but my boyfriend thought it was pretty spicy so definitely be cautious if you have a mild spice tolerance but if you're a fan of heat it's a must try. The dumplings were amazing and so big, perfect for a cold night. Can't wait to go back and try more items! read more

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This is a newer restaurant in the Mitsuwa plaza. I thought it was just dumplings and noodles, but in addition to dumplings, they offer a good variety of dishes like main entrees and dim sum style food. It's kind of nice to have a mash up to appeal to everyone's preferences. My family tried a number of dishes: Braised Beef Brisket Noodle Soup Chicken and Corn dumplings Diced Chicken with chili and pepper Xiao long bao Wonton in chili sauce Pork and cabbage potstickers Cucumber salad with garlic sauce Everything was good, but the cucumbers were not marinated long enough so they just tasted like fresh cut cucumbers with a sauce on top. You have the option of ordering with a person or via QR code on the table, but I think they need to work on their at table ordering system as the guy who took our order kept bringing out dishes that didn't belong to us and when we told him it wasn't ours, he took them away. I ended up seeing them sitting on top of a cardboard box in the hallway as I was making my way to the restroom. WTH??? read more

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Braised beef dish was good!! Wish there was more meat tho we ended up ordering extra meat (which came with some soup and it was delicious! So next time I think I wanna order the soup). Saucy Beef dish came with potatoes onions bell peppers Map o tofu at this location doesn't have any minced pork and they use Sichuan. Green beans were good!!! I'm a fan. Garlicky and good texture. Next time I wanna try the beef soup with extra meat (for bf), beef dish with side of rice. Maybe Veggies. There was only 1 guy on the floor it got busy all of a sudden around 930-10pm so he got really busy read more

Kirin Noodles House - Mapo Tofu - Noodles Near Me - Irvine, California

So happy this place is opened late! I came here on a Monday night around 10pm and was seated immediately. The service was great as there was only one person working and he was very attentive, bringing us water and menus immediately all while tending to the other customers. We decided to order the cucumber salad, pan fried pork baos, shrimp fried rice, and spicy beef noodle soup. All the dishes tasted amazing and did not lack any flavor! Garlic Cucumber Salad $6.98 (5/5) - This was a pretty good portion and was seasoned so well with the right amount of saltiness and garlic flavor. Definitely a refreshing appetizer to eat before and during the meal. Would definitely order again. Pan Fried Pork Baos (6 pieces) $12.98 (4/5) - The flavor of the baos were great but there wasn't any juice that came out and the bread to filling ratio was a little off but still a delicious side! Shrimp Fried Rice $13.98 (5/5) - This shrimp fried rice was the best I've ever had! It did not lack any flavor like most restaurants and had a good amount of shrimp where you can get a piece with each bite. The portion was also huge so we still had leftovers to take home after. Braised Beef Brisket Noodle Soup $15.98 (4/5) - The noodles were perfectly chewy and thick and there was a good amount of brisket in the broth! You can choose between spice level 1-5 and I did level 4 but I didn't taste any spiciness at all. The dish was still amazing though and I would definitely get it again for the noodles! Overall my experience here was great and I'm definitely coming back to try some of their other family style dishes as those looked great too! A nice touch they have is they offer not only toothpicks but also the floss toothpicks at the front which I don't see many restaurants have. Definitely give this place a try! read more

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We got the diced chicken with chili and pepper, and a braised beef rice noodle soup. The chicken was tender, crispy and reasonably spicy. It could probably feed two people if eaten with rice. The rice noodle soup had a solid portion of beef, and each piece was tender and packed with flavor. The rice noodles had a slight bounciness and the broth was cleaner and lighter than I am used to for beef noodle soups. Adding chili oil to the bowl gave it the extra flavor that made it a well rounded bowl. I think they could add a little more bok choy, but it was still a good dish overall. The food came out fast and the service was friendly. I appreciated that they brought sharing plates and bowls without us having to ask. I could definitely see myself coming back! read more

Kirin Noodles House - Beef rice noodles soup and chili chicken - Noodles Near Me - Irvine, California

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Excellent soup! Rich, flavorful broth with fresh noodles and high-quality meat. Everything tasted very fresh and well balanced, with just the right amount of spice. The portion was generous and very satisfying. Highly recommend Kirin Noodles House and will definitely be coming back. read more

Kirin Noodles House - Noodles Near Me - Irvine, California

Came on a Thursday evening and was seated quickly. Food was alright, but the soups were quite oily. I asked for a medium spice level for the soups but it was not spicy at all. read more

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My friend and I have been here one, both of us being of Chinese descent, and we liked it. This specific food isn't Americanized by any means, and you will be having authentic Chinese noodles. The spiciness level is a little high, and when we went they could not change it so just keep that in mind when you order spicy noodles! While I don't remember the texture of the noodles as this was in 2023, I do remember the taste and it was definitely not lack luster; slightly numbing the service was fast and good :) read more

Kirin Noodles House - Noodles Near Me - Irvine, California

Kirin Noodle House really came through with this experience. So much so, I felt like I should've worn a bib and made it official. Everything I tried hit the kind of comfort-food sweet spot that makes you question why you ever eat anything else. Let's start with the rice with red-Cooked Pork. Tender, savory, and rich in all the right ways. It had that deep soy-braised flavor that clings to the rice like it never wants to let go. Then the sichuan jelly showed up with its spicy, cold, slippery goodness. It was refreshing, spicy, and surprisingly addictive - definitely not just a side dish. The xlb were juicy little flavor bombs that did not disappoint. For xlbs, they were pretty big. Wash that all down with the herbal tea (trust me, it pairs surprisingly well with the spice), and a cheeky diet Coke for balance. Kirin Noodle House is low-key fantastic. The service is fast, the food is on point, and now I have new trust issues with any other pork dish that isn't theirs. Their portions are also very generous. read more

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We gave Kirin Noodle House a try hoping to find a great chow fun spot, but it unfortunately missed the mark for us. The food was just okay overall -- a bit more oily than we prefer, and the flavors felt bland. That said, the place itself was cute and clean, and the overall environment was pleasant. Service was decent, too. I've been on the hunt for really good chow fun, and this one just didn't quite deliver the depth of flavor or texture I was hoping for. Still on the search for that perfect chow fun. read more

After a long shift, I was starving and looking for somewhere still open and I saw Kirin Noodle House still opened. I showed up around 9:30 PM, and while there were just a few people dining in, the atmosphere felt warm and inviting. The cashier was friendly and made the takeout process easy. I ordered the Braised Beef Brisket Noodle Soup with spicy sauce on the side, and the Fish with Pickled Vegetable Soup. Between the two, I definitely preferred the beef brisket noodle soup. The broth was rich and beefy which was super comforting after a long day. The fish soup had a nice tang from the pickled veggies, but something about it felt like it was missing a little something. Also, I was surprised it didn't come with rice. I think that would've made the dish more complete. Overall, a solid late-night option with friendly service and hearty bowls. I'd go back, especially for that brisket noodle soup. read more