10 Spots For Asian Noodles in NB
Newport Beach may not contain concentrated international enclaves like Little Saigon or the Korean District, but our city houses a wide variety of Asian restaurants. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese restaurants all help to contribute a range of noodle dishes. Learn about 10 of the most reliable Asian noodle offerings in Newport Beach.
Chau Dang Haller comes by restaurants honestly. Her mother Diane founded legendary Brodard in nearby Little Saigon and Chau followed suit with Bamboo Bistro in Corona del Mar. Pho, Vietnamese noodle soup, appears in many forms. Pho ga features steamed chicken breast in ginger-spiced chicken broth. Pho bo touts filet mignon, meatballs and flank steak. Bun ca incorporates sole fillet and fried fish cake in a clear fish stock with cherry tomatoes and herbs. If you prefer dry noodles, wok-fried garlic noodles work best with tiger prawns, calamari, jumbo scallop, asparagus, and vegetables. There’s even a play on Hanoi’s famed Cha Ca La Vong, with sole marinated with turmeric and spices, grilled with onions and baby dill, and served over rice vermicelli with tamarind sauce.
This beloved Chinese restaurant at the base of Balboa Peninsula, now run by Ed O’Neill, features blue surfboard and beach photos, and cuisine that they call “Califoriental.” Barbecued pork lo mein tossed with oyster sauce and bean sprouts is popular, but most noodle dishes lean leaner. Califoriental lo mein stars grilled chicken breast and a bevy of vegetables, including peas, carrots and broccoli. If you prefer a hint of heat, tai tai mein integrates chicken and bean sprouts with spicy peanut sauce.
This airy restaurant near Lido Theater sports an aqua awning, green walls, and menus everywhere you turn and touts the unusual combo of Asian food and Philly cheesesteaks. They also serve shrimp tempura udon, which you can combine with a complementary California roll, spicy tuna roll, or sushi. Each bowl features bouncy flour noodles bobbing in savory broth with fish cakes, scallions, nori, and more, which soothes on a cool day.
The Newport Beach branch of this more casual concept from P.F. Chang’s founders Philip Chiang and Paul Fleming resides in The Bluffs. They have constructed three different noodle dishes, including pad Thai and judiciously spicy dan dan. Still, most people opt for lo mein. Noodles are tossed with rice wine sauce, scallions, garlic, onions, bean sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, and carrots. Pei Wei also serves “Wok Classics” with a choice of protein and either noodles or rice. Meaning you can score Mongolian beef with sweet soy sauce or Kung pao chicken with “chile seared” soy sauce and greenery.
This fast casual chain restaurant shares a Fashion Island courtyard with other fleet concepts and stands out for its healthy, flavorful Japanese food. They typically serve bowls with grilled proteins, spicy tuna, vegetables, and rice, but occasionally feature ramen. Chicken ramen combines grilled meat, corn scallions, soft egg and chewy fish cake. Hana also serves creamy pork tonkotsu ramen with corn, scallions and bamboo. Call ahead, since these ramen specials are made off-site and don’t arrive daily.
Innovative Dining Group, an L.A. based restaurant group that centers on the Sunset Strip, recently brought flash to Fashion Island in the form of Sushi Roku. The freewheeling menu often strays from tradition, but Hakata-style ramen with spicy pork miso broth is pretty classic. The creamy broth, stained red with spice, also hosts meaty slabs of char siu a soft marinated egg, a central thatch of scallions, a crisp nori sheet, and a bouncy white fish cake with decorative pink spiral.
Featuring a partial brick façade, art with bamboo and Buddha imagery, and a wealth of Vietnamese noodle dishes, Lotus Bistro prominently features Pho the noodle soup with key proteins like chicken, rare beef, brisket, filet mignon, shrimp, and of course combos. Broth comes in varying shades of murk, bobbing with scallions, shaved onions, and if you prefer, jalapeños and herbs. Rice vermicelli is available with an array of toppings, including crispy egg rolls, grilled lemongrass chicken or beef, and shrimp; all plated with crushed peanuts and sautéed scallions. Accompaniments include lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumber, pickled carrots and daikon, and “Lotus sauce.”
The Pasadena-born chain from the Cherng family debuteding in 1983 and has a Newport Beach location in Fashion Island. The menu allows customers to pair a choice of entrée with scallion-studded chow mein. Signature orange chicken, broccoli beef, honey walnut shrimp, and eggplant tofu are all in play to pair with egg noodles.
The sign on this Balboa Island classic promises Mandarin cuisine. Part of that vision involves chow mein, lo mein and pan-fried noodles with an array of ingredients, including chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, and vegetables. If you’re a fan of variety or surf-and-turf, their “three-flavor” option casts a net that snags chicken, beef, and shrimp.
Pick Up Stix Chicken Pad Thai
This fast food chain dates to 1989, when China native Charlie Zhang launched the first location in Rancho Santa Margarita. Now you’ll find dozens of locations, including two Newport beach outposts, in Harbor View and Westcliff. Chicken Thai sweet chili noodles and chicken pad Thai are both available, but chow mein is the noodle dish of choice at Pick Up Stix. Noodles are tossed with onions, cabbage, celery, carrots and bean sprouts and served in a sweet black sauce. Go vegetarian or supplement with proteins like chicken, beef, tofu, or shrimp. The “house” blend combines chicken, beef, and shrimp.
