The Magic Noodle

Our family thought this noodle shop was better than Sheng. Noodles (we got knife cut) were much chewier and had a more satisfying bite and flavor. The soup base is a push with Sheng. Tried Dan Dan, spicy pork, and beef noodle soup. All very good. Dan Dan had some nice numbing as well. Fried rice was excellent. But we did not like the fried dumplings very much. Flavor was ok but the texture was gooey and not pleasant to the bite. Onion pancakes were very solid and an amazing value. We loved everything else. Also we sat in less than 15 min which will probably not be the case going forward as more people discover this place. Don't let the name fool you. It's a great authentic noodle spot!

The food was excellent. Really great service from the staff. I had the brisket soup with extra wide noodles. It was superb and the broth was perfect. You can't forget the chili oil. I recommend this place to anyone who loves noodles. All the side dishes was good also. Especially the fried rice and chive pancakes. Amazing.

Our favorite was the spicy won ton on the Appetizer menu. Even decided to add the leftover sauce in our soup. That and the soup was really good. We didn't care much for the stir fry. It's a fun atmosphere as you can see them making the dishes in the back. We went on a weekend. They were really busy with take out orders and took a while to check on us for the check that we had to finally get there attention. Surprisingly at the time we went, there were still seats open. But when we left the restaurant possibly after 7pm... is when there was a wait to be seated. The area is small and it was kind of awkward being so close to the next table as you can clearly hear their full conversations.

This strip mall noodle shop is good enough to compete in the tight market of Southern California. The hand sliced noodles are fun to watch them been made and good to try them if you haven’t done so already. We also had the pork belly fried rice. You don’t often see this dish on Chinese restaurant’s menu. Here, it’s similar to homemade ones with its own distinctive taste. I asked the server what kind of flavoring that was and she told me only the chef knows the ingredients. Well said! In any event, it was very good. We also tried the black fungus salad. The serving was large with a taste that needed a bit more vinegar. The friendly servers were quick and attentive.

The food here is delicious and authentic. You can really taste the freshness of the ingredients. The hand pulled noodles are fantastic and the flavors are mouthwatering. This place does get busy and there tends to be a wait list almost all times of the day. The average wait time is about 20 minutes. Go hungry!

Really tasty and fair prices. Two appetizers and two entrees was under $40. Spicy wontons and dumplings were similar, but we didn’t complain as they were so delicious. The Dan Dan noodles were good (we chose hand pulled noodles), but the Kung Pao Chicken (with knife cut noodles) were excellent. My dining companion orders Kung Pao frequently, and he says that this was the best that he’s ever tried. We were sat next to the check in tablet which wasn’t the best, but it’s such a small place that it’s a little tight anywhere. Wait wasn’t too bad. Maybe 15 minutes around 7pm on a Friday night.