Chen's Noodle House

Super tasty and fresh food. The menu is also super simple and easy to navigate. I am new to world of Chinese noodle houses, I KNOW, where have I been, right?! However, I found a business when I first moved to Austin that is not far from this location, that I think is the bee's knees. However, CHEN's is much closer to my house. I figured, I'd give them a try.This strip mall, hole in the wall, noodle shop feels like a warm noodle hug. The interior is small, intimate and rather bare bones for the amount of steady traffic flow they receive . You'd think this place would have thrills and bells and whistles. But instead they have damn good food, a small interior and a tiny patio!Way to go CHEN's, you earned my dollars today!The middle aged man working the register seemed to really be immersed in the community, greeting regulars, whipping out their piping hot bowls of deliciousness and commanding the kitchen, all in the same breath. My leek pancake, I think that's what it was called, was really green tasting and crispy fried to perfection. And the lamb noodle soup really stopped the show! The bite sized lamb made for an easily perfect bite, every time, and the noodles were just thick enough to cause a coma. All in all, I was very happy, and will be returning again!

Hole-in-the-wall spot for Chinese food!It really feels like you're in a food court at an Asian grocery store, except you're surrounded by a box and just a few tables. You can tell that this spot has regulars who come in for the quality and the low prices. I'm surprised they didn't have Chinese on the menu (dishes were all in English), but it wasn't a bother since I can't read Chinese anyways. Star of the show for me were the sesame pancakes - the pancakes were sweet and the pork barbecue inside was tasty. Lamb skewers were interesting, the sauce is this spicy paste and it definitely tastes like lamb. Mala noodles were too spicy for me but the made-from-scratch noodles were excellent and the beef was also good. The black bean noodles weren't anything to write home about - I think I like the Korean version better than the Chinese version anyways. You can help yourselves to bowls, water, takeout boxes, etc. at the front.

I feel like Austin has a lot of restaurants that kind of serve the same things, but Chen's noodle house doesn't fall between the cracks. They're still able to deliver good quality food while keeping costs pretty cheap! Some standouts for me were the green onion pancake which was super crispy and chewy and flavorful. As well as the black bean noodles with minced pork. It was so savory and rich and delicious. The broth of the lamb noodle soup was really good. But I expected larger lamb chunks. Rather than the small minced lamb pieces that actually came with it. And the chive pancake was good, but nothing too special to me. I really love how they package the noodles separately for takeout. One reason being so that they don't get soggy. But another reason being you can mix and match the different soups and sauces to different noodles.

A girlfriend's and I decided to try a new place and seemed like the reviews were good. We came early since we read that it was very small. We walked up to the counter, not greeted nor an effort of a little smile. We placed our order - green onion pancake, stir fried chicken noodle, pork leek noodle, and sat. Food was out within 10 minutes. The onion pancake was slightly crisp, oily and not much green onion. The 2 other entree sauces tasted very similar, no unique flavors popped and blew me away. However the noodles served in the pork and leeks were cooked perfectly with a slight al dente chew. The other seemed less me a thin spaghetti pasta. Perhaps we should have tried a soup dish but sadly, we weren't impressed and will most likely never know. Overall, the food wasn't bad, but it will not be memorable.

This was my first time eating in the restaurant. I've had their takeout and enjoyed it, so I wanted to see what it would taste like at the restaurant. I got the chili oil noodles with lamb (I think). The cilantro adds a nice aftertaste to the noodles. Noodles are bouncy and chewy. The lamb was good too. There's limited seating here, so if you're in a big group you'll need to split up.

Came here for lunch with a coworker today and this spot is such a hidden gem! We split some pan fried dumplings and both got the spicy lamb noodle dish. Both were great! The dumplings were large and had great flavor. The spicy lamb noodle dish was also a good portion, great for the price, and had pretty good flavor but the texture of the noodles was perfect. Definitely a very casual spot if you're considering dining in but the service was great and we had an awesome experience :)

I think the beef noodles are really great! The black bean noodle was too salty-too much sauce probably. I was a bit skeptical coming in since the place was so small. I do like how there are pictures posted alongside the menu on top making it easier to decide what to order. It's really hot in here. They have ceiling fans on but it's not cool enough. The water also isn't cold, nor does it have ice. The fridge isn't plugged in, so those soda cans are also not cold, which is a bummer.

If you need a quick, reasonably priced bite to eat for lunch or dinner, this is a great option. Very laid back environment so if you're wanting an experience with a server, fancy drinks, a bit more ambience, this isn't it. You order under the menu, I got the spicy lamb noodle (N1). Food was ready in less than 10 minutes. I've never had noodles this texture and consistency but I enjoyed the flavors of the sauce, lamb, and vegetables all mixed in with the noodles. Didn't see any napkins readily available though but I'm just a messy eater.Im coming back to try the soup next time!

This spot was ROTD on Saturday and I was craving noodles. We must have gotten there at a perfect time since it was 3:15pm and no line. There was only one patron eating there. As our food started to come out, it got packed inside. This is a casual spot where you order at the counter and the dining area is pretty cramped if it gets crowded. The owner was doing great as a one man show.I was wanting to try a spicy noodle soup so I went with the Mala Noodle Soup. I was pleasantly surprised with the flavor and thick hand pulled noodles. The noodles were perfect and right amount of chew. The broth and meat were delectable. We also ordered the dumplings to try, green onion pancakes and pork leek noodles. The dumplings were fair. The green onion pancake was flaky and tasty. The pork leek noodles were delicious. Noodles were also perfectly cooked. My little one approved and loved the noodles. I will definitely be back for the noodles.

Very savoury beef noodle soup with fresh hand cut noodles and a light beef broth. With black vinegar and chili oil this is one of the best in town.