Noodle Town

In search for chachangmyun for lunch, we ended up here the other Monday. Santons Palace was closed.
I think the owners are a cute korean couple, a husband and wife team. We were greeted and seated quickly. Service was good as they frequently checked up on us.
Their lunch menu is pretty good. I believe the prices start at $ 7.99, which included side dishes. We ordered bulgogi for our son and chachangmyun for both of us. Bulgogi was pretty good, but I’ve had better chachangmyun.
Overall, I would return for lunch.

This is the best Korean food in the city. The chef has a gift at creating the flavors that appeals to both the Korean and American taste. They are friendly and helpful to both the experienced Korean and American patron. Thanks for a great meal each time I visit

Funny how i wrote reviews for other korean restaurants comparing them to noodle town, but i never actually wrote a review for noodle town until now…
I’m not sure but i’m not a huge fan of this place. the food is decent here, but nothing too amazing. the only thing that sticks out compared to other places is the cold arrowroot noodles, they make it pretty good. I really don’t like the atmosphere here, I don’t know what it is but I don’t feel comfortable and I always want to eat fast and get out of there. The side dishes are not that great and they don’t bring them out until the main dish comes out. If I had a choice I would not come here but I’m always with a group so it’s tolerable.

Fantastic. Friendly service and delicious food. I have been going there for years now and will continue to visit for years to come.

For whatever reason, this place and MinSokChon are my more frequented Korean spots, though that’s not saying too much — San Diego definitely begs for more. The menu is fairly standard, so no surprises here, and the parking lot a mess (crowded and sloppily designed). And yet, I still keep coming back.
First of all, let’s clear this up: it’s a Korean restaurant, with a Korean-​speaking fob staff. Everyone gets little side dishes (share with the table), and to get the staff’s attention, you push a brown button on the table — this is key, since they don’t round on you. Now supposedly, if you do speak Korean, more side dishes and better service come your way; I’m Korean, so I can’t quite confirm this, but my non-​Korean friends insist it’s true, and I can believe it.
If you’re wondering about the food, it’s good. No, not close to mom’s fabulous home cooking, or what we experience in LA, but as far as San Diego goes, this is pretty close to the top. Now, you can take that one of two ways: complain and be disappointed, or be thankful that we have it at all. And with Noodle Town, thankful as I am, I just can’t give it the four-​stars — it’s a solid 3.5.

Just been back to this place a month ago, and was surprised by the lovely renovation. And was I even more pleased to find jajangmyun on the menu! HALLELUJAH!
The only thing that bums me out sometimes though is when I want to eat at Noodle Town, they whisk us away to sister restaurant Mapo. I know it’s going to be the same food and all, but there are times when I prefer Noodle Town’s vibe over Mapo’s. Now don’t get me wrong, I loves Mapo a lot, too. Sometimes I just need a bigger table ;)

My boyfriend and I have been to this restaurant three times. Third time was tonight, along with his mom! :) We always order chicken bulgogi. I love it! It’s so good. Tonight, we ordered that + beef bulgogi + this noodle bowl. Side dishes and rice comes along with the meal. The beef bulgogi was tasty. The noodle soup was spicy but I like it :) I’m not a big fan of noodles though.
There’s a button on the wall by the table for you to press for service which I think is nice :) Also, there’s pitcher of water so you don’t have to ask for water if you run out.
Besides food dishes, you can come here for korean BBQ. I haven’t tried it but my boyfriend and I will, another day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ESTHER!
2 stars for BBQ and the service!
infinity stars for the time with my friends!!!
Noodle Town! Noodle Town! David saved this town!
When you see the sentence above, you probably wonder WHO IS DAVID?!
David is the only waiter in this restaurant. We had really big party, and the restaurant was full house. But they only have 3 servers. Can you believe that? 3 servers served probably 10+ tables. Anyways, a lady took down our order, but she wrote many things wrong. When we were in the middle of our dinner, she was like OH THIS IS EVERYTHING. We were like SERIOUSLY?! We just started okay!!! We ordered 14 dishes, but they only came less than 8~9 dishes! Totally fooling us man!
At the moment, David came!!! YEAHHH for David! He helped us for the rest of the dinner time.
Ask for David as your waiter!

Jajangmyun is very scarce around San Diego, and I can’t imagine how many times I had the withdrawals for some during my undergrad years at UCSD. When I read some good reviews from fellow Unilocalers about this place, I decided to give it a try.
First time I came in and got the Jajangmyun, I was surprised by the portions they served, but it came out a bit cold. A cold Jajangmyun is a big no-​no for my palate.
Came back again for the second time, hoping for it to be better than last time. Still missed the target. Sadface.
At least their Tangsuyuk was alright.

I went to Noodle Town last night with band mate and fellow Unilocal reviewer, Larah M. Having decided on Korean noodles, we drove to the Convoy area and were wandering around when we happened upon Noodle Town. Neither of us had eaten there before but it was, ostensibly, a Korean noodle shop, which was exactly what we were searching for.
We arrived a little before 9 and were pleased to find that there were still plenty of diners eating there — always a promising sign. I was a little concerned that all of the other diners appeared to be eating BBQ rather than noodles, but we forged ahead with our original noodle plans anyways.
I ordered the spicy Korean noodles and Larah ordered the hot noodle soup. We also split an order of fried dumplings. I was hoping that my spicy noodles would be hot, but I was disappointed to find that they were cold noodles. I didn’t think it tasted great, but I thought it was OK. Larah’s noodles were hot, but not spicy at all. I thought her noodles were OK, too. We ended up switching noodles since Larah liked mine better and I didn’t really have a preference. The dumplings were pretty good, but it’s difficult to screw up fried dumplings.
The problem for us, I think, was that we were both hoping for hot, spicy, ramen-​style noodles, yet they didn’t seem to serve that style at this place. The majority of their noodle dishes were cold, and there didn’t appear to be any spicy options among the few hot noodles on their menu.
Still, the service was decent, and the bill — 26 dollars all together — was reasonable. On the other hand, there are plenty of better restaurants in the same price range. If I ever come back here again, I think I’ll try the BBQ like everyone else. Lesson learned.

I am never coming here for all you can eat Korean BBQ. NEVER!
I usually love noodle town for their other dishes, but seriously?! The AYCE was so disappointing. My friends and I wanted to go to Manna but they weren’t open till one, so we decided to try noodle town since we couldn’t wait.
Next time I am definitely waiting for Manna. The quality of the meat was bad, and the portions they give you of each order is huge! Unless you come here with about 6 ppl you won’t get to try all the meat they offer. We tried the beef brisket, galbi and the shrimp. We wanted to try the other stuff but we didn’t want to get charged for the food we couldn’t finish. Meat quality was meh too.
Side dishes are alright. The AYCE doesn’t come with soup or the egg dish like other places. They don’t specialize in AYCE Korean bbq, so just go somewhere else if you want meat.
Uggh, so disappointed Noodle Town:(

I love the raw shrimp in soy sauce and chilli. Yes, it’s really strong, the odor may reak to some but it tastes so good. My favorite part is when you smother the shrimp fat over the rice. This dish is similiar to something I had when I was growing up (raw shrimp in fish sauce and chilli garlic).
The spicy tofu soup is one the best in San Diego (so far). I knew it was going to be good when I saw the soup overflow and sizzle on the rim of the stone bowl. The Kalbi ribs was charred to perfection. They also had a good kimchi selection, including my favs– cucumber and seaweed!
Didn’t really like the bbq beef plate, meat was tough.

When I look up comfort food in my little asian dictionary, this place pops up. It’s by no means the best korean barbecue, or the best tofu stew, or the best noodles, but it sure does hit the spot when you’re looking for a simple, hot, homey meal. Plus, the fact that they make kimchi pancake is a big plus! It’s hard to find at all these fancy shmancy other korean places, and sometimes I just want me some plain ol kimchi pancake! I also do enjoy some hot spicy clam noodle, or bibimbap in a bowl or on a metal plate!
The only major con I’ve found so far, is that if part of your party wants to eat AYCE bbq, you have to sit separately, because they don’t trust you not to share your food. Big con. Big big con. Cost them the 4^th star in my book!
Nevertheless, $ 20 for AYCE bbq is pretty decent, considering the korean bbq climate/​cost in San Diego. I have yet to try, but it always makes my mouth water when I see everyone eating it around me.
Worth a try if you’re just looking for some dishes «mom would make»!

Mmmmmm ALL YOU CAN EAT KOREAN BBQ! I can’t complain! :D We didn’t try any of the noodle/​appetizer items when we went, so my review is only based from my ‘all you can eat’ experience.
You can definitely tell the difference in the quality of meat here compared to other all you can eat places. it’s fresher, seasoned differently, and thicker! Yummmm. The rice paper here isn’t dried out, but just right. No ice cream yet, but i did see an ice cream machine… and no pancakes either — but that’s ok! :P
$ 20 ($ 25 after tax and tip)?!? Can’t beat it. I’m definitely a fan & consider this place one of the best in san diego. Can’t wait to go back and try everything else!

One of the few things I miss about not being in L.A. year-​round is the level of Korean BBQ in San Diego. Quite frankly, you really cannot compare the quality. But for what it is, Noodle Town isn’t bad… it’s just that I know what’s out there. It’s probably one of the best Korean BBQ places that San Diego can offer.
I only go to the outside portion with the table grills. I usually get a Combo 2 for $ 54.99 because I come here with at least two friends every time. Trust me, this will easily cover 3 guys with good appetites. We usually get galbi and pork belly (aka the big bacon). It’s decent enough and gets the job done if what you want is to pound meat down. They also have kimchi soup and my favorite, the steamed egg.
I come here regularly out of necessity to satisfy the KBBQ itch. It’ll get the job done, but it’s definitely no Manna (in L.A.) or anywhere close to the other KBBQ joints I’ve previously reviewed.

Heard about the Korean dish, Jajangmyeon (noodles with blackbean sauce), a while ago and wanted to try it for quite some time, as it was an Asian noodle dish I had never eaten before.
As Noodle Town is one of the few places in the Convoy area to offer Jajangmyeon we came here for lunch.
This noodle with blackbean sauce dish was quite delicious and the portion size was massive. Highly recommend trying it.
Regular Jajangmyeon was $ 7.99, however, I ordered the one with seafood for $ 9.99.
In addition to having beef and pork, which are cooked in the standard blackbean sauce, the seafood Jajangmyeon contained a large amount of tiny shrimps, small mussels, and calamari.
Thoroughly enjoyed the noodle with blackbean sauce meal, especially with the seafood. However, I was slightly disappointed because Jajangmyeon, although the actual sauce is traditionally cooked with beef and pork, is unavailable in a vegetarian version at this establishment. This may hinder me from coming back to Noodle Town for this dish too often as I generally try to avoid beef and pork when possible.
Four small plates of vegetable appetizers, including kimchee, were fresh and delightful.
My friend got a gigantic bowl of spicy soup for $ 9.99. Believe this was the biggest bowl of soup I’ve ever seen at any restaurant. It included noodles, cabbage and other vegetables, and seafood such as crab, mussels, and calamari.
Environment was average. Appeared to be a mom-​and-​pop shop because a man and woman, who I assumed to be a couple, were the only ones serving the dining area. Despite only two servers, service was fast and friendly.
Was also nice that there was a large, albeit dated, flat-​screen TV that was showing a World Cup game at the time.
Overall, we had a great time dining at this South Korean establishment while eating delicious noodle dishes and watching Brazil score against the North Koreans.

We arrived to friendly service & good food! A lot of people around us seemed to be ordering the AYCE KBBQ but we didn’t want that… so we went with something different.
What we ordered is located in the menu section that contains the ddukbokki — but we got the the spicy squid & pork bulgogi version. It’s not as soupy as jjigae but it’s just yummy simmering goodness of spice!
The waitress cooked it in front of us in this big flat hotpot looking like pan — lotta mixed veggies & some rice cake in it. But it had an amazing amount of spicy squid & spicy pork belly (I know it says pork bulgogi but they used the belly slices instead) so it could easily feed 3 people and well worth the $ 34.99 price! At the end, they bring out rice w/​some other veggies and kimchee to make kimchee fried rice in the pan itself.
We had TWO to-​go boxes ‘cos we couldn’t finish the spicy stir fry/​casserole dish or the kimchee fried rice afterward. Woohoo leftovers for tomorrow!
FYI, as we left — we saw what looked like the owner & workers setting up their own meal… looked like our dish (with possibly different toppings… you can choose from other seafood or meat items)…what’s good enuff for the owner is good enuff for us! ^_~

Hello! I’m Korean and Vegetarian and I love Noodle Town!!!
The first time I came here was with my mommy several years ago and I was very frustrated because the menu did not have a lot of completely vegetarian items. Things have changed. Now there is a vegetarian section and veg items appear in other parts of the menu as well.
My mom likes this place because it is very authentic. I like it because you get a pitcher of iced barley tea and yummy panchan right away! I need to eat and drink asap and their service is great! The panchan seem to change depending on the day but you will always get very fresh kimchi!!!
I love all the noodles at noodle town. The chigaes (hot pot) are very good too! The kimchi cold noodles are so spicy and filling (check out my pic). The weekday lunch specials are a really good deal but even without the special you can get out of there paying $ 20 for two veg ppl.
My meat friends say it’s just okay. The meat is good but you don’t get very much, I guess (also look at pic).

It was like a sign that was calling from the meat heavens. «All you can eat Korean BBQ. $ 19.95» or something like that. We came, we ate, we swore to never go back again.
My buddies and I came in for our weekly hangout and we were all starving and craving Korean BBQ for about 3 weeks now. What we ended up having was a disappointment.
There are two sections you can sit in. an outside area (that reminds me of korea) and it has the stoves built into the table, or the inside which has no stove tops at the table but the butane ones you can buy at 99 ranch. This was strike #1 for us.
When we sat down, the waitress was quite nice and asked what we wanted. She took our order and about 5 minutes alter came back with less than the typical side dishes. They had the standard kimchi, jalapeño’s/garlic, dipping sauces, but they lacked other things like fresh greens to wrap it in, rice noodle sheets, etc. This was strike #2.
There were three of us and we were getting annoyed since the cook top we had was cooking very slowly and they only gave us one. Not only did they refuse to give us a second one but they put the one we had at the end of the table so the odd man out couldn’t cook on it. Now I can appreciate the fact that they’re trying to be just like the motherland and not let you serve yourself and cook yourself but that’s kind of expected in the US for a place like this. This was Strike number 2.5
The saving grace (of being 2 stars and not 1) was the fact that the variety of meat was just not that good. They advertise 5 or 6 types of meat. 2 of which I think the average person would not thing is edible and the other 4 being just mediocre or as the 2 star rating is described as «Meh». I don’t understand how a korean bbq place does NOT have Kalbi. This was the second half strike making it 3 strikes.
Personally. I wouldn’t go back again. I think Jeong Won was better with service and variety.
Lastly, i just wanted to say that comparing a place like this to LA all you can eat Korean BBQ joints is unfair. That’s like comparing dim sum in SF or LA to Dim sum in HK. If you like meat, go try this place out. you might be different. But I’d suggest Jeong Won near China Max.

For vegetarians: this is a korean restaurant that serves all-​you-​can-​eat BBQ. (They even changed their name to «Korean BBQ» recently, to attract more customers perhaps, in this bad economy.) However, if you’re craving for good ol’ Korean food and if you can order right, this restaurant can be a pleasant experience.
For starters, I would order Boo-​choo-​jun, which is Korean pancake/​flat bread with chives and other veggies. You dip it in sauce and eat it. Very delicious. It’s a little bit pricey ($ 8) for what you get though, but I don’t mind since making these pancakes are bit of a hassle unless you make a lot at home. Enjoy it with refreshing barley tea.
If you’re with a party of two or more, I would recommend ddukbokki (ask them to take out fish cake for vegetarian), which is spicy rice cake with veggies cooked on the table. It’s a bit pricey also, at $ 19, but where can you get cooked-​on-​the-​table goodies like this around here? It’s San Diego… don’t expect LA price. Plus, the portion size is huge, and you can add different kinds of stuff like chewy noodles, ramen, etc. to make it more interesting. If you order some other cook-​on-​the-​table menu item, you can even get fried rice for free. Too bad they don’t do that for ddukbokki.
The restaurant has expanded their vegetarian options to vegetarian bibimbap, cold noodles in bean soup/​milk (kong gook soo), and many others. Many can be made vegetarian, if you ask. Most of their side dishes are vegetarian, and can be served as many times as you want, if you ask.
You do need to be careful though, because noodles in black bean sauce cannot be made vegetarian, although in some other restaurants it can be ordered vegetarian (for example san dong ban jum). We ordered it since the waiter had made a mistake by telling us it could be made without meat, when in fact they couldn’t since the sauce is already made. But they were nice enough to deduct the price from our bill since we did not even touch it after we found out there was pork slices in them. The owner came by to apologize to us personally, and told us to order anything else vegetarian next time since they can make them for us.
Too bad veg options are still quite expensive. (I guess they have a good business but still…) so deducting a point for that. I would love to see veg options written on their menu, to make it more convenient for vegetarians.
Also parking is quite horrible there, which is typical of Convoy. Be early to save a spot or be prepared to walk from other lots or street-​parking!
Overall, I would like to give a 3.5 stars since I’m a fan of Korean food, but I think it can definitely get more accommodating for everyone.