The food was OK. Nothing too amazing, but it is a solid spot for cheap eats. The broth was…read moredelicious, but it felt like it was missing something...I also wish that the dish came with more veggies / meat. It felt like most of the dish was just the noodles, and it was not balanced (ended up not finishing the noodles). Service is very straightforward. You order up front, and they deliver the food to you. After that, you put away your dishes/trash. Very standard noodle shop. Nothing too crazy. We came in at a pretty empty time (near 8pm), so service was not packed. It is a standard restaurant with standard seating options. Standard vibes only.

Hand pulled noodles for REAL!!! You can watch the chef pull your noodles to order. So rare of a…read moreprocess I HIGHLY RECOMMEND trying this mom and pop noodle shop. The texture of the noodle that's achieved by hand pulling cannot be replicated by a machine. This family run restaurant deserves your attention if you love authentic, tasty, and local food. There are many options: hot/cold; udon, rice, cut noodles if you don't want hand pulled; soup dumplings; baos; and more. We will be back for noodles and dumb for sure! This family restaurant will not disappoint if you're in the mood for noodles, or noodle soup.

Horrible service once again. They were awful a few years ago, got better for a while, and now you…read morehave to wait 15 min for someone to greet you at the window. When we finally got their attention, they said my order wasn't ready even though the app said it was ready 20 min ago. Now I am sitting here while they scramble to find it. I ordered from the app 30 min ago at this point and still waiting.

came in for the first time on our way into madison! good vibes, attentive service, clean bathrooms…read more basil pesto and mac and cheese were delicious! love how you could get a side of pasta to your pasta! wish they had more gluten free options but the pad thai was also good!

Hot-N-Spicy is one of my all time favorite restaurants which remains a cultural culinary gem!…read moreMadison, WI is beyond blessed to have Hot-N-Spicy which is the most authentic SouthEast Asian restaurant in the Madison area that shares the culture of countries like Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam with the community through their incredible delicious food/cuisine! They truly live up to their name "Hot-N-Spicy". The cultural significance of the chili pepper often represents hospitality, warmth, and resilience! They bring all the spice and don't hold back! If you are not used to spice/spicy hot dishes, I suggest you start at level one spice and work your way up. They will ask you on dishes made with chili peppers what spice level you want 1-4 and can even make it hotter also! Hot-N-Spicy is genuinely unique because they offer Issan food dishes and flavors that is uniquely from the Issan/Isan Northeast region of Thailand that is heavily influenced by Lao and Cambodian flavors with the use of heat, fresh herbs, and use of fish sauce that brings different flavors different from other regions of Thailand. Hot-N-Spicy used to be located in the back of the Viet Hoa Market. It is now located next door from the market in a larger space in the same strip mall that allows for a more comfortable sit-down seating experience of a full restaurant. I have tried almost everything on their menu and have never been disappointed! For appetizers, I love their angel wings which are deboned chicken wings stuffed with chicken, carrot, and bean thread noodles fried to pure crispy perfection! Their most popular selling appetizers are their amazingly addictively delicious crab rangoons! Their chicken satay is also a must try! I also recommend trying their beef jerky which is so delicious, it often sells out quickly during the day! Their main entrees are so outstanding, it is hard to order one entree! My absolute favorite that I recommend is their steak Laab which is the best Laab I have had in Madison! It is heavily influenced with Isaan flavors/culture with minced beef, tripe, red onion, cilantro, mint, fresh lime juice, rice powder, fish sauce and scallions. I love the beef steak Laab because it is unlike anything you will ever taste with so much flavor from a combination of flavors with hint of sour with the lime, salty/umami/pungence from the fish sauce, balanced with refreshing different herbs, texture with the tripe, while the toasted rice powder gives this dish a tiny bit of crunch/texture that gives a subtle nutty flavor! This dish is a minced meat salad traditionally eaten with your hands and sticky rice/vegetables like cucumber. I also really enjoy their Pad Thai, Pho, and Crispy Noodle Lad Na! Your visit wouldn't be complete without quenching your thirst with either their Thai iced coffee/tea! Hot-N-Spicy remains at the top of my list for Thai/Lao cuisine! If you are looking for true authentic flavors/traditionally prepared dishes, definitely try Hot-N-Spicy!

I recently visited Hot N Spicy again, and it was just as good as I remembered! The Summer Rolls…read morewith pork nem nuong were incredibly fresh and packed with flavor. The combination of romaine, cucumbers, carrots, cilantro, mint, homemade daikon, and the crispy fried egg roll wrapper created the perfect balance of freshness and crunch. The nem nuong dipping sauce was so good that I ordered extra. I also tried the Panang Red Curry, and it was outstanding. The curry was rich, creamy, slightly sweet, and packed with flavor. I ordered level 1 spice, and it was the perfect amount of heat without overwhelming the dish. The homemade curry paste, coconut milk, basil, peppers, and jasmine rice came together beautifully. It's also been great to see this local business grow. What started as a takeout spot inside Viet Hoa Market has expanded into a larger space on Monona Drive, and it's easy to see why. The food is consistently delicious, the portions are generous, and the new location offers plenty of seating. If you're craving fresh spring rolls, flavorful curry, or simply a great meal, Hot N Spicy is absolutely worth a visit. Added bonus the service was AMAZING!!!

Food: it looks good & presentable. The dish comes with a huge bone and very little meat. The little…read moreamount of meat the beef does not fall off the bone, and not tender. Huge soup bowl, but not a lot of ingredients and does not give the most value for your money. The dish does taste good but its mostly just soup, noodles and some green leafy veggies.

I stopped by for lunch on a weekday. The place was not too busy. Spicy quail egg was my favorite…read moreitem here. It was flavorful. It came right away. I was not in the mood to pick and cook my own noodle soup. So went for a rice noodle soup with beef shank. It came piping hot, in the same container in which it was cooked. Noodles was kept separate on side. The dish was not as flavorful as I thought it would be. Next time I will try some other soup.

The ramen is delicious, and I thought the Gyoza appetizer…read more was the best I've ever had. The server, (Jayai) was wonderful. She was very careful about our allergy concerns and made sure to take care of us (my daughter has a severe fish allergy and needed her ramen free of fish cake & sauce). The Thai boba tea was delicious, too. I discovered that I prefer Thai ice tea better without boba, but I really enjoyed it in this form, as well. I enjoyed the clean and comfortable atmosphere. I was thankful for the interior photograph left by a previous Yelper because the Yelp reviews I read didn't mention that the place had a dine-in an option. The dining space want just accommodating, but lovely, as well.

I'm a bit conflicted about the meal I had. First off, service was great, and the speed the food…read morearrived was perfect. So, absolutely no issues there. For an appetizer, I had the gyoza, and it was perfect. Evenly fried and steamed, even if it was just frozen stuff from the bag like at the Japanese restaurant I used to work at, it was at least prepared with skill. My main entree was the garlic miso ramen. And while each component worked on its own, all of them put together made it seem less as a whole. My biggest issues were the chashu pork which came out a little overcooked. I know the reason, and probably shouldn't hold it against them, but it reminded me a bit of the overcooked pork of my childhood. The other issue was the broth. It was sweet on the backend, which really didn't do it for me the more I've thought about it. I'm not sure if it was the pork broth or the tare. My suspicion lies heavier towards the tare than the broth, but I could be wrong. Either way, I felt that such noticeable sweetness was out of place especially since it did too much to counter the garlic flavor. I suspect it was there to do that for those who don't like a heavy garlic flavor, but then again, if you don't like garlic flavor, you shouldn't be ordering something labeled as garlic on the menu. I will say that marinating the egg was a nice touch and gave it a depth of flavor that typically isn't there from other ramen places I've tried. Otherwise, it was good overall, it just felt like it didn't completely come together with the sweetness of the broth and the pork being a tad overcooked. Still, despite perhaps not looking like it, Zen Ramen was a solid little ramen shop on the East Side and I would not oppose going back to try some of their other ramen bowls. It might not blow your mind if you're a regular ramen connoisseur, but is still a solid spot if you want something affordable and unpretentious.

Food was delicious and the setting was cozy and nice~ we loved everything we ordered and will…read moredefinitely be coming back again to try their specials!

I had the beef noodle and spring rolls and it was about $30. The beef noodle was good, but nothing…read morespecial. The spring roll was underwhelming. For the food and value, I didn't think it was worth $30. The service was good.

First... So oooo much plastic And styrafoam.. Come on…read more Soup. Dumplings no. Soup. Bao definitely not made here. No ice. Soup was fantastic!

Food: - braised beef with rice 3.5/5. It was a little chewy…read morebut it has good flavor. It came with egg and some green vegetables which was a nice surprise. - scallion pancake 4/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 2/5 - it's not the best looking place but the food & service makes up for it. I would come back and try the dumplings

Such a fucking adorable little spot!!!!…read more We had a reservation for 5:45 on a Saturday and were seated immediately. We actually got the most precious little corner booth/bench situation. Our server was incredible. She was SO NICE and helpful and just emanating the best energy. She was so on top of shit too. The menu looks incredible. There are so many options it is like impossible to choose. It is not common, at all, to have the option of plant based dumplings so I jumped on that one. I ordered pan fried. They were AMAZING. They were stuffed with more than the standard cabbage maybe a few carrot strands and a few mushrooms. Even gf who didn't appear to be convinced at first did some damage. I was very torn between my ush (Penang curry) and something with noodles. I ultimately went with the latter. The noodles weren't quite as slippery and slidey as I was expecting but the sauce was so good and the thing was overflowing with vegetables. It was such a ridiculous portion I could barely put a dent in it. GF got pho which felt insane after spending yesterday in a furnace all day at the state fair. It was the most authentic pho I have had since leaving Vietnam. Our cocktails were beautiful, I think they were on fire if I remember correctly.

One of my favorite places in Madison! It's amazing to see the growth throughout the years that I…read moreused to come here in college, post grad, and now my occasional visits. This is a place where I enjoy the appetizers more than the entrees. They have a big menu, so I feel that is where they kind of struggle with a star entree for me. Thai iced tea - too much half and half so couldn't really taste the tea Papaya salad - medium spicy level, had a kick at first but it wasn't present throughout the rest of the salad. Not that flavorful so if you're looking for the sour and strong taste, wouldn't recommend this. Pan fried Pork dumplings - it's fake pork but I can't even tell the difference! The sauce is great and not super salty. Egg roll with spring roll - unique item but didn't stand out. Egg roll gave a crunch but not much taste Spring roll - always a solid choice. The sauce is amazing! Umami and perfect amount of salty. Coconut sticky rice - more like a soup/congee texture. It was hot and the coconut rice overpowered the mango so it didn't have a cohesive taste. 2 individual bathrooms. Parking is free but difficult to find. Would recommend making a reservation. Service was ok, had to look for our waitress a couple of times for more napkins and water refills.

After having the Thai Coconut Curry dish with garlic naan, I fully trust the owners. I believe…read moreeverything there is good. The flavors were bold and fantastic! The place is a dive...seating is bare bones, but the FOOD...

Great food as always! I got the Buff Chili with veggies and chicken, and it was delicious. As…read morealways, I recommend strongly! Best food in Madison :)

Great food. The food came quickly and the staff there was very friendly too. I would definitely…read morerecommend this place for anyone who likes noodles. I've gotten takeout from here too and it was equally as good!