Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Pad Thai, sandwiches, soups and more at Noodles & Company in Burlington


FINALLY, a place in Burlington that my coworkers and I can agree on for lunch.  Most of the time, someone wants to be healthy and get a salad, someone else gets a wrap and myself of course, always wants Asian food.  We usually end up at Fresh City in Woburn or grabbing lunch on our own and bringing it back to the office.

Noodles & Company Burlington

At Noodles & Company in Burlington, the new chain restaurant features a "World Tour Menu" in addition to comfort food staples like spaghetti & meatballs and mac & cheese.  There's a good selection of Asian noodles that includes Japanese udon noodles, Pad Thai and Indonesian Peanut Saute.  There's about 3 to 4 sandwich, salads and soup selections for each category on the menu.  Similar to other chains, they also offer half and half combo specials, which is convenient.

Noodles & Company Menu Board
The restaurant actually had its grand opening today but I signed up for the ECLUB and received a "Noodlegram" invitation to the Burlington "Pre-Opening" special this past Sunday.  The Mo and I headed from back from a wedding in Maine, dropped off our clothes, made a trip to the gym, grabbed a complimentary lunch at the new restaurant before hopping on a flight to Newark.

It was quite the weekend.

Noodles & Company is in the same Market Place complex as Del Frisco's Grille on the turnpike across from the Burlington mall.  There's plenty of parking space but the lot is a bit difficult to access.  We checked with one of the girls at the table outside of the mall and was walked into the restaurant and greeted by another employee who reviewed the menu with us.


Our complimentary meal entitled us to one free entree and one drink.   They weren't set up to accept payment so we couldn't order any additional menu items as I was hoping to do.

We placed our orders at the cashier and the total came about to about $26.00 for a noodle dish, a Wisconsin steak and cheese sandwich that came with soup and 2 drinks. Although, we didn't have to pay,  I thought that was a bit steep for a casual lunch for two.  The cashier gave us our drink cups along with a number to put on our table for when our order was ready.

Noodles & Company Organic Iced Tea
I loved that there was a condiment section with an assortment of sauces, spices and Sriracha hot sauce, the ORIGINAL brand.


We found a table on the patio.  I love eating outside on beautiful days!

Noodles & Company
Burlington Location Outdoor Patio
Our meal was ready in less than 10 minutes.  I was doubtful that the server would be able to distinguish our table number among the busy crowd but she had no issues and brought our meal to us quickly.

I ordered the Indonesian Peanut Sate with tofu and chicken. The dish was surprisingly good! There were ample chicken breasts and fried tofu along with my favorite herb, Cilantro! The textures all came together and tied in nicely with the creamy peanut sate sauce.  There was a bit too much beansprouts but the dish was still great.  Of course, I had to add the Sriracha.  The portion was huge and I was only able to finish half the entree.

Noodles & Company Indonesian Chicken and Tofu Peanut Sate
The Mo went a different route and went with the Wisconsin steak and cheese sandwich.  All sandwiches are served with soup so he also got a cup of tomato basil.  He liked his hearty sandwich.  I took a bite and it was full of flavor.

Noodles & Company Wisconsin Steak and Cheese Sandwich


The soup was also very good. It was thick and tangy and just right.

Noodles & Company Tomato Basil Soup
 I didn't know they were giving out desserts until I walked to the bathroom and saw other families munching on rice krispy bars and cookies.  I remembered being told that we couldn't purchase anything so I came to the conclusion that they were also complimentary.

When I returned to the table, a server came to clear our plates.  I inquired about the sweet endings and was informed that they were available.  Unfortunately for us, they were out of the rice krispy treats but the nice gentleman brought over 2 huge Snickerdoodles cookies.  I took a bite of the soft chewy cookie and was in heaven. Who would have known that the best Snickerdoodle cookie I've ever had would be from a place called Noodles & Company?

Noodles & Company Large Snickerdoodle Cookie
I'll definitely be back with the coworkers.  Will I be a regular? I'm still not sure I can afford $13.00 lunches on the reg....



Updated: 7/18/14

My coworker and I revisited for lunch today and tried a few new things.  I was regretful because everything I had was sub par.  I ordered the BBQ sandwich and the bread was soggy and the BBQ sauce tasted like cheap store brand version.

BBQ Pork $5.95 (less side)

Their chicken Peking ravioli on their "Shareables" menu lacked excitement and flavor.
(6) pcs Chicken Potstickers $ 4.95

Although I wasn't satisfied, my coworker loved his Japanese fried noodles with steak.

Japanese Pan Noodles with marinated steak $ 8.70


You might also like:
SlowBones Modern BBQ - Burlington