Noodles & Company

Noodles… what could possibly go wrong at noodles?
Well first they need more staff (roommate worked here for three months) and a better way to order without people standing outside or with the door open.
Waited in line 25 minutes; yes it was trick or treat on State St. night but then maybe have on call staff to call in to help out.
This time we left and went elsewhere.
But another visit wasn’t so busy. We ordered beef stroganoff and some kind of pesto chicken penne and a couple of beers. The beef from the stroganoff was really gristly and chewy had to put it in my napkin… Couldn’t get it down. The chicken pesto penne was great! As was the beer.
But don’t think Noodles is going to be a regular spot for us since I’m Italian and can make really good homemade pasta cheaper and tastier at home.
It’s a cute place to go eat if your younger maybe and don’t enjoy cooking at home or just enjoy any pasta/​noodles. There are lots and lots of choices… And beer, wine, and soft drinks. Something for everyone!

Eh. This was my first Noodles & Company experience. I was quite excited by the Gluten Free options and I thought it tasted very good. My husband did not care for the food. I think I was just excited to eat something I normally can’t. The service was okay. It was easy to hear staff having side conversations or complaining about something. And they blocked off a section of the upstairs section and said we could not sit up there as they were cleaning… however, no one was up there. And no one was cleaning. Very confusing. I know it was late at night, and you don’t want to clean as much, but put something up indicating rather than saying HEY! you can’t be up there…
Good food for your after downtown Friday night outing tho!

Worst experience at a Noodles and Company… ever. There was a line at the door only one cashier. We saw two managers neither choose to do anything about the super long line to get customers through the line. It looked like one was dealing with a previous complaint. That should of been our signal to leave but our son really wanted Noodles and we had already invested 10 minutes in line. When we finally got to order the cashier was neither nice nor super rude but very indifferent. You think maybe she could of been a little nicer considering how long people were waiting.
After we ordered we headed upstairs. Talk about a disaster. The place was a mess, napkins, straw wrappers pretty much everything but the kitchen sink was strewn on floor. The lights weren’t even on! We tried to picked the least dirty table in the place. Then we headed to the bathroom that wasn’t any better, one of the soap dispensers had no presence of soap whatsoever it didn’t even have a container of empty soap in it. There was even a dirty shirt on the sink counter?
We then proceeded to get our sodas. Im not sure exactly how many soda options there are but at least out of 20 there were only 4 soda choices. I had to go downstairs to get our drinks.
Finally got order, so from coming in the door to getting our food it took 35 minutes that doesn’t sound fast-​casual to me. The Tuscan fresca that I ordered was watery with very little feta on top. We wanted to take our son’s left over food home but low and behold no to-​go boxes.
After reading many of the other recent reviews it looks like this place has gone downhill and we will never ever be returning to this location… like ever.

I’ve found that over the years the quality of the food at the state street location has been declining. It’s unfortunate because the location is beautiful and perfect for people watching on any given afternoon

I use to come to this place for a quick lunch or dinner. I just stopped in for the first time in almost 5 years and wow has this place gone downhill. There was no ice in either of the soda machines, while the machines themselves looked like they haven’t been wiped off in months. The soda tastes kinda funny so I ended up just doing without the drink. The entire restaurant looked like it needed a really good cleaning. When my dish came to me, it was cold and kind of dry as if it had been sitting at the window for a while. And there were fruit flies/​gnats flying around my food the entire time I ate. This place is not well-​managed. Avoid at all costs.

2 stars for the idea. After that it was pretty much downhill. Had the japanese noodles with microscopic shrimp. Not hot and totally dry. The dining room was slow and the service was awful. Ordered the Thai soup there was barely any broth. Everyone else’s dish was fairly adequate but not much sauce and not too hot.

Rip-​off chicken Caesar flatbread sandwich: difficult to eat, as ingredients kept falling out. Not enough chicken pieces so I was paying for essentially a lettuce Caesar salad flatbread sandwich that was cool. Uninspired side salad consisting of too many raw onions, a couple pieces of tomato and cucumber and sprinkles of what looked like pepper. Insolent server. I accidently dropped my knife on the floor; asked if he’d bring me a clean one. Apparently he was playing games or didn’t understand the question, ’cause he asked, «Do you want another knife?» I said, «Just bring me another» and then never brought one. He seemed a little resentful and hostile and was trying to hide it. Did not understand that I preferred to eat with a clean knife, one that had not been on the floor. Was trying to make this difficult for me. I walked up to the counter and got a replacement. The cashier wished me a good day as I left. I replied, «You too, dear.» But I am never setting foot inside that restaurant again. Personally, I have experienced only two reliable eateries downtown: Cooper’s Tavern and The Old Fashioned. These two eateries serve excellent food and truly respect the customer.

Does not travel well. Dumplings were flat, as though they’d been ironed. Pesto noodles were awful, despite adding shrimp. Got part of the order wrong, my friend has a food allergy and ordered accordingly, but got double the ingredient instead of none. Dine in, not out.

Was briefly in town for a wedding and decided to pop into this location since I saw them scattered all over town. Got their alfredo dish to go. SOOO YUMMY! I wish I was in town longer to eat it a few more times! Service was quick and friendly. There is a location 3 hours away from me so I’ll have to hit one when I have my next road trip.

Stopping in for lunch after driving from Chicago on an empty stomach, I was starving. I ordered a small Penn Rosa dish with Parmesan Cheese and Pot Stickers.
My server accidentally gave me a regular sized pasta dish and some very flat pot stickers. However I barely waited for food, and who can complain about getting more than they ordered?
Aside from the pasta being spicier than I had anticipated and the pot stickers lacking volume, it was a suitable place for someone to get a quick bite to eat.

Probably the best Noodles I’ve ever visited, probably mostly due to its interior setup. Three floors? Epic. Location? Epic. Window seating galore? Praise. It’s a people watcher’s paradise, the tables are great for getting stuff done during lunch or just looking like you’re not a complete loner. And, despite what the other reviews may say (ouch, sorry guys), it’s pretty hard to mess up my go-​to dishes: buttered noodles and the mac & cheese with meatballs.

Good affordable food. Has a variety of noodle dishes available so anyone you go with should be happy. I love the pad Thai noodles and the buffalo chicken mac n cheese. Lots of seating and is a good location — good for a quick meal before going to a show or event on state street.

Just paid nine dollars for a large chicken ceasar salad and got all the way home to a few pieces of lettuce and cheese in a To go box. F my life. This review is to always check your orders at this location. It’s happened to me three times now. Should’ve learned my lesson by now about checking they got your order accurate.

Eh. This is not good food, people. Any restaurant in the area could do noodles better than what they serve as noodle dishes here.
I ordered the mac n cheese. Big mistake. Their idea of Wisconsin mac n cheese is a plate of buttered elbow macaroni with the tiniest sprinkle of shredded cheese (was it even cheddar?) I may be a newcomer to Wisconsin, but I refuse to believe that resembled Wisconsin mac in the slightest. Basically I felt like a 5 yr old eating pasta with butter.
The noodles were dry and rubbery, like they had either been sitting out too long or reheated in a microwave. Ick.
We ate because we were hungry, but vowed never to eat here again.
I give 2 stars for three reasons: 1– the staff was friendly. 2– they seemed to be in the middle of a busy rush, so I’m hoping the food is usually slightly better. 3– I only ate here once and I think I would need to give it a second chance to justly say its one star territory.

What the heck has happened to Noodles & Co?! My last several visits to the State Street location have been quite mediocre.
I remember way back when Noodles was a new thing. Before they had locations all over. The Pesto Cavatappi was my favorite. Oh man, was it good. But now it’s just not the same. The pesto flavor is muddled and not very pesto-​y. It’s just bland.
Yesterday there was an unexpected rush of business around lunch, and you could tell. There was a long line of folks waiting for to-​go orders, and my food took longer than usual to arrive at the table. People were grumbling, as this is a fast-​casual joint after all.
The server was apologetic and nice, and it really didn’t bother me much. But my food was cold. Cold, bland pesto noodles. At least the parmesan chicken was well-​cooked and delicious.
Overall, not worth the almost $ 9 I spent for it. Perhaps I should check out a different location in Madison to see if they are any better.

Food is great. Had a good time at the restaurant. Only disappointment was the lady who took our order. She was not at all welcoming. Otherwise overall a good place to have a good food in state street.

This is one of many good Noodles locations at which I have eaten, and it does not disappoint.
While the chain may have eliminated my favorite dish (a common experience for me), the options are still varied enough to keep me coming back. There is always plenty of seating at this location, and I am please that they recently added the high end coke machine. I love the flavored dasani waters and the cherry Mello Yello.
The portions are always correct, and so far I’ve always received quick, courteous service. If you are in a hurry for a quick lunch or dinner, I’d recommend stopping here.

I love this restaurant, I don’t care what you think. LOVE
I’m a carb addict, hardcore. Luckily I’m a running addict as well, and the two go well together.
State St. Is my favorite location although it can, at times, get overrun by people. I live near the area so sometimes I call for pickup on my way home from work. They’ve never gotten my order wrong, ever. I like the dine-​in style, I like the consistency, I’ve never had a bad meal from Noodles.
My current favorites:
Buttered noodles and Parmesan with chicken and broccoli.
Steak stroganoff
Spinach and fresh fruit salad with balsamic fig dressing
Thai curry soup with shrimp
Runners up:
Pesto cavatappi
Japanese pan noodles
Wisconsin Mac
Stay away from:
The Indonesian peanut sauté and the Bangkok curry. They’re fools to believe they can reproduce those dishes, and I will not disappoint myself by ordering them.

I love the Mac n cheese with grilled chicken. Get it every time. This location has two levels. Unfortunately I didn’t sit upstairs today. That’ll have to wait another day since I have to eat quick and go to work.
There is a good amount of tables to choose from so that is great. It does get busy during lunch so good luck finding a good seat.

Noodles was the first restaurant I ever ate at in Madison. I came with my mom and sister when I was in high school and I’ve been a fan ever since!
It is a chain, which isn’t always my favorite, but I am never disappointed when I stop here. Their Wisconsin Mac & Cheese is comfort food at its finest, but they’re recently revamped their menu and some of their newer dishes are a little «fancier».