Capital Noodle Bar

Christine is an angel! this place has a really good service, but she’s the best! She will take care of you! Giving 5 stars just doesn’t do it justice. The food is amazing and different! I got the grilled pork chops and it had a yummy bbq flavoring!
I highly recommend trying this place out!
Try to get Christine as a server! She’ll take car of you!

I was a regular client who came here for quite some time, until the two recent dinning experience I had, that turned me away. The food quality of this place is failing dramatically, this place puts a really bad name for Capital Seafood.
First time was back on April 25^th, when I ordered a roast duck noodle soup to go. When I mixed the noodle and the soup along with the roast duck, a whiff of an indescribable horrid smell came from the soup, as if someone took a piss in it. I found out that the odor was caused by the duck meat, which were under cooked. I’ve reached out to the manager on duty and informed the gentleman of the issue and urged him to do a better quality control from the kitchen, I didn’t expect a refund but he offered me anyways, which was extremely generous of him. However, I never got the refund.
Tonight was the second time that I had a terrible experience with the food here. I placed an order of Pork Chop with Steam Rice, Spicy Cucumber, Garlic Wings and Beef Skewers. When my wife and I started to dig in our meal, another strange odor came from the steam rice. Ever smell steamed white rice that’s been sitting in your rice cooker for 3 days straight? That’s exactly what it smelled like.
This place is nothing but an utter disappointment, food quality is dropping dramatically yet their price is unreasonably high. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anybody.

Love love love Capital Noodle. I used to go to the Irvine location all the time, but now that I have moved back to Costa Mesa, I am thrilled that they also have a new location here. This is a great place to come solo as the service is fast and you receive your food with little to no wait.
My favorite dish here is the Wonton Egg Noodle soup. The wontons are addicting and are filled with a pork and shrimp combo that is simply delicious. The egg noodles are also made fresh and add a nice compliment to the wontons, leaving you full and satisfied at the end of the meal. The broth is bold and full flavors such as garlic and green onion. Add some chili sauce to it and you are good to go.
This location has a leg up on the Irvine location being that they have a full bar and happy hour. I tried a locally brewed mango Hefafeveizen which was fantastic. Can’t beat the happy hour price of $ 3 either.

Décor: ultramodern — which I don’t mind.
Service: lacking, no order of structure, the hostess ended up taking our order. Had to chase down someone to get refill on water.
Food: nothing to write home about.
Had the Trio of Beef, kinda water down soup base, not much flavor. Quality of Beef: ok.

3.5 stars
Pretty good for what it is. This location is spacious with amble seating. Came here on a Friday night and was seated immediately.
Their signature dish, the Capital Noodle Bowl, is okay. The noodles are topped with shrimp, assorted fish cake, minced pork, and make sure to order it with the large egg noodles. I like getting it dry so the soup is on the side. This dish needs a lot of accruements. You gotta dress it up with the chili and other condiments, otherwise it’s rather bland. It’s expensive at $ 9.95 because it’s not like you’re getting organic ingredients or anything.
What I really liked here was their Capital’s Filet Mignon Cubes (bo luc lac). I thought the meat oh so tender and the seasoning was on point. I ordered the dish with tomato rice and it all worked really well together. It was decently priced at $ 12.95.
Don’t be turned off by their parking situation — they have free valet here. I came on a Friday night and it was okay crowded.

Quick to go orders and special parking, remember to call ahead and its waiting for you. I ordered broth to slurp while I was waiting and it was only $ 2.
I ordered the chow fun rice $ 11 and pork chop $ 12 that were so good last time. To go. Lovely left overs for this weeks lunches! Adrianne took care of me and was nice and helpful with menu question and broth on side.

My fiancé and i became addicted to this place. It offers good quality in many levels!
Pros:
Enough seating, friendly staff, easy to browse menus, nice décor; red and black and good food.
When you walk in, you are greeted with respect and a smile. Which is rare to find in some places these days. The servers are attentive and respectful. The food is flavorful, whether you get egg or rice noodles. I got chicken noodle and my fiancé got the beef. One week we went twice in a row. They also have delicious green tea and good drinks menu.
Prices are reasonable for what you get.
Cons:
Parking!!! We have lucked out every time. That shopping center is popular due to many good restaurants there. Be patient and watch how you drive because it can get pretty crazy.
They do offer valet as well.
Give it a try and enjoy a tasty meal!

This location is conveniently located on Bristol in Costa Mesa and although I’ve been to the Irvine location on Barranca I prefer the proximity to this location. We been here half a dozen times or so for lunch.
I always order the Capital Noodle Bowl with shrimp, sliced poem, assorted fish cake, minced park and wide egg noodles. The broth is flavorful and deep flavored. The wide egg noodles are my favorite part! Al debate and slightly chewy. Today the broth wasn’t as good as usual but I’ll call it an anomaly
The fried Chinese «donut», it’s kind of a misnomer since it’s more like a light and airy crispy fried bread stick, the best I’ve ever had
The Hong Kong style beef chow mein with crispy noodles, really good!
The place is really clean.
Service is always prompt and spot on. I take lunch at off times, early or late, so parking has never been an issue for me.
They have their sriracha and picked peppers on the table so add these items to your yummy food!
The food is good and not greasy. If you’re in the mood for good Chinese food or noodles come here!

Found this place one saturday afternoon.
We were seated right away at lunch time and the place was pretty busy. I was surprised that they had beer and different ciders!
Anyways, I ordered wonton soup which was really flavorful and the portion was huge. The rest of my party also enjoyed their food. We were impressed by the quality and portion of food. Definitely will be coming back!

Came here for an early dinner. I wanted to get down here early to beat the traffic. (Star Trek at the Segerstrom). A while ago my family and I ate at the one in Irvine. I felt like eating something healthy and simple so I opted for Hainan chicken rice. I’ve also eaten the same dish at Savoy Kitchen in Alhambra. Personally I like this version better.
In addition the restaurant was clean and the waiter was friendly and helpful. The Halal Guys is literally two doors down but today I was able to get parking no problem.
Five stars!

I’ve only visited the Irvine/​Barranca location so this was my 3^rd time giving Costa Mesa a try. I must say, I am not a fan of this location yet. There’s so much more to improve on. For one, the staff is not as fast, knowledgeable and attentive as the Irvine team. The food just didn’t taste the same. Don’t get me wrong, the staffs are friendly but you have to flag them down all the time when you need something. 3 times I’ve visited they have always forgotten an item that we ordered (mind you they repeat the order before walking away!) It’s still very young and new to see but great potential at this location. As I mentioned the food just tastes different. Today we ordered the following:
01. Juicy Pork Dumplings (4 Pieces) $ 4.95 — 3 Stars
— Normally these come out SUPER Steaming Hot and you have to wait a bit to bite into them with juices running down your lips and mouth. I bit into these today and NO JUICE was there nor was it steaming hot. I was so disappointed as I have been craving them for a few days.
02. Stir Fried Green Beans $ 6.95 — 4 Stars
— This was the only item that was consistent to taste and goodness! I love how they stir fried these green beans with jalapenos, green onions, garlic and dried shrimp. Yummy at its finest.
03. Capital’s Filet Mignon Cubes $ 10.95 — 3 Stars
— Filet Mignon was tender but not as much as what the Irvine portion is. The Rice was dry dry dry. The portion ratio was a bit of too much Tomato Rice. The Sauce was a bit salty too.
04. Singapore Noodle in Curry $ 9.95 — 3 Stars
— Not sure I liked the curry part of this dish. It’s a new one for Capital and it was just weird IMO. Irvine location doesn’t have this (that I’ve seen on their menu). Not a fan of it. Wasn’t very Singaporean to me at all.
05. Pacific Fish Noodle Bowl (Dry w/​Broth on the side) $ 8.95 — 3 Stars
— The small egg noodles were on the chewy side. The Fish balls had no flavor, very bland and the broth was just MEH. Definitely had better Fish Bowls/​Broth at other Noodle Houses. Probably would never order this again. All of their bowls can be ordered with the choice of small/​large egg noodles or small/​large rice noodles! Gotta love the options folks!!!
LOCATION — Same plaza as The Halal Guys, Creamistry, Hashigo.
PARKING — Horrible but they do have Valet, supposedly it’s FREE
DECOR — Same as the Irvine location, just a tad smaller in space.
STAFF — Friendly but not fast, attentive or knowledgeable YET. Growing pains for sure.
TIP — Come before the lunch hour or after, during lunch you can expect to wait and fight the parking.
Rumor has it… their next location will be in BREA!!!

I was not terribly impressed with this place. You can get far better noodle soup bowls in this neighborhood elsewhere. I ordered the Beef Two Ways noodle soup. What I got was a large steaming bowl of flat rice noodles, a ton of onions, a couple of beef balls, 2 overcooked pieces of «rare steak», lettuce, and water. Yes, water. Beef noodle soup in a totally clear broth with absolutely zero discernible flavor other than salt. It was pretty gross and I ended up leaving most of it.
Maybe if I’d stuck with my original inclination and gotten the Hainan chicken plate, I might have been more satisfied.
The soup dumplings were mediocre at best. Freshly steamed, but not much juice in them. And a poor substitute when there’s a Din Tai Fung a couple of blocks away in the South Coast Plaza.

Came in for lunch and chose this location because it was the new spot in town. Based on their name I assumed it was the same quality and taste as Capital Seafood in Diamond Jamboree Irvine.
It’s safe to anticipate a lunch crowd, but on this day it wasn’t full. Half the dining area was vacant so we were advised to sit anywhere. It took longer time than it should to receive menus.
We ordered wonton with egg noodle soup and juicy pork dumplings.
Here is the dirty truth…
1. The Wonton with (thin) egg noodles were floating in what seemed to be the same hot water the noodles were boiled in. Absolutely no flavor in the broth. Checked other Unilocalers and it is confirmed the broth has been noted to be bland by so many.
I would not waste my time on another spoonful and sent it back. We could hear the ire from the chef radiating from the kitchen, but let’s face it… If your food isn’t cutting it, better to be told now so that you can improve he menu.
2. The xiao long bao dumplings were served all crashed to ones side that it broke the skin and leaked out all of its broth. They didn’t serve them with the traditional spoon so they could not be enjoyed how they are supposed to be garnished (with vinegar and ginger)
We were so fed up at this point we asked for the check and walked out and got more palatable food at «The Halal Guys», next door.
Upon leaving, I asked the hostess if they were affiliated with the Capital Seafood in Irvine, she confirmed which is really a shame because this place can’t even come close to the culinary delight of the Irvine location.

Unilocal categorizes Capital Noodle Bar as an Asian fusion restaurant.
Well, the food here is actually very authentic Cantonese, from hainan chicken to Hong Kong style crispy chow mein and you tiao (Chinese savory donuts).
So if Unilocal’s definition of fusion means that the legit Chinese food is served in a clean and modern dining room… Then I’m all for fusion restaurants!
The second you step in to the restaurant, the dining room has a very hip and inviting feel. We dined on a Monday night and it was full but we were seated right away. This restaurant is located in a strip mall with many other tasty looking options, so for this one to be packed on a Monday really says something about how good it is.
We ordered the bone-​in hainan chicken, which was served with not just the traditional ginger and green onion sauce but also two other dips– nice touch! The chicken was very tender and juicy, and they gave us a whole half with broth flavored rice and housemade spicy cabbage kimchi.
We also ordered the shrimp spring rolls, which came with a very large plump shrimp and no fillers neatly Fried in egg pastry wrap. I definitely recommend this appetizer.
We also ordered one soup noodle dish and one fried noodle dish. The signature capital noodle bowl came with e-​fu style wide egg noodles, and lots of fish cake and fish balls with the broth in the side for you to mix. For our other noodle dish, we had crispy chow mein with a Ton of meat and vegetables in a tasty gravy atop crispy egg noodles. Very flavorful, I would recommend it if you like this traditional Hong Kong dish.
As I mentioned, the dining room was cool with large wood community seating, flatscreen TVs, and Red jars as Décor lining the front of the kitchen that look like pickled jars.
I would definitely recommend this place, for the food, ambience, and convenient location immediately off the 405 freeway in Costa Mesa.

We came for the soft opening and a couple times afterwards.
If you’re allergic to soy like me. You can’t eat anything here! This review is based on my husband’s taste. He had the Chicken Halil. He said the chicken was perfectly done and the rice was so delicious. He said, it’s so sad that I can only watch him eat. It’s ok, I just had wine the open time here. Tony, the chef, was kind enough to make me a special without any soy. It was very bland. Yes, I eat very bland stuff, it’s a normal thing. Kinda sucks to be me sometimes.
I came here with my mother last time, she really enjoyed the Chicken Halil as well. She loved the atmosphere and the service was great. It was fully packed, the whole time we were there.

Came here for a quick lunch and the food was great! I had the crispy shrimp rolls, spicy garlic wings, the capital bowl (noodles), stir fry noodles, and the filet mignon cubes.
The wings were marinated so well I was actually impressed at how this asian spot serves their wings! The crispy shrimp rolls is another great appetizer to start out with. As for the entrees, I thought the noodles were yummy. They are generous with their toppings and the capital noodle comes with a light soup as well if you want to add soup to your noodles! The filet mignon cubes was surprisingly extremely tender, and the sauce really completed the dish.
Definitely a solid spot for Chinese food and noodles if you’re in the area! I see this more as a local spot than anything, but I’m happy that I tried this spot!

My boyfriend and I were planning on eating ramen near here, but decided to try out Capital Noodle Bar for a change. I guess it was an A-​OK decision (haha).
Capital Noodle Bar presents to us with lifelong family recipes and flavors from Southeast Asia. Bringing us savory broths with silky rice noodles that would warm our tummy and our palates.
This restaurant is located in Costa Mesa which is right next to Halal Guys, Hashigo, and Anjin. There’s also another location in Irvine if that one is closer to you. I also wanted to note that there are some small differences on their menu depending on which location you go to.
Captial Noodle Bar is beautifully decorated. You can actually see it from the outside of how lovely the place looks. Once you enter, you can feel how wonderful the atmosphere is, especially when you are eating. Also, the service is by far superb! The servers and host are super energetic! It’s great that they know their stuff. We even got a run through of what are the most popular dishes from their menu. That was super helpful during decision making!
What we’ve tried:
Trio of Beef — made with beef stew and large rice noodles. Topped with sliced filet mignon and beef balls. It almost reminded me of a Vietnamese noodle soup called Bun Bo Hue, but not as flavorful. It was not bad.
Wonton Egg Noodle — this bowl had small egg noodles with pork and shrimp wontons. The broth was bland so I suggest adding some type of spice to give it a kick. But the wontons were yummy!
Crispy Shrimp Rolls — the rolls were crispy. Nothing unique and different about these small bites.
Stir Fried Green Beans — this was super good! Love the sauce and how crunchy the greens beans were!
Cinnamon Chinese Donut With Vanilla Ice Cream — Imagine eating a churro with ice cream. Yum!
**NOTE: All bowls come with the choice of small/​large egg noodles or small/​large rice noodles!
Overall, Capital Noodle Bar is A-​OK. Why? Because there’s a lot of other places that have yummier and flavorful broths with noodles as well as stir fried noodle dishes. This restaurant wouldn’t be on the top of my list of must go to, but it is a place to try and to bookmark. So bookmark it!
AS ALWAYS, NOM FOR LIFE!

Okay okay okay! The wicked witch of the east is back… And this time, she brought friends! Ha!
If you haven’t read my previous review… Well it’s too late. I deleted it. But basically I ripped them a new one! Was very disappointed in the wait staff and everyone in generally here.
But anyways! Decided to come back, this time, though I still hate when servers greet me with «are you ready» every thing else was good. She checked up on us, and made sure our drinks were never empty.
The food. Amazing as always.
Mmhm. I was happy like a fat kid in a candy store at the end of my meal. We decided to speak to the manager at the end, mind you I wrote about him in my last review! Heheh oops. But that’s not the point, the point was this time he acknowledge me, apologized for the bad previous experience, and did everything a manager would do to keep their customer content and returning! So thank you for my pleasant lunch experience! Would be coming back!

I didn’t have a good experience at the original Capital Noodle Bar on Barranca 2 years ago, but since this one opened up near my work, I wanted to give it another try.
Sadly, I still don’t like it.
I’m a huge noodle fan, and while the décor was really nice, like a teahouse, my Capital Noodle Soup with wide rice noodles were soaking in an overly salty broth. On top of that, the noodles were broken and I had to keep on gathering all the little pieces onto my spoon to get a decent bite.
Prices are $ 10+
I have yet to come across a Chinese soup noodle place that rivals my favorite one in Irvine. Very disappointing. :(

Saw this place next to Halal Guys the other day and noticing the number of people outside, I knew I had to bookmark the place.
A day later, I went with my mom and day to check out capital noodle bar. First thing you notice about the restaurant is that the atmosphere is pretty Alive. Good music playing, décor is interesting, and overall feel is good.
The menu is pretty small but my first impression was that capital bar was like a bougie version of Phoenix restaurant. There’s a fusion of appetizers, some popular Asian noodles as well as mixed ethnic dishes. We settled for noodle soups as well as the xiao long Bao (really they have this?) and the green beans.
Food came out pretty quick and I actually enjoyed my trio beef noodle soup. It tasted like a blend of sate and stew. My mom and dad also liked their choices too. I was kind of iffy because price was steep but you get a good amount that tastes great!
Xiao long Bao wasn’t bad too, especially since I honestly didn’t expect this place would have it. And unfortunately it took way too long for the waiters to realize they didn’t put in an order for our beans. I didn’t mind too much since the service and food were great so far but my parents were getting restless. It finally came out and tastes fine!
In the end, we got a 10% off coupon since they forgot our order, and we’re very sincere about it. The only caveat about this place is that the prices are a bit more on the higher end side, but it works for them since a lot of the customers are richer middle class residents.
Eat well and prosper folks,