Great place to get some Chinese food for lunch. Doesn't take long to get your food as long as it's not took packed. Recommend to anyone who just wants to hang in Newton centre and wants some good Chinese food.
(5)
Helen A.
I know what's it's like to run a business and I'm sad to to say this is the first bad review I'm writing. My first ever job was as a busser in a Chinese restaurant so they have a special place in my heart. This is where this Chinese restaurant could learn. I got the Singapore Noodle an easy favorite anywhere (curry noodles and mixed meat). Aside from me asking the server to clean off the tables there were old napkins and sweet and sour sauce goop on the tables, I still was willing to give it a shot (I'm not type A but at least like to at least feel like I'm eating in a clean environment. The food came out with rancid tasting chicken, old onions, and specs of shrimp. I ate what I could and hoped everything would be ok by drinking the thai tea with boba. Instead what I got was an ok tea with shriveled sad little balls of boba. I think this place lucks out in the location since it's in Newton Center the shine rubs off on them (locstion, location, location, right) , and yes its cheap but honestly I've had better Chinese in hood corner spots in Dorchester. I was the first customer of the day (looked like they didn't clean the night before) so that may have made all the difference.
(1)
Lance M.
This is a dive and they don't particularly care for customers either... Although the food is average, the staff is rude and indifferent. I went there last night with my friend and was immediately reminded by the waiter that this was the last call. He then served lukewarm tea and starting talking to the owner who was seated at another table; it took him a long time before he returned for the order. The waiter made no eye contact and didn't listen to us while we ordered. While we were being served, we asked him for another order of rice and I could tell he wasn't listening, he also forgot the mustard and chop sticks. He made a bee-line to the bar where he remained glued to the football game with his back towards us as he conversed with customers at the bar who were boisterous and profane. I had to go up to the bar and remind him of what he forgot. The football game and his buddies at the bar seemed to be a lot more important to him. I don't understand these ratings, the place is not that clean and the food is unremarkable. I'll never go again.
(1)
Christy Y.
Beautiful food, excellent service, and owned by the most handsome family in the East Coast IGN 10/10
(5)
j s.
Got the beef chow foon, but only a few slices of beef. Also, they charge for hot tea, and have no water for their customers. Bit pricey for mediocre food. Very disappointed.
(1)
Victoria C.
Was craving some Singapore noodles, so went to No1 Noodle House to try their authentic Asian noodles. The noodles were below average. It seemed like the curry powder was tossed on top, at the last minute. They didn't use much of anything to add flavor... no cilantro, ginger, chili pepper, or anything like that. Also got the veggie fried rice, which was pretty good. They even asked if we wanted egg in it. Overall, I'll probably try the place again, just won't get the Singapore noodles.
(2)
Snappy B.
I took my kids here last night because we were in the neighborhood for an event, and I needed a quick place to eat. The food here was gross. The bbq pork rice tasted like it was coated in some extraterrestrial corn syrup concoction. The wonton soup was bland tasting and the color of it was scarily bland. I ordered JUST chicken and udon noodles with plum sauce on the side, since my other son is a very picky eater. The chicken was cooked with several vegetables, including cabbage (which has a very strong flavor), and the sauce was served ON the food. So needless to say, he wouldn't eat it. Later in the evening, one of my boys had a terrible stomach ache, which is rare for him. The cleanliness of the restaurant was questionable. One positive is the people running the place were very nice and friendly.
(1)
April K.
They were late on their delivery. The mapo tofu was NOTHING like traditional mapo tofu. It was lacking in spiciness, and it contained large chunks of onion and peppers, which I have never in the dish before. They also delivered me a warm soda, and a broken spoon. The pork and preserved egg congee was okay, but nothing spectacular. Probably won't be ordering from here again.
(2)
Nicholas U.
This place definitely took me by surprise (like others have said). I got delivery here a couple weeks ago because they put a menu in our mailbox. Why not? We looked through the menu and there were so many options and all at amazing prices. We weren't sure what we were going to walk into. Can't remember exactly what our dishes were called, but both were really good and the quantity was hard to believe at the price. It was nice to order from a Chinese food restaurant that wasn't the typically fried food you find at every corner. Nice to get that variety, good price, and great food.
(4)
Francisca W.
DIS-A-POINTED. had a couple successful take-outs in the past; thought would try it on the spot this time. ordered the same combo meats w/round rice noodle; portion size was SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER, served on a plate not much larger than my palm. it was MUCH saltier than last time too -- that i can overlook as an occasional mishap, but to pay $7.xx and have only a few bites out of it, Chinese food standpoint, not cool. especially when we had at least 50% more food in take-out form before. another thing we ordered was the salted pepper chops with rice. the salted pepper coating was delicious, indeed, but the pork was bland. maybe the mistake was to order it in an establishment that doesn't serve chinese/asians on a majority basis -- betting that weeks would go by before anyone would order this. so why keep it on the menu and entice someone only to disappoint them? for the 2000 things they offer...while it's great to have a wide selection, maybe it's time to downsize the menu little bit. do what you do best and focus on those instead. can't please everybody, and shouldn't. why not have those other random/less popular dishes as "specials", esp. those that need longer prep time but may not sell as fast. people working there still very humble and friendly, and the place is kept reasonably clean. would return, but sticking to take-out in the future. that way we can also avoid having to endure through the meal hearing this know-it-all kid brag about his no-life to a gal friend while having food in this mouth.
(3)
Wayne T.
Value for price, especially for newton, take out fried rice and noodles once in a while, they sometimes screw up the order, but really friendly, lot of locals eat here; can request no msg, a local fav
(5)
Carol S.
We got take out, four different dishes. It was all the most bland and uninteresting Asian take out we've ever had. We've just moved here; perhaps our standards are too high based on options where we used to live.
(2)
Denny S.
Really good food and affordable price..highly recommended! I don't get why people gave bad ratings for this restaurant. I was in town for a week and believe it or not had five or more lunch in this place because of the mix reviews. To prove my point, i purposedly dine multiple times to experience the service and food first hand. Food is quite decent and service is quite friendly. Plus, it's cheap! What more could you possibly want...
(4)
Shelley W.
I have never entered the restaurant, but have ordered delivery via grubhub around 4-5 times now. Any of the wonton noodle soups are delicious and worth the price--they deliver the soup and noodle/meats/seafood in separate containers--which I love splitting in two portions. I've ordered the preserved egg and rice congee (fish once too) as well....it's alright but I don't think it's worth the price. The beef and broccoli with cashew nuts is delish--once I decided to change it up a bit and ordered the string beans with minced pork and it was so disgustingly greasy that I ate only 5 bites and threw the rest away. Hence, I'm staying with the beef broccoli cashew dish whenever I need to order!
(4)
Ayelet R.
First things first - the food here is far from amazing. Their stir-fried noodles are probably closer to two stars, since they are way too greasy. The noodle soups are better - not remarkable, but everything a noodle soup needs to be, and perfect for a cold day, coming in at a very generous portion for the price, although the vegetables aren't always fresh. But what really makes this place is the staff - I've been here with my family so many times that they remember our usual orders and always chat with us. It makes this place feel like a second home, and like we're dining among friends.
(4)
Corinne T.
I got the chicken and wonton noodle soup here. The chicken was dry and the noodles fairly flavorless. I wouldn't return for soup here, I'd probably go to Le's instead. The other items may be better here. The fried items looked promising. It is a nice Chinese cafe environment. I sat here and read and drank tea for a while.
(2)
Len C.
My wife and I have gotten take out there and really enjoyed the food and service. Something a little different, tasty, with good service. You will not be disappointed.
(5)
Cynthia A.
My dish was ok shrimp with snow peas. My son's dish was terrible, first they screwed it up by putting tofu on it when that was supposed to be on his friend's plate,my son ordered chicken fried ice, it was bland and had too much soy sauce, my son could not eat it. My son's friend's dish was just as bad. Prices good but if you can't eat the food what good is it? I guess we should have gotton noodle dishes maybe we would have had better luck
(1)
Laura W.
No 1 Noodle House is my "go to place" for comfort Chinese food at a quick and reasonable price. I have an old habit of only ordering the duck noodle soup so I haven't ventured beyond that. The place is very tiny dive. When the day is cold, that soup seems to always hit the spot for me. No1 does have non-soup dishes such as stir-fry noodles, but I don't know how they are. The place is conveniently located near the large parking lot, so getting a quick meal is not a production. This place is not a full sit down place so just go to the counter and order.
(5)
Lee D.
Cheap and quick. Is it a good Chinese food? Not really. Worth 6-8 dollars? Sure. Is it a place you want to come back? Nope.
(2)
Charles S.
I had he vegetarian special. Excellent! Especially when I added the garlic chili sauce which was very fresh. My wife loved the shrimp fried noodles. Very fresh vegetables, including bok choi broccoli etc plus tofu. Nice and warm inside.
(4)
Karis O.
I always go here with my family whenever we're in Newton! They have generous portions, friendly staff and extremely cheap prices for the amount of food you're getting. I've tried the Wonton soup which comes in a giant bowl and is really flavorful. The Beef stir fry noodles, pad thai and drunken noodles are all so good that I literally go into a food coma because I can't stop. I'm not even slightly embarrassed to say that because I think the No 1 Noodle House is that good!
(4)
N T.
Whenever I am hungry for some Chinese food, but don't want to drive into town for it, and don't want the regular "American Chinese" takeouts, I would go to #1 noodle house. The quality of food are consistent and quick. The staff are always friendly. My favor dish there is the shrimp laksa.
(5)
Ted R.
The food here is extremely bland, but it does fill you up and at least they are very reasonably priced.
(3)
David S.
Finally, I found a place that makes authentic South East Asian soups in Boston. Never expected to find it in Newton. Go there for the soups. Try the combination laksa or the wonton soup. Wontons are handmade. Pictures of the meals are on the wall. Pay 5-8 bucks a soup and you'll leave full. My kids loved sitting on bar stools at the big window looking into the kitchen where they could watch the meals being made. Don't expect great decor. Dont listen to the critics. Try it.
(4)
Y C.
Great place to go for food and value - not if you are expecting a traditional Chinese Restaurant "formal" waiter taking your order experience. Really great food, friendly staff, and great price! The Satay Beef Noodles were amazing - super tender beef, chewy noodles, and nice spicy sauce. The wonton noodle soup while a milder affair, had all of the elements of great wonton noodle soup: chewy thin noodles, bokchoy, generous helping of delicately made mini wontons, and a very delicate broth. For the price, quality, and the extremely friendly staff that actually cared about their customers, this place is a dream! The seating is limited but very cozy and comfortable. Great Asian causal.
(5)
Vivi L.
We came here for lunch on Sat. and the place is pretty busy. They have a lot of choices to order from. I ended up ordering the Laksa and my husband ordered the wonton noodle soup. Both our soup was kind bland. There is really not a lot of flavor on the noodle soup that we ordered. I was definitely disappointed. I don't think I'll be coming back here.
(2)
Bert M.
The Number One Noodle House is a diamond in the rough. If you are thinking about going out to eat in Newton Centre, I urge you to avoid the hoity-toity restaurants where it costs $80 to get a meal for two. Instead, go to the Number One Noodle House, where you'll get a steaming plate if noodles or a bowl of soup for a very reasonable price. Don't be fooled by the low prices; the food here is excellent and the staff are extremely nice and helpful. They actually know the items on their menu and will answer any questions you have about their food. I urge you to avoid places like Sweet Tomatoes and Union Street and go to Número Uno Casa de Noodles ( as the kids are calling it these days) where you will get quality Chinese food for a great price!
(5)
Bob C.
Looked at yelp for Chinese noodle soup to eat and not to pricey I hope. Found this place, cost me $10 and change. Not too many selection of noodle soup. So I ordered the duck wonton noodle soup and bottle of soda. The place is pretty clean for a Chinese restaurant and I'm happy with that. Came out super hot and the broth was excellent. Also had the noodles and vega that I was looking for to eat. It's super awesome noodle soup for the price. I highly recommend this place for the inexpensive great tasting soup. Ouch tongue still burn for the hot broth!
(5)
matt f.
I've been coming here pretty much once a week for the past two years and almost always get the same thing - the chicken laksa soup with extra bok choy - I throw in a generous portion of the chili garlic sauce and "voila" instant comfort and satisfaction every time - the price is right, the portions are more than generous and the people that work here are wonderful - I've had dishes here that were okay but if I stick with what I know is good then I'm never disappointed
(4)
Luke T.
OK.. The No1 Noodle house is not exactly Numero UNO. It far from being the best noodle house ever... Cheap on ingredients. Food prepared with too many preprocessed items from the can The place is located in a nice area with plenty of quaint and unique stores. This noodle house seems out of place. I am hoping they will improve the interior and make it more trendy. I ordered the Laksa. It was pretty close to the real thing from Malaysia. The broth is coconut milk based and tastes like a soupy curry. Served with vermicelli , fried tofu, shrimp. What it lacked was,crunchy bean sprouts, fish cake, sambal sauce and half a boiled egg. If they had all the right ingredients, i think it would have been an A++ experience. Too bad they cheaped out. Anyway, we also ordered the roast duck and it was greasy and refried. I think they take the duck and throw in hot oil again to brown the skin. The lemon chicken was actually not too bad. It was smothered in some clear lemony sauce from a can. Really.. how hard can it be to make a lemon sauce...
(3)
Rachel J.
I've eaten here several times, both in the store and delivery. All of their dishes are very cheap and they are big servings. I would highly recommend their roasted duck wonton noodle soup, which is a huge portion and will definitely leave you full for only 7 dollars. Another great dish is their pork and preserved duck egg congee. I've never had it in store, but every time I get it delivered, they give me a huge container of the stuff. The congee itself is big enough for me to have for lunch and dinner, for only 5 bucks! Not too salty and comes with big chunks of savory pork and eggs. Also, I have to say, their service is pretty great for a takeout restaurant. The servers at other Chinese/Asian place in Newton Center have poor manners generally. The deliveryman from No. 1 Noodle House is really nice, doesn't push you for tips (the delivery guy from Jumbo Seafood literally did this to me) and waited for me patiently when I was grabbing change. Overall, it's really the best Asian takeout place around Newton Center. Cheap and delicious food with the best overall service.
(4)
Arthur K.
i have tasted beta food..
(3)
TinyYogini P.
Tom ka gai: saltiest, watery soup I've ever had. It's supposed to have a coconut milk base. Where that went is anyone's guess. I couldn't taste any lemon grass or lime. All I could taste was salt and chili oil. Gross. Fried tofu: greasy and bland. The only thing that gave it any flavor was the salty soy dipping sauce. Tea: tasted like tea. Hard to mess that up, thank goodness. Worst $12 I've ever spent. After reading other reviews, I'm sure there are some dishes that might be good. But as for me, I will never be back.
(1)
Catherine W.
Glad to find a HK style fried rice/noodle/congee lunch place in Newton Center. Good menu variety and prices, but overall I'm giving this place 3 stars for smaller portions and a little heavy on MSG for some dishes. Food quality and taste is about 3.5 stars. We had some food coma side effects! Sampled a variety of dishes including Won Ton Noodle Soup (including one with brisket - not that many pieces). Beef Chow Fun, Pork Ribs in Plum Sauce with rice, Hokkien Noodles, and XO Sauce Shanghai Noodles. We liked the Hokkien noodles the best, which was basically like Lo Mein with a little bit of everything. They speak Cantonese and are very friendly. Won Ton Noodles were less than $6; the other dishes were $6-7.
(3)
S C.
Delicious noodle soup! The shrimp and wonton with satay is my go to, I get it every time and they make if perfect every time! The bomb diggity! Their service is also super fast. Very consistent. The only gripe I have is that the wontons could be improved. But for $7.50, you get what you pay for.
(5)
Dan B.
I have stopped by this place many times, mostly for the convenience and the decent food. While its not the absolute best Chinese food I've ever eaten, it's good enough for the price. I especially love how happy and friendly the woman who takes the orders is, and she always greets regular customers by name. I usually get the shrimp laksa soup and Singapore noodles (**the soup is SPICY) and I've always been satisfied :) definitely give this place a go if you're in the area!
(4)
Ryan K.
Our family loves everything about this place - food, staff, bubble tea, speed of service, value. We usually split two entrees and an appetizer for our family of four. Perfect work night family dinner spot. We usually ask for no MSG. Noodles (either soup or stir fried) are delicious and not over-cooked. Chicken with broccoli or vegetables are also great. Mango slushie bubble tea is delicious.
(4)
Michael S.
Good noodles but mega salty. Seriously, don't patronize this place if you have high blood pressure. The people that work here are super sweet though.
(3)
Beeni M.
Surprisingly decent Chinese takeout. We actually finished both our plates. They don't pretend to be high end/authentic. So don't expect it. The dishes are a bit on the pricy side - but I guess that's normal for Newton Center. Close to $7 a plate.
(4)
Natasha R.
When we lived in Newton we frequented No 1 Noodle House to satisfy our need for cheap Chinese. Their crab rangoons are phenomenal! Everything else is average. Their wonton soup is questionable though--my husband order it one night when he was sick, it was close to closing time which might be why it smelled like a dirty gas station toilet bowl (it also tasted as bad as it smelled). Other than that one time with the wonton soup (which we never ordered again) the food has always been decent. They'll even make substitutions or add things to your order, I tend to get the mongolian beef and always ask for mixed veggies to be thrown in.
(4)
Courtney N.
I was starving after a late afternoon meeting at my home office, and ended up wandering around downtown Newton. Lots of selection, but I didn't feel like a sandwich and was intrigued when I saw the Noodle House. The place has plentiful seating, and a ton of noodle choices. The prices are great! It reminded me of Wagamama for selection but affordable and with minimal need for a waitress. In fact, the waitress gave us our dishes and then we could go and collect silverware, extra dishes and napkins. I liked that set up. We had to go back multiple times for more napkins! The food is great- my friend had lamb and loved it while I had the chicken noodle stir fry and it was delicious. I am definitely returning the next time I have some time to kill in Newton. Yum!
(4)
Katherine F.
Ordered the fried tofu, scallion pancakes and veggie spring rolls, as well as a vegetarian stir fry. All were quite tasty and in generous portions. The best part? They have roast duck won ton noodle soup! A tasty treat that really hit the spot on a cold day.
(4)
Alex k.
I'd give this place 4 stars for the great price and excellent dishes but beware if you have allergies. Twice I've gotten dishes with what I was allergic to and the most recent time I asked them to make sure. When I got home I realized they had done it again. They need to realize how dangerous this could be for certain allergies. Make sure you check your food before you leave. Next time I'm in there, manager is gonna get an earful!
(3)
Ben L.
Much overdue review. When I used to work in the area, I would come here for lunch as often as three times a week. Service is great and the owners are extremely friendly and helpful. Even after being gone for months, when I do get a chance to stop by, they are all smiles! Offering such a large variety on their menu, I will admit not everything is five star worthy, though the dishes I enjoy certainly are. I would recommend the Beef Brisket Wonton Noodle Soup and the BBQ Pork Laksa.
(5)
Tadas M.
Superb wonton noodle soup for 8 bucks
(4)
Justin K.
OMG, just thinking about my experience there and the waft of nasty fish smell when you walk in, yuck... I think i vomited a little in the back of my throat. I remember years back, i had a kick ass noodle soup from here. On my recent trip, we tried to avoid the nasty boiling fish head smell that nearly suffocated us when we tried to order take out. To put it mildly, everything was bland, boring, and not good. Peking ravioli, boring, sauce boring. Our noodle soup tasted like a fish died in it. I usually like fish...Usually.
(1)
J. C.
This place was so bad, and I am so sad about it because I wanted to love it. I just moved the area and was hoping this would be a go to, but unfortunately I do not think I will be back. I am a vegetarian so I ordered the vegetarian noodle soup and an order of vege egg rolls to go. When I got home, I opened the soup - and it smelled like seafood, it was so over powering I couldn't eat. The egg rolls were bland at best.
(2)
Ali C V.
I haven't been to all the Chinese restaurants in the Boston area so I can't say Noodle House 1 is the best. I can, however, tell you I like it enough not to bother checking out any other when all I want is take-out. The food is fantastic, fresh, and inexpensive. To bring up their decor in a review is ridiculous. This is basically a take-out place with tables as a convenience to customers. They're not trying to be fancy, they're trying to be tasty. I love their chicken laksa and their stir-fried rice noodles with beef. All their servings are huge so you can take home what you can't finish to enjoy again later. Absolutely yummy!!! My gastronomically picky friends agree ;)
(4)
Young P.
This place is the bomb. This place offers some decent Chinese food, but what make this place so amazing is their wonton noodle soup. That's right. I repeat. WONTON NOODLE SOUP. The price is not bad at all and they give you a lot of food. Now make sure to order the original first before following my advice now. Once you taste the original soup and noodle, then you can be creative and add on other stuff on top of this. What I usually do is ask for roasted duck in my soup. The duck here is the bomb. So soft and juicy and hmmm. It melts in your mouth son. Now on top of that, add some hot sauce and oh my goodness. You got yourself some fine meal right there. I would recommend other dishes too but i definitely suggest the wonton noodle soup above everything else.
(4)
Jasmine M.
Authentic? No. But if you want cheap, greasy Chinese food, sure. I'm Chinese, and I've tried every kind of Chinese food, and this place kind of scarred me. I went home and my head was POUNDING and I fell asleep within 15 minutes. Don't know about the rest of you, but when that happens to me, that means there's too much MSG. And I'm not saying MSG is bad, people always think that. It's actually good for the taste...when used in moderation. I won't say I'm never coming back to this place, because you can get cheap food here; however, it won't be one of my top choices...
(2)
Jenny Y.
SO SALTY. The soups get saltier and saltier as you get closer to the bottom. Do not dig. At all. Lo mein's decent, but there's something a little off in my opinion about it. For the lack of a better word, it tastes a little... fake? Perhaps bland is a better word-- Noodle House is authentic; I order in Chinese all the time. yay for quick, cheap eats and big portions but it's really nothing spectacular. They do claim to be MSG free, which is a plus. You can eat in- small tables with horrible lighting. There are worse holes in the walls to eat in, but why eat in when you can picnic on the grass?
(2)
Gina H.
pretty good Asian Cuisine! I live close to the noodle house and was curious as to what it was like so I walked down with my daughter and boyfriend and went inside. I dont give it too many points for looks or cleanliness (I recommend take-out), but the food was delicious! I got the crispy lemon chicken and a side of sauteed noodles- mmmm....mmmmm... GOOD! good size portions so ill have left overs for lunch tomorrow :)
(3)
Eric B.
There are no soup Nazis here, just nice people serving many types of big-bowl soups and various other Asian style dishes. The main draw is noodle soups of many colors and flavors and other small plates like spring rolls, home style fried rice, pad thai, General Gao's chicken, steamed chicken and broccoli, etc. People come here for the soups, though, which are served in large toureens and at lunch the sound of slurping can be quite overpowering My favorite is chicken based noodle soup with won ton, and the various varieties of chicken, duck, fish and corn soups are delightful and great for a light, quick, lunch or dinner. The servers and owners are very nice, bring the food to your table, where you join others in the choir jouyfully slurping away the lunch or dinner hour. Not fancy, just good soup and other food, cooked to order and in a very accessible location. One note: No Udon noodles here, they prefer the lighter, thinner, soba noodles.
(4)
Wendy L.
Ugh, man this place sucks. That is all....Just make the 10 minute more drive to Brookline, or Boston. Please I beg you!!! You can do it!!
(1)
Celeste M.
I'm not really sure what to rate No 1 Noodle House. My guy wanted to take me there because I love noodles. The only thing was that the noodles were not thick awesome ones (like udon) that I expected. Instead the stir-fried noodles were those square-shaped yellow noodles that were thin, but soft. I got a combination stir-fried platter, which meant that it had all sorts of meat (chicken, beef, pork, and seafood). It was okay. I want to say that I didn't like it, but I did eat most of it. I think the reason it didn't sit well with me was because I woke up late and it was the first thing I ate that day. My bf ate a whole thing of some spicy shrimp soup with wontons and was even slurping the leftover soup. So, I'd agree that it is solid, inexpensive food. It didn't blow me away, though, and I'm not sure I'll go out of my way to go back. I wanted it to be like some crazy awesome noodle place like I went to in Madison, WI once. Or how I imagine Wagamama to be (I haven't tried it yet) but it wasn't really the noodle heaven I'd dreamt about.
(3)
Amanda O.
We got take-out from here for the first time, and based on our experience, I would not try it again. Maybe we got the wrong items because the reviews seemed pretty good... Our two entrees were bland and greasy. We got an order of crab rangoons, and there was barely any filling. They were pretty much just fried wonton wrappers.
(1)
S K.
Great food, taste and clean
(5)
Vivz C.
With such an extensive menu, there's no way you could leave hungry. Being the picky eater that I am, I can count all the different dishes I've tried in my many trips on 1 hand. Spring rolls, stir fried rice noodles w/beef, pan fried dumpings, and chicken & pineapple fried rice. The flavor full, the servings big, the prices right. Come winter, I will probably be expanding my horizons and trying some of the noodle soups that I have heard so much about from coworkers. Limited seating in the dining area, but there's a great counter table with a window where you can sit on stools and watch the chefs make your meal. The woks, the food, the flames. It sure puts on a great and entertaining show! And customer service is always with a smile. Could you ask for a better eating experience?
(4)
Len G.
Good inexpensive somewhat authentic Chinese food prepared quickly and in front of you using large Woks over high heat. Don't be fooled when you walk and see tacky pictures of their dishes. The place is fairly small and the decor is nonexistent aside from the pictures of the food.. I would recommend to order take out or delivery. You will not like all of their dishes, for those of you that gave negative reviews about this place you probably haven't tried enough of their better dishes.. I've been going there over the last 7 years or so and I've enjoyed most of their dishes but not all. Here are some of the favorites - Lemon chicken. Honey chicken with rice. Beef with Chinese broccoli. House vegetable special. Most of their Laksas.. Stay away from their Pad Thai which had an unpleasant fishy taste.
(3)
Danny F.
Meh. I mean it's fine for takeout, but it's not a destination spot for sure. The wontons and brisket were delicious, and so was the green beans in garlic sauce, but the start attraction of the restaurant was disappointing. Both noodles and broth were nothing special. Kind of bland and watered-down to be honest, with a dollop and a half of MSG. I have absolutely nothing against MSG, but I also don't want it to be all I can taste. I am no cook myself, but even I can concoct a better tasting broth naturally. Fail.
(3)
Retro G.
This review is for the egg drop soup. We love egg drop soup but it always tastes like it's been sitting in a giant vat on the stove at some restaurants (with periodic added salt/MSG as the day goes on). I ran in before close to get my son some egg drop: the chef made it to order right in front of me. I was thrilled, it was fresh and it was very cool to watch it made in a skillet, no less.
(4)
Kevin B.
I looooove Chinese food. For me, most hole-in-the-wall Chinese places would get 3 stars. They usually taste pretty good, but are a little too greasy and the non-food factors are usually not so great. I was disappointed, therefore, to find no redeeming qualities about the No. 1 Noodle House. Well, that's not quite true; parking is relatively easy in the giant metered parking lot in Newton Centre. I went there for lunch with a co-worker. I'm generally worried about any place that has lit-up photos of the dishes I had soup noodles with roast pork. The soup tasted like salt water with no flavor, and the roast pork was stringy with no flavor. The decor inside in predictably bad, but I'd rather they focus on the food than the decor, so I don't care so much about how the place looks. It's possible I just caught them on a bad day; if I go back and have a more positive experience, I'll be sure to update this review.
(1)
Jeremy K.
I like this place, I like it a lot. First off the bat, it's really really cheap. So that's a very pleasant thing, especially considering that other places around it will charge extra in most cases because it's Newton. This place serves up all kinds of Asian soups and bowls. They have a huge, impressive selection of almost 100 different kinds of varieties. The kitchen is exposed and you can see them prepare the various types of noodles and ingredients before dunking them into the broth in the big bowl. As far as the setting goes, it's decent and clean which is all I ask for. They have a few newspapers you can read too which is always a plus. If you live in the area... I don't... you can always do take-out if you don't want to eat on the spot but I did and had nothing wrong to say against it. Their wantons are delicious by the way... Big.. light, tasty... Mhmm just thinking about them makes me drool. As far as service goes, they are pretty quick and very nice although their English is barely sufficient... Yeah so if you want quick, cheap and reliable, go there.
(4)
Hieu N.
This review will be similar to my gourmet dumpling house one. If you feel like you are about to cry your eyes out, the end of days is next monday, or need a reassurance that tomorrow will be a brand new day, Noodle House is the house of the soupy savior. Nothing saves my soul more than a wonton noodle soup and a roasted duck soup for my brother. Theres just something about the freshness and quality of the wontons that just gets me. They dwell in a light savory broth and noodles that are NEVER overcooked. The same goes for my brother and the rice noodles in his bowl, and rice noodles can get mushy easily trust me. These guys dont tend to f@ck up often...never in my three years. Its a pretty average place. Kept clean and the menu is pretty much all noodle. Dont bother with the rice dishes, the only thing we like is the noodles- particularly the noodle soups. Price is average, 6 for a bowl of wonton and 7 I believe for the roast duck. Prices dont tend to.deviate all that far from that. Dont trust the prices shown. They're useless. their soup is better than gold, get it
(4)
Katelan Y.
I used to live in Newton and this was a great place for convenient and quick not-american chinese food. Recommendations- Wonton noodle soup with BBQ pork or duck, dry fried beef rice noodle or beef in black pepper sauce with rice. The place is small so you can eat there with maybe 1 or 2 friends but otherwise it is best to get take out. Not the best looking interior but the food is good with great prices! I agree with David S in the review below.. try it! :)
(4)
Jeannie H.
I'm Chinese and I find this place acceptable. Okay, so it's not "No 1" but the food is tolerable in a pinch. As you can see, I'm not expecting authentic or refined Chinese food in the suburbs. Heck, I'm not expecting to find it in the city of Boston. Nonetheless, this place isn't pretending to be anything other than a fast food joint. Their wonton noodle soup is okay. It's a little salty but the texture of the noodles and won ton is right. I haven't tried any of their fried noodle dishes because I've seen it on the tables of other patrons and they appear horribly grease laden. If only they made fast food like the streets of Hong Kong.
(2)
Daniel F.
This is an absolutely wonderful little known asian restaurant in Newton Centre. Unlike everything else in the area, getting a meal here won't break the bank, and the food is absolutely delicious. You can basically get anything you want. Any type of meat, seafood, or tofu, with whatever sauce and veggies combo. Everything I've ever had there was delicious. I tended to go for spicy beef with onions and some other veggies (don't remember the actual dish name) and my friend would always get a MASSIVE soup. We left happy and satisfied every single time. My only minimal gripe with this place is that they use styrofoam. I've told them a couple times that they should stop using it, but they never seem to understand what I'm saying or why. Oh, well, I still highly recommend it!
(5)
Simon D.
Consistent and reasonable. Best fried rice in newton, good quality and fantastic staff.
(5)
B.K. D.
Friend was feeling under-the-weather so we chose this place for the soup and noodles. They delivered the wrong dish for her while my General Tso was a little soggier than one might expect. The Chicken Satay Appetizer was awful. It appeared to be fried, dry and very overcooked. If it weren't for the tasty noodles from the wrong order I'd say we wouldn't get food from here again.
(2)
Christopher S.
My reviews is based on three visits I've had at No. 1 Noodle in the last few months. Each visit had a degree of satisfaction but also contained disappointment. This place is located directly next to Sweet Tomatoes Pizza at Newton Center's busy intersection of Beacon Street and Langley Road. It's a small restaurant with about 6 to 7 tables. Most people I think come here to take the food home but the ones who stay usually are young couples or small families of four. The menu of options are posted on the wall in various squares listing order number, name and picture. I could tell almost immediately I've seen similar signs in other Chinese/Japanese restaurants throughout Boston. Take your time studying the menu and I would suggest if this is your first time get only one bowl of soup because they are enough for two people. After ordering you can gather napkins, soy sauce, chopsticks, forks, knifes and little packets of duck sauce then make your way to the table. Service is very quick and ALWAYS delievered with a friendly smile. I'm not sure why but when I think of Chinese/Japanese noodles I think of Italian spagetti/Lo Mein style in a soup broth. I will admit there are times I keep forgetting the differences in Chinese/Japanese cuisine and blame my own ignorance. Here the noodles are sized somewhere between angel hair and spagetti pasta which comes swimming in a hot, steaming bowl of plain broth. You won't hear customers slupping their noodles like traditionally seen on the Travel Channel but quietly shoveling them into their mouths. It takes a degee of talent to master eating soup noodles with chopsticks; so, if you don't want to look foolish make sure you can catch a fly before coming here. Haha, only kidding! The first time I came here I had the noodle soup with duck. It was good, a bit too much, and I found the duck to be more bone knuckle and fatty than meaty. I didn't enjoy having to chew through flappy skin to get to the tasty dark meat. In addition to the noodles I ordered a side of lemon chicken which was battered chicken, overly deep fried and covered in a sauce that resemled duck sauce. The appetizer was especially good but I felt I was eating more fried batter than chicken. On my other visits I had the basic Wonton noodles with BBQ Pork Strips which were so bland they had to be kicked up with soy sauce and duck sauce. They looked better on the menu picture. In my opinion this place is about 2.5 to 3 stars. At first it had great appeal but in recent visits it's quickly fallen. It's a real shame because everyone who works there is so friendly. After dinner I wish I had gone with pizza next door.
(3)
Jim S.
A co-worker of mine has raved about this place for quite a while, and today he got me to go along with him for lunch. The raving was well-founded. The laksa was magnificent! Great spicy broth with noodles done perfectly, loaded with seafood of various kinds, roast pork, tofu... I had one bowl, and iced tea, for under $10, and it was just the right amount for a big eater like myself. Others with lesser appetites will probably have leftovers. The staff, as has been noted here by most everyone else, is very friendly and efficient. The place itself is downright plain, but it is super clean. I expect to be going here again soon, and often.
(5)
D M.
I am torn between three and four stars, as this place is right in between-I'll go three to be on the safe side. We here at work have ordered from here three different times for delivery and it's always fast and super hot which is how you want your soups or various dishes to be. The soups are pretty huge, but there are some smaller ones on the menu I believe. I am a fan of the Szechuan spicy noodle soup, which has delightfully spicy broth and a container of moist chicken, small shrimp, udon noodles and bean sprouts to add to it. I am glad they do it that way so it doesn't get mushy and also because you can easily have leftovers to save. It's a bargain at about $7. The other things I've ordered from here is the curry veggies with tofu and brown rice, and it was really good-very healthy and satisfying for lunch. I've also had some appetizers from here one of the times we ordered and the crab rangoons are very solid and very crab-filled, but the fresh spring rolls were wrapped too loosely and the basil wasn't super fresh looking. Also, they were dry in a not so yummy way. The prices are pretty cheap, and the fact they deliver is awesome. The menu is pretty good sized, and the only downside of it is that often times it just says "vegetable house special" or "grandma's tofu" and you have to ask-some descriptions would be helpful, but they folks on the phone are always nice when I ask about the dishes. We'll keep ordering when we're in the mood for good soups, noodle or rice dishes.
(3)
Andrea C.
Went here on a Sat for a late lunch/early dinner. They were just picking up for the dinner rush. It's a super cheap place. $7 and change for an order of Pad Thai that could easily feed 2 people. The noodles were a little dry. Overall it was ok. Don't think this will be my go-to place in Newton Center for Pad Thai, but will def will try them again.
(3)
Alexander H.
Great noodle soups in huge portions for about $7. Can't speak for the other food, but if you stick to the noodle and laksa soups you can't go wrong.
(5)
Brett P.
Just what I was looking for in fast Chinese food. I had the hot and sour soup which had fresh mushrooms and great flavor. The portion was huge and was very satisfying
(4)
Aboud Y.
I love Asian noodle soups...and this place delivers the goods. Nothing spectacular but tasty nonetheless.
(3)
Phil B.
Hot and sour soup smelled so bad. Had to throw it out right away. Only made it through a few bites of Singapore noodles before tossing those too. Never going back. Pay up for Golden Temple.
(1)
Josie L.
This place serves OK Chinese food with OK price. I had Wonton Noodle Soup and spring roll. Noodle was made perfectly. It was al dente. Wonton was pretty decent. They use small shrimp but wonton was flavorful. The stock was decent. I wasn't thirsty for water after lunch which is a PLUS. Spring roll was decent. It tasted fresh. I like the fact that it was nice and hot. Usually fast food places like these don't serve fresh food. The people who served me are nice. Perhaps, it was because the place wasn't busy. I did go there around 3p. I didn't expect much out of the restaurant. I was just surprised that I got decent food. The food wasn't memorable but didn't leave bad impression.
(3)
Catherine L.
i would actually give it a 3.5 for friendliness. the portions are small for the price and the fried noodles are oily. they give too much soup and not enough noodles. the overall food tastes okay and the place is clean.
(3)
Paul S.
A Great Place for Value, Large Menu, Solid Food. My Picks: Honey Chicken with Rice
(4)
pete k.
I love No. 1 Noodle House. Their menu is extensive, and prices are very cheap. Its best to get the soups - as you'll notice the gigantic cauldron's of boiling broth by the entrance (pretty cool!). When I have a cold, this is almost always the place to go - something about their soups really make you feel better. They have pretty good veggie spring rolls, too. Nothing is overly heavy or greasy like most takeout places. The hostess/cashiers are always very friendly, and service is quite fast. While no meal here is worth gushing over, nothing is bad, per se, especially considering the price.
(4)
Joe K.
Noodles- Quick, Hot and Tasty Come for the soup! Stay for the noodles! ...er... Anyway, #1 dishes out big portions of made-to-order, hot, authentic noodle dishes, and other reliably good offerings with tasty sauces. Perfect for take-out. Fine to sit down, basic not fancy.
(4)
G K.
good food , good flavor and a good amount for the price.
(4)
Alex W.
Ordering is easy, and delivery is prompt. The noodle soups are delicious. They deliver the broth in a separate container from the noodles, so if you want to save some for leftovers, the noodles don't end up all soft and disgusting. The General Gao's chicken is deplorable. The deep-fried coating is so soggy that it falls right off of the chicken. Almost inedible.
(3)
wonder m.
Great noodles! Decor lacking but the noodles can't be beat! We tried both the pan fried ones and wonton noodle soup. Portion is larger than I expected.
(4)
Glen S.
Pretty good place to get decently-priced Asian fare in Newton without the frills. I used to live in the Newton Ctr. area and I found this place had very quick service and the food was prepared very well. Good luck finding your selection on the picture menu on the wall. Grab one of the take-out menus and decide from there. It's also pretty cool to check out the cooks preparing your meal since you have a view into the kitchen. Remember, however, that this is strictly a good take-out place. I highly recommend the crispy pad thai!
(3)
Sue K.
for some reason i always assumed this place was a ramen/udon soup noodle place...but they serve both basic takeout chinese plus a nice variety of stir fry and soup noodle dishes. they have an open kitchen and the food comes out fast and fresh. it's good but nothing spectacular...really, it's just nice having the option in the area- so the fact that it doesn't suck is an added bonus. prices are low and the portions are huge. they will split one order into two takeout containers so my co-worker and i can enjoy an extra cheap portion controlled lunch. i'm going to venture to say that most asian takeout places would bitch about splitting an order- so friendly service earns them four stars from me.
(4)
Gus H.
This is a very nice place. I go here very often with my wife (who is Chinese, and picky about broth). We are always greeted nicely by the cashier who generally remembers what we like. It's not a fancy place... it's a noodle house where you can go get soups, noodles and good food for a very reasonable price.
(5)
Barbara P.
I find this place to be too greasy and expensive. The staff is really friendly , but they need to improve their dishes.
(2)
Emily B.
My boyfriend and I used to live just down the street from No.1, and even though we no longer live within walking distance we still order from them regularly. I was shocked to see such a low rating on Yelp!, so this is my two cents. The restaurant is nothing fancy, but a nice small, quiet place for a simple meal. The food is great; good size portions, extensive menu, and a fantastic deal for the price. My favorite menu item is absolutely the Laksa; I have never seen it in any other restaurant but if you like spicy food and coconut it's pretty much the most amazing soup ever, and the serving size is almost more than I can finish in one sitting. The staff is also quite friendly, especially to regulars. Definitely one of my favorite spots in the Newton/Brighton area.
(5)
Chloe S.
This was our first time here and I am giving it 4 stars based upon what I expect for fast cheap tasty food with no atmosphere. The woman who greeted us was very nice, helpful and patient. We got the stir fry beef with cashews and broccoli and the shrimp lo mein. I loved the first, the second was fine for what it was - quick, hot and pretty good although I wouldn't qrite home avout it. We would go back anytime in the area. If you are looking for ambience or a gourmet meal then this will not make you happy.
(4)
Alexa D.
It's Friday so I figured I'd be ridiculously generous today and give this place an average rating. So this week, I was really tired to blowing tons of money on nice eateries and opted instead for what my friend refers to as "cheap and cheerful". This place isn't nice on the inside so takeout is definitely the way to go here otherwise you'll curse me later. This place is really cheap. An average dinner is $6.80 and the portion is sizeable enough. Grandma's Tofu is my favorite here because I love me some spicy dishes. Their soups are pretty good too. I guess they get a good deal on onions because they fill every dish up with them so onion haters beware. I wouldn't recommend this as a evening out with the sweetheart, but if you're sick in need of comforting noodle soup or you are just plain broke and don't want heart palpitations from fast food, then this is a fine place in Newton Centre.
(3)
Dee H.
One of my favorite places for take out when I'm in the area. I really want to give 3.5 stars, so I rounded up. Good cheap eats and the portions are plentiful. Ordering is simple, just look at all the pictures of each dish up on the wall, and point. (Actually, you give the person taking your order the number associated with the dish you want.) I have the take out menu in my car, so I call ahead when I'm 20 minutes away, park my car (the trickiest part), walk in to pay, and take home a good meal.
(4)
Eli G.
not sure how they survive within the competitive Newton Centre market. food is pretty bland, the service is OK. I guess they mostly focus on takeout. Jumbo Seafood across the city parking lot is much better, IMHO.
(2)
Audrey S.
it really wasnt that great. i've seen tons of raving reviews but i cant say i agree at all. some of the worst chinese i've ever had. the noodles werent even cooked all the way the first time i went there. then we got delivery and the crab rangoons (typically a favorite of mine) was awful. id only order from here again if it was the only place open. and even then i'd probably rather not eat.
(2)
susu c.
A friend and I ordered delivery here last weekend. Let me just say I ordered the Pad Thai (yeah i know most generic dish), so I'm judging the place on that. It was gross, basically tasted like flavorless boiled noodles with some crushed peanuts sprinkled on top. Also the shrimp they used was like mini-size canned shrimp. Worst Pad Thai in Boston I've had yet, and I've tried lots of places. And my friend didn't like his food either, some sort of chicken stir-fry dish. Can't attest for the other menu items.
(2)
Juggy W.
If you like southeast Asian noodle soups (malaysian, singaporean), this is the place for you! They have many varieties of laksa and noodle soups... like beef stew, vegetarian, fish balls, wonton... etc. They also have traditional cantonese dishes like salt n' pepper pork chop, jingdu (sweet n' sour) pork, and singapore rice noodles (w/ yellow curry powder). Price is on the low side: $7 - $9 per person.
(4)
Suzy E.
Ok, I'll admit I always get the same thing. The laksa here rocks! I've searched high and low in the Boston area for good laksa and will make a pilgramage here at least once a month to partake. Very friendly staff.
(4)
Lizzy M.
They have Malaysian, Thai, and Chinese cuisines. The food is pretty cheap but it is ridiculoutly bland. GOOD FOR: soup- you make it a la carte, putting in whatever you want. yay!
(3)
Holly M.
The Lemon Chicken here is great. The cafe is nothing really to speak of, but the employees are nice. Its reasonable for Newton Centre.
(3)
Smeggie P.
Super Friendly Staff. Yummy Soup(Shrimp Wonton Noodle or Beef Rice Noodle are two I have tried). Great Location and the price is right for the quality and quantity of food.
(4)
Danielle N.
Reasonable prices, good portions and reliable food. Nothing absolutely stellar but I haven't been disappointed yet. I always get the shredded duck stir fried rice noodles which is the best thing I've had there. Scallion pancakes and wonton soup are also good. Ordered all 3 tonight delivered for under $20. I've always had delivery so I can't speak for the the dine-in aspect. Not as quick as some places but definitely not slow either (tonight was 45min from call to door).
(5)
Emily H.
This Chinese food is actually really good for being a hole-in-the-wall kind of place. The first time I ate there I almost had to leave from the immediate smell that the restaurant had.... not so good. But the servings are very large and the food is very tasty. The prices are also very reasonable. The waitstaff however, is not very good at all. Of course, there is a slight language barrier but there is usually a waitress that bring out the food but she always seems to be very lost and doesn't know where to go or what to do. But I believe the great prices and tasty food makes this place a good restaurant.
(3)
Julia M.
my drunken noodle definitely had pad thai sauce on it, and their veggie dumplings are a little...well, weird. its a good value, but just not that great...i wanted it to be better.
(3)
Sarah C.
My fiance and I tried this place for the first time tonight, and I was instantaneously sick after eating. My fiance is not feeling much better. I hate to give any place a bad review, but, we will not be eating here again.
(1)
Rico B.
One of my favorite cheap eats places. Especially when its cold outside. Nothing beats the cold like a some noodle soup and still have money in the wallet to warm your buttocks.
(4)
Natasha R.
When we lived in Newton we frequented No 1 Noodle House to satisfy our need for cheap Chinese. Their crab rangoons are phenomenal! Everything else is average. Their wonton soup is questionable though--my husband order it one night when he was sick, it was close to closing time which might be why it smelled like a dirty gas station toilet bowl (it also tasted as bad as it smelled). Other than that one time with the wonton soup (which we never ordered again) the food has always been decent. They'll even make substitutions or add things to your order, I tend to get the mongolian beef and always ask for mixed veggies to be thrown in.
(4)
Courtney N.
I was starving after a late afternoon meeting at my home office, and ended up wandering around downtown Newton. Lots of selection, but I didn't feel like a sandwich and was intrigued when I saw the Noodle House. The place has plentiful seating, and a ton of noodle choices. The prices are great! It reminded me of Wagamama for selection but affordable and with minimal need for a waitress. In fact, the waitress gave us our dishes and then we could go and collect silverware, extra dishes and napkins. I liked that set up. We had to go back multiple times for more napkins! The food is great- my friend had lamb and loved it while I had the chicken noodle stir fry and it was delicious. I am definitely returning the next time I have some time to kill in Newton. Yum!
(4)
Katherine F.
Ordered the fried tofu, scallion pancakes and veggie spring rolls, as well as a vegetarian stir fry. All were quite tasty and in generous portions. The best part? They have roast duck won ton noodle soup! A tasty treat that really hit the spot on a cold day.
(4)
Alex k.
I'd give this place 4 stars for the great price and excellent dishes but beware if you have allergies. Twice I've gotten dishes with what I was allergic to and the most recent time I asked them to make sure. When I got home I realized they had done it again. They need to realize how dangerous this could be for certain allergies. Make sure you check your food before you leave. Next time I'm in there, manager is gonna get an earful!
(3)
Ben L.
Much overdue review. When I used to work in the area, I would come here for lunch as often as three times a week. Service is great and the owners are extremely friendly and helpful. Even after being gone for months, when I do get a chance to stop by, they are all smiles! Offering such a large variety on their menu, I will admit not everything is five star worthy, though the dishes I enjoy certainly are. I would recommend the Beef Brisket Wonton Noodle Soup and the BBQ Pork Laksa.
(5)
Tadas M.
Superb wonton noodle soup for 8 bucks
(4)
Justin K.
OMG, just thinking about my experience there and the waft of nasty fish smell when you walk in, yuck... I think i vomited a little in the back of my throat. I remember years back, i had a kick ass noodle soup from here. On my recent trip, we tried to avoid the nasty boiling fish head smell that nearly suffocated us when we tried to order take out. To put it mildly, everything was bland, boring, and not good. Peking ravioli, boring, sauce boring. Our noodle soup tasted like a fish died in it. I usually like fish...Usually.
(1)
Ali C V.
I haven't been to all the Chinese restaurants in the Boston area so I can't say Noodle House 1 is the best. I can, however, tell you I like it enough not to bother checking out any other when all I want is take-out. The food is fantastic, fresh, and inexpensive. To bring up their decor in a review is ridiculous. This is basically a take-out place with tables as a convenience to customers. They're not trying to be fancy, they're trying to be tasty. I love their chicken laksa and their stir-fried rice noodles with beef. All their servings are huge so you can take home what you can't finish to enjoy again later. Absolutely yummy!!! My gastronomically picky friends agree ;)
(4)
J. C.
This place was so bad, and I am so sad about it because I wanted to love it. I just moved the area and was hoping this would be a go to, but unfortunately I do not think I will be back. I am a vegetarian so I ordered the vegetarian noodle soup and an order of vege egg rolls to go. When I got home, I opened the soup - and it smelled like seafood, it was so over powering I couldn't eat. The egg rolls were bland at best.
(2)
Young P.
This place is the bomb. This place offers some decent Chinese food, but what make this place so amazing is their wonton noodle soup. That's right. I repeat. WONTON NOODLE SOUP. The price is not bad at all and they give you a lot of food. Now make sure to order the original first before following my advice now. Once you taste the original soup and noodle, then you can be creative and add on other stuff on top of this. What I usually do is ask for roasted duck in my soup. The duck here is the bomb. So soft and juicy and hmmm. It melts in your mouth son. Now on top of that, add some hot sauce and oh my goodness. You got yourself some fine meal right there. I would recommend other dishes too but i definitely suggest the wonton noodle soup above everything else.
(4)
Jasmine M.
Authentic? No. But if you want cheap, greasy Chinese food, sure. I'm Chinese, and I've tried every kind of Chinese food, and this place kind of scarred me. I went home and my head was POUNDING and I fell asleep within 15 minutes. Don't know about the rest of you, but when that happens to me, that means there's too much MSG. And I'm not saying MSG is bad, people always think that. It's actually good for the taste...when used in moderation. I won't say I'm never coming back to this place, because you can get cheap food here; however, it won't be one of my top choices...
(2)
Jenny Y.
SO SALTY. The soups get saltier and saltier as you get closer to the bottom. Do not dig. At all. Lo mein's decent, but there's something a little off in my opinion about it. For the lack of a better word, it tastes a little... fake? Perhaps bland is a better word-- Noodle House is authentic; I order in Chinese all the time. yay for quick, cheap eats and big portions but it's really nothing spectacular. They do claim to be MSG free, which is a plus. You can eat in- small tables with horrible lighting. There are worse holes in the walls to eat in, but why eat in when you can picnic on the grass?
(2)
S K.
Great food, taste and clean
(5)
Gina H.
pretty good Asian Cuisine! I live close to the noodle house and was curious as to what it was like so I walked down with my daughter and boyfriend and went inside. I dont give it too many points for looks or cleanliness (I recommend take-out), but the food was delicious! I got the crispy lemon chicken and a side of sauteed noodles- mmmm....mmmmm... GOOD! good size portions so ill have left overs for lunch tomorrow :)
(3)
Eric B.
There are no soup Nazis here, just nice people serving many types of big-bowl soups and various other Asian style dishes. The main draw is noodle soups of many colors and flavors and other small plates like spring rolls, home style fried rice, pad thai, General Gao's chicken, steamed chicken and broccoli, etc. People come here for the soups, though, which are served in large toureens and at lunch the sound of slurping can be quite overpowering My favorite is chicken based noodle soup with won ton, and the various varieties of chicken, duck, fish and corn soups are delightful and great for a light, quick, lunch or dinner. The servers and owners are very nice, bring the food to your table, where you join others in the choir jouyfully slurping away the lunch or dinner hour. Not fancy, just good soup and other food, cooked to order and in a very accessible location. One note: No Udon noodles here, they prefer the lighter, thinner, soba noodles.
(4)
Wendy L.
Ugh, man this place sucks. That is all....Just make the 10 minute more drive to Brookline, or Boston. Please I beg you!!! You can do it!!
(1)
Celeste M.
I'm not really sure what to rate No 1 Noodle House. My guy wanted to take me there because I love noodles. The only thing was that the noodles were not thick awesome ones (like udon) that I expected. Instead the stir-fried noodles were those square-shaped yellow noodles that were thin, but soft. I got a combination stir-fried platter, which meant that it had all sorts of meat (chicken, beef, pork, and seafood). It was okay. I want to say that I didn't like it, but I did eat most of it. I think the reason it didn't sit well with me was because I woke up late and it was the first thing I ate that day. My bf ate a whole thing of some spicy shrimp soup with wontons and was even slurping the leftover soup. So, I'd agree that it is solid, inexpensive food. It didn't blow me away, though, and I'm not sure I'll go out of my way to go back. I wanted it to be like some crazy awesome noodle place like I went to in Madison, WI once. Or how I imagine Wagamama to be (I haven't tried it yet) but it wasn't really the noodle heaven I'd dreamt about.
(3)
Amanda O.
We got take-out from here for the first time, and based on our experience, I would not try it again. Maybe we got the wrong items because the reviews seemed pretty good... Our two entrees were bland and greasy. We got an order of crab rangoons, and there was barely any filling. They were pretty much just fried wonton wrappers.
(1)
Vivz C.
With such an extensive menu, there's no way you could leave hungry. Being the picky eater that I am, I can count all the different dishes I've tried in my many trips on 1 hand. Spring rolls, stir fried rice noodles w/beef, pan fried dumpings, and chicken & pineapple fried rice. The flavor full, the servings big, the prices right. Come winter, I will probably be expanding my horizons and trying some of the noodle soups that I have heard so much about from coworkers. Limited seating in the dining area, but there's a great counter table with a window where you can sit on stools and watch the chefs make your meal. The woks, the food, the flames. It sure puts on a great and entertaining show! And customer service is always with a smile. Could you ask for a better eating experience?
(4)
Len G.
Good inexpensive somewhat authentic Chinese food prepared quickly and in front of you using large Woks over high heat. Don't be fooled when you walk and see tacky pictures of their dishes. The place is fairly small and the decor is nonexistent aside from the pictures of the food.. I would recommend to order take out or delivery. You will not like all of their dishes, for those of you that gave negative reviews about this place you probably haven't tried enough of their better dishes.. I've been going there over the last 7 years or so and I've enjoyed most of their dishes but not all. Here are some of the favorites - Lemon chicken. Honey chicken with rice. Beef with Chinese broccoli. House vegetable special. Most of their Laksas.. Stay away from their Pad Thai which had an unpleasant fishy taste.
(3)
Danny F.
Meh. I mean it's fine for takeout, but it's not a destination spot for sure. The wontons and brisket were delicious, and so was the green beans in garlic sauce, but the start attraction of the restaurant was disappointing. Both noodles and broth were nothing special. Kind of bland and watered-down to be honest, with a dollop and a half of MSG. I have absolutely nothing against MSG, but I also don't want it to be all I can taste. I am no cook myself, but even I can concoct a better tasting broth naturally. Fail.
(3)
Retro G.
This review is for the egg drop soup. We love egg drop soup but it always tastes like it's been sitting in a giant vat on the stove at some restaurants (with periodic added salt/MSG as the day goes on). I ran in before close to get my son some egg drop: the chef made it to order right in front of me. I was thrilled, it was fresh and it was very cool to watch it made in a skillet, no less.
(4)
Kevin B.
I looooove Chinese food. For me, most hole-in-the-wall Chinese places would get 3 stars. They usually taste pretty good, but are a little too greasy and the non-food factors are usually not so great. I was disappointed, therefore, to find no redeeming qualities about the No. 1 Noodle House. Well, that's not quite true; parking is relatively easy in the giant metered parking lot in Newton Centre. I went there for lunch with a co-worker. I'm generally worried about any place that has lit-up photos of the dishes I had soup noodles with roast pork. The soup tasted like salt water with no flavor, and the roast pork was stringy with no flavor. The decor inside in predictably bad, but I'd rather they focus on the food than the decor, so I don't care so much about how the place looks. It's possible I just caught them on a bad day; if I go back and have a more positive experience, I'll be sure to update this review.
(1)
Jeremy K.
I like this place, I like it a lot. First off the bat, it's really really cheap. So that's a very pleasant thing, especially considering that other places around it will charge extra in most cases because it's Newton. This place serves up all kinds of Asian soups and bowls. They have a huge, impressive selection of almost 100 different kinds of varieties. The kitchen is exposed and you can see them prepare the various types of noodles and ingredients before dunking them into the broth in the big bowl. As far as the setting goes, it's decent and clean which is all I ask for. They have a few newspapers you can read too which is always a plus. If you live in the area... I don't... you can always do take-out if you don't want to eat on the spot but I did and had nothing wrong to say against it. Their wantons are delicious by the way... Big.. light, tasty... Mhmm just thinking about them makes me drool. As far as service goes, they are pretty quick and very nice although their English is barely sufficient... Yeah so if you want quick, cheap and reliable, go there.
(4)
Hieu N.
This review will be similar to my gourmet dumpling house one. If you feel like you are about to cry your eyes out, the end of days is next monday, or need a reassurance that tomorrow will be a brand new day, Noodle House is the house of the soupy savior. Nothing saves my soul more than a wonton noodle soup and a roasted duck soup for my brother. Theres just something about the freshness and quality of the wontons that just gets me. They dwell in a light savory broth and noodles that are NEVER overcooked. The same goes for my brother and the rice noodles in his bowl, and rice noodles can get mushy easily trust me. These guys dont tend to f@ck up often...never in my three years. Its a pretty average place. Kept clean and the menu is pretty much all noodle. Dont bother with the rice dishes, the only thing we like is the noodles- particularly the noodle soups. Price is average, 6 for a bowl of wonton and 7 I believe for the roast duck. Prices dont tend to.deviate all that far from that. Dont trust the prices shown. They're useless. their soup is better than gold, get it
(4)
Jeannie H.
I'm Chinese and I find this place acceptable. Okay, so it's not "No 1" but the food is tolerable in a pinch. As you can see, I'm not expecting authentic or refined Chinese food in the suburbs. Heck, I'm not expecting to find it in the city of Boston. Nonetheless, this place isn't pretending to be anything other than a fast food joint. Their wonton noodle soup is okay. It's a little salty but the texture of the noodles and won ton is right. I haven't tried any of their fried noodle dishes because I've seen it on the tables of other patrons and they appear horribly grease laden. If only they made fast food like the streets of Hong Kong.
(2)
Katelan Y.
I used to live in Newton and this was a great place for convenient and quick not-american chinese food. Recommendations- Wonton noodle soup with BBQ pork or duck, dry fried beef rice noodle or beef in black pepper sauce with rice. The place is small so you can eat there with maybe 1 or 2 friends but otherwise it is best to get take out. Not the best looking interior but the food is good with great prices! I agree with David S in the review below.. try it! :)
(4)
Daniel F.
This is an absolutely wonderful little known asian restaurant in Newton Centre. Unlike everything else in the area, getting a meal here won't break the bank, and the food is absolutely delicious. You can basically get anything you want. Any type of meat, seafood, or tofu, with whatever sauce and veggies combo. Everything I've ever had there was delicious. I tended to go for spicy beef with onions and some other veggies (don't remember the actual dish name) and my friend would always get a MASSIVE soup. We left happy and satisfied every single time. My only minimal gripe with this place is that they use styrofoam. I've told them a couple times that they should stop using it, but they never seem to understand what I'm saying or why. Oh, well, I still highly recommend it!
(5)
Simon D.
Consistent and reasonable. Best fried rice in newton, good quality and fantastic staff.
(5)
B.K. D.
Friend was feeling under-the-weather so we chose this place for the soup and noodles. They delivered the wrong dish for her while my General Tso was a little soggier than one might expect. The Chicken Satay Appetizer was awful. It appeared to be fried, dry and very overcooked. If it weren't for the tasty noodles from the wrong order I'd say we wouldn't get food from here again.
(2)
D M.
I am torn between three and four stars, as this place is right in between-I'll go three to be on the safe side. We here at work have ordered from here three different times for delivery and it's always fast and super hot which is how you want your soups or various dishes to be. The soups are pretty huge, but there are some smaller ones on the menu I believe. I am a fan of the Szechuan spicy noodle soup, which has delightfully spicy broth and a container of moist chicken, small shrimp, udon noodles and bean sprouts to add to it. I am glad they do it that way so it doesn't get mushy and also because you can easily have leftovers to save. It's a bargain at about $7. The other things I've ordered from here is the curry veggies with tofu and brown rice, and it was really good-very healthy and satisfying for lunch. I've also had some appetizers from here one of the times we ordered and the crab rangoons are very solid and very crab-filled, but the fresh spring rolls were wrapped too loosely and the basil wasn't super fresh looking. Also, they were dry in a not so yummy way. The prices are pretty cheap, and the fact they deliver is awesome. The menu is pretty good sized, and the only downside of it is that often times it just says "vegetable house special" or "grandma's tofu" and you have to ask-some descriptions would be helpful, but they folks on the phone are always nice when I ask about the dishes. We'll keep ordering when we're in the mood for good soups, noodle or rice dishes.
(3)
Andrea C.
Went here on a Sat for a late lunch/early dinner. They were just picking up for the dinner rush. It's a super cheap place. $7 and change for an order of Pad Thai that could easily feed 2 people. The noodles were a little dry. Overall it was ok. Don't think this will be my go-to place in Newton Center for Pad Thai, but will def will try them again.
(3)
Alexander H.
Great noodle soups in huge portions for about $7. Can't speak for the other food, but if you stick to the noodle and laksa soups you can't go wrong.
(5)
Christopher S.
My reviews is based on three visits I've had at No. 1 Noodle in the last few months. Each visit had a degree of satisfaction but also contained disappointment. This place is located directly next to Sweet Tomatoes Pizza at Newton Center's busy intersection of Beacon Street and Langley Road. It's a small restaurant with about 6 to 7 tables. Most people I think come here to take the food home but the ones who stay usually are young couples or small families of four. The menu of options are posted on the wall in various squares listing order number, name and picture. I could tell almost immediately I've seen similar signs in other Chinese/Japanese restaurants throughout Boston. Take your time studying the menu and I would suggest if this is your first time get only one bowl of soup because they are enough for two people. After ordering you can gather napkins, soy sauce, chopsticks, forks, knifes and little packets of duck sauce then make your way to the table. Service is very quick and ALWAYS delievered with a friendly smile. I'm not sure why but when I think of Chinese/Japanese noodles I think of Italian spagetti/Lo Mein style in a soup broth. I will admit there are times I keep forgetting the differences in Chinese/Japanese cuisine and blame my own ignorance. Here the noodles are sized somewhere between angel hair and spagetti pasta which comes swimming in a hot, steaming bowl of plain broth. You won't hear customers slupping their noodles like traditionally seen on the Travel Channel but quietly shoveling them into their mouths. It takes a degee of talent to master eating soup noodles with chopsticks; so, if you don't want to look foolish make sure you can catch a fly before coming here. Haha, only kidding! The first time I came here I had the noodle soup with duck. It was good, a bit too much, and I found the duck to be more bone knuckle and fatty than meaty. I didn't enjoy having to chew through flappy skin to get to the tasty dark meat. In addition to the noodles I ordered a side of lemon chicken which was battered chicken, overly deep fried and covered in a sauce that resemled duck sauce. The appetizer was especially good but I felt I was eating more fried batter than chicken. On my other visits I had the basic Wonton noodles with BBQ Pork Strips which were so bland they had to be kicked up with soy sauce and duck sauce. They looked better on the menu picture. In my opinion this place is about 2.5 to 3 stars. At first it had great appeal but in recent visits it's quickly fallen. It's a real shame because everyone who works there is so friendly. After dinner I wish I had gone with pizza next door.
(3)
Jim S.
A co-worker of mine has raved about this place for quite a while, and today he got me to go along with him for lunch. The raving was well-founded. The laksa was magnificent! Great spicy broth with noodles done perfectly, loaded with seafood of various kinds, roast pork, tofu... I had one bowl, and iced tea, for under $10, and it was just the right amount for a big eater like myself. Others with lesser appetites will probably have leftovers. The staff, as has been noted here by most everyone else, is very friendly and efficient. The place itself is downright plain, but it is super clean. I expect to be going here again soon, and often.
(5)
Brett P.
Just what I was looking for in fast Chinese food. I had the hot and sour soup which had fresh mushrooms and great flavor. The portion was huge and was very satisfying
(4)
Aboud Y.
I love Asian noodle soups...and this place delivers the goods. Nothing spectacular but tasty nonetheless.
(3)
Phil B.
Hot and sour soup smelled so bad. Had to throw it out right away. Only made it through a few bites of Singapore noodles before tossing those too. Never going back. Pay up for Golden Temple.
(1)
Josie L.
This place serves OK Chinese food with OK price. I had Wonton Noodle Soup and spring roll. Noodle was made perfectly. It was al dente. Wonton was pretty decent. They use small shrimp but wonton was flavorful. The stock was decent. I wasn't thirsty for water after lunch which is a PLUS. Spring roll was decent. It tasted fresh. I like the fact that it was nice and hot. Usually fast food places like these don't serve fresh food. The people who served me are nice. Perhaps, it was because the place wasn't busy. I did go there around 3p. I didn't expect much out of the restaurant. I was just surprised that I got decent food. The food wasn't memorable but didn't leave bad impression.
(3)
Catherine L.
i would actually give it a 3.5 for friendliness. the portions are small for the price and the fried noodles are oily. they give too much soup and not enough noodles. the overall food tastes okay and the place is clean.
(3)
Paul S.
A Great Place for Value, Large Menu, Solid Food. My Picks: Honey Chicken with Rice
(4)
pete k.
I love No. 1 Noodle House. Their menu is extensive, and prices are very cheap. Its best to get the soups - as you'll notice the gigantic cauldron's of boiling broth by the entrance (pretty cool!). When I have a cold, this is almost always the place to go - something about their soups really make you feel better. They have pretty good veggie spring rolls, too. Nothing is overly heavy or greasy like most takeout places. The hostess/cashiers are always very friendly, and service is quite fast. While no meal here is worth gushing over, nothing is bad, per se, especially considering the price.
(4)
Joe K.
Noodles- Quick, Hot and Tasty Come for the soup! Stay for the noodles! ...er... Anyway, #1 dishes out big portions of made-to-order, hot, authentic noodle dishes, and other reliably good offerings with tasty sauces. Perfect for take-out. Fine to sit down, basic not fancy.
(4)
G K.
good food , good flavor and a good amount for the price.
(4)
Alex W.
Ordering is easy, and delivery is prompt. The noodle soups are delicious. They deliver the broth in a separate container from the noodles, so if you want to save some for leftovers, the noodles don't end up all soft and disgusting. The General Gao's chicken is deplorable. The deep-fried coating is so soggy that it falls right off of the chicken. Almost inedible.
(3)
wonder m.
Great noodles! Decor lacking but the noodles can't be beat! We tried both the pan fried ones and wonton noodle soup. Portion is larger than I expected.
(4)
Glen S.
Pretty good place to get decently-priced Asian fare in Newton without the frills. I used to live in the Newton Ctr. area and I found this place had very quick service and the food was prepared very well. Good luck finding your selection on the picture menu on the wall. Grab one of the take-out menus and decide from there. It's also pretty cool to check out the cooks preparing your meal since you have a view into the kitchen. Remember, however, that this is strictly a good take-out place. I highly recommend the crispy pad thai!
(3)
Sue K.
for some reason i always assumed this place was a ramen/udon soup noodle place...but they serve both basic takeout chinese plus a nice variety of stir fry and soup noodle dishes. they have an open kitchen and the food comes out fast and fresh. it's good but nothing spectacular...really, it's just nice having the option in the area- so the fact that it doesn't suck is an added bonus. prices are low and the portions are huge. they will split one order into two takeout containers so my co-worker and i can enjoy an extra cheap portion controlled lunch. i'm going to venture to say that most asian takeout places would bitch about splitting an order- so friendly service earns them four stars from me.
(4)
Gus H.
This is a very nice place. I go here very often with my wife (who is Chinese, and picky about broth). We are always greeted nicely by the cashier who generally remembers what we like. It's not a fancy place... it's a noodle house where you can go get soups, noodles and good food for a very reasonable price.
(5)
Barbara P.
I find this place to be too greasy and expensive. The staff is really friendly , but they need to improve their dishes.
(2)
Emily B.
My boyfriend and I used to live just down the street from No.1, and even though we no longer live within walking distance we still order from them regularly. I was shocked to see such a low rating on Yelp!, so this is my two cents. The restaurant is nothing fancy, but a nice small, quiet place for a simple meal. The food is great; good size portions, extensive menu, and a fantastic deal for the price. My favorite menu item is absolutely the Laksa; I have never seen it in any other restaurant but if you like spicy food and coconut it's pretty much the most amazing soup ever, and the serving size is almost more than I can finish in one sitting. The staff is also quite friendly, especially to regulars. Definitely one of my favorite spots in the Newton/Brighton area.
(5)
Chloe S.
This was our first time here and I am giving it 4 stars based upon what I expect for fast cheap tasty food with no atmosphere. The woman who greeted us was very nice, helpful and patient. We got the stir fry beef with cashews and broccoli and the shrimp lo mein. I loved the first, the second was fine for what it was - quick, hot and pretty good although I wouldn't qrite home avout it. We would go back anytime in the area. If you are looking for ambience or a gourmet meal then this will not make you happy.
(4)
Alexa D.
It's Friday so I figured I'd be ridiculously generous today and give this place an average rating. So this week, I was really tired to blowing tons of money on nice eateries and opted instead for what my friend refers to as "cheap and cheerful". This place isn't nice on the inside so takeout is definitely the way to go here otherwise you'll curse me later. This place is really cheap. An average dinner is $6.80 and the portion is sizeable enough. Grandma's Tofu is my favorite here because I love me some spicy dishes. Their soups are pretty good too. I guess they get a good deal on onions because they fill every dish up with them so onion haters beware. I wouldn't recommend this as a evening out with the sweetheart, but if you're sick in need of comforting noodle soup or you are just plain broke and don't want heart palpitations from fast food, then this is a fine place in Newton Centre.
(3)
Dee H.
One of my favorite places for take out when I'm in the area. I really want to give 3.5 stars, so I rounded up. Good cheap eats and the portions are plentiful. Ordering is simple, just look at all the pictures of each dish up on the wall, and point. (Actually, you give the person taking your order the number associated with the dish you want.) I have the take out menu in my car, so I call ahead when I'm 20 minutes away, park my car (the trickiest part), walk in to pay, and take home a good meal.
(4)
Eli G.
not sure how they survive within the competitive Newton Centre market. food is pretty bland, the service is OK. I guess they mostly focus on takeout. Jumbo Seafood across the city parking lot is much better, IMHO.
(2)
Audrey S.
it really wasnt that great. i've seen tons of raving reviews but i cant say i agree at all. some of the worst chinese i've ever had. the noodles werent even cooked all the way the first time i went there. then we got delivery and the crab rangoons (typically a favorite of mine) was awful. id only order from here again if it was the only place open. and even then i'd probably rather not eat.
(2)
susu c.
A friend and I ordered delivery here last weekend. Let me just say I ordered the Pad Thai (yeah i know most generic dish), so I'm judging the place on that. It was gross, basically tasted like flavorless boiled noodles with some crushed peanuts sprinkled on top. Also the shrimp they used was like mini-size canned shrimp. Worst Pad Thai in Boston I've had yet, and I've tried lots of places. And my friend didn't like his food either, some sort of chicken stir-fry dish. Can't attest for the other menu items.
(2)
Juggy W.
If you like southeast Asian noodle soups (malaysian, singaporean), this is the place for you! They have many varieties of laksa and noodle soups... like beef stew, vegetarian, fish balls, wonton... etc. They also have traditional cantonese dishes like salt n' pepper pork chop, jingdu (sweet n' sour) pork, and singapore rice noodles (w/ yellow curry powder). Price is on the low side: $7 - $9 per person.
(4)
Suzy E.
Ok, I'll admit I always get the same thing. The laksa here rocks! I've searched high and low in the Boston area for good laksa and will make a pilgramage here at least once a month to partake. Very friendly staff.
(4)
Lizzy M.
They have Malaysian, Thai, and Chinese cuisines. The food is pretty cheap but it is ridiculoutly bland. GOOD FOR: soup- you make it a la carte, putting in whatever you want. yay!
(3)
Holly M.
The Lemon Chicken here is great. The cafe is nothing really to speak of, but the employees are nice. Its reasonable for Newton Centre.
(3)
Smeggie P.
Super Friendly Staff. Yummy Soup(Shrimp Wonton Noodle or Beef Rice Noodle are two I have tried). Great Location and the price is right for the quality and quantity of food.
(4)
Danielle N.
Reasonable prices, good portions and reliable food. Nothing absolutely stellar but I haven't been disappointed yet. I always get the shredded duck stir fried rice noodles which is the best thing I've had there. Scallion pancakes and wonton soup are also good. Ordered all 3 tonight delivered for under $20. I've always had delivery so I can't speak for the the dine-in aspect. Not as quick as some places but definitely not slow either (tonight was 45min from call to door).
(5)
Emily H.
This Chinese food is actually really good for being a hole-in-the-wall kind of place. The first time I ate there I almost had to leave from the immediate smell that the restaurant had.... not so good. But the servings are very large and the food is very tasty. The prices are also very reasonable. The waitstaff however, is not very good at all. Of course, there is a slight language barrier but there is usually a waitress that bring out the food but she always seems to be very lost and doesn't know where to go or what to do. But I believe the great prices and tasty food makes this place a good restaurant.
(3)
Julia M.
my drunken noodle definitely had pad thai sauce on it, and their veggie dumplings are a little...well, weird. its a good value, but just not that great...i wanted it to be better.
(3)
Sarah C.
My fiance and I tried this place for the first time tonight, and I was instantaneously sick after eating. My fiance is not feeling much better. I hate to give any place a bad review, but, we will not be eating here again.
(1)
Rico B.
One of my favorite cheap eats places. Especially when its cold outside. Nothing beats the cold like a some noodle soup and still have money in the wallet to warm your buttocks.
(4)
Andrew J.
Great place to get some Chinese food for lunch. Doesn't take long to get your food as long as it's not took packed. Recommend to anyone who just wants to hang in Newton centre and wants some good Chinese food.
(5)
Helen A.
I know what's it's like to run a business and I'm sad to to say this is the first bad review I'm writing. My first ever job was as a busser in a Chinese restaurant so they have a special place in my heart. This is where this Chinese restaurant could learn. I got the Singapore Noodle an easy favorite anywhere (curry noodles and mixed meat). Aside from me asking the server to clean off the tables there were old napkins and sweet and sour sauce goop on the tables, I still was willing to give it a shot (I'm not type A but at least like to at least feel like I'm eating in a clean environment. The food came out with rancid tasting chicken, old onions, and specs of shrimp. I ate what I could and hoped everything would be ok by drinking the thai tea with boba. Instead what I got was an ok tea with shriveled sad little balls of boba. I think this place lucks out in the location since it's in Newton Center the shine rubs off on them (locstion, location, location, right) , and yes its cheap but honestly I've had better Chinese in hood corner spots in Dorchester. I was the first customer of the day (looked like they didn't clean the night before) so that may have made all the difference.
(1)
Lance M.
This is a dive and they don't particularly care for customers either... Although the food is average, the staff is rude and indifferent. I went there last night with my friend and was immediately reminded by the waiter that this was the last call. He then served lukewarm tea and starting talking to the owner who was seated at another table; it took him a long time before he returned for the order. The waiter made no eye contact and didn't listen to us while we ordered. While we were being served, we asked him for another order of rice and I could tell he wasn't listening, he also forgot the mustard and chop sticks. He made a bee-line to the bar where he remained glued to the football game with his back towards us as he conversed with customers at the bar who were boisterous and profane. I had to go up to the bar and remind him of what he forgot. The football game and his buddies at the bar seemed to be a lot more important to him. I don't understand these ratings, the place is not that clean and the food is unremarkable. I'll never go again.
(1)
Christy Y.
Beautiful food, excellent service, and owned by the most handsome family in the East Coast IGN 10/10
(5)
j s.
Got the beef chow foon, but only a few slices of beef. Also, they charge for hot tea, and have no water for their customers. Bit pricey for mediocre food. Very disappointed.
(1)
Snappy B.
I took my kids here last night because we were in the neighborhood for an event, and I needed a quick place to eat. The food here was gross. The bbq pork rice tasted like it was coated in some extraterrestrial corn syrup concoction. The wonton soup was bland tasting and the color of it was scarily bland. I ordered JUST chicken and udon noodles with plum sauce on the side, since my other son is a very picky eater. The chicken was cooked with several vegetables, including cabbage (which has a very strong flavor), and the sauce was served ON the food. So needless to say, he wouldn't eat it. Later in the evening, one of my boys had a terrible stomach ache, which is rare for him. The cleanliness of the restaurant was questionable. One positive is the people running the place were very nice and friendly.
(1)
Victoria C.
Was craving some Singapore noodles, so went to No1 Noodle House to try their authentic Asian noodles. The noodles were below average. It seemed like the curry powder was tossed on top, at the last minute. They didn't use much of anything to add flavor... no cilantro, ginger, chili pepper, or anything like that. Also got the veggie fried rice, which was pretty good. They even asked if we wanted egg in it. Overall, I'll probably try the place again, just won't get the Singapore noodles.
(2)
April K.
They were late on their delivery. The mapo tofu was NOTHING like traditional mapo tofu. It was lacking in spiciness, and it contained large chunks of onion and peppers, which I have never in the dish before. They also delivered me a warm soda, and a broken spoon. The pork and preserved egg congee was okay, but nothing spectacular. Probably won't be ordering from here again.
(2)
Nicholas U.
This place definitely took me by surprise (like others have said). I got delivery here a couple weeks ago because they put a menu in our mailbox. Why not? We looked through the menu and there were so many options and all at amazing prices. We weren't sure what we were going to walk into. Can't remember exactly what our dishes were called, but both were really good and the quantity was hard to believe at the price. It was nice to order from a Chinese food restaurant that wasn't the typically fried food you find at every corner. Nice to get that variety, good price, and great food.
(4)
Ayelet R.
First things first - the food here is far from amazing. Their stir-fried noodles are probably closer to two stars, since they are way too greasy. The noodle soups are better - not remarkable, but everything a noodle soup needs to be, and perfect for a cold day, coming in at a very generous portion for the price, although the vegetables aren't always fresh. But what really makes this place is the staff - I've been here with my family so many times that they remember our usual orders and always chat with us. It makes this place feel like a second home, and like we're dining among friends.
(4)
Corinne T.
I got the chicken and wonton noodle soup here. The chicken was dry and the noodles fairly flavorless. I wouldn't return for soup here, I'd probably go to Le's instead. The other items may be better here. The fried items looked promising. It is a nice Chinese cafe environment. I sat here and read and drank tea for a while.
(2)
Francisca W.
DIS-A-POINTED. had a couple successful take-outs in the past; thought would try it on the spot this time. ordered the same combo meats w/round rice noodle; portion size was SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER, served on a plate not much larger than my palm. it was MUCH saltier than last time too -- that i can overlook as an occasional mishap, but to pay $7.xx and have only a few bites out of it, Chinese food standpoint, not cool. especially when we had at least 50% more food in take-out form before. another thing we ordered was the salted pepper chops with rice. the salted pepper coating was delicious, indeed, but the pork was bland. maybe the mistake was to order it in an establishment that doesn't serve chinese/asians on a majority basis -- betting that weeks would go by before anyone would order this. so why keep it on the menu and entice someone only to disappoint them? for the 2000 things they offer...while it's great to have a wide selection, maybe it's time to downsize the menu little bit. do what you do best and focus on those instead. can't please everybody, and shouldn't. why not have those other random/less popular dishes as "specials", esp. those that need longer prep time but may not sell as fast. people working there still very humble and friendly, and the place is kept reasonably clean. would return, but sticking to take-out in the future. that way we can also avoid having to endure through the meal hearing this know-it-all kid brag about his no-life to a gal friend while having food in this mouth.
(3)
Wayne T.
Value for price, especially for newton, take out fried rice and noodles once in a while, they sometimes screw up the order, but really friendly, lot of locals eat here; can request no msg, a local fav
(5)
Carol S.
We got take out, four different dishes. It was all the most bland and uninteresting Asian take out we've ever had. We've just moved here; perhaps our standards are too high based on options where we used to live.
(2)
Denny S.
Really good food and affordable price..highly recommended! I don't get why people gave bad ratings for this restaurant. I was in town for a week and believe it or not had five or more lunch in this place because of the mix reviews. To prove my point, i purposedly dine multiple times to experience the service and food first hand. Food is quite decent and service is quite friendly. Plus, it's cheap! What more could you possibly want...
(4)
Shelley W.
I have never entered the restaurant, but have ordered delivery via grubhub around 4-5 times now. Any of the wonton noodle soups are delicious and worth the price--they deliver the soup and noodle/meats/seafood in separate containers--which I love splitting in two portions. I've ordered the preserved egg and rice congee (fish once too) as well....it's alright but I don't think it's worth the price. The beef and broccoli with cashew nuts is delish--once I decided to change it up a bit and ordered the string beans with minced pork and it was so disgustingly greasy that I ate only 5 bites and threw the rest away. Hence, I'm staying with the beef broccoli cashew dish whenever I need to order!
(4)
Len C.
My wife and I have gotten take out there and really enjoyed the food and service. Something a little different, tasty, with good service. You will not be disappointed.
(5)
Laura W.
No 1 Noodle House is my "go to place" for comfort Chinese food at a quick and reasonable price. I have an old habit of only ordering the duck noodle soup so I haven't ventured beyond that. The place is very tiny dive. When the day is cold, that soup seems to always hit the spot for me. No1 does have non-soup dishes such as stir-fry noodles, but I don't know how they are. The place is conveniently located near the large parking lot, so getting a quick meal is not a production. This place is not a full sit down place so just go to the counter and order.
(5)
Cynthia A.
My dish was ok shrimp with snow peas. My son's dish was terrible, first they screwed it up by putting tofu on it when that was supposed to be on his friend's plate,my son ordered chicken fried ice, it was bland and had too much soy sauce, my son could not eat it. My son's friend's dish was just as bad. Prices good but if you can't eat the food what good is it? I guess we should have gotton noodle dishes maybe we would have had better luck
(1)
Lee D.
Cheap and quick. Is it a good Chinese food? Not really. Worth 6-8 dollars? Sure. Is it a place you want to come back? Nope.
(2)
Charles S.
I had he vegetarian special. Excellent! Especially when I added the garlic chili sauce which was very fresh. My wife loved the shrimp fried noodles. Very fresh vegetables, including bok choi broccoli etc plus tofu. Nice and warm inside.
(4)
Karis O.
I always go here with my family whenever we're in Newton! They have generous portions, friendly staff and extremely cheap prices for the amount of food you're getting. I've tried the Wonton soup which comes in a giant bowl and is really flavorful. The Beef stir fry noodles, pad thai and drunken noodles are all so good that I literally go into a food coma because I can't stop. I'm not even slightly embarrassed to say that because I think the No 1 Noodle House is that good!
(4)
Ted R.
The food here is extremely bland, but it does fill you up and at least they are very reasonably priced.
(3)
N T.
Whenever I am hungry for some Chinese food, but don't want to drive into town for it, and don't want the regular "American Chinese" takeouts, I would go to #1 noodle house. The quality of food are consistent and quick. The staff are always friendly. My favor dish there is the shrimp laksa.
(5)
David S.
Finally, I found a place that makes authentic South East Asian soups in Boston. Never expected to find it in Newton. Go there for the soups. Try the combination laksa or the wonton soup. Wontons are handmade. Pictures of the meals are on the wall. Pay 5-8 bucks a soup and you'll leave full. My kids loved sitting on bar stools at the big window looking into the kitchen where they could watch the meals being made. Don't expect great decor. Dont listen to the critics. Try it.
(4)
Vivi L.
We came here for lunch on Sat. and the place is pretty busy. They have a lot of choices to order from. I ended up ordering the Laksa and my husband ordered the wonton noodle soup. Both our soup was kind bland. There is really not a lot of flavor on the noodle soup that we ordered. I was definitely disappointed. I don't think I'll be coming back here.
(2)
Y C.
Great place to go for food and value - not if you are expecting a traditional Chinese Restaurant "formal" waiter taking your order experience. Really great food, friendly staff, and great price! The Satay Beef Noodles were amazing - super tender beef, chewy noodles, and nice spicy sauce. The wonton noodle soup while a milder affair, had all of the elements of great wonton noodle soup: chewy thin noodles, bokchoy, generous helping of delicately made mini wontons, and a very delicate broth. For the price, quality, and the extremely friendly staff that actually cared about their customers, this place is a dream! The seating is limited but very cozy and comfortable. Great Asian causal.
(5)
Bert M.
The Number One Noodle House is a diamond in the rough. If you are thinking about going out to eat in Newton Centre, I urge you to avoid the hoity-toity restaurants where it costs $80 to get a meal for two. Instead, go to the Number One Noodle House, where you'll get a steaming plate if noodles or a bowl of soup for a very reasonable price. Don't be fooled by the low prices; the food here is excellent and the staff are extremely nice and helpful. They actually know the items on their menu and will answer any questions you have about their food. I urge you to avoid places like Sweet Tomatoes and Union Street and go to Número Uno Casa de Noodles ( as the kids are calling it these days) where you will get quality Chinese food for a great price!
(5)
Bob C.
Looked at yelp for Chinese noodle soup to eat and not to pricey I hope. Found this place, cost me $10 and change. Not too many selection of noodle soup. So I ordered the duck wonton noodle soup and bottle of soda. The place is pretty clean for a Chinese restaurant and I'm happy with that. Came out super hot and the broth was excellent. Also had the noodles and vega that I was looking for to eat. It's super awesome noodle soup for the price. I highly recommend this place for the inexpensive great tasting soup. Ouch tongue still burn for the hot broth!
(5)
matt f.
I've been coming here pretty much once a week for the past two years and almost always get the same thing - the chicken laksa soup with extra bok choy - I throw in a generous portion of the chili garlic sauce and "voila" instant comfort and satisfaction every time - the price is right, the portions are more than generous and the people that work here are wonderful - I've had dishes here that were okay but if I stick with what I know is good then I'm never disappointed
(4)
Luke T.
OK.. The No1 Noodle house is not exactly Numero UNO. It far from being the best noodle house ever... Cheap on ingredients. Food prepared with too many preprocessed items from the can The place is located in a nice area with plenty of quaint and unique stores. This noodle house seems out of place. I am hoping they will improve the interior and make it more trendy. I ordered the Laksa. It was pretty close to the real thing from Malaysia. The broth is coconut milk based and tastes like a soupy curry. Served with vermicelli , fried tofu, shrimp. What it lacked was,crunchy bean sprouts, fish cake, sambal sauce and half a boiled egg. If they had all the right ingredients, i think it would have been an A++ experience. Too bad they cheaped out. Anyway, we also ordered the roast duck and it was greasy and refried. I think they take the duck and throw in hot oil again to brown the skin. The lemon chicken was actually not too bad. It was smothered in some clear lemony sauce from a can. Really.. how hard can it be to make a lemon sauce...
(3)
Rachel J.
I've eaten here several times, both in the store and delivery. All of their dishes are very cheap and they are big servings. I would highly recommend their roasted duck wonton noodle soup, which is a huge portion and will definitely leave you full for only 7 dollars. Another great dish is their pork and preserved duck egg congee. I've never had it in store, but every time I get it delivered, they give me a huge container of the stuff. The congee itself is big enough for me to have for lunch and dinner, for only 5 bucks! Not too salty and comes with big chunks of savory pork and eggs. Also, I have to say, their service is pretty great for a takeout restaurant. The servers at other Chinese/Asian place in Newton Center have poor manners generally. The deliveryman from No. 1 Noodle House is really nice, doesn't push you for tips (the delivery guy from Jumbo Seafood literally did this to me) and waited for me patiently when I was grabbing change. Overall, it's really the best Asian takeout place around Newton Center. Cheap and delicious food with the best overall service.
(4)
Arthur K.
i have tasted beta food..
(3)
TinyYogini P.
Tom ka gai: saltiest, watery soup I've ever had. It's supposed to have a coconut milk base. Where that went is anyone's guess. I couldn't taste any lemon grass or lime. All I could taste was salt and chili oil. Gross. Fried tofu: greasy and bland. The only thing that gave it any flavor was the salty soy dipping sauce. Tea: tasted like tea. Hard to mess that up, thank goodness. Worst $12 I've ever spent. After reading other reviews, I'm sure there are some dishes that might be good. But as for me, I will never be back.
(1)
Catherine W.
Glad to find a HK style fried rice/noodle/congee lunch place in Newton Center. Good menu variety and prices, but overall I'm giving this place 3 stars for smaller portions and a little heavy on MSG for some dishes. Food quality and taste is about 3.5 stars. We had some food coma side effects! Sampled a variety of dishes including Won Ton Noodle Soup (including one with brisket - not that many pieces). Beef Chow Fun, Pork Ribs in Plum Sauce with rice, Hokkien Noodles, and XO Sauce Shanghai Noodles. We liked the Hokkien noodles the best, which was basically like Lo Mein with a little bit of everything. They speak Cantonese and are very friendly. Won Ton Noodles were less than $6; the other dishes were $6-7.
(3)
S C.
Delicious noodle soup! The shrimp and wonton with satay is my go to, I get it every time and they make if perfect every time! The bomb diggity! Their service is also super fast. Very consistent. The only gripe I have is that the wontons could be improved. But for $7.50, you get what you pay for.
(5)
Dan B.
I have stopped by this place many times, mostly for the convenience and the decent food. While its not the absolute best Chinese food I've ever eaten, it's good enough for the price. I especially love how happy and friendly the woman who takes the orders is, and she always greets regular customers by name. I usually get the shrimp laksa soup and Singapore noodles (**the soup is SPICY) and I've always been satisfied :) definitely give this place a go if you're in the area!
(4)
Ryan K.
Our family loves everything about this place - food, staff, bubble tea, speed of service, value. We usually split two entrees and an appetizer for our family of four. Perfect work night family dinner spot. We usually ask for no MSG. Noodles (either soup or stir fried) are delicious and not over-cooked. Chicken with broccoli or vegetables are also great. Mango slushie bubble tea is delicious.
(4)
Beeni M.
Surprisingly decent Chinese takeout. We actually finished both our plates. They don't pretend to be high end/authentic. So don't expect it. The dishes are a bit on the pricy side - but I guess that's normal for Newton Center. Close to $7 a plate.
(4)
Michael S.
Good noodles but mega salty. Seriously, don't patronize this place if you have high blood pressure. The people that work here are super sweet though.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : No Caters : No
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
Andrew J.
Great place to get some Chinese food for lunch. Doesn't take long to get your food as long as it's not took packed. Recommend to anyone who just wants to hang in Newton centre and wants some good Chinese food.
(5)Helen A.
I know what's it's like to run a business and I'm sad to to say this is the first bad review I'm writing. My first ever job was as a busser in a Chinese restaurant so they have a special place in my heart. This is where this Chinese restaurant could learn. I got the Singapore Noodle an easy favorite anywhere (curry noodles and mixed meat). Aside from me asking the server to clean off the tables there were old napkins and sweet and sour sauce goop on the tables, I still was willing to give it a shot (I'm not type A but at least like to at least feel like I'm eating in a clean environment. The food came out with rancid tasting chicken, old onions, and specs of shrimp. I ate what I could and hoped everything would be ok by drinking the thai tea with boba. Instead what I got was an ok tea with shriveled sad little balls of boba. I think this place lucks out in the location since it's in Newton Center the shine rubs off on them (locstion, location, location, right) , and yes its cheap but honestly I've had better Chinese in hood corner spots in Dorchester. I was the first customer of the day (looked like they didn't clean the night before) so that may have made all the difference.
(1)Lance M.
This is a dive and they don't particularly care for customers either... Although the food is average, the staff is rude and indifferent. I went there last night with my friend and was immediately reminded by the waiter that this was the last call. He then served lukewarm tea and starting talking to the owner who was seated at another table; it took him a long time before he returned for the order. The waiter made no eye contact and didn't listen to us while we ordered. While we were being served, we asked him for another order of rice and I could tell he wasn't listening, he also forgot the mustard and chop sticks. He made a bee-line to the bar where he remained glued to the football game with his back towards us as he conversed with customers at the bar who were boisterous and profane. I had to go up to the bar and remind him of what he forgot. The football game and his buddies at the bar seemed to be a lot more important to him. I don't understand these ratings, the place is not that clean and the food is unremarkable. I'll never go again.
(1)Christy Y.
Beautiful food, excellent service, and owned by the most handsome family in the East Coast IGN 10/10
(5)j s.
Got the beef chow foon, but only a few slices of beef. Also, they charge for hot tea, and have no water for their customers. Bit pricey for mediocre food. Very disappointed.
(1)Victoria C.
Was craving some Singapore noodles, so went to No1 Noodle House to try their authentic Asian noodles. The noodles were below average. It seemed like the curry powder was tossed on top, at the last minute. They didn't use much of anything to add flavor... no cilantro, ginger, chili pepper, or anything like that. Also got the veggie fried rice, which was pretty good. They even asked if we wanted egg in it. Overall, I'll probably try the place again, just won't get the Singapore noodles.
(2)Snappy B.
I took my kids here last night because we were in the neighborhood for an event, and I needed a quick place to eat. The food here was gross. The bbq pork rice tasted like it was coated in some extraterrestrial corn syrup concoction. The wonton soup was bland tasting and the color of it was scarily bland. I ordered JUST chicken and udon noodles with plum sauce on the side, since my other son is a very picky eater. The chicken was cooked with several vegetables, including cabbage (which has a very strong flavor), and the sauce was served ON the food. So needless to say, he wouldn't eat it. Later in the evening, one of my boys had a terrible stomach ache, which is rare for him. The cleanliness of the restaurant was questionable. One positive is the people running the place were very nice and friendly.
(1)April K.
They were late on their delivery. The mapo tofu was NOTHING like traditional mapo tofu. It was lacking in spiciness, and it contained large chunks of onion and peppers, which I have never in the dish before. They also delivered me a warm soda, and a broken spoon. The pork and preserved egg congee was okay, but nothing spectacular. Probably won't be ordering from here again.
(2)Nicholas U.
This place definitely took me by surprise (like others have said). I got delivery here a couple weeks ago because they put a menu in our mailbox. Why not? We looked through the menu and there were so many options and all at amazing prices. We weren't sure what we were going to walk into. Can't remember exactly what our dishes were called, but both were really good and the quantity was hard to believe at the price. It was nice to order from a Chinese food restaurant that wasn't the typically fried food you find at every corner. Nice to get that variety, good price, and great food.
(4)Francisca W.
DIS-A-POINTED. had a couple successful take-outs in the past; thought would try it on the spot this time. ordered the same combo meats w/round rice noodle; portion size was SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER, served on a plate not much larger than my palm. it was MUCH saltier than last time too -- that i can overlook as an occasional mishap, but to pay $7.xx and have only a few bites out of it, Chinese food standpoint, not cool. especially when we had at least 50% more food in take-out form before. another thing we ordered was the salted pepper chops with rice. the salted pepper coating was delicious, indeed, but the pork was bland. maybe the mistake was to order it in an establishment that doesn't serve chinese/asians on a majority basis -- betting that weeks would go by before anyone would order this. so why keep it on the menu and entice someone only to disappoint them? for the 2000 things they offer...while it's great to have a wide selection, maybe it's time to downsize the menu little bit. do what you do best and focus on those instead. can't please everybody, and shouldn't. why not have those other random/less popular dishes as "specials", esp. those that need longer prep time but may not sell as fast. people working there still very humble and friendly, and the place is kept reasonably clean. would return, but sticking to take-out in the future. that way we can also avoid having to endure through the meal hearing this know-it-all kid brag about his no-life to a gal friend while having food in this mouth.
(3)Wayne T.
Value for price, especially for newton, take out fried rice and noodles once in a while, they sometimes screw up the order, but really friendly, lot of locals eat here; can request no msg, a local fav
(5)Carol S.
We got take out, four different dishes. It was all the most bland and uninteresting Asian take out we've ever had. We've just moved here; perhaps our standards are too high based on options where we used to live.
(2)Denny S.
Really good food and affordable price..highly recommended! I don't get why people gave bad ratings for this restaurant. I was in town for a week and believe it or not had five or more lunch in this place because of the mix reviews. To prove my point, i purposedly dine multiple times to experience the service and food first hand. Food is quite decent and service is quite friendly. Plus, it's cheap! What more could you possibly want...
(4)Shelley W.
I have never entered the restaurant, but have ordered delivery via grubhub around 4-5 times now. Any of the wonton noodle soups are delicious and worth the price--they deliver the soup and noodle/meats/seafood in separate containers--which I love splitting in two portions. I've ordered the preserved egg and rice congee (fish once too) as well....it's alright but I don't think it's worth the price. The beef and broccoli with cashew nuts is delish--once I decided to change it up a bit and ordered the string beans with minced pork and it was so disgustingly greasy that I ate only 5 bites and threw the rest away. Hence, I'm staying with the beef broccoli cashew dish whenever I need to order!
(4)Ayelet R.
First things first - the food here is far from amazing. Their stir-fried noodles are probably closer to two stars, since they are way too greasy. The noodle soups are better - not remarkable, but everything a noodle soup needs to be, and perfect for a cold day, coming in at a very generous portion for the price, although the vegetables aren't always fresh. But what really makes this place is the staff - I've been here with my family so many times that they remember our usual orders and always chat with us. It makes this place feel like a second home, and like we're dining among friends.
(4)Corinne T.
I got the chicken and wonton noodle soup here. The chicken was dry and the noodles fairly flavorless. I wouldn't return for soup here, I'd probably go to Le's instead. The other items may be better here. The fried items looked promising. It is a nice Chinese cafe environment. I sat here and read and drank tea for a while.
(2)Len C.
My wife and I have gotten take out there and really enjoyed the food and service. Something a little different, tasty, with good service. You will not be disappointed.
(5)Cynthia A.
My dish was ok shrimp with snow peas. My son's dish was terrible, first they screwed it up by putting tofu on it when that was supposed to be on his friend's plate,my son ordered chicken fried ice, it was bland and had too much soy sauce, my son could not eat it. My son's friend's dish was just as bad. Prices good but if you can't eat the food what good is it? I guess we should have gotton noodle dishes maybe we would have had better luck
(1)Laura W.
No 1 Noodle House is my "go to place" for comfort Chinese food at a quick and reasonable price. I have an old habit of only ordering the duck noodle soup so I haven't ventured beyond that. The place is very tiny dive. When the day is cold, that soup seems to always hit the spot for me. No1 does have non-soup dishes such as stir-fry noodles, but I don't know how they are. The place is conveniently located near the large parking lot, so getting a quick meal is not a production. This place is not a full sit down place so just go to the counter and order.
(5)Lee D.
Cheap and quick. Is it a good Chinese food? Not really. Worth 6-8 dollars? Sure. Is it a place you want to come back? Nope.
(2)Charles S.
I had he vegetarian special. Excellent! Especially when I added the garlic chili sauce which was very fresh. My wife loved the shrimp fried noodles. Very fresh vegetables, including bok choi broccoli etc plus tofu. Nice and warm inside.
(4)Karis O.
I always go here with my family whenever we're in Newton! They have generous portions, friendly staff and extremely cheap prices for the amount of food you're getting. I've tried the Wonton soup which comes in a giant bowl and is really flavorful. The Beef stir fry noodles, pad thai and drunken noodles are all so good that I literally go into a food coma because I can't stop. I'm not even slightly embarrassed to say that because I think the No 1 Noodle House is that good!
(4)N T.
Whenever I am hungry for some Chinese food, but don't want to drive into town for it, and don't want the regular "American Chinese" takeouts, I would go to #1 noodle house. The quality of food are consistent and quick. The staff are always friendly. My favor dish there is the shrimp laksa.
(5)Ted R.
The food here is extremely bland, but it does fill you up and at least they are very reasonably priced.
(3)David S.
Finally, I found a place that makes authentic South East Asian soups in Boston. Never expected to find it in Newton. Go there for the soups. Try the combination laksa or the wonton soup. Wontons are handmade. Pictures of the meals are on the wall. Pay 5-8 bucks a soup and you'll leave full. My kids loved sitting on bar stools at the big window looking into the kitchen where they could watch the meals being made. Don't expect great decor. Dont listen to the critics. Try it.
(4)Y C.
Great place to go for food and value - not if you are expecting a traditional Chinese Restaurant "formal" waiter taking your order experience. Really great food, friendly staff, and great price! The Satay Beef Noodles were amazing - super tender beef, chewy noodles, and nice spicy sauce. The wonton noodle soup while a milder affair, had all of the elements of great wonton noodle soup: chewy thin noodles, bokchoy, generous helping of delicately made mini wontons, and a very delicate broth. For the price, quality, and the extremely friendly staff that actually cared about their customers, this place is a dream! The seating is limited but very cozy and comfortable. Great Asian causal.
(5)Vivi L.
We came here for lunch on Sat. and the place is pretty busy. They have a lot of choices to order from. I ended up ordering the Laksa and my husband ordered the wonton noodle soup. Both our soup was kind bland. There is really not a lot of flavor on the noodle soup that we ordered. I was definitely disappointed. I don't think I'll be coming back here.
(2)Bert M.
The Number One Noodle House is a diamond in the rough. If you are thinking about going out to eat in Newton Centre, I urge you to avoid the hoity-toity restaurants where it costs $80 to get a meal for two. Instead, go to the Number One Noodle House, where you'll get a steaming plate if noodles or a bowl of soup for a very reasonable price. Don't be fooled by the low prices; the food here is excellent and the staff are extremely nice and helpful. They actually know the items on their menu and will answer any questions you have about their food. I urge you to avoid places like Sweet Tomatoes and Union Street and go to Número Uno Casa de Noodles ( as the kids are calling it these days) where you will get quality Chinese food for a great price!
(5)Bob C.
Looked at yelp for Chinese noodle soup to eat and not to pricey I hope. Found this place, cost me $10 and change. Not too many selection of noodle soup. So I ordered the duck wonton noodle soup and bottle of soda. The place is pretty clean for a Chinese restaurant and I'm happy with that. Came out super hot and the broth was excellent. Also had the noodles and vega that I was looking for to eat. It's super awesome noodle soup for the price. I highly recommend this place for the inexpensive great tasting soup. Ouch tongue still burn for the hot broth!
(5)matt f.
I've been coming here pretty much once a week for the past two years and almost always get the same thing - the chicken laksa soup with extra bok choy - I throw in a generous portion of the chili garlic sauce and "voila" instant comfort and satisfaction every time - the price is right, the portions are more than generous and the people that work here are wonderful - I've had dishes here that were okay but if I stick with what I know is good then I'm never disappointed
(4)Luke T.
OK.. The No1 Noodle house is not exactly Numero UNO. It far from being the best noodle house ever... Cheap on ingredients. Food prepared with too many preprocessed items from the can The place is located in a nice area with plenty of quaint and unique stores. This noodle house seems out of place. I am hoping they will improve the interior and make it more trendy. I ordered the Laksa. It was pretty close to the real thing from Malaysia. The broth is coconut milk based and tastes like a soupy curry. Served with vermicelli , fried tofu, shrimp. What it lacked was,crunchy bean sprouts, fish cake, sambal sauce and half a boiled egg. If they had all the right ingredients, i think it would have been an A++ experience. Too bad they cheaped out. Anyway, we also ordered the roast duck and it was greasy and refried. I think they take the duck and throw in hot oil again to brown the skin. The lemon chicken was actually not too bad. It was smothered in some clear lemony sauce from a can. Really.. how hard can it be to make a lemon sauce...
(3)Rachel J.
I've eaten here several times, both in the store and delivery. All of their dishes are very cheap and they are big servings. I would highly recommend their roasted duck wonton noodle soup, which is a huge portion and will definitely leave you full for only 7 dollars. Another great dish is their pork and preserved duck egg congee. I've never had it in store, but every time I get it delivered, they give me a huge container of the stuff. The congee itself is big enough for me to have for lunch and dinner, for only 5 bucks! Not too salty and comes with big chunks of savory pork and eggs. Also, I have to say, their service is pretty great for a takeout restaurant. The servers at other Chinese/Asian place in Newton Center have poor manners generally. The deliveryman from No. 1 Noodle House is really nice, doesn't push you for tips (the delivery guy from Jumbo Seafood literally did this to me) and waited for me patiently when I was grabbing change. Overall, it's really the best Asian takeout place around Newton Center. Cheap and delicious food with the best overall service.
(4)Arthur K.
i have tasted beta food..
(3)TinyYogini P.
Tom ka gai: saltiest, watery soup I've ever had. It's supposed to have a coconut milk base. Where that went is anyone's guess. I couldn't taste any lemon grass or lime. All I could taste was salt and chili oil. Gross. Fried tofu: greasy and bland. The only thing that gave it any flavor was the salty soy dipping sauce. Tea: tasted like tea. Hard to mess that up, thank goodness. Worst $12 I've ever spent. After reading other reviews, I'm sure there are some dishes that might be good. But as for me, I will never be back.
(1)Catherine W.
Glad to find a HK style fried rice/noodle/congee lunch place in Newton Center. Good menu variety and prices, but overall I'm giving this place 3 stars for smaller portions and a little heavy on MSG for some dishes. Food quality and taste is about 3.5 stars. We had some food coma side effects! Sampled a variety of dishes including Won Ton Noodle Soup (including one with brisket - not that many pieces). Beef Chow Fun, Pork Ribs in Plum Sauce with rice, Hokkien Noodles, and XO Sauce Shanghai Noodles. We liked the Hokkien noodles the best, which was basically like Lo Mein with a little bit of everything. They speak Cantonese and are very friendly. Won Ton Noodles were less than $6; the other dishes were $6-7.
(3)S C.
Delicious noodle soup! The shrimp and wonton with satay is my go to, I get it every time and they make if perfect every time! The bomb diggity! Their service is also super fast. Very consistent. The only gripe I have is that the wontons could be improved. But for $7.50, you get what you pay for.
(5)Dan B.
I have stopped by this place many times, mostly for the convenience and the decent food. While its not the absolute best Chinese food I've ever eaten, it's good enough for the price. I especially love how happy and friendly the woman who takes the orders is, and she always greets regular customers by name. I usually get the shrimp laksa soup and Singapore noodles (**the soup is SPICY) and I've always been satisfied :) definitely give this place a go if you're in the area!
(4)Ryan K.
Our family loves everything about this place - food, staff, bubble tea, speed of service, value. We usually split two entrees and an appetizer for our family of four. Perfect work night family dinner spot. We usually ask for no MSG. Noodles (either soup or stir fried) are delicious and not over-cooked. Chicken with broccoli or vegetables are also great. Mango slushie bubble tea is delicious.
(4)Michael S.
Good noodles but mega salty. Seriously, don't patronize this place if you have high blood pressure. The people that work here are super sweet though.
(3)Beeni M.
Surprisingly decent Chinese takeout. We actually finished both our plates. They don't pretend to be high end/authentic. So don't expect it. The dishes are a bit on the pricy side - but I guess that's normal for Newton Center. Close to $7 a plate.
(4)Natasha R.
When we lived in Newton we frequented No 1 Noodle House to satisfy our need for cheap Chinese. Their crab rangoons are phenomenal! Everything else is average. Their wonton soup is questionable though--my husband order it one night when he was sick, it was close to closing time which might be why it smelled like a dirty gas station toilet bowl (it also tasted as bad as it smelled). Other than that one time with the wonton soup (which we never ordered again) the food has always been decent. They'll even make substitutions or add things to your order, I tend to get the mongolian beef and always ask for mixed veggies to be thrown in.
(4)Courtney N.
I was starving after a late afternoon meeting at my home office, and ended up wandering around downtown Newton. Lots of selection, but I didn't feel like a sandwich and was intrigued when I saw the Noodle House. The place has plentiful seating, and a ton of noodle choices. The prices are great! It reminded me of Wagamama for selection but affordable and with minimal need for a waitress. In fact, the waitress gave us our dishes and then we could go and collect silverware, extra dishes and napkins. I liked that set up. We had to go back multiple times for more napkins! The food is great- my friend had lamb and loved it while I had the chicken noodle stir fry and it was delicious. I am definitely returning the next time I have some time to kill in Newton. Yum!
(4)Katherine F.
Ordered the fried tofu, scallion pancakes and veggie spring rolls, as well as a vegetarian stir fry. All were quite tasty and in generous portions. The best part? They have roast duck won ton noodle soup! A tasty treat that really hit the spot on a cold day.
(4)Alex k.
I'd give this place 4 stars for the great price and excellent dishes but beware if you have allergies. Twice I've gotten dishes with what I was allergic to and the most recent time I asked them to make sure. When I got home I realized they had done it again. They need to realize how dangerous this could be for certain allergies. Make sure you check your food before you leave. Next time I'm in there, manager is gonna get an earful!
(3)Ben L.
Much overdue review. When I used to work in the area, I would come here for lunch as often as three times a week. Service is great and the owners are extremely friendly and helpful. Even after being gone for months, when I do get a chance to stop by, they are all smiles! Offering such a large variety on their menu, I will admit not everything is five star worthy, though the dishes I enjoy certainly are. I would recommend the Beef Brisket Wonton Noodle Soup and the BBQ Pork Laksa.
(5)Tadas M.
Superb wonton noodle soup for 8 bucks
(4)Justin K.
OMG, just thinking about my experience there and the waft of nasty fish smell when you walk in, yuck... I think i vomited a little in the back of my throat. I remember years back, i had a kick ass noodle soup from here. On my recent trip, we tried to avoid the nasty boiling fish head smell that nearly suffocated us when we tried to order take out. To put it mildly, everything was bland, boring, and not good. Peking ravioli, boring, sauce boring. Our noodle soup tasted like a fish died in it. I usually like fish...Usually.
(1)J. C.
This place was so bad, and I am so sad about it because I wanted to love it. I just moved the area and was hoping this would be a go to, but unfortunately I do not think I will be back. I am a vegetarian so I ordered the vegetarian noodle soup and an order of vege egg rolls to go. When I got home, I opened the soup - and it smelled like seafood, it was so over powering I couldn't eat. The egg rolls were bland at best.
(2)Ali C V.
I haven't been to all the Chinese restaurants in the Boston area so I can't say Noodle House 1 is the best. I can, however, tell you I like it enough not to bother checking out any other when all I want is take-out. The food is fantastic, fresh, and inexpensive. To bring up their decor in a review is ridiculous. This is basically a take-out place with tables as a convenience to customers. They're not trying to be fancy, they're trying to be tasty. I love their chicken laksa and their stir-fried rice noodles with beef. All their servings are huge so you can take home what you can't finish to enjoy again later. Absolutely yummy!!! My gastronomically picky friends agree ;)
(4)Young P.
This place is the bomb. This place offers some decent Chinese food, but what make this place so amazing is their wonton noodle soup. That's right. I repeat. WONTON NOODLE SOUP. The price is not bad at all and they give you a lot of food. Now make sure to order the original first before following my advice now. Once you taste the original soup and noodle, then you can be creative and add on other stuff on top of this. What I usually do is ask for roasted duck in my soup. The duck here is the bomb. So soft and juicy and hmmm. It melts in your mouth son. Now on top of that, add some hot sauce and oh my goodness. You got yourself some fine meal right there. I would recommend other dishes too but i definitely suggest the wonton noodle soup above everything else.
(4)Jasmine M.
Authentic? No. But if you want cheap, greasy Chinese food, sure. I'm Chinese, and I've tried every kind of Chinese food, and this place kind of scarred me. I went home and my head was POUNDING and I fell asleep within 15 minutes. Don't know about the rest of you, but when that happens to me, that means there's too much MSG. And I'm not saying MSG is bad, people always think that. It's actually good for the taste...when used in moderation. I won't say I'm never coming back to this place, because you can get cheap food here; however, it won't be one of my top choices...
(2)Jenny Y.
SO SALTY. The soups get saltier and saltier as you get closer to the bottom. Do not dig. At all. Lo mein's decent, but there's something a little off in my opinion about it. For the lack of a better word, it tastes a little... fake? Perhaps bland is a better word-- Noodle House is authentic; I order in Chinese all the time. yay for quick, cheap eats and big portions but it's really nothing spectacular. They do claim to be MSG free, which is a plus. You can eat in- small tables with horrible lighting. There are worse holes in the walls to eat in, but why eat in when you can picnic on the grass?
(2)Gina H.
pretty good Asian Cuisine! I live close to the noodle house and was curious as to what it was like so I walked down with my daughter and boyfriend and went inside. I dont give it too many points for looks or cleanliness (I recommend take-out), but the food was delicious! I got the crispy lemon chicken and a side of sauteed noodles- mmmm....mmmmm... GOOD! good size portions so ill have left overs for lunch tomorrow :)
(3)Eric B.
There are no soup Nazis here, just nice people serving many types of big-bowl soups and various other Asian style dishes. The main draw is noodle soups of many colors and flavors and other small plates like spring rolls, home style fried rice, pad thai, General Gao's chicken, steamed chicken and broccoli, etc. People come here for the soups, though, which are served in large toureens and at lunch the sound of slurping can be quite overpowering My favorite is chicken based noodle soup with won ton, and the various varieties of chicken, duck, fish and corn soups are delightful and great for a light, quick, lunch or dinner. The servers and owners are very nice, bring the food to your table, where you join others in the choir jouyfully slurping away the lunch or dinner hour. Not fancy, just good soup and other food, cooked to order and in a very accessible location. One note: No Udon noodles here, they prefer the lighter, thinner, soba noodles.
(4)Wendy L.
Ugh, man this place sucks. That is all....Just make the 10 minute more drive to Brookline, or Boston. Please I beg you!!! You can do it!!
(1)Celeste M.
I'm not really sure what to rate No 1 Noodle House. My guy wanted to take me there because I love noodles. The only thing was that the noodles were not thick awesome ones (like udon) that I expected. Instead the stir-fried noodles were those square-shaped yellow noodles that were thin, but soft. I got a combination stir-fried platter, which meant that it had all sorts of meat (chicken, beef, pork, and seafood). It was okay. I want to say that I didn't like it, but I did eat most of it. I think the reason it didn't sit well with me was because I woke up late and it was the first thing I ate that day. My bf ate a whole thing of some spicy shrimp soup with wontons and was even slurping the leftover soup. So, I'd agree that it is solid, inexpensive food. It didn't blow me away, though, and I'm not sure I'll go out of my way to go back. I wanted it to be like some crazy awesome noodle place like I went to in Madison, WI once. Or how I imagine Wagamama to be (I haven't tried it yet) but it wasn't really the noodle heaven I'd dreamt about.
(3)Amanda O.
We got take-out from here for the first time, and based on our experience, I would not try it again. Maybe we got the wrong items because the reviews seemed pretty good... Our two entrees were bland and greasy. We got an order of crab rangoons, and there was barely any filling. They were pretty much just fried wonton wrappers.
(1)S K.
Great food, taste and clean
(5)Vivz C.
With such an extensive menu, there's no way you could leave hungry. Being the picky eater that I am, I can count all the different dishes I've tried in my many trips on 1 hand. Spring rolls, stir fried rice noodles w/beef, pan fried dumpings, and chicken & pineapple fried rice. The flavor full, the servings big, the prices right. Come winter, I will probably be expanding my horizons and trying some of the noodle soups that I have heard so much about from coworkers. Limited seating in the dining area, but there's a great counter table with a window where you can sit on stools and watch the chefs make your meal. The woks, the food, the flames. It sure puts on a great and entertaining show! And customer service is always with a smile. Could you ask for a better eating experience?
(4)Len G.
Good inexpensive somewhat authentic Chinese food prepared quickly and in front of you using large Woks over high heat. Don't be fooled when you walk and see tacky pictures of their dishes. The place is fairly small and the decor is nonexistent aside from the pictures of the food.. I would recommend to order take out or delivery. You will not like all of their dishes, for those of you that gave negative reviews about this place you probably haven't tried enough of their better dishes.. I've been going there over the last 7 years or so and I've enjoyed most of their dishes but not all. Here are some of the favorites - Lemon chicken. Honey chicken with rice. Beef with Chinese broccoli. House vegetable special. Most of their Laksas.. Stay away from their Pad Thai which had an unpleasant fishy taste.
(3)Danny F.
Meh. I mean it's fine for takeout, but it's not a destination spot for sure. The wontons and brisket were delicious, and so was the green beans in garlic sauce, but the start attraction of the restaurant was disappointing. Both noodles and broth were nothing special. Kind of bland and watered-down to be honest, with a dollop and a half of MSG. I have absolutely nothing against MSG, but I also don't want it to be all I can taste. I am no cook myself, but even I can concoct a better tasting broth naturally. Fail.
(3)Retro G.
This review is for the egg drop soup. We love egg drop soup but it always tastes like it's been sitting in a giant vat on the stove at some restaurants (with periodic added salt/MSG as the day goes on). I ran in before close to get my son some egg drop: the chef made it to order right in front of me. I was thrilled, it was fresh and it was very cool to watch it made in a skillet, no less.
(4)Kevin B.
I looooove Chinese food. For me, most hole-in-the-wall Chinese places would get 3 stars. They usually taste pretty good, but are a little too greasy and the non-food factors are usually not so great. I was disappointed, therefore, to find no redeeming qualities about the No. 1 Noodle House. Well, that's not quite true; parking is relatively easy in the giant metered parking lot in Newton Centre. I went there for lunch with a co-worker. I'm generally worried about any place that has lit-up photos of the dishes I had soup noodles with roast pork. The soup tasted like salt water with no flavor, and the roast pork was stringy with no flavor. The decor inside in predictably bad, but I'd rather they focus on the food than the decor, so I don't care so much about how the place looks. It's possible I just caught them on a bad day; if I go back and have a more positive experience, I'll be sure to update this review.
(1)Jeremy K.
I like this place, I like it a lot. First off the bat, it's really really cheap. So that's a very pleasant thing, especially considering that other places around it will charge extra in most cases because it's Newton. This place serves up all kinds of Asian soups and bowls. They have a huge, impressive selection of almost 100 different kinds of varieties. The kitchen is exposed and you can see them prepare the various types of noodles and ingredients before dunking them into the broth in the big bowl. As far as the setting goes, it's decent and clean which is all I ask for. They have a few newspapers you can read too which is always a plus. If you live in the area... I don't... you can always do take-out if you don't want to eat on the spot but I did and had nothing wrong to say against it. Their wantons are delicious by the way... Big.. light, tasty... Mhmm just thinking about them makes me drool. As far as service goes, they are pretty quick and very nice although their English is barely sufficient... Yeah so if you want quick, cheap and reliable, go there.
(4)Hieu N.
This review will be similar to my gourmet dumpling house one. If you feel like you are about to cry your eyes out, the end of days is next monday, or need a reassurance that tomorrow will be a brand new day, Noodle House is the house of the soupy savior. Nothing saves my soul more than a wonton noodle soup and a roasted duck soup for my brother. Theres just something about the freshness and quality of the wontons that just gets me. They dwell in a light savory broth and noodles that are NEVER overcooked. The same goes for my brother and the rice noodles in his bowl, and rice noodles can get mushy easily trust me. These guys dont tend to f@ck up often...never in my three years. Its a pretty average place. Kept clean and the menu is pretty much all noodle. Dont bother with the rice dishes, the only thing we like is the noodles- particularly the noodle soups. Price is average, 6 for a bowl of wonton and 7 I believe for the roast duck. Prices dont tend to.deviate all that far from that. Dont trust the prices shown. They're useless. their soup is better than gold, get it
(4)Katelan Y.
I used to live in Newton and this was a great place for convenient and quick not-american chinese food. Recommendations- Wonton noodle soup with BBQ pork or duck, dry fried beef rice noodle or beef in black pepper sauce with rice. The place is small so you can eat there with maybe 1 or 2 friends but otherwise it is best to get take out. Not the best looking interior but the food is good with great prices! I agree with David S in the review below.. try it! :)
(4)Jeannie H.
I'm Chinese and I find this place acceptable. Okay, so it's not "No 1" but the food is tolerable in a pinch. As you can see, I'm not expecting authentic or refined Chinese food in the suburbs. Heck, I'm not expecting to find it in the city of Boston. Nonetheless, this place isn't pretending to be anything other than a fast food joint. Their wonton noodle soup is okay. It's a little salty but the texture of the noodles and won ton is right. I haven't tried any of their fried noodle dishes because I've seen it on the tables of other patrons and they appear horribly grease laden. If only they made fast food like the streets of Hong Kong.
(2)Daniel F.
This is an absolutely wonderful little known asian restaurant in Newton Centre. Unlike everything else in the area, getting a meal here won't break the bank, and the food is absolutely delicious. You can basically get anything you want. Any type of meat, seafood, or tofu, with whatever sauce and veggies combo. Everything I've ever had there was delicious. I tended to go for spicy beef with onions and some other veggies (don't remember the actual dish name) and my friend would always get a MASSIVE soup. We left happy and satisfied every single time. My only minimal gripe with this place is that they use styrofoam. I've told them a couple times that they should stop using it, but they never seem to understand what I'm saying or why. Oh, well, I still highly recommend it!
(5)Simon D.
Consistent and reasonable. Best fried rice in newton, good quality and fantastic staff.
(5)B.K. D.
Friend was feeling under-the-weather so we chose this place for the soup and noodles. They delivered the wrong dish for her while my General Tso was a little soggier than one might expect. The Chicken Satay Appetizer was awful. It appeared to be fried, dry and very overcooked. If it weren't for the tasty noodles from the wrong order I'd say we wouldn't get food from here again.
(2)Christopher S.
My reviews is based on three visits I've had at No. 1 Noodle in the last few months. Each visit had a degree of satisfaction but also contained disappointment. This place is located directly next to Sweet Tomatoes Pizza at Newton Center's busy intersection of Beacon Street and Langley Road. It's a small restaurant with about 6 to 7 tables. Most people I think come here to take the food home but the ones who stay usually are young couples or small families of four. The menu of options are posted on the wall in various squares listing order number, name and picture. I could tell almost immediately I've seen similar signs in other Chinese/Japanese restaurants throughout Boston. Take your time studying the menu and I would suggest if this is your first time get only one bowl of soup because they are enough for two people. After ordering you can gather napkins, soy sauce, chopsticks, forks, knifes and little packets of duck sauce then make your way to the table. Service is very quick and ALWAYS delievered with a friendly smile. I'm not sure why but when I think of Chinese/Japanese noodles I think of Italian spagetti/Lo Mein style in a soup broth. I will admit there are times I keep forgetting the differences in Chinese/Japanese cuisine and blame my own ignorance. Here the noodles are sized somewhere between angel hair and spagetti pasta which comes swimming in a hot, steaming bowl of plain broth. You won't hear customers slupping their noodles like traditionally seen on the Travel Channel but quietly shoveling them into their mouths. It takes a degee of talent to master eating soup noodles with chopsticks; so, if you don't want to look foolish make sure you can catch a fly before coming here. Haha, only kidding! The first time I came here I had the noodle soup with duck. It was good, a bit too much, and I found the duck to be more bone knuckle and fatty than meaty. I didn't enjoy having to chew through flappy skin to get to the tasty dark meat. In addition to the noodles I ordered a side of lemon chicken which was battered chicken, overly deep fried and covered in a sauce that resemled duck sauce. The appetizer was especially good but I felt I was eating more fried batter than chicken. On my other visits I had the basic Wonton noodles with BBQ Pork Strips which were so bland they had to be kicked up with soy sauce and duck sauce. They looked better on the menu picture. In my opinion this place is about 2.5 to 3 stars. At first it had great appeal but in recent visits it's quickly fallen. It's a real shame because everyone who works there is so friendly. After dinner I wish I had gone with pizza next door.
(3)Jim S.
A co-worker of mine has raved about this place for quite a while, and today he got me to go along with him for lunch. The raving was well-founded. The laksa was magnificent! Great spicy broth with noodles done perfectly, loaded with seafood of various kinds, roast pork, tofu... I had one bowl, and iced tea, for under $10, and it was just the right amount for a big eater like myself. Others with lesser appetites will probably have leftovers. The staff, as has been noted here by most everyone else, is very friendly and efficient. The place itself is downright plain, but it is super clean. I expect to be going here again soon, and often.
(5)D M.
I am torn between three and four stars, as this place is right in between-I'll go three to be on the safe side. We here at work have ordered from here three different times for delivery and it's always fast and super hot which is how you want your soups or various dishes to be. The soups are pretty huge, but there are some smaller ones on the menu I believe. I am a fan of the Szechuan spicy noodle soup, which has delightfully spicy broth and a container of moist chicken, small shrimp, udon noodles and bean sprouts to add to it. I am glad they do it that way so it doesn't get mushy and also because you can easily have leftovers to save. It's a bargain at about $7. The other things I've ordered from here is the curry veggies with tofu and brown rice, and it was really good-very healthy and satisfying for lunch. I've also had some appetizers from here one of the times we ordered and the crab rangoons are very solid and very crab-filled, but the fresh spring rolls were wrapped too loosely and the basil wasn't super fresh looking. Also, they were dry in a not so yummy way. The prices are pretty cheap, and the fact they deliver is awesome. The menu is pretty good sized, and the only downside of it is that often times it just says "vegetable house special" or "grandma's tofu" and you have to ask-some descriptions would be helpful, but they folks on the phone are always nice when I ask about the dishes. We'll keep ordering when we're in the mood for good soups, noodle or rice dishes.
(3)Andrea C.
Went here on a Sat for a late lunch/early dinner. They were just picking up for the dinner rush. It's a super cheap place. $7 and change for an order of Pad Thai that could easily feed 2 people. The noodles were a little dry. Overall it was ok. Don't think this will be my go-to place in Newton Center for Pad Thai, but will def will try them again.
(3)Alexander H.
Great noodle soups in huge portions for about $7. Can't speak for the other food, but if you stick to the noodle and laksa soups you can't go wrong.
(5)Brett P.
Just what I was looking for in fast Chinese food. I had the hot and sour soup which had fresh mushrooms and great flavor. The portion was huge and was very satisfying
(4)Aboud Y.
I love Asian noodle soups...and this place delivers the goods. Nothing spectacular but tasty nonetheless.
(3)Phil B.
Hot and sour soup smelled so bad. Had to throw it out right away. Only made it through a few bites of Singapore noodles before tossing those too. Never going back. Pay up for Golden Temple.
(1)Josie L.
This place serves OK Chinese food with OK price. I had Wonton Noodle Soup and spring roll. Noodle was made perfectly. It was al dente. Wonton was pretty decent. They use small shrimp but wonton was flavorful. The stock was decent. I wasn't thirsty for water after lunch which is a PLUS. Spring roll was decent. It tasted fresh. I like the fact that it was nice and hot. Usually fast food places like these don't serve fresh food. The people who served me are nice. Perhaps, it was because the place wasn't busy. I did go there around 3p. I didn't expect much out of the restaurant. I was just surprised that I got decent food. The food wasn't memorable but didn't leave bad impression.
(3)Catherine L.
i would actually give it a 3.5 for friendliness. the portions are small for the price and the fried noodles are oily. they give too much soup and not enough noodles. the overall food tastes okay and the place is clean.
(3)Paul S.
A Great Place for Value, Large Menu, Solid Food. My Picks: Honey Chicken with Rice
(4)pete k.
I love No. 1 Noodle House. Their menu is extensive, and prices are very cheap. Its best to get the soups - as you'll notice the gigantic cauldron's of boiling broth by the entrance (pretty cool!). When I have a cold, this is almost always the place to go - something about their soups really make you feel better. They have pretty good veggie spring rolls, too. Nothing is overly heavy or greasy like most takeout places. The hostess/cashiers are always very friendly, and service is quite fast. While no meal here is worth gushing over, nothing is bad, per se, especially considering the price.
(4)Joe K.
Noodles- Quick, Hot and Tasty Come for the soup! Stay for the noodles! ...er... Anyway, #1 dishes out big portions of made-to-order, hot, authentic noodle dishes, and other reliably good offerings with tasty sauces. Perfect for take-out. Fine to sit down, basic not fancy.
(4)G K.
good food , good flavor and a good amount for the price.
(4)Alex W.
Ordering is easy, and delivery is prompt. The noodle soups are delicious. They deliver the broth in a separate container from the noodles, so if you want to save some for leftovers, the noodles don't end up all soft and disgusting. The General Gao's chicken is deplorable. The deep-fried coating is so soggy that it falls right off of the chicken. Almost inedible.
(3)wonder m.
Great noodles! Decor lacking but the noodles can't be beat! We tried both the pan fried ones and wonton noodle soup. Portion is larger than I expected.
(4)Glen S.
Pretty good place to get decently-priced Asian fare in Newton without the frills. I used to live in the Newton Ctr. area and I found this place had very quick service and the food was prepared very well. Good luck finding your selection on the picture menu on the wall. Grab one of the take-out menus and decide from there. It's also pretty cool to check out the cooks preparing your meal since you have a view into the kitchen. Remember, however, that this is strictly a good take-out place. I highly recommend the crispy pad thai!
(3)Sue K.
for some reason i always assumed this place was a ramen/udon soup noodle place...but they serve both basic takeout chinese plus a nice variety of stir fry and soup noodle dishes. they have an open kitchen and the food comes out fast and fresh. it's good but nothing spectacular...really, it's just nice having the option in the area- so the fact that it doesn't suck is an added bonus. prices are low and the portions are huge. they will split one order into two takeout containers so my co-worker and i can enjoy an extra cheap portion controlled lunch. i'm going to venture to say that most asian takeout places would bitch about splitting an order- so friendly service earns them four stars from me.
(4)Gus H.
This is a very nice place. I go here very often with my wife (who is Chinese, and picky about broth). We are always greeted nicely by the cashier who generally remembers what we like. It's not a fancy place... it's a noodle house where you can go get soups, noodles and good food for a very reasonable price.
(5)Barbara P.
I find this place to be too greasy and expensive. The staff is really friendly , but they need to improve their dishes.
(2)Emily B.
My boyfriend and I used to live just down the street from No.1, and even though we no longer live within walking distance we still order from them regularly. I was shocked to see such a low rating on Yelp!, so this is my two cents. The restaurant is nothing fancy, but a nice small, quiet place for a simple meal. The food is great; good size portions, extensive menu, and a fantastic deal for the price. My favorite menu item is absolutely the Laksa; I have never seen it in any other restaurant but if you like spicy food and coconut it's pretty much the most amazing soup ever, and the serving size is almost more than I can finish in one sitting. The staff is also quite friendly, especially to regulars. Definitely one of my favorite spots in the Newton/Brighton area.
(5)Chloe S.
This was our first time here and I am giving it 4 stars based upon what I expect for fast cheap tasty food with no atmosphere. The woman who greeted us was very nice, helpful and patient. We got the stir fry beef with cashews and broccoli and the shrimp lo mein. I loved the first, the second was fine for what it was - quick, hot and pretty good although I wouldn't qrite home avout it. We would go back anytime in the area. If you are looking for ambience or a gourmet meal then this will not make you happy.
(4)Alexa D.
It's Friday so I figured I'd be ridiculously generous today and give this place an average rating. So this week, I was really tired to blowing tons of money on nice eateries and opted instead for what my friend refers to as "cheap and cheerful". This place isn't nice on the inside so takeout is definitely the way to go here otherwise you'll curse me later. This place is really cheap. An average dinner is $6.80 and the portion is sizeable enough. Grandma's Tofu is my favorite here because I love me some spicy dishes. Their soups are pretty good too. I guess they get a good deal on onions because they fill every dish up with them so onion haters beware. I wouldn't recommend this as a evening out with the sweetheart, but if you're sick in need of comforting noodle soup or you are just plain broke and don't want heart palpitations from fast food, then this is a fine place in Newton Centre.
(3)Dee H.
One of my favorite places for take out when I'm in the area. I really want to give 3.5 stars, so I rounded up. Good cheap eats and the portions are plentiful. Ordering is simple, just look at all the pictures of each dish up on the wall, and point. (Actually, you give the person taking your order the number associated with the dish you want.) I have the take out menu in my car, so I call ahead when I'm 20 minutes away, park my car (the trickiest part), walk in to pay, and take home a good meal.
(4)Eli G.
not sure how they survive within the competitive Newton Centre market. food is pretty bland, the service is OK. I guess they mostly focus on takeout. Jumbo Seafood across the city parking lot is much better, IMHO.
(2)Audrey S.
it really wasnt that great. i've seen tons of raving reviews but i cant say i agree at all. some of the worst chinese i've ever had. the noodles werent even cooked all the way the first time i went there. then we got delivery and the crab rangoons (typically a favorite of mine) was awful. id only order from here again if it was the only place open. and even then i'd probably rather not eat.
(2)susu c.
A friend and I ordered delivery here last weekend. Let me just say I ordered the Pad Thai (yeah i know most generic dish), so I'm judging the place on that. It was gross, basically tasted like flavorless boiled noodles with some crushed peanuts sprinkled on top. Also the shrimp they used was like mini-size canned shrimp. Worst Pad Thai in Boston I've had yet, and I've tried lots of places. And my friend didn't like his food either, some sort of chicken stir-fry dish. Can't attest for the other menu items.
(2)Juggy W.
If you like southeast Asian noodle soups (malaysian, singaporean), this is the place for you! They have many varieties of laksa and noodle soups... like beef stew, vegetarian, fish balls, wonton... etc. They also have traditional cantonese dishes like salt n' pepper pork chop, jingdu (sweet n' sour) pork, and singapore rice noodles (w/ yellow curry powder). Price is on the low side: $7 - $9 per person.
(4)Suzy E.
Ok, I'll admit I always get the same thing. The laksa here rocks! I've searched high and low in the Boston area for good laksa and will make a pilgramage here at least once a month to partake. Very friendly staff.
(4)Lizzy M.
They have Malaysian, Thai, and Chinese cuisines. The food is pretty cheap but it is ridiculoutly bland. GOOD FOR: soup- you make it a la carte, putting in whatever you want. yay!
(3)Holly M.
The Lemon Chicken here is great. The cafe is nothing really to speak of, but the employees are nice. Its reasonable for Newton Centre.
(3)Smeggie P.
Super Friendly Staff. Yummy Soup(Shrimp Wonton Noodle or Beef Rice Noodle are two I have tried). Great Location and the price is right for the quality and quantity of food.
(4)Danielle N.
Reasonable prices, good portions and reliable food. Nothing absolutely stellar but I haven't been disappointed yet. I always get the shredded duck stir fried rice noodles which is the best thing I've had there. Scallion pancakes and wonton soup are also good. Ordered all 3 tonight delivered for under $20. I've always had delivery so I can't speak for the the dine-in aspect. Not as quick as some places but definitely not slow either (tonight was 45min from call to door).
(5)Emily H.
This Chinese food is actually really good for being a hole-in-the-wall kind of place. The first time I ate there I almost had to leave from the immediate smell that the restaurant had.... not so good. But the servings are very large and the food is very tasty. The prices are also very reasonable. The waitstaff however, is not very good at all. Of course, there is a slight language barrier but there is usually a waitress that bring out the food but she always seems to be very lost and doesn't know where to go or what to do. But I believe the great prices and tasty food makes this place a good restaurant.
(3)Julia M.
my drunken noodle definitely had pad thai sauce on it, and their veggie dumplings are a little...well, weird. its a good value, but just not that great...i wanted it to be better.
(3)Sarah C.
My fiance and I tried this place for the first time tonight, and I was instantaneously sick after eating. My fiance is not feeling much better. I hate to give any place a bad review, but, we will not be eating here again.
(1)Rico B.
One of my favorite cheap eats places. Especially when its cold outside. Nothing beats the cold like a some noodle soup and still have money in the wallet to warm your buttocks.
(4)Natasha R.
When we lived in Newton we frequented No 1 Noodle House to satisfy our need for cheap Chinese. Their crab rangoons are phenomenal! Everything else is average. Their wonton soup is questionable though--my husband order it one night when he was sick, it was close to closing time which might be why it smelled like a dirty gas station toilet bowl (it also tasted as bad as it smelled). Other than that one time with the wonton soup (which we never ordered again) the food has always been decent. They'll even make substitutions or add things to your order, I tend to get the mongolian beef and always ask for mixed veggies to be thrown in.
(4)Courtney N.
I was starving after a late afternoon meeting at my home office, and ended up wandering around downtown Newton. Lots of selection, but I didn't feel like a sandwich and was intrigued when I saw the Noodle House. The place has plentiful seating, and a ton of noodle choices. The prices are great! It reminded me of Wagamama for selection but affordable and with minimal need for a waitress. In fact, the waitress gave us our dishes and then we could go and collect silverware, extra dishes and napkins. I liked that set up. We had to go back multiple times for more napkins! The food is great- my friend had lamb and loved it while I had the chicken noodle stir fry and it was delicious. I am definitely returning the next time I have some time to kill in Newton. Yum!
(4)Katherine F.
Ordered the fried tofu, scallion pancakes and veggie spring rolls, as well as a vegetarian stir fry. All were quite tasty and in generous portions. The best part? They have roast duck won ton noodle soup! A tasty treat that really hit the spot on a cold day.
(4)Alex k.
I'd give this place 4 stars for the great price and excellent dishes but beware if you have allergies. Twice I've gotten dishes with what I was allergic to and the most recent time I asked them to make sure. When I got home I realized they had done it again. They need to realize how dangerous this could be for certain allergies. Make sure you check your food before you leave. Next time I'm in there, manager is gonna get an earful!
(3)Ben L.
Much overdue review. When I used to work in the area, I would come here for lunch as often as three times a week. Service is great and the owners are extremely friendly and helpful. Even after being gone for months, when I do get a chance to stop by, they are all smiles! Offering such a large variety on their menu, I will admit not everything is five star worthy, though the dishes I enjoy certainly are. I would recommend the Beef Brisket Wonton Noodle Soup and the BBQ Pork Laksa.
(5)Tadas M.
Superb wonton noodle soup for 8 bucks
(4)Justin K.
OMG, just thinking about my experience there and the waft of nasty fish smell when you walk in, yuck... I think i vomited a little in the back of my throat. I remember years back, i had a kick ass noodle soup from here. On my recent trip, we tried to avoid the nasty boiling fish head smell that nearly suffocated us when we tried to order take out. To put it mildly, everything was bland, boring, and not good. Peking ravioli, boring, sauce boring. Our noodle soup tasted like a fish died in it. I usually like fish...Usually.
(1)Ali C V.
I haven't been to all the Chinese restaurants in the Boston area so I can't say Noodle House 1 is the best. I can, however, tell you I like it enough not to bother checking out any other when all I want is take-out. The food is fantastic, fresh, and inexpensive. To bring up their decor in a review is ridiculous. This is basically a take-out place with tables as a convenience to customers. They're not trying to be fancy, they're trying to be tasty. I love their chicken laksa and their stir-fried rice noodles with beef. All their servings are huge so you can take home what you can't finish to enjoy again later. Absolutely yummy!!! My gastronomically picky friends agree ;)
(4)J. C.
This place was so bad, and I am so sad about it because I wanted to love it. I just moved the area and was hoping this would be a go to, but unfortunately I do not think I will be back. I am a vegetarian so I ordered the vegetarian noodle soup and an order of vege egg rolls to go. When I got home, I opened the soup - and it smelled like seafood, it was so over powering I couldn't eat. The egg rolls were bland at best.
(2)Young P.
This place is the bomb. This place offers some decent Chinese food, but what make this place so amazing is their wonton noodle soup. That's right. I repeat. WONTON NOODLE SOUP. The price is not bad at all and they give you a lot of food. Now make sure to order the original first before following my advice now. Once you taste the original soup and noodle, then you can be creative and add on other stuff on top of this. What I usually do is ask for roasted duck in my soup. The duck here is the bomb. So soft and juicy and hmmm. It melts in your mouth son. Now on top of that, add some hot sauce and oh my goodness. You got yourself some fine meal right there. I would recommend other dishes too but i definitely suggest the wonton noodle soup above everything else.
(4)Jasmine M.
Authentic? No. But if you want cheap, greasy Chinese food, sure. I'm Chinese, and I've tried every kind of Chinese food, and this place kind of scarred me. I went home and my head was POUNDING and I fell asleep within 15 minutes. Don't know about the rest of you, but when that happens to me, that means there's too much MSG. And I'm not saying MSG is bad, people always think that. It's actually good for the taste...when used in moderation. I won't say I'm never coming back to this place, because you can get cheap food here; however, it won't be one of my top choices...
(2)Jenny Y.
SO SALTY. The soups get saltier and saltier as you get closer to the bottom. Do not dig. At all. Lo mein's decent, but there's something a little off in my opinion about it. For the lack of a better word, it tastes a little... fake? Perhaps bland is a better word-- Noodle House is authentic; I order in Chinese all the time. yay for quick, cheap eats and big portions but it's really nothing spectacular. They do claim to be MSG free, which is a plus. You can eat in- small tables with horrible lighting. There are worse holes in the walls to eat in, but why eat in when you can picnic on the grass?
(2)S K.
Great food, taste and clean
(5)Gina H.
pretty good Asian Cuisine! I live close to the noodle house and was curious as to what it was like so I walked down with my daughter and boyfriend and went inside. I dont give it too many points for looks or cleanliness (I recommend take-out), but the food was delicious! I got the crispy lemon chicken and a side of sauteed noodles- mmmm....mmmmm... GOOD! good size portions so ill have left overs for lunch tomorrow :)
(3)Eric B.
There are no soup Nazis here, just nice people serving many types of big-bowl soups and various other Asian style dishes. The main draw is noodle soups of many colors and flavors and other small plates like spring rolls, home style fried rice, pad thai, General Gao's chicken, steamed chicken and broccoli, etc. People come here for the soups, though, which are served in large toureens and at lunch the sound of slurping can be quite overpowering My favorite is chicken based noodle soup with won ton, and the various varieties of chicken, duck, fish and corn soups are delightful and great for a light, quick, lunch or dinner. The servers and owners are very nice, bring the food to your table, where you join others in the choir jouyfully slurping away the lunch or dinner hour. Not fancy, just good soup and other food, cooked to order and in a very accessible location. One note: No Udon noodles here, they prefer the lighter, thinner, soba noodles.
(4)Wendy L.
Ugh, man this place sucks. That is all....Just make the 10 minute more drive to Brookline, or Boston. Please I beg you!!! You can do it!!
(1)Celeste M.
I'm not really sure what to rate No 1 Noodle House. My guy wanted to take me there because I love noodles. The only thing was that the noodles were not thick awesome ones (like udon) that I expected. Instead the stir-fried noodles were those square-shaped yellow noodles that were thin, but soft. I got a combination stir-fried platter, which meant that it had all sorts of meat (chicken, beef, pork, and seafood). It was okay. I want to say that I didn't like it, but I did eat most of it. I think the reason it didn't sit well with me was because I woke up late and it was the first thing I ate that day. My bf ate a whole thing of some spicy shrimp soup with wontons and was even slurping the leftover soup. So, I'd agree that it is solid, inexpensive food. It didn't blow me away, though, and I'm not sure I'll go out of my way to go back. I wanted it to be like some crazy awesome noodle place like I went to in Madison, WI once. Or how I imagine Wagamama to be (I haven't tried it yet) but it wasn't really the noodle heaven I'd dreamt about.
(3)Amanda O.
We got take-out from here for the first time, and based on our experience, I would not try it again. Maybe we got the wrong items because the reviews seemed pretty good... Our two entrees were bland and greasy. We got an order of crab rangoons, and there was barely any filling. They were pretty much just fried wonton wrappers.
(1)Vivz C.
With such an extensive menu, there's no way you could leave hungry. Being the picky eater that I am, I can count all the different dishes I've tried in my many trips on 1 hand. Spring rolls, stir fried rice noodles w/beef, pan fried dumpings, and chicken & pineapple fried rice. The flavor full, the servings big, the prices right. Come winter, I will probably be expanding my horizons and trying some of the noodle soups that I have heard so much about from coworkers. Limited seating in the dining area, but there's a great counter table with a window where you can sit on stools and watch the chefs make your meal. The woks, the food, the flames. It sure puts on a great and entertaining show! And customer service is always with a smile. Could you ask for a better eating experience?
(4)Len G.
Good inexpensive somewhat authentic Chinese food prepared quickly and in front of you using large Woks over high heat. Don't be fooled when you walk and see tacky pictures of their dishes. The place is fairly small and the decor is nonexistent aside from the pictures of the food.. I would recommend to order take out or delivery. You will not like all of their dishes, for those of you that gave negative reviews about this place you probably haven't tried enough of their better dishes.. I've been going there over the last 7 years or so and I've enjoyed most of their dishes but not all. Here are some of the favorites - Lemon chicken. Honey chicken with rice. Beef with Chinese broccoli. House vegetable special. Most of their Laksas.. Stay away from their Pad Thai which had an unpleasant fishy taste.
(3)Danny F.
Meh. I mean it's fine for takeout, but it's not a destination spot for sure. The wontons and brisket were delicious, and so was the green beans in garlic sauce, but the start attraction of the restaurant was disappointing. Both noodles and broth were nothing special. Kind of bland and watered-down to be honest, with a dollop and a half of MSG. I have absolutely nothing against MSG, but I also don't want it to be all I can taste. I am no cook myself, but even I can concoct a better tasting broth naturally. Fail.
(3)Retro G.
This review is for the egg drop soup. We love egg drop soup but it always tastes like it's been sitting in a giant vat on the stove at some restaurants (with periodic added salt/MSG as the day goes on). I ran in before close to get my son some egg drop: the chef made it to order right in front of me. I was thrilled, it was fresh and it was very cool to watch it made in a skillet, no less.
(4)Kevin B.
I looooove Chinese food. For me, most hole-in-the-wall Chinese places would get 3 stars. They usually taste pretty good, but are a little too greasy and the non-food factors are usually not so great. I was disappointed, therefore, to find no redeeming qualities about the No. 1 Noodle House. Well, that's not quite true; parking is relatively easy in the giant metered parking lot in Newton Centre. I went there for lunch with a co-worker. I'm generally worried about any place that has lit-up photos of the dishes I had soup noodles with roast pork. The soup tasted like salt water with no flavor, and the roast pork was stringy with no flavor. The decor inside in predictably bad, but I'd rather they focus on the food than the decor, so I don't care so much about how the place looks. It's possible I just caught them on a bad day; if I go back and have a more positive experience, I'll be sure to update this review.
(1)Jeremy K.
I like this place, I like it a lot. First off the bat, it's really really cheap. So that's a very pleasant thing, especially considering that other places around it will charge extra in most cases because it's Newton. This place serves up all kinds of Asian soups and bowls. They have a huge, impressive selection of almost 100 different kinds of varieties. The kitchen is exposed and you can see them prepare the various types of noodles and ingredients before dunking them into the broth in the big bowl. As far as the setting goes, it's decent and clean which is all I ask for. They have a few newspapers you can read too which is always a plus. If you live in the area... I don't... you can always do take-out if you don't want to eat on the spot but I did and had nothing wrong to say against it. Their wantons are delicious by the way... Big.. light, tasty... Mhmm just thinking about them makes me drool. As far as service goes, they are pretty quick and very nice although their English is barely sufficient... Yeah so if you want quick, cheap and reliable, go there.
(4)Hieu N.
This review will be similar to my gourmet dumpling house one. If you feel like you are about to cry your eyes out, the end of days is next monday, or need a reassurance that tomorrow will be a brand new day, Noodle House is the house of the soupy savior. Nothing saves my soul more than a wonton noodle soup and a roasted duck soup for my brother. Theres just something about the freshness and quality of the wontons that just gets me. They dwell in a light savory broth and noodles that are NEVER overcooked. The same goes for my brother and the rice noodles in his bowl, and rice noodles can get mushy easily trust me. These guys dont tend to f@ck up often...never in my three years. Its a pretty average place. Kept clean and the menu is pretty much all noodle. Dont bother with the rice dishes, the only thing we like is the noodles- particularly the noodle soups. Price is average, 6 for a bowl of wonton and 7 I believe for the roast duck. Prices dont tend to.deviate all that far from that. Dont trust the prices shown. They're useless. their soup is better than gold, get it
(4)Jeannie H.
I'm Chinese and I find this place acceptable. Okay, so it's not "No 1" but the food is tolerable in a pinch. As you can see, I'm not expecting authentic or refined Chinese food in the suburbs. Heck, I'm not expecting to find it in the city of Boston. Nonetheless, this place isn't pretending to be anything other than a fast food joint. Their wonton noodle soup is okay. It's a little salty but the texture of the noodles and won ton is right. I haven't tried any of their fried noodle dishes because I've seen it on the tables of other patrons and they appear horribly grease laden. If only they made fast food like the streets of Hong Kong.
(2)Katelan Y.
I used to live in Newton and this was a great place for convenient and quick not-american chinese food. Recommendations- Wonton noodle soup with BBQ pork or duck, dry fried beef rice noodle or beef in black pepper sauce with rice. The place is small so you can eat there with maybe 1 or 2 friends but otherwise it is best to get take out. Not the best looking interior but the food is good with great prices! I agree with David S in the review below.. try it! :)
(4)Daniel F.
This is an absolutely wonderful little known asian restaurant in Newton Centre. Unlike everything else in the area, getting a meal here won't break the bank, and the food is absolutely delicious. You can basically get anything you want. Any type of meat, seafood, or tofu, with whatever sauce and veggies combo. Everything I've ever had there was delicious. I tended to go for spicy beef with onions and some other veggies (don't remember the actual dish name) and my friend would always get a MASSIVE soup. We left happy and satisfied every single time. My only minimal gripe with this place is that they use styrofoam. I've told them a couple times that they should stop using it, but they never seem to understand what I'm saying or why. Oh, well, I still highly recommend it!
(5)Simon D.
Consistent and reasonable. Best fried rice in newton, good quality and fantastic staff.
(5)B.K. D.
Friend was feeling under-the-weather so we chose this place for the soup and noodles. They delivered the wrong dish for her while my General Tso was a little soggier than one might expect. The Chicken Satay Appetizer was awful. It appeared to be fried, dry and very overcooked. If it weren't for the tasty noodles from the wrong order I'd say we wouldn't get food from here again.
(2)D M.
I am torn between three and four stars, as this place is right in between-I'll go three to be on the safe side. We here at work have ordered from here three different times for delivery and it's always fast and super hot which is how you want your soups or various dishes to be. The soups are pretty huge, but there are some smaller ones on the menu I believe. I am a fan of the Szechuan spicy noodle soup, which has delightfully spicy broth and a container of moist chicken, small shrimp, udon noodles and bean sprouts to add to it. I am glad they do it that way so it doesn't get mushy and also because you can easily have leftovers to save. It's a bargain at about $7. The other things I've ordered from here is the curry veggies with tofu and brown rice, and it was really good-very healthy and satisfying for lunch. I've also had some appetizers from here one of the times we ordered and the crab rangoons are very solid and very crab-filled, but the fresh spring rolls were wrapped too loosely and the basil wasn't super fresh looking. Also, they were dry in a not so yummy way. The prices are pretty cheap, and the fact they deliver is awesome. The menu is pretty good sized, and the only downside of it is that often times it just says "vegetable house special" or "grandma's tofu" and you have to ask-some descriptions would be helpful, but they folks on the phone are always nice when I ask about the dishes. We'll keep ordering when we're in the mood for good soups, noodle or rice dishes.
(3)Andrea C.
Went here on a Sat for a late lunch/early dinner. They were just picking up for the dinner rush. It's a super cheap place. $7 and change for an order of Pad Thai that could easily feed 2 people. The noodles were a little dry. Overall it was ok. Don't think this will be my go-to place in Newton Center for Pad Thai, but will def will try them again.
(3)Alexander H.
Great noodle soups in huge portions for about $7. Can't speak for the other food, but if you stick to the noodle and laksa soups you can't go wrong.
(5)Christopher S.
My reviews is based on three visits I've had at No. 1 Noodle in the last few months. Each visit had a degree of satisfaction but also contained disappointment. This place is located directly next to Sweet Tomatoes Pizza at Newton Center's busy intersection of Beacon Street and Langley Road. It's a small restaurant with about 6 to 7 tables. Most people I think come here to take the food home but the ones who stay usually are young couples or small families of four. The menu of options are posted on the wall in various squares listing order number, name and picture. I could tell almost immediately I've seen similar signs in other Chinese/Japanese restaurants throughout Boston. Take your time studying the menu and I would suggest if this is your first time get only one bowl of soup because they are enough for two people. After ordering you can gather napkins, soy sauce, chopsticks, forks, knifes and little packets of duck sauce then make your way to the table. Service is very quick and ALWAYS delievered with a friendly smile. I'm not sure why but when I think of Chinese/Japanese noodles I think of Italian spagetti/Lo Mein style in a soup broth. I will admit there are times I keep forgetting the differences in Chinese/Japanese cuisine and blame my own ignorance. Here the noodles are sized somewhere between angel hair and spagetti pasta which comes swimming in a hot, steaming bowl of plain broth. You won't hear customers slupping their noodles like traditionally seen on the Travel Channel but quietly shoveling them into their mouths. It takes a degee of talent to master eating soup noodles with chopsticks; so, if you don't want to look foolish make sure you can catch a fly before coming here. Haha, only kidding! The first time I came here I had the noodle soup with duck. It was good, a bit too much, and I found the duck to be more bone knuckle and fatty than meaty. I didn't enjoy having to chew through flappy skin to get to the tasty dark meat. In addition to the noodles I ordered a side of lemon chicken which was battered chicken, overly deep fried and covered in a sauce that resemled duck sauce. The appetizer was especially good but I felt I was eating more fried batter than chicken. On my other visits I had the basic Wonton noodles with BBQ Pork Strips which were so bland they had to be kicked up with soy sauce and duck sauce. They looked better on the menu picture. In my opinion this place is about 2.5 to 3 stars. At first it had great appeal but in recent visits it's quickly fallen. It's a real shame because everyone who works there is so friendly. After dinner I wish I had gone with pizza next door.
(3)Jim S.
A co-worker of mine has raved about this place for quite a while, and today he got me to go along with him for lunch. The raving was well-founded. The laksa was magnificent! Great spicy broth with noodles done perfectly, loaded with seafood of various kinds, roast pork, tofu... I had one bowl, and iced tea, for under $10, and it was just the right amount for a big eater like myself. Others with lesser appetites will probably have leftovers. The staff, as has been noted here by most everyone else, is very friendly and efficient. The place itself is downright plain, but it is super clean. I expect to be going here again soon, and often.
(5)Brett P.
Just what I was looking for in fast Chinese food. I had the hot and sour soup which had fresh mushrooms and great flavor. The portion was huge and was very satisfying
(4)Aboud Y.
I love Asian noodle soups...and this place delivers the goods. Nothing spectacular but tasty nonetheless.
(3)Phil B.
Hot and sour soup smelled so bad. Had to throw it out right away. Only made it through a few bites of Singapore noodles before tossing those too. Never going back. Pay up for Golden Temple.
(1)Josie L.
This place serves OK Chinese food with OK price. I had Wonton Noodle Soup and spring roll. Noodle was made perfectly. It was al dente. Wonton was pretty decent. They use small shrimp but wonton was flavorful. The stock was decent. I wasn't thirsty for water after lunch which is a PLUS. Spring roll was decent. It tasted fresh. I like the fact that it was nice and hot. Usually fast food places like these don't serve fresh food. The people who served me are nice. Perhaps, it was because the place wasn't busy. I did go there around 3p. I didn't expect much out of the restaurant. I was just surprised that I got decent food. The food wasn't memorable but didn't leave bad impression.
(3)Catherine L.
i would actually give it a 3.5 for friendliness. the portions are small for the price and the fried noodles are oily. they give too much soup and not enough noodles. the overall food tastes okay and the place is clean.
(3)Paul S.
A Great Place for Value, Large Menu, Solid Food. My Picks: Honey Chicken with Rice
(4)pete k.
I love No. 1 Noodle House. Their menu is extensive, and prices are very cheap. Its best to get the soups - as you'll notice the gigantic cauldron's of boiling broth by the entrance (pretty cool!). When I have a cold, this is almost always the place to go - something about their soups really make you feel better. They have pretty good veggie spring rolls, too. Nothing is overly heavy or greasy like most takeout places. The hostess/cashiers are always very friendly, and service is quite fast. While no meal here is worth gushing over, nothing is bad, per se, especially considering the price.
(4)Joe K.
Noodles- Quick, Hot and Tasty Come for the soup! Stay for the noodles! ...er... Anyway, #1 dishes out big portions of made-to-order, hot, authentic noodle dishes, and other reliably good offerings with tasty sauces. Perfect for take-out. Fine to sit down, basic not fancy.
(4)G K.
good food , good flavor and a good amount for the price.
(4)Alex W.
Ordering is easy, and delivery is prompt. The noodle soups are delicious. They deliver the broth in a separate container from the noodles, so if you want to save some for leftovers, the noodles don't end up all soft and disgusting. The General Gao's chicken is deplorable. The deep-fried coating is so soggy that it falls right off of the chicken. Almost inedible.
(3)wonder m.
Great noodles! Decor lacking but the noodles can't be beat! We tried both the pan fried ones and wonton noodle soup. Portion is larger than I expected.
(4)Glen S.
Pretty good place to get decently-priced Asian fare in Newton without the frills. I used to live in the Newton Ctr. area and I found this place had very quick service and the food was prepared very well. Good luck finding your selection on the picture menu on the wall. Grab one of the take-out menus and decide from there. It's also pretty cool to check out the cooks preparing your meal since you have a view into the kitchen. Remember, however, that this is strictly a good take-out place. I highly recommend the crispy pad thai!
(3)Sue K.
for some reason i always assumed this place was a ramen/udon soup noodle place...but they serve both basic takeout chinese plus a nice variety of stir fry and soup noodle dishes. they have an open kitchen and the food comes out fast and fresh. it's good but nothing spectacular...really, it's just nice having the option in the area- so the fact that it doesn't suck is an added bonus. prices are low and the portions are huge. they will split one order into two takeout containers so my co-worker and i can enjoy an extra cheap portion controlled lunch. i'm going to venture to say that most asian takeout places would bitch about splitting an order- so friendly service earns them four stars from me.
(4)Gus H.
This is a very nice place. I go here very often with my wife (who is Chinese, and picky about broth). We are always greeted nicely by the cashier who generally remembers what we like. It's not a fancy place... it's a noodle house where you can go get soups, noodles and good food for a very reasonable price.
(5)Barbara P.
I find this place to be too greasy and expensive. The staff is really friendly , but they need to improve their dishes.
(2)Emily B.
My boyfriend and I used to live just down the street from No.1, and even though we no longer live within walking distance we still order from them regularly. I was shocked to see such a low rating on Yelp!, so this is my two cents. The restaurant is nothing fancy, but a nice small, quiet place for a simple meal. The food is great; good size portions, extensive menu, and a fantastic deal for the price. My favorite menu item is absolutely the Laksa; I have never seen it in any other restaurant but if you like spicy food and coconut it's pretty much the most amazing soup ever, and the serving size is almost more than I can finish in one sitting. The staff is also quite friendly, especially to regulars. Definitely one of my favorite spots in the Newton/Brighton area.
(5)Chloe S.
This was our first time here and I am giving it 4 stars based upon what I expect for fast cheap tasty food with no atmosphere. The woman who greeted us was very nice, helpful and patient. We got the stir fry beef with cashews and broccoli and the shrimp lo mein. I loved the first, the second was fine for what it was - quick, hot and pretty good although I wouldn't qrite home avout it. We would go back anytime in the area. If you are looking for ambience or a gourmet meal then this will not make you happy.
(4)Alexa D.
It's Friday so I figured I'd be ridiculously generous today and give this place an average rating. So this week, I was really tired to blowing tons of money on nice eateries and opted instead for what my friend refers to as "cheap and cheerful". This place isn't nice on the inside so takeout is definitely the way to go here otherwise you'll curse me later. This place is really cheap. An average dinner is $6.80 and the portion is sizeable enough. Grandma's Tofu is my favorite here because I love me some spicy dishes. Their soups are pretty good too. I guess they get a good deal on onions because they fill every dish up with them so onion haters beware. I wouldn't recommend this as a evening out with the sweetheart, but if you're sick in need of comforting noodle soup or you are just plain broke and don't want heart palpitations from fast food, then this is a fine place in Newton Centre.
(3)Dee H.
One of my favorite places for take out when I'm in the area. I really want to give 3.5 stars, so I rounded up. Good cheap eats and the portions are plentiful. Ordering is simple, just look at all the pictures of each dish up on the wall, and point. (Actually, you give the person taking your order the number associated with the dish you want.) I have the take out menu in my car, so I call ahead when I'm 20 minutes away, park my car (the trickiest part), walk in to pay, and take home a good meal.
(4)Eli G.
not sure how they survive within the competitive Newton Centre market. food is pretty bland, the service is OK. I guess they mostly focus on takeout. Jumbo Seafood across the city parking lot is much better, IMHO.
(2)Audrey S.
it really wasnt that great. i've seen tons of raving reviews but i cant say i agree at all. some of the worst chinese i've ever had. the noodles werent even cooked all the way the first time i went there. then we got delivery and the crab rangoons (typically a favorite of mine) was awful. id only order from here again if it was the only place open. and even then i'd probably rather not eat.
(2)susu c.
A friend and I ordered delivery here last weekend. Let me just say I ordered the Pad Thai (yeah i know most generic dish), so I'm judging the place on that. It was gross, basically tasted like flavorless boiled noodles with some crushed peanuts sprinkled on top. Also the shrimp they used was like mini-size canned shrimp. Worst Pad Thai in Boston I've had yet, and I've tried lots of places. And my friend didn't like his food either, some sort of chicken stir-fry dish. Can't attest for the other menu items.
(2)Juggy W.
If you like southeast Asian noodle soups (malaysian, singaporean), this is the place for you! They have many varieties of laksa and noodle soups... like beef stew, vegetarian, fish balls, wonton... etc. They also have traditional cantonese dishes like salt n' pepper pork chop, jingdu (sweet n' sour) pork, and singapore rice noodles (w/ yellow curry powder). Price is on the low side: $7 - $9 per person.
(4)Suzy E.
Ok, I'll admit I always get the same thing. The laksa here rocks! I've searched high and low in the Boston area for good laksa and will make a pilgramage here at least once a month to partake. Very friendly staff.
(4)Lizzy M.
They have Malaysian, Thai, and Chinese cuisines. The food is pretty cheap but it is ridiculoutly bland. GOOD FOR: soup- you make it a la carte, putting in whatever you want. yay!
(3)Holly M.
The Lemon Chicken here is great. The cafe is nothing really to speak of, but the employees are nice. Its reasonable for Newton Centre.
(3)Smeggie P.
Super Friendly Staff. Yummy Soup(Shrimp Wonton Noodle or Beef Rice Noodle are two I have tried). Great Location and the price is right for the quality and quantity of food.
(4)Danielle N.
Reasonable prices, good portions and reliable food. Nothing absolutely stellar but I haven't been disappointed yet. I always get the shredded duck stir fried rice noodles which is the best thing I've had there. Scallion pancakes and wonton soup are also good. Ordered all 3 tonight delivered for under $20. I've always had delivery so I can't speak for the the dine-in aspect. Not as quick as some places but definitely not slow either (tonight was 45min from call to door).
(5)Emily H.
This Chinese food is actually really good for being a hole-in-the-wall kind of place. The first time I ate there I almost had to leave from the immediate smell that the restaurant had.... not so good. But the servings are very large and the food is very tasty. The prices are also very reasonable. The waitstaff however, is not very good at all. Of course, there is a slight language barrier but there is usually a waitress that bring out the food but she always seems to be very lost and doesn't know where to go or what to do. But I believe the great prices and tasty food makes this place a good restaurant.
(3)Julia M.
my drunken noodle definitely had pad thai sauce on it, and their veggie dumplings are a little...well, weird. its a good value, but just not that great...i wanted it to be better.
(3)Sarah C.
My fiance and I tried this place for the first time tonight, and I was instantaneously sick after eating. My fiance is not feeling much better. I hate to give any place a bad review, but, we will not be eating here again.
(1)Rico B.
One of my favorite cheap eats places. Especially when its cold outside. Nothing beats the cold like a some noodle soup and still have money in the wallet to warm your buttocks.
(4)Andrew J.
Great place to get some Chinese food for lunch. Doesn't take long to get your food as long as it's not took packed. Recommend to anyone who just wants to hang in Newton centre and wants some good Chinese food.
(5)Helen A.
I know what's it's like to run a business and I'm sad to to say this is the first bad review I'm writing. My first ever job was as a busser in a Chinese restaurant so they have a special place in my heart. This is where this Chinese restaurant could learn. I got the Singapore Noodle an easy favorite anywhere (curry noodles and mixed meat). Aside from me asking the server to clean off the tables there were old napkins and sweet and sour sauce goop on the tables, I still was willing to give it a shot (I'm not type A but at least like to at least feel like I'm eating in a clean environment. The food came out with rancid tasting chicken, old onions, and specs of shrimp. I ate what I could and hoped everything would be ok by drinking the thai tea with boba. Instead what I got was an ok tea with shriveled sad little balls of boba. I think this place lucks out in the location since it's in Newton Center the shine rubs off on them (locstion, location, location, right) , and yes its cheap but honestly I've had better Chinese in hood corner spots in Dorchester. I was the first customer of the day (looked like they didn't clean the night before) so that may have made all the difference.
(1)Lance M.
This is a dive and they don't particularly care for customers either... Although the food is average, the staff is rude and indifferent. I went there last night with my friend and was immediately reminded by the waiter that this was the last call. He then served lukewarm tea and starting talking to the owner who was seated at another table; it took him a long time before he returned for the order. The waiter made no eye contact and didn't listen to us while we ordered. While we were being served, we asked him for another order of rice and I could tell he wasn't listening, he also forgot the mustard and chop sticks. He made a bee-line to the bar where he remained glued to the football game with his back towards us as he conversed with customers at the bar who were boisterous and profane. I had to go up to the bar and remind him of what he forgot. The football game and his buddies at the bar seemed to be a lot more important to him. I don't understand these ratings, the place is not that clean and the food is unremarkable. I'll never go again.
(1)Christy Y.
Beautiful food, excellent service, and owned by the most handsome family in the East Coast IGN 10/10
(5)j s.
Got the beef chow foon, but only a few slices of beef. Also, they charge for hot tea, and have no water for their customers. Bit pricey for mediocre food. Very disappointed.
(1)Snappy B.
I took my kids here last night because we were in the neighborhood for an event, and I needed a quick place to eat. The food here was gross. The bbq pork rice tasted like it was coated in some extraterrestrial corn syrup concoction. The wonton soup was bland tasting and the color of it was scarily bland. I ordered JUST chicken and udon noodles with plum sauce on the side, since my other son is a very picky eater. The chicken was cooked with several vegetables, including cabbage (which has a very strong flavor), and the sauce was served ON the food. So needless to say, he wouldn't eat it. Later in the evening, one of my boys had a terrible stomach ache, which is rare for him. The cleanliness of the restaurant was questionable. One positive is the people running the place were very nice and friendly.
(1)Victoria C.
Was craving some Singapore noodles, so went to No1 Noodle House to try their authentic Asian noodles. The noodles were below average. It seemed like the curry powder was tossed on top, at the last minute. They didn't use much of anything to add flavor... no cilantro, ginger, chili pepper, or anything like that. Also got the veggie fried rice, which was pretty good. They even asked if we wanted egg in it. Overall, I'll probably try the place again, just won't get the Singapore noodles.
(2)April K.
They were late on their delivery. The mapo tofu was NOTHING like traditional mapo tofu. It was lacking in spiciness, and it contained large chunks of onion and peppers, which I have never in the dish before. They also delivered me a warm soda, and a broken spoon. The pork and preserved egg congee was okay, but nothing spectacular. Probably won't be ordering from here again.
(2)Nicholas U.
This place definitely took me by surprise (like others have said). I got delivery here a couple weeks ago because they put a menu in our mailbox. Why not? We looked through the menu and there were so many options and all at amazing prices. We weren't sure what we were going to walk into. Can't remember exactly what our dishes were called, but both were really good and the quantity was hard to believe at the price. It was nice to order from a Chinese food restaurant that wasn't the typically fried food you find at every corner. Nice to get that variety, good price, and great food.
(4)Ayelet R.
First things first - the food here is far from amazing. Their stir-fried noodles are probably closer to two stars, since they are way too greasy. The noodle soups are better - not remarkable, but everything a noodle soup needs to be, and perfect for a cold day, coming in at a very generous portion for the price, although the vegetables aren't always fresh. But what really makes this place is the staff - I've been here with my family so many times that they remember our usual orders and always chat with us. It makes this place feel like a second home, and like we're dining among friends.
(4)Corinne T.
I got the chicken and wonton noodle soup here. The chicken was dry and the noodles fairly flavorless. I wouldn't return for soup here, I'd probably go to Le's instead. The other items may be better here. The fried items looked promising. It is a nice Chinese cafe environment. I sat here and read and drank tea for a while.
(2)Francisca W.
DIS-A-POINTED. had a couple successful take-outs in the past; thought would try it on the spot this time. ordered the same combo meats w/round rice noodle; portion size was SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER, served on a plate not much larger than my palm. it was MUCH saltier than last time too -- that i can overlook as an occasional mishap, but to pay $7.xx and have only a few bites out of it, Chinese food standpoint, not cool. especially when we had at least 50% more food in take-out form before. another thing we ordered was the salted pepper chops with rice. the salted pepper coating was delicious, indeed, but the pork was bland. maybe the mistake was to order it in an establishment that doesn't serve chinese/asians on a majority basis -- betting that weeks would go by before anyone would order this. so why keep it on the menu and entice someone only to disappoint them? for the 2000 things they offer...while it's great to have a wide selection, maybe it's time to downsize the menu little bit. do what you do best and focus on those instead. can't please everybody, and shouldn't. why not have those other random/less popular dishes as "specials", esp. those that need longer prep time but may not sell as fast. people working there still very humble and friendly, and the place is kept reasonably clean. would return, but sticking to take-out in the future. that way we can also avoid having to endure through the meal hearing this know-it-all kid brag about his no-life to a gal friend while having food in this mouth.
(3)Wayne T.
Value for price, especially for newton, take out fried rice and noodles once in a while, they sometimes screw up the order, but really friendly, lot of locals eat here; can request no msg, a local fav
(5)Carol S.
We got take out, four different dishes. It was all the most bland and uninteresting Asian take out we've ever had. We've just moved here; perhaps our standards are too high based on options where we used to live.
(2)Denny S.
Really good food and affordable price..highly recommended! I don't get why people gave bad ratings for this restaurant. I was in town for a week and believe it or not had five or more lunch in this place because of the mix reviews. To prove my point, i purposedly dine multiple times to experience the service and food first hand. Food is quite decent and service is quite friendly. Plus, it's cheap! What more could you possibly want...
(4)Shelley W.
I have never entered the restaurant, but have ordered delivery via grubhub around 4-5 times now. Any of the wonton noodle soups are delicious and worth the price--they deliver the soup and noodle/meats/seafood in separate containers--which I love splitting in two portions. I've ordered the preserved egg and rice congee (fish once too) as well....it's alright but I don't think it's worth the price. The beef and broccoli with cashew nuts is delish--once I decided to change it up a bit and ordered the string beans with minced pork and it was so disgustingly greasy that I ate only 5 bites and threw the rest away. Hence, I'm staying with the beef broccoli cashew dish whenever I need to order!
(4)Len C.
My wife and I have gotten take out there and really enjoyed the food and service. Something a little different, tasty, with good service. You will not be disappointed.
(5)Laura W.
No 1 Noodle House is my "go to place" for comfort Chinese food at a quick and reasonable price. I have an old habit of only ordering the duck noodle soup so I haven't ventured beyond that. The place is very tiny dive. When the day is cold, that soup seems to always hit the spot for me. No1 does have non-soup dishes such as stir-fry noodles, but I don't know how they are. The place is conveniently located near the large parking lot, so getting a quick meal is not a production. This place is not a full sit down place so just go to the counter and order.
(5)Cynthia A.
My dish was ok shrimp with snow peas. My son's dish was terrible, first they screwed it up by putting tofu on it when that was supposed to be on his friend's plate,my son ordered chicken fried ice, it was bland and had too much soy sauce, my son could not eat it. My son's friend's dish was just as bad. Prices good but if you can't eat the food what good is it? I guess we should have gotton noodle dishes maybe we would have had better luck
(1)Lee D.
Cheap and quick. Is it a good Chinese food? Not really. Worth 6-8 dollars? Sure. Is it a place you want to come back? Nope.
(2)Charles S.
I had he vegetarian special. Excellent! Especially when I added the garlic chili sauce which was very fresh. My wife loved the shrimp fried noodles. Very fresh vegetables, including bok choi broccoli etc plus tofu. Nice and warm inside.
(4)Karis O.
I always go here with my family whenever we're in Newton! They have generous portions, friendly staff and extremely cheap prices for the amount of food you're getting. I've tried the Wonton soup which comes in a giant bowl and is really flavorful. The Beef stir fry noodles, pad thai and drunken noodles are all so good that I literally go into a food coma because I can't stop. I'm not even slightly embarrassed to say that because I think the No 1 Noodle House is that good!
(4)Ted R.
The food here is extremely bland, but it does fill you up and at least they are very reasonably priced.
(3)N T.
Whenever I am hungry for some Chinese food, but don't want to drive into town for it, and don't want the regular "American Chinese" takeouts, I would go to #1 noodle house. The quality of food are consistent and quick. The staff are always friendly. My favor dish there is the shrimp laksa.
(5)David S.
Finally, I found a place that makes authentic South East Asian soups in Boston. Never expected to find it in Newton. Go there for the soups. Try the combination laksa or the wonton soup. Wontons are handmade. Pictures of the meals are on the wall. Pay 5-8 bucks a soup and you'll leave full. My kids loved sitting on bar stools at the big window looking into the kitchen where they could watch the meals being made. Don't expect great decor. Dont listen to the critics. Try it.
(4)Vivi L.
We came here for lunch on Sat. and the place is pretty busy. They have a lot of choices to order from. I ended up ordering the Laksa and my husband ordered the wonton noodle soup. Both our soup was kind bland. There is really not a lot of flavor on the noodle soup that we ordered. I was definitely disappointed. I don't think I'll be coming back here.
(2)Y C.
Great place to go for food and value - not if you are expecting a traditional Chinese Restaurant "formal" waiter taking your order experience. Really great food, friendly staff, and great price! The Satay Beef Noodles were amazing - super tender beef, chewy noodles, and nice spicy sauce. The wonton noodle soup while a milder affair, had all of the elements of great wonton noodle soup: chewy thin noodles, bokchoy, generous helping of delicately made mini wontons, and a very delicate broth. For the price, quality, and the extremely friendly staff that actually cared about their customers, this place is a dream! The seating is limited but very cozy and comfortable. Great Asian causal.
(5)Bert M.
The Number One Noodle House is a diamond in the rough. If you are thinking about going out to eat in Newton Centre, I urge you to avoid the hoity-toity restaurants where it costs $80 to get a meal for two. Instead, go to the Number One Noodle House, where you'll get a steaming plate if noodles or a bowl of soup for a very reasonable price. Don't be fooled by the low prices; the food here is excellent and the staff are extremely nice and helpful. They actually know the items on their menu and will answer any questions you have about their food. I urge you to avoid places like Sweet Tomatoes and Union Street and go to Número Uno Casa de Noodles ( as the kids are calling it these days) where you will get quality Chinese food for a great price!
(5)Bob C.
Looked at yelp for Chinese noodle soup to eat and not to pricey I hope. Found this place, cost me $10 and change. Not too many selection of noodle soup. So I ordered the duck wonton noodle soup and bottle of soda. The place is pretty clean for a Chinese restaurant and I'm happy with that. Came out super hot and the broth was excellent. Also had the noodles and vega that I was looking for to eat. It's super awesome noodle soup for the price. I highly recommend this place for the inexpensive great tasting soup. Ouch tongue still burn for the hot broth!
(5)matt f.
I've been coming here pretty much once a week for the past two years and almost always get the same thing - the chicken laksa soup with extra bok choy - I throw in a generous portion of the chili garlic sauce and "voila" instant comfort and satisfaction every time - the price is right, the portions are more than generous and the people that work here are wonderful - I've had dishes here that were okay but if I stick with what I know is good then I'm never disappointed
(4)Luke T.
OK.. The No1 Noodle house is not exactly Numero UNO. It far from being the best noodle house ever... Cheap on ingredients. Food prepared with too many preprocessed items from the can The place is located in a nice area with plenty of quaint and unique stores. This noodle house seems out of place. I am hoping they will improve the interior and make it more trendy. I ordered the Laksa. It was pretty close to the real thing from Malaysia. The broth is coconut milk based and tastes like a soupy curry. Served with vermicelli , fried tofu, shrimp. What it lacked was,crunchy bean sprouts, fish cake, sambal sauce and half a boiled egg. If they had all the right ingredients, i think it would have been an A++ experience. Too bad they cheaped out. Anyway, we also ordered the roast duck and it was greasy and refried. I think they take the duck and throw in hot oil again to brown the skin. The lemon chicken was actually not too bad. It was smothered in some clear lemony sauce from a can. Really.. how hard can it be to make a lemon sauce...
(3)Rachel J.
I've eaten here several times, both in the store and delivery. All of their dishes are very cheap and they are big servings. I would highly recommend their roasted duck wonton noodle soup, which is a huge portion and will definitely leave you full for only 7 dollars. Another great dish is their pork and preserved duck egg congee. I've never had it in store, but every time I get it delivered, they give me a huge container of the stuff. The congee itself is big enough for me to have for lunch and dinner, for only 5 bucks! Not too salty and comes with big chunks of savory pork and eggs. Also, I have to say, their service is pretty great for a takeout restaurant. The servers at other Chinese/Asian place in Newton Center have poor manners generally. The deliveryman from No. 1 Noodle House is really nice, doesn't push you for tips (the delivery guy from Jumbo Seafood literally did this to me) and waited for me patiently when I was grabbing change. Overall, it's really the best Asian takeout place around Newton Center. Cheap and delicious food with the best overall service.
(4)Arthur K.
i have tasted beta food..
(3)TinyYogini P.
Tom ka gai: saltiest, watery soup I've ever had. It's supposed to have a coconut milk base. Where that went is anyone's guess. I couldn't taste any lemon grass or lime. All I could taste was salt and chili oil. Gross. Fried tofu: greasy and bland. The only thing that gave it any flavor was the salty soy dipping sauce. Tea: tasted like tea. Hard to mess that up, thank goodness. Worst $12 I've ever spent. After reading other reviews, I'm sure there are some dishes that might be good. But as for me, I will never be back.
(1)Catherine W.
Glad to find a HK style fried rice/noodle/congee lunch place in Newton Center. Good menu variety and prices, but overall I'm giving this place 3 stars for smaller portions and a little heavy on MSG for some dishes. Food quality and taste is about 3.5 stars. We had some food coma side effects! Sampled a variety of dishes including Won Ton Noodle Soup (including one with brisket - not that many pieces). Beef Chow Fun, Pork Ribs in Plum Sauce with rice, Hokkien Noodles, and XO Sauce Shanghai Noodles. We liked the Hokkien noodles the best, which was basically like Lo Mein with a little bit of everything. They speak Cantonese and are very friendly. Won Ton Noodles were less than $6; the other dishes were $6-7.
(3)S C.
Delicious noodle soup! The shrimp and wonton with satay is my go to, I get it every time and they make if perfect every time! The bomb diggity! Their service is also super fast. Very consistent. The only gripe I have is that the wontons could be improved. But for $7.50, you get what you pay for.
(5)Dan B.
I have stopped by this place many times, mostly for the convenience and the decent food. While its not the absolute best Chinese food I've ever eaten, it's good enough for the price. I especially love how happy and friendly the woman who takes the orders is, and she always greets regular customers by name. I usually get the shrimp laksa soup and Singapore noodles (**the soup is SPICY) and I've always been satisfied :) definitely give this place a go if you're in the area!
(4)Ryan K.
Our family loves everything about this place - food, staff, bubble tea, speed of service, value. We usually split two entrees and an appetizer for our family of four. Perfect work night family dinner spot. We usually ask for no MSG. Noodles (either soup or stir fried) are delicious and not over-cooked. Chicken with broccoli or vegetables are also great. Mango slushie bubble tea is delicious.
(4)Beeni M.
Surprisingly decent Chinese takeout. We actually finished both our plates. They don't pretend to be high end/authentic. So don't expect it. The dishes are a bit on the pricy side - but I guess that's normal for Newton Center. Close to $7 a plate.
(4)Michael S.
Good noodles but mega salty. Seriously, don't patronize this place if you have high blood pressure. The people that work here are super sweet though.
(3)