Noodles & Company

Noodles & Co why have I never visited you before! It took my 14 year old niece to convince me to go here and I was so glad she did. One word… YUM. I feel like I just found a treasure only it’s been around for years!

I have not been to Noodles and Company for a very long time and just decided randomly last night to give this one a go since it is the newest eatery in Ankeny. The business just recently opened so everything was new and clean. We showed up 25 minutes before closing time so there was only a handful of customers there, I have seen this placed PACKED during normal eating hours.
We walked in and began looking at their menu at the counter. The staff member behind the counter appeared as if he just wanted the shift to end, not friendly, but not rude either. We ordered our food from their simple menu which I liked and sat down to have our food brought to us.
It was not a long wait for our food to arrive at the table. I had the Wisconsin Mac and Cheese with meatballs, what I always get. My fiancé got the Beef Stroganoff with meatballs and we shared a side of garlic cheese bread.
The Mac and Cheese was just as amazing as I remember, it is cheesey like it should be and the portion is big. The meatball was flavorful and blends well with the cheese. The Beef Stroganoff was okay, not very exciting, again the full order portion is a pretty good size. The garlic cheese bread comes with 3 pieces for the small order and 6 with the large order, it tasted okay, nothing great.
I definitely recommend this place for a nice meal. Also a note, you leave your plates on the table like at a restaurant when you are done, they will take care of it. (I learned this a few years ago my first time at a Noodles and Co when I walked around the restaurant with an empty plate looking for a place to set it)

Well, tried this new noodles & co, a couple of times, had high hopes since there is a Panera across the street that is very busy, but i get tired of Panera and Ankeny has little beyond fast food, IHOP and village inn. Heard good things about the food during the soft open, Tried tonight and was disappointed. My beef stroganoff was overcooked with underdone noodles and my companions BBQ chicken salad tasted like the meat was off and she threw it away. I wasn’t sure if there was anyone in charge tonight, just looked like a bunch of teens chatting. Also, the salad was supposed to have corn, after making it and handing it to me, I was told we are out of corn so there isn’t any on the salad. In the words of Adam Sandler, it would have been nice to know that BEFORE I ordered. So definitely needs more work.