Canoodles

My mom has been wanting to eat here for the longest time. But my sister and I have managed to thwart her from coming here — I mean, after looking at the menu and seeing Italian, Asian, Japanese, Thai … not sure what the focus is. My mom finally got her wish a few nights ago because all of the other restaurants we wanted to go to were full! There wasn’t a wait at Canoodles, so we were seated fairly quickly.
I’ve been here when it was Naga Naga, and while they kept the fish tank and a few of the interior decorations, most of it has changed. The lights are pretty dim and the seats are red/​black. They took out the huge fish tank in the middle of the restaurant and placed more tables. Some Betty Boop and chalkboards inside (a chalkboard for people’s names to be written on if they’re waiting for a table). It’s cute, but I didn’t like the artwork on the way back of the restaurant.
My mom ordered diced beef steak cubes pan fried with garlic, soy sauce and onions, with steamed rice, while my dad and I both ordered ramen. I had the Miso Tonkotsu and my dad ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen. The dishes came out fairly quickly. My dad and I didn’t really see a difference between either of ours. We were surprised to see bean sprouts in our ramen, too! The ramen was decent, but nothing special. Since this place isn’t known for ramen, I didn’t expect great ramen. It wasn’t bad, but definitely not memorable. I liked my broth a lot more than my dad’s. As for my mom, she really enjoyed her steak. She said it was really good, which really made her happy since she usually orders things that she later ends up regretting. I didn’t think the steak dish was anything special, but it wasn’t bad either.
The service could have improved a lot more. More smiles, a lot friendlier, etc. But nothing bad about the meal. We just ate, paid, then left. I probably will not be returning, but my mom says she will.

Ambiance is GORGEOUS.
I took a step in the restaurant and immediately noticed the great effort with which the owner took in planning its interior design. Very modern and almost soothing, even.
I had the Shoyu Pork Ramen. There was nothing particularly amazing about it; I’ve had worse, but I’ve also had better. The pork had a little more fat in it than I would have liked, but that’s just my personal preference.
The milk tea is addictive! There’s something in it that I can’t quite describe, but I just kept going back for it sip after sip throughout my meal. Unlike the ramen, there’s something different about this milk tea than those at other restaurants — something good.
I also ordered the Gelato Bear as somewhat of a joke. Had enough room for dessert, and it looked interesting enough. However, it’s certainly not worth the five dollars. Basically, it’s a single scoop of chocolate gelato decorated with white chocolate, whipped cream, fudge, and dark chocolate chips. It was almost laughable how small it was. Cute, but laughable.
I give four stars. Probably would be five if I didn’t order the gelato bear haha.

Came here for lunch, just curious since this location has changed restaurants more times than I can remember. Bad Fung Shui? Who knows, restaurants just have a hard time sticking around at this location. :(
There were many menu items but the fusion was weird, Italian pizza and pasta along side Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese and Korean. It’s as if the took out everything and threw it to the wall saying, whelp something’s gonna stick.
I ordered the White Wine Seafood Spaghetti and found it underwhelming. The presentation was nice with a cute hard made from two triangles of toast. There was just no flavor, I didn’t taste any white wine, the broth was watered down even chicken broth has a little salt to it. I have to add pepper flakes and black pepper to this dish to kick it up a notch and make it more appetizing. I saw that there were good reviews on this dish, so maybe the chef just forgot to add some ingredients but I will never order this again from my experience.
On the other side of the table, my friend’s Garlic Fried Rice was delicious! They got the fried wok flavor down. It was a large portion and was perfectly balanced with ingredients. Would recommend this to others, it sucks when try a place and you get different quality of dishes.
Very clean and nice waitstaff. The décor is interesting, framed Americana posters/​art but I feel it further confuses the identity of the restaurant.

Every restaurant in the Noodle World franchise has a slightly unique menu. Canoodles still serves all the usual Asian noodles but this location also has Italian style pastas and pizza. I had the beef ravioli in a mushroom sauce. The sauce was thick and very flavorful. The raviolis were well executed.
Too bad the original Noodle World is just a block down the street and Canoodles is surrounded by so many restaurants, it gets overshadowed.

I went there for dinner during weekday with great service, especially on refills. I had beef tom yum ramen. It was delicious w/​bean sprouts, mushrooms, and beef stew. I would definitely order it again.

Well I’ll give it credit for scoring an A for an asian restaurant in the LA county. It was very clean and that’s one of the things I looked out for. Also this was the only place that had parking in the area so we took it. I like how the whole back area was a big chalkboard for the kids to play with. Problem is that there was barely any chalk.
Food wasn’t special, at all! Service was a joke. They never checked up on us, barely refilled our waters and took forever to scream at them to come over to our table to actually «serve» us. It wasn’t even busy that day so no excuse at all.
Garlic fried rice: where the hell was the so-​called garlic in this thing? It just tasted like plain fried rice
Fried rice w/​shrimp: boring and nothing special. I don’t even know why my uncle bought this
Pad thai (original): I though pad thais ware suppose to be spicy or have a kick to it? Tasted like pasta with rice noodles.
Pad see you: good. Can’t really mess this up though. Needs some spice to it though.
Meat lover’s pizza and pepperoni: in a kid’s perspective in was yummy, from an adult’s, frozen pizza would have tasted better than this cardboard.
This place kinda sucks. Not coming back.

always hereee :)
I think it’s partly owned by Noodle World. I’m ASSSUMING. ca-​NOOODLE (world). I’m just kidding. They have very nice décor, pretty modern, up to date. Nice waitresses and waiters. I usually get the salad because it’s different from everywhere else.

Sorry Canoodles, no can do.
It used to be Noodle Planet, then Naga Naga Ramen, and now Canoodles? OMG, this location seems to be cursed with bad noodles, and it only gets worse.
Canoodles is listed under «Italian, Asian Fusion»?? There’s no fusion here; just an Asian restaurant making really bad «Italian» pasta. If you want Italian, try Petrillo’s Pizza Restaurant. It’s down the block and a legit Italian restaurant compared to this place.
Noodles are bland and are very low quality. If they keep this up, Canoodles is going to be a dying restaurant. Maybe the next future restaurant can be a rice place for a change? Or will they give phở a try? Oh dear…

Came here awhile ago with a friend cause the Noodle World near ELAC hella advertised this place on their wall.
Here’s the run down: THIS IS PRETTY MUCH LIKE NOODLE WORLD. Except, there are a few Italian dishes (that doesn’t sound too fancy).
However, I must admit that the interior is funky, yet fun. Aquarium. Letter Blocks. Chalkboard. FancySmanchy tables — I didn’t get the whole theme or the concept of this restaurant.
Service was eh. It’s the same as Noodle World. Parking was eh as well. There is a private lot, test your luck to see if it’s full cause my luck failed me. Wah.
Bottom line: This is pretty much Noodle World. If you’re a Noodle World fan, this place will suite you well. If you’re more into looking for a fusion restaurant, better luck next time.
High lights:
— Cool interior.
Low lights:
— Wasn’t amazed at the «fusion» concept. ¾ of their items were from Noodle World.

I am loving this place more and more after each visit. What I do is order my standard Spicy Spaghetti with Beef and try a new dish each time. They never disappoint! My new favorite is the Singaporean noodles! Other places usually make it with rice noodles, but Canoodles does it with a pasta sort of like a mix between ramen and spaghetti– I loveeee! The flavor and the variety of ingredients (bbq pork, ham, bean sprouts, green scallion, celery, etc) make this dish all the more enjoyable.
I have been very satisfied with the different dishes that I’ve been trying here– spicy mint chicken pizza, thai boat noodle, different flatbreads. The chef seems to be good with everything he/​she makes! I am excited to try anything on the menu.

I don’t know how this place is a subordinate of Noodle World. At least at Noodle World I can tolerate. Canoodles is just ugh. I’ve been here a handful of time trying to still give them the benefit of the doubt but I’m all out of hope for them.
The pasta used to come in really small portions and would be bland as the color white. Not they’ll give you a huge plate of food but the seasoning never changed, still nonexistent. The cute décor inside is about the only thing going for this place. I even tried their Canoodles Chicken, a supposed specialty of the restaurant and it was not only just lukewarm, but flavorless. Service is so slow, you might as well order at the front with the hostess before even getting seated or not eat until an hour after. The only thing that is somewhat of worth here is the ramen and even then, there are a number of other restaurants I can name nearby that can serve me better.
Hopefully none of friends will suggest to eat here again.

Asian fusion that actually has something to show
who would’ve known that this spot, which used to be a very disappointing Naga Naga Ramen, actually has much to offer for such a low price…
My little cousin threw a graduation dinner and said it was at a semi new restaurant called Canoodle on Valley Blvd. I was flabbergasted that there is actually a restaurant on Valley Blvd that I have not heard of. So once again, I’m brought back to this location. But surprise surprise.
Do not be fooled fellow 626ers… just because this place is on Food Central Valley Blvd. give it a chance.
Trust me.
get the prosciutto pesto flat bread. Your taste buds will thank me.
pretend to be healthy and get the spicy beef salad. Its not that spicy and its a salad that actually tastes amazing. trust.
aside from those two top dishes that I must get every time I come, I’ve tried their pastas and rice dishes. Pastas were a bit bland to me and almost too dry. Pineapple fried rice is not bad, pretty standard.
I have been here almost 10 times for the past month. I always get the salad and the prosciutto flat bread. Go figure.
check out my pictures :)

First thing you notice when you walk in is the huge black chalkboard for everyone to doodle on. That’s great to keep the kids occupied. The chicken tomkah noodles was very flavorful, so flavorful that I could not finish the whole bowl by myself. Some pieces of chicken that were in the bowl were tough and dry. I’ve also tried their beef Tom yum ramen. Pretty good minus the beef. The noodles and broth were excellent… but I felt that their choice of beef could have been better. It tasted like brisket… I didn’t like that part much.
I will try their other dishes next time… maybe the cioppino or flatbread.

(Sorry. It’s been 2 months since I’ve reviewed. Been busy with photo gigs lately.)
There’s a reason why I came here 4 times within 3 weeks. It’s really good asian fusion food. I usually go down valley blvd for my daily run/​walk and see Naga Naga ramen and Noodle Planet where it used to be. When I saw the sign Canoodles, I checked out Unilocal and there are a lot of great reviews.
Walking inside you can doodle on the walls with chalk while you wait and it has chalkboard walls near the restrooms also. Oh yes, the restrooms are very clean every time I walk in there. That was pretty unique. In the seating areas, the walls have artistic drawings and picture frames of the old skool days. Kinda like a family diner but more modern. The seating booths are comfortable and tables where wiped squeeky clean (no sticky mess).
I’ve ordered a few already in the menu within 3 weeks. But my favorite is the Pad See You (that’s how they spell it) fettuccine with beef
I know the sauce tastes similar from other places but it is lightly oiled and the beef tastes like Grade A texture.
The seafood pasta is very light and doesn’t taste heavy (better than the other italian restaurants)
The spicy beef fettuccine is okay but not bad at all
We ate the Thai fried rice and Tonkatsu ramen today. The fried rice is with beef, chicken, pork, and shrimp
I love it. Not so oily and one of the best Thai fried rice I’ve ever tasted. I’m still in an ongoing journey for the best ramen in Southern California. But this Tonkatsu ramen is exceptionally good
The noodles don’t taste like top packaged ramen noodles. It had great texture and is softened to the right boiling temperature. The broth is kinda similar to Hakata Shinsengumi.
For dessert, so far we had tiramisu
and the gelato bear
The tiramisu is very light, not so sweet and good size for 3 people. I like how they designed the gelato bear. Dark chocolate flavor with whip cream and chocolate syrup around it.
Customer service is excellent. The waiters/​waitresses always refills my soda right away when they see my cup empty. Parking can be a pain in the weekend but plenty in the weekdays.
I was pretty iffy at first thinking it might taste like any other place in the SGV area. I was wrong. One of the best tasting asian fusion restaurants I’ve ever been to. I wouldn’t say it’s perfect but close enough for me to give it 4 ½ STARS. Most of the prices are under $ 8 only, LOVE IT.
They better watch out from me and be ready for a «BEWARE OF BOBBY» poster hanging in their window because I will be there often to try out their whole menu.
They can cook noodles the right way.

Canoodles is still part of the Noodle World trademark under a different concept (Italian fusion + Asian noodles/​restaurant). It’s the same owner.
The design and interior is set up nicely. First off. they have the music on the XM 80’s on 8 station… awesome! There’s plenty of seating inside. The place is super clean, the theme is modern and there’s even a kids area by the entrance and the fish tank. There’s also a big parking lot in the back. The service was awesome and attentive.
We had a big party of about 15 (adults and kids) so I was able to try a few different items.
— Mini Pizzas weren’t that bad, they were actually pretty tasty and a good appetizer to order to share (comes with 4 mini pizzas, sausage, pepperoni, cheese and one other).
— Loved their sausage Carbonara pasta (I love carbonara in general and it’s so hard to find in Italian restaurants now). The Carbonara had bits of bacon and also came with garlic bread.
— Canoodles Pad Thai was just ok. I think they used spaghetti pasta for the Pad Thai, the taste was different.
— Tonkatsu/​Miso ramen wasn’t bad. It was actually pretty decent compared to the specialty ramen restaurants. They also give a lot of noodles and pork pieces.
— Appetizer calamari was decent and tasty.
— Beef noodles was good. The beef was really tender and again, they gave a lot of noodles.
— Flatbread pizzas were really good too. Check those out!
I could go on and on, but I’ll keep it at this. I’ll definitely be back and worth the trip from LA. They do carry some items that Noodle World doesn’t carry and vice versa. The food is pretty inexpensive too.

Nice large parking lot in the back. Don’t mind the elderly security guard that will eye you as you park and get out of your car. He’s just making sure you’re parking for Canoodles and not intending to go to another location.
This place is an absolute hidden gem! Great food for cheap prices! I mean ridiculously cheap! This place is Italian Asian fusion if you haven’t guessed by the pictures. They have mini boba to add to your drinks for only $ 0.50! So cool! The décor is kitchy, I like the 50’s flare with the Betty Boop statue by the window holding up a large phở bowl. I LOVE the 80’s music. The chalkboard walls are a nice touch, I’m not a fan of places like Boiling Crab that allow customers to graffiti all over the walls. I find that completely tacky.
Highly recommend:
Cheese rolls — mozzarella sticks in eggroll form. GENIUS!
Satay chicken flatbread — my absolute favorite and HIGHLY recommend. Satay chicken grilled to perfection with cilantro.
Bruchettta flatbread — fresh grape tomatoes with goat cheese, slight drizzle of olive oil. Refreshing and light.
Spicy fettuccine — this was only about $ 8! Wow! Great alfredo sauce.
Chicken marsala — ok, it’s not as perfect as Cheesecake Factory’s but this was pretty good for $ 7! The chicken was nicely seasoned and the sauce was very good. I know, I’ve tried making chicken marsala at home and it was an epic fail!
Eh, not that great:
Pad thai, it was just «ok»…you’re better off going to Noodle World down the street for pad thai.

I wanted to love it.
I really did. I had been craving ramen for a while and I hoped that I’d LOVE their ramen
. Given that this place has Italian and Asian foods, I DID expect the ramen to not be that great. I should have stuck to that instinct.
Other than that, this place is pretty bipolar when it comes to decoration. Trendy-​like in the back, but cartoon-​like décor in the front. This bipolar theme must go with their dual Italian-​Asian-​ness.

Summary:
— Service — friendly, somewhat attentive
— Food — decent enough
— Price — average
— Ambiance — a blend of cool & casual
*******
I’ve been here enough times to really review this place is so many ways. I could be absolutely mean by trolling the living crap out of this place and write a practically useless review — OR — be nice and highlight the aspects of this establishment that are reason for me to have visited several times and end up with a review that others would actually find useful.
I must admit that I’m somewhat confused as to why there are so many different types of cuisines [laundry list of Asian cuisines and then Italian…]. I’d say it’s random.
I’m curious about the name Canoodles as well. I swear my mind still gives the impression of «canned-​noodles» or «CA-​noodles» or «Ka-​doodles». Oh whatever… that’s of little importance.
*******
FOOD:
EVERYTHING is just okay. Nothing mind blowing. Nothing spectacular. Nothing out-​worldly.
But the following are the reasons for being a fan:
1. VARIETY. It goes both ways BUT when your entourage consists of picky OR clueless OR indecisive eaters… geez, variety freaking works. If you have to choose one place when your appetite is still unfocused, you might as well come here and read through the list until you finally decide what’s for lunch/​snack/​or dinner.
2. CIOPPINO [
]. This is the only dish I’m going to bother highlighting. Sure, it’s just okay BUT this is why I’m going to mention it…(a) it’s decent and tastes *like* cioppino, (b) it’s about $ 10…and I usually pay between $ 25 to $ 60, © it’s cheap and I’m sure it’s because the dish uses frozen seafood [like most places]…BUT a SHIP-​LOAD of it, and (d) it’s good enough to fix my demonic-​cioppino-​cravings.
*******
SERVICE
Friendly…a little slow at times but still attentive enough to slide by without complaints.

My Mom and I decided to tryout this place since our tummies were growling around 11:45AM…the outside décor looks fun… with colorful building blocks spelling out the restuarant name, and when you walk inside, there’s a huge Betty Boop statue with funky lounge like décor on the side. A mixture of Italian food and Asian foods (Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Singapore).
We ended up eating:
#19. PROSCIUTTO PESTO FLATBREAD (Appetizer)
Wild mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, toasted pinenuts, Italian prosciutto,
basil pesto, and mozzarella cheese drizzled with truffe oil. 6.50
Very tasty… not too salty with the prosciutto, with the right amount of truffle oil, and the crunchiness of the pinenuts and veggies were delicious. However, this meal came out last, which was surprising since this was suppose to be an appetizer, lol.
My Mom got: #46. MISO TONKOTSU
Japanese barbecue pork, seaweed, bean sprouts, bamboo and boiled egg
with ramen noodles in miso tonkotsu broth. 6.75
Looks funny when it was brought out, but it was really good. Even my Mom enjoyed it, lol… the broth was tasty and the pork was tender and juicy.
I got: 56. ITALIAN FARMER’S FETTUCCINE
Fettuccine with grilled chicken, artichoke hearts, wild mushrooms, leeks
and fresh spinach in garlic and extra virgin olive oil. 6.95
The pasta was a lil dry, but the chicken and artichoke and veggies made up for it, and it came with two slices of garlic bread. The portion was pretty filing, and ended up taking some home for dinner tonight.
Overall, the meal was wonderful, and something new, especially since we’re always eating Chinese or Vietnamese food. So something new to tease our palates. Service here is great, and the waitresses are very attentive in our needs, and by the time 12PM hit, the place was already packed.
One star off since the whole menu was in English, which is great for those who speak it, but since this place is heavily Asian dominated, at least some Chinese word would have been nice or at least more pictures to go with the dishes.

Pretty good variety of foods here. They serve other stuff besides noodles, FYI, in case you have some friends who aren’t noodle fans. BF had the Sesame Beef with Rice and it came with a side of Kimchi. He said it was pretty good. I had the Kimchi fried rice, which I didn’t like that much, but maybe thats because I’ve had real Kimchi fried rice before and this was definitely not it. It tasted like regular fried rice, with the green onions, eggs, rice etc. and they threw in some kimchi in there. Both meals were a little bit over $ 7.
Everything else looked really delicious on the menu, so I will come back to try their ramen. :)
Service was quick and attentive.
It‘s nice to see they kept that huge expensive fish tank from Naga Naga. You can watch it while you wait to be seated. :)