I ate there twice. First time was good. Parking is very limited though, so be warned. The second time was not good. We ordered two different noodle bowls. None of them had the pepper sign next to it on the menu. Both turned out to be spicy. Luckily we ordered the milk tea, so that helped us finishing our noodle bowls. The seating system is very strange. The place you put your name down for a seat is hang on the back door. We entered through the main entrance and was told to walk through the store to go to the back door to put our name down on a waiting list. When it was our turn, the staff looked at the paper and then looked at two young men sitting closest to him and motioned them to go with him, all the while crossing out my name. I don't know what kind of system was that. I walked up to voice my objection. The staff looked confused. I am not sure he speaks much English and definitely did not call out the name on the list. A female staff quickly walked over and offered me a seat. I don't think they understood what the problem was. I will not go back. Plenty of good noodle place to go in Irvine. read more

Odd that the name is Noodology and the noodles were the worst part (other than the customer service) so many raw stuck together noodles, extremely spicy, and when we asked to get the noodles just changed out the manager was no help and actually rude. Will not be returning. Oh and to top it off, our server didn't give us our change back from the bill when we asked for it. I went up and asked and a waiter was like oh no I don't do that. I'm so confused on this experience read more

Noodology - So gross to bite into raw tasting noodles. Yuck - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

To be fair, I'm allergic to peanuts, so the menu at Noodology is pretty limited for me. Even still, I can see why this place is always packed. We had to wait a while for a table on a Friday night, but our orders came through quickly once we got in. I love spicy noodle soups, so I was disappointed to find that all of the listed spicy options here contain peanuts (side note: thank you so much Noodology for the warnings on the menu, they saved me from a much less pleasant evening). I went with the beef rice noodles with Chinese pickles. Much to my surprise, this dish still packed heat despite not being given any pepper symbols on the menu. It was enjoyable- the noodles were soft but had integrity, the beef slices were tender enough, and the broth was very flavorful too. I really wish I could try the more intimidating dishes at Noodology, but in the meantime, I definitely recommend trying it out if you're looking for a noodle fix! read more

Be aware!!! Worst service experience ever and the cashier change tip amount after you left. My wife and I visited this place on May 8th night around 7:30pm. The only table available was by the door. The staff left the entrance door wide open saying the restaurant needs good air and refused to close it. Wind blows and it was freezing cold. As a result, I was dissatisfied with the service and left 1 dollar tip. Surprisingly, when I check my charges just now, I saw they added 6 dollars to my total bill. What a joke, you don't get tip well if you provide 0 or negative service. The total charge before tip was $43.05, I wrote $44.05 on the receipt and got charged $49.05. I didn't remember the cashier's name but he was a short Asian guy. Be careful if he serves your table!!! read more

Just a white chick in a noodle shop. MUST LOVE NOOOOOODLESSS! And spice. And oil. And salt - and maybe splashing noodle soup juice on your shirt. Haha just wear black! I ordered the wide glass noodle with beef brisket. One spice pepper (it's still spicy for me!). The soup was tasty and the noodles are super fresh and chewy. I mean there was a ton of them in the soup. Not as much beef as I'd like. I pretty much ate that up in minutes and was left with a LOT of noodles and soup. The noodles were chewy and delicious. I had to get used to the gummy texture but they were still yum. I was here on a Tuesday at 3 so there was no wait and the staff was nice to me. The interior is clean and modern. I really like the wood feel. Next time might try the white thick noodles? All in all - if you are a noodle lover - you will probably like Noodology. read more

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WORST TAKEOUT EXPERIENCE EVER. So I ordered the tomato noodle with some add-ons on Postmates and they text me that it's ready for pickup 30 mins later. I go to pick it up only for them to tell me they sold out. Why didn't they just cancel my order then instead of having me to drive out there??? Then they tell me they can't cancel it and told me to get something else. So I chose the tw beef noodle soup since they're all the same price with the same trimmings. But no, they ran out some of the add-ons, except for the pickled veggies. At this point I didn't care. I just took it and went. Second phase of my disappointment: the food. The soup was bland. The noodles and meat were over cooked. Instant ramen would taste better than this. Last phase of my disappointment: several hours in and I have the runs now. Thanks for the wonderful evening, noodology. BLACKLISTED. read more

Noodology - a bowl of soup with meat and noodles - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

Saw a special feature and decided to try it out. Always on the hunt for good beef noodle soup that hits the spot. Tried both the OG beef noodle soup and also braised beef brisket soup. There are two different noodle options, rice noodle and regular. Spicy level is already pre-determined based on the chili pepper icon legend on menu. Two peppers gave a pretty good kick! Would come back for beef noodle soup with regular noodles, comes with legit chunks of beef. The braised beef brisket came with shaved pieces of beef which was interesting. read more

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This place is just down the street and is reliable for good noodles. When dining we usually get a couple of cold sides and everything has been tasty. Leaving this review now because they were closed for a while during the early covid months, but when they reopened, we got takeout and I was SO NOT disappointed. The soup was hot, noodles soft and portions huge. read more

This place was recently featured in the OC Register so we decided to come see what the hype was all about. Our party of 6 was seated outside under the umbrellas. Service was average and English will not be your server's first language. When looking at the menu, almost everything looks very spicy - noodles swimming in bright red broth. I opted for one of the most popular dishes recommended to me by our server (top left corner of the menu). It was a noodle soup dish, white-ish broth color, with meat, pickled vegetables and "numbing spice" as my server put it. I wasn't quite sure what numbing spice was, but I figured I'd try it. My bowl came out piping hot with a good size serving of soft, delicious meat and warm slowly-spicy broth. What do I mean by slowly-spicy? The initial flavor of the broth is not spicy, it's the heat that you feel right after you swallow the broth. About 10-15 slurps later, my tastebuds would agree that my bowl of soup was quite deceiving. It was a white broth with a few red chilis hiding at the bottom. It wasn't overly spicy, but it definitely had a kick! I really enjoyed the consistency of the rice noodles, too! My husband had the bowl of brisket noodle soup. The soup itself was red but it wasn't spicy at all. Overall, I really enjoyed this $10 bowl of noodle soup. I'll be back. Plenty of parking in the lot. Be prepared to wait in line during peak dining hours. read more

Noodology - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

I had the hot and spicy beef rice noodle. Find three pieces of bamboo shoot with some weird white tissues.. does not seems to be something supposed to be there. asked the waitress and she took the two pieces away (didn't get a chance to take pictures) saying she will ask the staff. Coming back saying it is natural, they bought the bamboo shoots and this is how it is. Also said there cannot clean it that throughly. Are you kidding me..? She asked me what do I want.. well.. I want my food to be CLEAN.. that is not happening :) Shame that I do like the food. Probably won't visit again. read more

Noodology - not sure what this is on the bamboo shoot - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

Very disappointed ! Over priced for the amount of food we got ! No I do not recommend! You get baby silverware to match your small portions. The soup had absolutely no flavor totally bland. Don't waste your money here! read more

Noodology - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

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I have a handful of places that I always eat at in Irvine and Noodology is definitely one of my top 5. My favorite dish is the #12 Chengdu Beef Noodle Soup. They have a wide selection of different styles of beef noodle soups from different regions of China. You can choose between rice noodle or egg noodle for your noodles. But pro tip, you can also switch out any of the noodle dishes for wide glass noodle. The soups can be pretty spicy if it's indicated as a spicy dish, so beware nonspicy eaters. You can always ask for mild or medium spicy as well. I've eaten in the restaurant as well as called in for to-go and I've always been satisfied with my food. Don't skip out on this place if you love Chinese noodle soups! read more

Noodology - Menu pt 2 - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

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I was very excited to try Noodology out because they have my favorite Hot and Sour Noodle soup!!! I love sweet potato glass noodles a hot and sour base, so don't forget to ask if you are a fan as well! They have a good selection of noodle soup base and you can pair it with either thick rice vermicelli or egg noodles or thin/thick sweet potato glass noodle. Hot and Sour Sweet Potato Glass Noodle: 4/5, the taste is actually a 3/5, but I'm giving them an extra start for having it on their menu. Not many restaurants in the OC has the hot and sour noodle base Szechuan style. The spicy level was good, but you can add the chili sauce on the table if you want it to be spicier. The sour part tasted like an after thought to me. It seems like they just added vinegar to the base and didn't really mix it in together? It just taste different from what I am used to eating. Braised Beef Noodle: 3/5, very good kick of spice. Very ordinary braised beef noodle that you can find at a lot of places in the OC. Fried Tofu: 2/5, way too oily... I don't think I will order it again. read more

Noodology - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Excellent food, excellent service, we arrive on a Sunday night and it was crowded, however we only waited for about 15 minutes, there are about 13 noodles to choose from, and they all looked really good so it was hard to pick, I finally decided to get number 2 (spicy beef noodle soup),and it was amazing! Highly Update: second time here, and the food is still amazing read more

Noodology - No.2 noodle - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

Food looks and tastes amazing, okay cannot wait to bring my friends here. There's so many choices I didn't know what to choose read more

Noodology - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

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I am not sure how I havent left a review before. We came here on a whim a few months back after being in the area. For context my fiance and I always eat Ramen and lots of spicy food. They only had one bowl that said it was spicy so that is exactly what we ordered. To be fair we were warned it was "spicy." When we received our bowl it was nothing but chili oil it's like the oil was the replacement for the broth and the chili had no flavor. To top it off the ramen was SCALDING hot. It was almost impossible to swallow the so called broth with so much chili oil. I'm sure their other ramen options is fine but their idea of spicy isnt flavorful or even consumable. The waitress did try to bring some broth without chili to remedy the issue but the broth alone was so bland and did not help even out the spice. I will more than likely not be returning. read more

Great Chinese noodle and broth. First time here. Will come to try other noodles! I came with my new Chinese boyfriend. He got medium spicy beef broth soup with wide glass noodle. I got hot and sour soup with the thin glass noodle. Both broth had good flavor. The place is nice and clean and decor is cute. Just like my new boyfriend ;) Woohoo!! read more

Noodology - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

Seriously good eats! Be sure to try the Chinese pickles - so delicious! The noodle soup was delicious, and perfectly seasoned. I will definitely be coming back! read more

really flavorful noodles they have at this location. The way they incorporate their vegetables at this location is definitely something I appreciate as well. Not all restaurants incorporate their vegetables the right way. Sometimes the vegetables are way too soggy by the time they actually get to the noodles. And then when the vegetables marinate inside the noodles juice it makes them even more soggy. This place is not having that problem the vegetables are delicious and I will be coming back to this location to get food as many times as possible read more

I bought three appetizers, one is peanut, I ate hair ... so disgusting!! ! Hope they can keep food safe! read more

Noodology - Hair in the food - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

The Beef and Fried Egg Rice Noodle with Tomato Soup was out of this world fr. The texture of the noodles is soo soft and chewy I felt like I was floating on a cloud. I loved the sweetness of the Tomato Soup as well. Not to mention the portions of each dish are very generous and definitely worth the price! I would come back here just to experience the texture of their rice noodles again. read more

Noodology - 5. Beef with Tomato Soup Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

I haven't had the spicy and sour noodle for a long time, so I was so excited to see this restaurant opened nearby. The noodle soup is pretty good, not as spicy as I expected, but it's pretty closed to the traditional one in China. I ordered the fry tofu, too. It has a crispy skin and it's tender inside, I like it a lot. For service, I ask four times to get my water, there is a guy seems like manager, I ask if I could get a water, he point a waiter to deliver water, and then walk away. Then I saw he was seating outside and playing his phone. And that waiter never gave me water. Poor management. read more

Noodology - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

Long wait even with waitlist , noodles were meh. It was the only place that was opened on New Year's Day so we didn't have much of a choice. The only good thing that was good was the fried tofu but if they messed that up.. no comment I ordered #9 and it wasn't spicy. The flavor is full of MSG and too much. My friend ordered #10 and it looked like water cabbage soup, it was laughable. He felt queasy the next day. Definitely go with a different noodle place if you're craving soup. read more

Great spot to get Chinese noodles. They have egg noodle and rice noodle options. I got the Chongqing beef noodle with egg noodle. I love spicy so it hits the spot. They now do dine in. However, they still put it in Togo container for you. It is convenient but I love the big soup silverware. It is pretty difficult to eat it with tiny plastic spoon. I also got the tripe and oxtail appetizer which was delicious. I would recommend other to come try it and I wold come back again if I'm in the area read more

Noodology - Sliced Beef & Ox Tripe in Chili Sauce Cold Dish - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Food was pretty good, ordered a Chengdu beef noodles, service was absolutely poor especially the two boy servers (one with glasses, and one without) both were Chinese speakers who couldn't really understand English well. Spoke in Chinese, they didn't focus or pay attention to what I was saying. Witnessed another unfortunate event, a guy came in kindly asking for his online order, however the staff with glasses stated someone might have mistakenly taken it... while the staff does check who takes take out food... he waited outside in the rain, came back in just to receive disappointing response from the staff. it's just sad how people have to experience such horrible service. I understand their only getting payed to do so much however if a customer is being kind, it's best to have the same attitude back. read more

Perfect taste.....fantastic !!!!! Way more expectation , the kiddos like the chickens nuggets Strongly Recommend!!!! read more

Noodology - Very delicious - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

tasty really good, a good place to come! The service here is very nice, people are really kind and nice. Traditional Chinese style noodle is good read more

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Got there at 10:55 AM on a Friday and found myself subject to a wait and the restaurant wasn't even open. We were then seated quickly and presented a vast menu of wonderful noodle options. Many are spicy and there are only 2-3 non spicy options. That said, we tried two different ones that were noted to be "1 pepper" level of spice and found it to be the perfect level of heat. They have a parking lot but shared with many other restaurants, so it can get busy. Definitely would recommend yelp waitlist during busier times because this place is wildly popular. I would both return and order the same meal, but I do wish there was more meat/vegetable CHENGDU BEEF NOODLE SOUP: broth was very complex and delicious. Spice was a great heat- comfort heat without making you sweat or overwhelm the rest of the bowl. Rice noodles were chewy and perfect. My one critique is the beef cubes were not very consistent- some were very tender and some were chewy and tough. The tender pieces were delicious though. GUILIN HOT AND SOUR NOODLE SOUP: Broth was very delicious, hot and sour as advertised, complex and unique. Beef slices were good but sparse. Fried soybeans were a very unique addition that I enjoyed more than I thought. read more

Noodology - Guilin hot and sour soup - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

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All my friends know I don't like soupy noodles (pho, ramen, etc.) but I actually enjoyed this place. I got the no. 10 noodle bowl and the beef was really good. It was cut into chunks and not slices, but the meat was really soft and tender. I loved the soup base: it wasn't too spicy and it wasn't too flavorless. The rice noodles were a good balance to the soup. In addition, the cold dishes on the side were really good. I especially liked the pig ears, though I don't think it was anything special, I don't get it a lot and I enjoyed it. The serving sizes were very large and I would definitely come back again. The place is a bit small though and soupy noodles are still not really my thing. read more

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We were driving by about to visit a chinese noodle place off of jeffrey and walnut but then we saw noodology. We chose this spot since it was along the way and to our surprise it turned out pretty good. I think I ordered number 9 the beef brisket noodles. It was made just right. The soup tasted good (not too salty). I liked the chewy noodles. The beef itself was soft and tasty. The bowl was larger then expected. My friend ordered the braised pork noodles (I think number 8). This is more of a dry dish I think.. because it was smaller and had less soup. Still it was tasty. As an appetizer we ordered the popcorn chicken. Compared to tastea popcorn chicken this was much better. Not too salty. And the chicken was bigger portions. The portions were nice juicy dark meat. I think I enjoyed this the most coming here. The decor of this noodle place is nice. The vietnamese noodle place that used to be here was alot different looking. I thought the upgrades to the place made it much nicer. I'd probably come here again to try their other noodles. read more

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came here on a weekday night to get our noodle fix! this was the one that constantly popped up on yelp and we decided to try it! FOOD: -peanuts/peas (complimentary) - tried these but it wasn't for me as it was very salty and moist -#9 braised beef brisket w/noodles ($10.99) - sadly this came in a smaller bowl than majority of the other noodles but it is still perfectly filling. I think this was a solid noodle dish but felt the broth was very basic beef broth nothing special about it. I did like the touch of peanuts in it. the noodles were delicious in texture tho! PROS: -yelp waitlist -seems very authentic -if you like spicy, the dishes will be very spicy! -filling -affordable CONS: -confusing on where to wait as we came through the side door where I think people order to go but no one really helped us so we walked around -expected a little more flavor in the broth OVERALL: if I return, I'd try something else in hopes the broth is more tasty read more

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If you are in the mood for Chinese noodle soups, this is the place! They serve a variety of dry/soup noodles from different regions of China, their placemat has a cute and informative diagram/map of where each noodle soup originates from. You can choose either egg or rice noodle with each dish, the egg noodle is like a flour noodle with a nice chewy texture. We tried one of the spicy beef noodle soups and the dry noodle, both excellent and, dare I say, one of the better beef noodle soups I've had in the US. Their bowls are also quite ginormous! Our order of popcorn chicken came out minutes after we ordered - love quick service for easy appetizers. They also serve you a small complimentary dish of boiled seasoned peanuts, surprisingly good. The best part of this place? Yelp waitlist. Put your name on the list before you go! This place has gotten increasingly more popular lately, don't underestimate their wait time. read more

Service is awesome ! The food is definitely delicious, its definitely a good place to dine in.

The noodles exhibit exquisite flavors, complemented by an exceptional soup base that transcends culinary boundaries. The service provided is of commendable quality, enhancing the overall dining experience. read more

Late lunch on Wednesday. We waitlisted from Yelp and immediately got a text message to be there between 12:50 and 1:05. That was actually just minutes away! Got there about 1:05, found a rare parking spot, and we just clicked up to the top of the wait list which was displayed on a terminal at the entrance. Five minutes later we were seated. The system worked beautifully, for us at least. My wife ordered a cold dish of thin-sliced beef with a few slices of tripe mixed in, all well-soaked in a peppery sauce. Sorry I don't know the name! The flavor was excellent and the quality of the meat very good. And there was plenty. It had a rather strong burn that came on slowly and lingered. At the end of the meal we hadn't quite finished it all. We each ordered noodles (mostly beef noodles are offered). My wife had the braised pork intestine soup and I had braised beef soup, both with egg noodles. Both soups were quite spicy, very flavorful, and of heroic size. Plenty of meat, too. She finished hers but I couldn't come close. Service was fast and attentive, and there were some nice touches like complimentary boiled peanuts (served cold) and a pitcher of drinking water ready on the table along with plastic cups full of ice. Handy with those spicy foods! A well-conceived restaurant and well-executed as well. The limited menu is very good, as is the service. Portions are surprisingly large given the prices. A keeper and an easy four stars. read more

This soup is so damn good. Every time I come here I get the beef noodle soup. The broth is extra rich and full of beefy flavor with some spice to it. The meat is super tender you can tell it's been cooking for hours long. My go to hangover cure. Would recommend read more

Braised Beef Noodle: 5/5 Flavorful and spicy broth, tender beef, nicely cooked noodles Popcorn chicken: 4/5 Good amount of spice, juicy chicken, slightly too much breading Atmosphere: 4/5 Decent as expected read more

Noodology - Popcorn chicken - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

Tasty. Ordered egg noodles with minced pork (similar to Dan Dan flavor but less spicy) and a side of steamed (chiang kiang choy) baby bok choy plus a side of chili oil. Quick service. Friendly staff. Clean. Good portions. Great value. Keep up the good service. Thank you. read more

Used to be my go to noodle house but quality dropped significantly after COVID. The flavor is no longer the same as it was originally opening the door read more

I usually really love Noodology but the last two times I have been here, there has been sooo much oil in my soup. I love spicy food and I don't mind chili oil. But I think they put way too much and this much oil is not good for you. I would give 5 stars if they just please use less oil. read more

Noodology - Too much oil sitting on the soup. Please use less chili oil - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California