Recently the folks at Noodles and Company, a fast casual chain restaurant, contacted me about their vegan options. Started in Denver, Colorado, they now have hundreds of locations scattered across the U.S. I’d never visited one of their restaurants before, but I’d read positive things about them on The Vegan Crew. I took Noodles & Company up on a couple of free meals, and David and I headed to one of their locations earlier this week for dinner.
Before dinner, I visited their website, where they’ve clearly laid out nutritional information, any notable allergens in each of the dishes, and this very helpful sorter, which shows, among other things, which dishes are vegan or vegan-izable. Of the many things on their menu, there are seven options for vegans (some that require modification) – Chinese chop salad, Indonesian peanut sauté, Japanese pan noodles, pasta fresca, penne rosa, spaghetti, and whole grain Tuscan linguine. Tofu can be added to any dish, and they use organic tofu, which I appreciate.
When we arrived, I realized I hadn’t printed out the vegan options as I’d planned, but it was no worry. I asked at the counter for their nutrition information and was handed a laminated sheet with the same information that they have online – detailing which items work for various needs. David and I looked over our options, and one of the employees came out to see if we needed more help. David inquired about the Bangkok curry, and she looked through her sheet to see that there’s cow’s milk in the sauce and that’s why it’s not veganizable. I opted for the Indonesian peanut sauté with tofu and David had the pasta fresca with tofu.
The atmosphere is clean, airy, and informal. The general tone is similar to other fast casual chains like Panera, Sharkey’s, or Baja Fresh. By the drink area, they have bottles of Sriracha, and a stack of paper takeout containers.
It didn’t take too long before the food arrived at the table. The peanut sauté is vegan by default, and comes with a pile of rice noodles, stir-fried with broccoli, carrots, cabbage, sprouts, cilantro, crushed peanuts, lime, and added tofu. I ordered the regular size, but I could have easily done the small instead, because the portions are very large. (I took at least half home in a takeout container. That’s for the best, since I noticed later that a regular size is 830 calories and contains 2030 mg of sodium!) I was impressed that the sauce was actually spicy. Often in chain restaurants, the dishes are made on the blander side to suit a variety of tastes. The flavor was nutty with a noted stickiness, and the tofu was crisp. I wouldn’t say that I was blown away by the dish, but it was pretty good.
David’s pasta fresca contained penne with roasted garlic, red onion, tomatoes, spinach, and added tofu, and tossed with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and white wine. (It generally comes with parmesan or feta, and of course, he requested no cheese.) The dish was mild but basic. It reminded me of a well done version of the vegan meal on an international flight. I think it could be improved with sliced olives and artichoke hearts for a little pizzazz.
In summation, I liked that the employees were warm and helpful and that they’ve made it easy on their website and nutritional information to know your options. I could see it being a place that would be easy to take kids, because of the laidback atmosphere that’s not at all stuffy. I don’t think Noodles & Company is a place that I’ll be visiting regularly, but it’s a welcome option for a quick lunch when guests of varying tastes come into town.
Disclaimer: I received two free meals from Noodles & Company, but the thoughts and opinions are completely my own.
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It’s always good to know about vegan options at restaurants ~ especially if you are traveling and you are starving, but don’t know where to go! Thanks.
I’ve posted a link to this review on my page and encouraged my blog-followers to read it.
I agree! It’s good to have some travel options in your back pocket, just in case. Plus, this is certainly a step up from the basic fast food chains.
Thanks for mentioning my post on your blog!
I love Noodles & Company (as I think you know)! The Japanese Pan Noodles are by far my favorite. All their noodle dishes are high in sodium and calories, but that doesn’t bother me enough to stop me from dropping by a few times a year. I thoroughly enjoyed the pasta fresca when I had it, and it was a nice change up from my “usual,” but I agree that it isn’t going to blow anyone away. I’m glad you at least enjoyed your meals enough
I’ll have to try the Japanese pan noodles the next time I happen to be there. Since it is a chain, of course, the quality can vary. Perhaps your version of the pasta fresca was just better than David’s!
While I wasn’t blown away, I am glad to have another option for when my nieces and nephews come into town or my in law’s come up for the afternoon.
So nice when chains are approachable and transparent about their ingredients. And extra points for the sriracha!
Definitely! I only noticed the Sriracha when I was getting my takeout box, but I was wishing I’d seen it earlier!
great to see that they have the options and the nutrition information. the sodium throws me off but hey i am not eating there everyday.
Yeah, I always appreciate nutrition information, especially specific notations about certain items being vegan. It’s very helpful when ordering.
I used to eat at Noodles and Co. all the time when I lived in Boulder. I loved that place because they had good vegan options that were reasonably priced. Your pics make me want one here in the ATL. Actually, never bothered to check if we have one…maybe I should!
Good luck!
I live two blocks away from a Noodles & Co, but never bothered to go in because I assumed they wouldn’t have any vegan/gluten free options. I WANT THAT PEANUT SAUTE!!!!!
Excellent! If you try it out, let me know what you think!
My daughter LOVES Noodles and Co, and when she lived here that was our default lunch spot. Of course I had my favorite dishes there as well. However, now I am on a gluten-free diet. I looked at their options, and the Pad Thai is gluten free. Unfortunately, it isn’t vegan! BUT I asked the nice counter person if I could just have my Japanese pan-fried noodles made with the rice noodles from the Pad Thai. They said, “Of course,” and it was all good. AND it made me very happy. (If there is wheat in their tamari I don’t want to know about it…..)
It’s great that they were so accommodating! Very cool!
Sometimes it’s even greater to find a restaurant that is both vegan and omnivore friendly, than it is to find a vegan restaurant. It can be so tough to find a place that will have options for everyone. I’ll have to check around to see where their locations are.
I appreciate your honesty too. I like knowing that though it wasn’t mind-blowing and it’s not the healthiest of meals, it’s a good option. Thank you!
I don’t know, Kristy. We only have one vegan restaurant in the entire state, and so I’d be pretty happy finding another one!
Thank you so much for posting about this place. I’ve been eyeing it since I moved to Austin wondering if they had anything vegan!
You’re welcome! It’s always good to have more options. Although, it sounds like you’re not suffering for options in a vegan-friendly town like Austin!
If you try it, let me know what you think!
Interesting…other websites and the local store near me indicates that the Bangkok Curry IS vegan
That is interesting! I checked the Noodles & Company website again and their nutrition information just to be sure, and they indicate that there’s milk in it. There’s a V next to it indicating it’s vegetarian, though. http://www.noodles.com/nutrition/