Noodle Stop - Chinese, San Francisco

1325 Noriega St, San Francisco CA 94122
(415) 753-6688

Parking: street parking

Soft Opening Hours: Sat-Thurs 10:30am-4:30pm, Closed Fridays

Last Visited: March 6, 2022

Food: 3 stars

Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars

Service: 3 to 4 stars

Price: $$

Noodle Stop opened at the beginning of March.  Since my mother grew up in Hong Kong, wonton noodles is one of those comfort food dishes that draws us - any restaurant with even the slightest bit of potential of giving her that nostalgic feeling of eating her childhood is worth a try.  

It's very easy to walk right past Noodle Stop without even noticing that it's there, but once inside, you'll see that it's bright and newly renovated - modern in style and simple in layout.  You can tell it's not your traditional Chinese restaurant decor.  

On each table is a basket, like you find at pho restaurants, but this one contains a small container of pickled turnip and carrots.  It's sort of strange to have this here, but not have a small plate to place these nibbles; nonetheless, it's a welcome sight to see as these usually pique your appetite with the balance of sweet, savory, sour, and spice.  A few bites though made me feel a bit disappointed that it lacked the balance of sweetness that would have kept you wanting more.  Instead, it's sour and there is a hint of spice, but it stops there.

They have appetizer offerings like crispy wontons, crispy shrimp, calamari, fries, beef cold plate, cucumber salad, and stewed beef brisket.  Noodles come in several varieties: thin egg noodles, flat rice noodle/ho fun, and vermicelli noodles.  You can also get hot or iced milk tea, hot or iced lemon tea, and hot or iced honey lemonade, among typical drinks like soda. 

We went with some classic noodle dishes:

- Hong Kong Style Wonton Noodle Soup - Handmade wontons and house fish broth, topped with yellow chives.  I chose the thin egg noodles, and six rather large wontons arrived in this dish with noodles underneath.  Since I couldn't actually see the noodles (usually, the noodles are placed on top or at least somewhat visibly, but not here), I even asked if this was my order - it could have been wontons in soup, and indeed, it was.  I found the broth to be flavorful and the noodles to be al dente, but these wontons aren't classic in flavor, size, or texture.  The flavor is not foreign, but it's not classic - hard to describe, and when I asked about the ingredients, it sounded typical, but it doesn't taste like what you find in Hong Kong.  As for size, these are large wontons which sounds good, but the amount of pork is so much greater than the amount of shrimp that the texture has also changed.  Overall, just ok for me. $11.50

- Stewed Beef Brisket with Wonton Noodle Soup - The beef brisket is tender and flavorful, but you don't get many pieces.  Fewer wontons here, which makes sense, but at this price, I anticipated getting more.  Had it been a classic bowl of wonton noodles, I would feel the value is better, but the overall, another just ok for me. $15.50

Service is friendly and the staff makes an effort to check on your experience at the end of the meal. If you're seeking a classic Hong Kong style wonton, this doesn't fit the bill, but a few tweaks could get it there.  Prices are higher compared to its competition, but it's hard to tell if that's solely food cost related or if they're positioning themselves in the same space as ramen restaurants.  We'll have to wait and see if things change after their soft opening and settling in a bit more.