Noodles & Company

I’ve been here once. Decided to never go back after that experience. The service was horrible. The woman manning the register completely ignored us (I went with a friend) and was slightly rude. Oh, and we found a hair in our ridiculously over salted pasta. The drink machine was cool, but I wouldn’t go if you plan on actually eating anything.

Quick, pretty good Mac N Cheese. Quality fast-​casual selection of all different variations of pasta. Definitely the move for a quick bite. Caution: DO NOT get the chicken, it will ruin the Mac N Cheese Kid-​friendly, order online app, also at a historical Bloomington location. Great for what it is.
Quality– ⁸⁄₁₀
Atmosphere– ⁸⁄₁₀
Creativity– 8.5÷10
–A&R

I’ve had several meals from here and I’m not sure why I keep coming back. There are so many better options for lunchtime meals within a 5 block radius. Everything tastes microwaved and the buff salad things are bland, soggy, and boring. Expert marketing of mediocre food.
Pros: The people that work here are nice. They also have a custom Soda machine.

If I could give this place ten stars, I would.
I wanted something light for dinner and pasta is pretty versatile. There must be something I could order without giving them a call, right? I wasn’t going to delude myself I could get something like the Pad Thai, but I was hoping I wouldn’t be stuck with the dreaded salad.
I walked in, glanced at the wall-​length, colorful menu of their offerings, and decided to go straight to the counter to ask in person what I could and could not eat (I’m vegetarian, no onion or garlic in any form). The first person was really helpful; she knew what contained onion and went to the back to see about the garlic. Then the manager got involved and he read through the ingredients of the sauces they use… Multiple times, after we went through what was essentially the entire menu. We finally came to the conclusion that all of their items including their sauces/​dressings are pretty much off limits. My saving grace? The Mac and Cheese.
I personally love macaroni and cheese. The problem was I was trying to have a light dinner and cheese sauce doesn’t really fit the bill. However, I found out I could customize my Mac and Cheese with veggies so I could sort of squeeze myself into the box of Healthy Dinners that I demanded I fit into on this trip. And so I got my pick of veggies to add in: spinach, mushrooms, and red bell peppers. There was more but I didn’t want to be greedy.
Why? The entire time I was feeling bad that they had to repeatedly run to the back to see what fit my needs, he also felt bad because they pride themselves on how versatile with fitting dietary restrictions/​allergies they were supposed to be and there I was, stuck with the Mac and Cheese. As such, I ended up getting a regular bowl of the Mac and Cheese plus the additions at the price of a small bowl… And only the small bowl. I got the extra veggies on the house.
And so here is Exhibit A of outstanding, off the charts customer service. On top of that, the macaroni pasta was perfectly cooked (not mushy or too soft) and the sauce was light and perfectly seasoned. It also didn’t drown my pasta. Soupy Mac and Cheese is a no-​no in my book. I also loved the shredded cheese they topped it with. Yes, I’m a sucker for cheese. The sautéed veggies peeking out from under the melting cheese and from in between the pasta just made it all the better.
It was a pretty large bowl (portions are awesome) so I ate half and took the other half home. And I didn’t feel all fatty from the carbs and cheese I just stuffed myself with (I’m guessing the 15 minute walk also helped)!
Excellent service, great food and portions, clean tables, and nice atmosphere! I didn’t try out the restroom so I can’t really comment on that. They also have this cool all-​in-​one drink and ice dispensing machine that is operated via touchscreen! If I get the chance to visit them again, I would! I hope they’ll charge me properly the next time so I don’t feel so bad. :)

Noodles & Company is my favorite chain. I’ve had every noodle dish on their menu. I love the spicy noodles so Indonesian Peanut Sauté is naturally my favorite. You can’t go wrong with the mac and cheese either.

I tried Noodle n Company in Indianapolis and I wasn’t a big fan. Gave Noodles n Company another shot today and tried the Japanese buff bowl and I was so impressed with the variety of tasty vegetables that they packed into the bowl that I now question even going to Chipotle since Noodles N Company stepped it up offering this veggie packed meal. They are seriously hooking it up. For all those looking for a veggie packed meal, get the buff bowl. They’ve convinced me to come to Noodles N Company just for this meal. Love.

If you have a gluten allergy, they have the gf-fusili…but TELL them you have an allergy. Otherwise they will use the same pans they make ALL their pasta.

Very expensive food — you order at the counter, yet the 5,59 $ pad thai noodles come down to 10,63 after you add shrimp (which they’ve raised the price to 3,34, even though the menu still says 2,59) and a side soup or salad for a dollar, plus the tax. (That’s even without the drink!)
Portions are OK, but not particularly big. Taste is quite bland. If you try to eat outside, you’ll be bothered by lots of bees, plus there is also a rubbish can right next to the seating area.
Also, they don’t have napkins anywhere (whether tables, condiments area or the order counter) — they bring your silverware in one, but then they come take it all off your table after you’re done with food, and you are left completely napkinless!

I always enjoy their food and this location is not the exception. The food is good, the staff are always nice and the location is clean.

This Noodles is pretty standard to any other Noodles, and I guess that’s why I’m giving it just an A-​OK. Don’t get me wrong, I plan to go here a decent amount while I’m living in Bloomington, especially as I get my birthday Noodlegrams and such (sign up if you’re not part of the club, you won’t be disappointed when you get FREE noodles!). However, I was a little disappointed by the décor. Maybe that sounds odd, and I should have assumed that this place would look like every other Noodles & Co with pictures of Noodles and fresh ingredients on the walls. The fancy sign outside misled me. I assumed there would be a vintage feel and there just wasn’t.
That said, I enjoy the outdoor seating under the old Von Lee Theater sign and just wish some of that authenticity carried inside. Enjoying a carbilicious meal outsides with the view of the sample gates down Kirkwood is awesome.

Oh carbs, wonderful carbs! Friggin’ love this place! All of their noodle dishes are exceptional. I’m a bit disappointed however, that N&C has not yet saw it fit to serve spicy Korean Ramen. But when it comes to noodles (all kind) they really have it covered!
I love the buttered noodles on the American menu board! I make buttered noodles at home all the time. I must admit N&C is almost as good! Be sure to get it with meatballs!
My wife had the Pan Fried Japanese Noodles from the Asian board. It was pretty good. I would have ordered it with shrimp, though. Could have been a little more liberal with the veggies too. My son had the Pad Thai with shrimp. He’s a Pad Thai junkie and knows a good Pad Thai when it crosses his lips! He said it was good and wouldn’t let dad have a bite. So I assume it really must have been.
Another favorite of mine off the USA board is their traditional Mac and Cheese. If you like Mac-​n-​Cheese, you’ll love it here!
The service is fast, but a bit impersonal. I go out of my way to extend a greeting to my servers, but received a rather tepid response.
The place is clean and accommodating. They should spend a little more time cleaning the rest rooms though. Not terribly dirty, but not what I would classify as well-​maintained though!
If you’re a carb addict, you’ll love N&C. If it’s made with noodles, they have it here (except ramen)! Now if they would only open one near me (O’Fallon, Illinois)!

I’ve really come to strongly dislike this place over the course of multiple visits. The food is overpriced and bad – especially if you carry-​out. Multiple times I’ve received undercooked noodles splashed haphazardly with sauce – seriously? This has happened with the Macaroni and Cheese as well as the Asian dishes. Macaroni and cheese is easy to make. Easy. In fact, i almost feel guilty ordering it because it’s requires so little effort to cook (Uptown’s is delicious fyi). It’s one of these new-​style chain restaurants which masquerades as a local place, except the food is just mediocre. There are so many restaurants in Bloomington that do noodles, and do them much, much better, most within easy reach. Don’t waste your money or time here.

Not only is the food extremely bland, but the staff is extremely rude. Don’t dare sit at one of their patio tables (located on the public sidewalk of course) if you’re not presently consuming their food. They will run you off and they won’t bother to be polite about it.

You said it, accompanying pre-​generated rating exclamation: I am a fan. Four stars!
I went with one of my buds, and a very funny story came as a side to my mac and cheese. My friend Alex, who is blond haired and blue eyed ordered some Bangkok noodle dish. I – a half Asian – ordered the macaroni and cheese. When the waiter came, he motioned the mac and cheese towards Alex while timidly guessing, «Who got the mac ‘n cheese?» Alex pushed the bowl toward me after the waiter set it down on the table. He then said, «I had the Bangkok noodle.»
We had a good laugh after he left. It wasn’t racist; it was using context clues.
And that’s why you get four stars, Noodles & Company. You taught your employees to use their context clues well.

Not superb, not awful.
Pluses:
1) Close to campus
2) Hot food on a cold day is great
3) Fast service
4) Variety of choices to select from
5) Oddly enough, they have good taste in music
Minuses:
1) Expensive… I can open up a box of mac n’ cheese for $ 1 at Kroger; this place is way overpriced
2) At peak lunch hours this place gets crazy packed. if you are looking to seat a large group, come early or late
3) It is a chain.
To sum it up: I come here on busy days when I haven’t packed a lunch and need a quick bite to eat. Not my first choice, but certainly convenient.

I have a lunch addiction… and it is this place! Not much of a fan of the noodles dishes (although i haven’t tried them all) BUT try the spicy chicken caesar wrap and the thai curry soup and you’ll want to go back every single day. This combo alone makes me love the place.

The price is a notch above fast food, but the quality is *two* notches better.
I love this fast casual restaurant. This is the third location I have visited. I anxiously await for location to open in my hometown.
I received very friendly service. I also enjoyed the layout of the dining area with seating to suit those looking to be social or those wanting a little more privacy. There is also covered, outdoor seating.

I thougt this place was just okay. It offers several different kinds of noodles (Itallian, American, Asian, etc) but they all end up just being average. Nothing ever stuck out. The prices are pretty decent. Overall, it is a good place to go to if you are near, but definitely not a place to go out of your way for.

YUM! Ate here last summer on a trip through town and I was shocked by how kick ass the food is. I wish we had noodle places like this out here in SoCal. I dig it! Good stuff!
Plus…it’s steps from those pearly IU gates — it doesn’t get any better!

I can’t really say much about this place except. Meh. My noodles were uninspired, uninteresting, and the only reason they had any flavor is because the cook poured a bunch of cayenne seasoning on it. Even then, I still had to put soy sauce on it.
Comparable to Pei Wei, which is priced similarly, Noodles and Co. is just not that great of a restaurant. However, seeing as there is no Pei Wei in Bloomington, I would say that you are better off going to just about any other restaurant in the area.