Noodle 501

The food was great and the service was excellent. The gentleman who served us was very kind and gave excellent recommendations.

We got the Takoyaki, Drunken Noodles, Tonkatsu Ramen, and the Mango Sticky Rice.

All of it was delicious! Would recommend.

I had ordered in before and been very happy with the food, but the jump in quality when dining in is absolutely phenomenal. Thomas made sure our visit in was not going to be our last with phenomenal service, a caring and charming personality, and flavor in spades. Firstly the Curry Rotee, an amazing balance of salt and spice in a phenomenal yellow curry, the only complaint I could make is I cannot buy it by the jar full. The rotee came out crisp and flaky, warm and the perfect vessel for the curry. The Thai Tea is absolutely perfect, sweet without being sachryn and being able to actually taste the star Anise is a refreshing find. The Seafood Tom Yum, ugh I still taste it. Bright lemongrass, perfect spice, and a delicious medley of fresh seafood. Thank you so much, I cannot wait to be back

This is about to be a lengthy one. First off, I came in with my 3 children. The youngest is 2. We were sat by a nice waiter in the back. My youngest, toddler, started to cry and he cries loud. All of a sudden, we hear someone in the back, yelling loud too. They then started to yell “GET OUT!” So, everyone in the restaurant is looking around trying to figure out who he is talking to. I see a short Asian man come out from the back to leave and slams the back door shut loudly. The waiter brings our drinks and I asked, “was he talking to us?” And he says “yes.” I then asked, “should we leave?” He then says “no, he just left so it’s fine now”. At this point I’m contemplating whether to leave. Maybe 3 minutes later the food comes out and we eat, but it’s very awkward. I then asked the waiter who that was, the cook? He told me that’s THE OWNER. Excuse me? Acting like that at his own restaurant? Mind you, at this point he’s told us what’s been going on and that the owner has had his breaking point. He’s been on edge for months and he’s been told that he needs to speak with someone about it. I asked the waiter who he was and he said the CO-OWNER. Oh. So, this changed things. I said I will pay you, but this is my last time coming. Every time I come, I have had no issues. I said you have been great and I’m glad you told me that he has some mental things going on but that is not how you run this business.

Children are going to be loud, and you cannot control when kids cry. If you want a “no children restaurant”, that needs to be reflected somewhere and I assure you, you will have no business. You cannot lose control when you are a business owner. And clearly, that Asian man is spiraling. I hope he gets the help he needs before it’s too late. But no apologies were made on his behalf, and no compensations were attempted to be made to us as paying customers. We did not have to get treated like that and we should’ve left as soon as it happened had it not been for the co-owner being our waiter and telling us everything. Food is good but Asian co-owner is horrible.

DO NOT COME WITH YOUR CHILDREN, THE OWNER DOES NOT LIKE TO HEAR CHILDREN!

**Responding to OWNER: My child did not cry for 10 minutes. More like 10 seconds, and if that triggered you, STAY home. The 2 other tables had children with them too and as parents and grandparents, they understand that you cannot always have silent children. You left before the 2 other tables left. We all witnessed YOUR temper tantrum and outburst like a child. If anything, you are an adult and you were louder than my child. As a co-owner, be more patient, respectful and compassionate because you might have customers who are autistic or disabled. DO BETTER!

Also adding, the co-owner, Thomas did in fact give us a discount, but I still gave him a tip.

Duck ramen is soooo good, duck meat is juicy and delicious. I craved something really spicy so I went to this place and asked for Thai hot and it satisfied me, it has been a while since last time I came here because I live far, but the taste didn’t change and remains the same good. you can also choose mild if you can’t eat spicy. Knowing that they can provide the food I want is great.

I unfortunately had a poor experience at Noodle 501. I was recommended the restaurant from a friend, so was looking forward to trying it out. The service was very poor as it took a long time to even get asked for a drink order. It was a long time before being noticed that we haven't ordered. I understand it was a moderately busy night on a Friday, but I've never experienced this level of neglect at any other restaurant, which were significantly busier in comparison. The level of service we had was inexcusable; it's not a surprise that a Friday night would be busy, this wasn't an unexpected amount of customers. No other restaurant would have this issue given that this was the first time I've ever experienced something like this. I overheard other customers, who did an online order, talking to one of the waitresses and they discovered their order might take 45 minutes, even though they prioritize online orders. I also saw disgruntled seated customers around me. This only made me worried given that I was a seated customer and if an online order (which are prioritized here) would take that long, I could only wonder when I would get my food. I was also displeased that our entrees were not given at the same time and that it was about 15 minutes after I got my meal before my partner got her meal.

I ordered the ramen and was quite disappointed in my meal. I hate to say that it was probably the worst ramen I've had in the Triangle Area. I understand this isn't a Japanese restaurant, but it was saddening to be given a poor meal after waiting so long both to order and receive the meal. It wasn't horrible, but it's really not the best feeling to pay $18 for a less than desirable entree. From my customer experience here, it seems they are severely understaffed and have a large emphasis on online ordering. Having two waitstaff trying to manage tables, all the online orders, and door dash drivers, I am empathetic of the workload they have. However, this does not excuse poor service as it shows poor management and foresight of what a Friday night looks like at a moderately busy restaurant. I'm sure a lot of the 5 star reviews are well earned and I'm happy they had a good experience and wish I had left satisfied as they were. It's entirely possible I got unlucky with the meal or that this isn't the strongest menu item, but after this experience I'm left disappointed and would not recommend this to others especially after reading responses to online reviews from the owner who gives inappropriate and aggressive replies when people are giving honest feedback and valid criticisms (if I get a response I expect this point to be proven). I ended up leaving hungry and actually went to the Red Robin next door, which had exceptional service and I received food very promptly.

Lastly, it's very unfortunate that the parking situation allows for door dash drivers to park right in front of the restaurant with their headlights beaming at customers inside. This isn't the fault of the restaurant, but added damage to my already disappointing evening.

I hope my experience is taken well and hopefully can be used to improve the experiences of other customers. If the owner responds poorly, I hope that can serve as a warning to future customers to avoid here and try something more worth their time and money.