The Noodle Shop

I always get the 江湖水煮鱼 when I'm here. It's the best item!

Huge portions. The best honey walnut shrimp I’ve ever had— they’re crispy not soggy. The hunan combo fried rice is also amazing- it’s got plenty in it! The dry beef (I forget exactly what it’s called) was great but second to the walnut shrimp.

Omg this might be my favorite place in San Mateo. It’s a really no frills place because the food speaks for itself. Reasonably priced and amazingly quick!!! The Hunan combo fried rice was amazing. The dry beef (can’t remember the full name) was so soft and flavorful. Looked intimidating but wasn’t as spicy as it looked. We’ve gone before and everything was amazing. I can’t remember what all we’ve had but we decided this is our new go to place! I wish I had photos because it was photo worthy. But alas it’s in my belly!!!!!

I love this place!!!!, fresh & delicious food, very friendly staff.

We came as a 11 person party at 11:30am and were the first ones in. This place gets packed quick, it's very busy after 12. Service was good and fast since we were the only ones there at the time. The Shanghai dumplings were really good and I highly recommend them.

We go there once a week. Foods are always very fresh, and clean feel. Not greasy or sweet like most of Chinese dishes. Very fairly priced as well. It's def a thumb up.

Everything we ordered was very delicious. Chow mein is very good with what appear to be homemade. West lake soup was solid and tofu seafood clay pot had an addictive sauce.

We have ordered just about every beef noodle soup in the Bay Area and the noodle shop’s is our favorite out of all of them. It’s one of the cheapest, yet they are more generous with the amount of beef + the quality of the soup is superior. The noodles are thick, fat and chewy. We ordered over the phone and the food was prepared quickly and packed well, along with a complimentary cup of red bean soup. The people there were lovely. I will be back soon to try their other dishes!

Nice lunch specials for individuals Good for family dinners too Green beans are nice and tender In the pictures are Tomato fish lunch special and Garlic pork lunch special Beef and green bean is probably my favorite lunch special Stuff I order so I don't forget: 31 海鲜豆腐汤 Sea food with Tofu Soup 48 腌篤鮮 House Pork Rib with Bamboo Shoots Casserole (like a stew) 53 毛家辣子魚片 Dry Chili Fish Filet (have to get it fast and eat hot) 54 糟溜魚片 Fish Filet with Wine Sauce (lots of wood ear mushroom, pictured) 96 四季豆雞片 Chicken with String Beans (it's breast meat, so switch to beef if feeding dark meat fans) 131 薺菜筍尖肉絲 Shredded Pork with Ji Cai (a tender dark green vegetable, also has some bamboo shoots) 132 Shredded Pork with Soybean Curd (sometimes has edamame) 173 牛肉炒麵 Beef Chow Mein

Excellent food and prices. Nice to have them back open for in restaurant seating. The twice cooked pork is really good and so are the chili chicken wings

Real Chinese food that tastes great and at a reasonable price. Menu items listed in Chinese first and then followed by English descriptions. Lunch specials are a great bargain. Pot of tea served as soon as you are seated. I was served way too much food but I managed to eat it all. Free 2 hour parking on the street in front of restaurant. Eat in, take out or delivery available.

It's been several times we have ordered from this shop and had to write a review today. The food's quality and quantity is so so good and truly worth the money. This time we had ordered dry chili chicken wings the taste was outstanding, prepared so well that I had to write this review. Definitely try their chow mein and chilli wings.

Food prices are reasonable. I had a whole steamed flounder. Fish was tender and sauce not too salty

Ordered by phone paid with cash. Credit card is also available. We ordered to go ( Take out ) 1. Stir fry Rice cakes with cabbage & pork 2. Beef noodle soup 3. Pot stickers 4. Salt pepper fried fish 5. Jia jang noodles 6. Garlic sautéed snow pea leaves My favorite dishes were the rice cakes & garlic sautéed snow pea leaves. Both dishes require effort to prep and cook. Great price per value for taste and quality. I highly recommend getting the snow leaves it’s so fresh and tasty! For the same amount of snow pea leaves to buy fresh at the supermarket would probably cost more than getting it to go here!

first time here and got takeout of the hunan special combination rice and noodles, plus the dry sauteed green beans. Super impressed by the portion sizes (huge) for what the prices are. The 3 dishes we ordered were quite tasty as well and will definitely be back!

Saranya Chandrasekaran

It's been several times we have ordered from this shop and had to write a review today. The food's quality and quantity is so so good and truly worth the money. This time we had ordered dry chili chicken wings the taste was outstanding, prepared so well that I had to write this review. Definitely try their chow mein and chilli wings.

Cfutly

Ordered by phone paid with cash. Credit card is also available. We ordered to go ( Take out ) 1. Stir fry Rice cakes with cabbage & pork 2. Beef noodle soup 3. Pot stickers 4. Salt pepper fried fish 5. Jia jang noodles 6. Garlic sautéed snow pea leaves My favorite dishes were the rice cakes & garlic sautéed snow pea leaves. Both dishes require effort to prep and cook. Great price per value for taste and quality. I highly recommend getting the snow leaves it’s so fresh and tasty! For the same amount of snow pea leaves to buy fresh at the supermarket would probably cost more than getting it to go here!

Cal Vin

first time here and got takeout of the hunan special combination rice and noodles, plus the dry sauteed green beans. Super impressed by the portion sizes (huge) for what the prices are. The 3 dishes we ordered were quite tasty as well and will definitely be back!

J L

Nice lunch specials for individuals Good for family dinners too Green beans are nice and tender In the pictures are Tomato fish lunch special and Garlic pork lunch special Beef and green bean is probably my favorite lunch special Stuff I order so I don't forget: 31 海鲜豆腐汤 Sea food with Tofu Soup 48 腌篤鮮 House Pork Rib with Bamboo Shoots Casserole (like a stew) 53 毛家辣子魚片 Dry Chili Fish Filet (have to get it fast and eat hot) 54 糟溜魚片 Fish Filet with Wine Sauce (lots of wood ear mushroom, pictured) 96 四季豆雞片 Chicken with String Beans (it's breast meat, so switch to beef if feeding dark meat fans) 131 薺菜筍尖肉絲 Shredded Pork with Ji Cai (a tender dark green vegetable, also has some bamboo shoots) 132 Shredded Pork with Soybean Curd (sometimes has edamame) 173 牛肉炒麵 Beef Chow Mein

Mat Lit

Everything we ordered was very delicious. Chow mein is very good with what appear to be homemade. West lake soup was solid and tofu seafood clay pot had an addictive sauce.

W Gmail

We have ordered just about every beef noodle soup in the Bay Area and the noodle shop’s is our favorite out of all of them. It’s one of the cheapest, yet they are more generous with the amount of beef + the quality of the soup is superior. The noodles are thick, fat and chewy. We ordered over the phone and the food was prepared quickly and packed well, along with a complimentary cup of red bean soup. The people there were lovely. I will be back soon to try their other dishes!

Damon Tighe

Excellent food and prices. Nice to have them back open for in restaurant seating. The twice cooked pork is really good and so are the chili chicken wings

Michael Gorman

Real Chinese food that tastes great and at a reasonable price. Menu items listed in Chinese first and then followed by English descriptions. Lunch specials are a great bargain. Pot of tea served as soon as you are seated. I was served way too much food but I managed to eat it all. Free 2 hour parking on the street in front of restaurant. Eat in, take out or delivery available.

Sherry A

Food prices are reasonable. I had a whole steamed flounder. Fish was tender and sauce not too salty

The menu was easy to navigate. Each choice sounded appealing and delivered well.

The portion sizes are dazzling, the food tastes as authentic as it can get, and the service is very fast. The owner, in particular, was very kind to me when I ate here this summer. I never found a single dish to complain about (nor did I want to), and this will be one of the first restaurants I return to the next time I am in San Mateo.

Mao’s special twice cooked pork is one of my favourite meals in the bay. It nails down the perfect combination of sweet caramelisation with tangy spicy flavour that coats every slice, and the leeks complement the dish nicely. Unbelievable how good it is really.

Made to order- if you do not want spicy the owner will honor your request. Excellent food, perfect for takeaway.

Alex Von Anstedt

Made to order- if you do not want spicy the owner will honor your request. Excellent food, perfect for takeaway.

Henry Lewis

The menu was easy to navigate. Each choice sounded appealing and delivered well.

ced ric

Mao’s special twice cooked pork is one of my favourite meals in the bay. It nails down the perfect combination of sweet caramelisation with tangy spicy flavour that coats every slice, and the leeks complement the dish nicely. Unbelievable how good it is really.

Kevin Xiao

The portion sizes are dazzling, the food tastes as authentic as it can get, and the service is very fast. The owner, in particular, was very kind to me when I ate here this summer. I never found a single dish to complain about (nor did I want to), and this will be one of the first restaurants I return to the next time I am in San Mateo.

Best string beans with chicken. While most restaurants use tasty but chewy, fatty thigh meat, this kitchen stir fries thinly sliced marinated breast meat for great flavor. Very generous portions. Don't order the Cantonese noodles. Mandarin is the specialty here.

Love this place and I’m glad they expanded. The little soups and the dim sum are super good. Try the peanut butter chili noodle dish for the beef stew noodle soup. Or the steamed buns.

Great 'hole in the wall' spot for fresh noodle dishes & comfort chinese cuisine. They serve a nice range of stir-fry dishes as well. Best to dine-in for pairs or small groups since its quite snug inside. Otherwise, i'd recommend take out. Located right off 25th Avenue next to many eateries & shops.

Neighborhood mom-and-pop Hunan Chinese food restaurant filled with Chinese speaking Mandarin. Came here for lunch on a Friday and this small place was packed. You don't come here for the atmosphere, but for the generous portions of Hunan home-style cooking. Service was really friendly and prompt. Had two of the lunch specials served in bamboo dim sum baskets ($7.50/ea) that start with egg drop soup, an egg roll with the meal and end with slices of fresh fruit (orange and watermelon) for dessert: Shredded Pork with lots of Bell Peppers in Garlic Sauce on white rice and big meaty Hunan Prawns with lots of broccoli flowerettes on white rice. Both had enough spice to give it a nice kick, but not overwhelmingly spicy hot. Really like the fresh, crunchy (not from a can) bamboo. We also ordered the Hunan Special Combination Chow Mein and the 8 piece Xiao Long Bao dumplings ($5.95). Egg rolls were okay, not crispy skin, but a little soggy. The thickness of the XLB was a little thick for me, but overall flavorful taste, broth in dumpling, and the quantity make up for the dumpling skin's thickness. It was good, just not earth shattering great! Noodles were thick, wheat, like the size of udon noodles. There wasn't much of a combination. Two shrimp, some slices of chicken, some fish, no meat, no veggie, a slice or two of green onions. A little oily, not spicy at all. Wouldn't order it again. Couldn't finish our "basket" meals so we did bring home leftovers for lunch the next day (which the Hunan flavors permeated over night and tasted even better the next day). Closed on Tuesdays. Street parking is 2 hrs and free. Would return and try out the 3 dishes for $23 Special next time.

First time in years coming in here. To be real, the food was not as good as before. Portions are still good. The service is better than before. Waiter had great memory remembering us despite not having gone for years. Bigger restaurant now too due to expansion. Ez parking. Prices are still fair!

Inexpensive restaurant with a great variety of dishes. Don't if the dishes were not as tasty, but they also were plentiful. We will go back to sample other dishes. I did not care for the seafood noodle soup. Fried rice and chow mein were tasty. The salt and pepper bean cake was missing the salt.

Our neighborhood go-to Chinese restaurant. We generally order from the three dish special menu, which includes 3 (absolutely huge) portions from a limited menu for about $25. Sautéed fish fillet, chicken and green beans, and beef and broccoli are very popular with our kid (and us). Its way above average for American Chinese food in terms of flavor and freshness, and not excessively salty either. It would still be our favorite for 25-50% more money - the quality is good and the portions are just gigantic. Our family of three can eat three full meals from one of our usual orders.

If it weren't for crazy "new" policies they came up with... Food is really delicious. The amount served is amazing. But they took it upon themselves to make you pay extra the week of any holiday. Unexpected. Weird and disappointing. Also, they have gratuity if your party is more than 4-5? It's not a gourmet, 5 star, famous chef restaurant. The gratuity really threw me off... and it didn't even happen to me! 🤣

This is a simple family owned restaurant on 25th. I found this place while working out in the area. Good place for groups and ordering takeout. The dishes are not oily at all and there is no MSG. I ordered the sauteed fish fillet, which was light and delicious. Also recommend the beef with string beans.

Decent traditional Chinese. I didn't love the soup, but the preserved cabbage with pork and rice cakes is worth the trip, a wonderfully balanced dish that's not spicy.

The pork noodle soup and dumplings were delicious and authentic. We'll certainly return to try some of their other dishes.

Karl McCollester

Decent traditional Chinese. I didn't love the soup, but the preserved cabbage with pork and rice cakes is worth the trip, a wonderfully balanced dish that's not spicy.

David Tom

The pork noodle soup and dumplings were delicious and authentic. We'll certainly return to try some of their other dishes.

Hole in a wall. Place for great food but not for a fancy date. Place is a dated and can use a renovation.

ramon

Hole in a wall. Place for great food but not for a fancy date. Place is a dated and can use a renovation.

For a place called “The Noodle Shop” the actual noodle selection here is less than you’d expect. As a general Chinese food restaurant, though, it is fine if unremarkable except for the speed of service unless you are a spicy fan (which I am not). Party members who like spicy report that the fish dish covered in peppers was quite good.

The food is pretty good (nothing really extraordinary or something). What really impressed me is the speed of the service. We got the food that we ordered in like about 10 minutes or so. But one thing that offended me is that one of the dishes on their menu is called "Mao's sautéed prawns" (probably named after Mao Zedong). A lot of people will say that Adolf Hitler is like perhaps one of the most "hated persons" in history. But for me is not Adolf Hitler. It's Mao Zedong.

I ordered the lunch special Shrimp Kung Pao with Steamed Crab Meat bun with Pork. The lunch special came with a serving of their Hot & Sour soup, rice and a Egg roll. The quantity of food for the price was very good. Though the Kung Pao was meant to be spicy, it was not. There were about 4 pieces of Shrimps in the whole dish. The Dim Sums were okay. All in all this place provides good food for the price.

Longstanding Chinese restaurant located in the downtown area of San Mateo on 25th Avenue. Surprisingly large menu for a restaurant with a compact interior. Portions are large and all the items are reasonably priced. Beef noodle soup was average, as the beef was tough and too much noodles. Fast and friendly service. Plenty of free street parking within a 3-5 minute walk.

I would say this place is more 3.5 stars. The chicken I ordered wasn't bad and the portions are huge for a good price. My friend's noodle soup also looked pretty good. The Xiao long bao (pictures) was decent. I would say avoid the scallion pancake though; it tasted doughy and bland, even with the sauce. Not crisp enough.

Elaine Wang

I would say this place is more 3.5 stars. The chicken I ordered wasn't bad and the portions are huge for a good price. My friend's noodle soup also looked pretty good. The Xiao long bao (pictures) was decent. I would say avoid the scallion pancake though; it tasted doughy and bland, even with the sauce. Not crisp enough.

Wei-Ai Tai

Longstanding Chinese restaurant located in the downtown area of San Mateo on 25th Avenue. Surprisingly large menu for a restaurant with a compact interior. Portions are large and all the items are reasonably priced. Beef noodle soup was average, as the beef was tough and too much noodles. Fast and friendly service. Plenty of free street parking within a 3-5 minute walk.

The foods are not as oily as those in most Chinese restaurants and there's no msg. Some dishes tasted really good but not all. The chilli fish and tofu were tender and tasted pretty good, though a bit spicy. The garlic beef was a crowd pleaser. The place looked a bit dated though, just like most Chinese restaurants.

Shuli

The foods are not as oily as those in most Chinese restaurants and there's no msg. Some dishes tasted really good but not all. The chilli fish and tofu were tender and tasted pretty good, though a bit spicy. The garlic beef was a crowd pleaser. The place looked a bit dated though, just like most Chinese restaurants.

Lowering from 4 stars to 2. After years of patronage, we noticed a drop in the quality. Maybe new cooks? Not sure but not going out of our way for this food anymore.

The beef is ok, but most food are below average, salty and oily, Automatic charge 18 per cent tips without appropriate service, the waiter keep misleading and force ordering more and More, we just ate less then half of the food. Not recommended to friends.

The tendon dish was horrible. The oil the food was cooked in was burned, and the whole dish had a funky flavor, making it tasted really bad. I didn't eat the dish and pushed it to the side. They asked me if I liked it and I said no. They still charge me for it. The owner kept yelling at someone in the kitchen the whole time. The person in the kitchen was even louder then the other guy.

Henritoo

The tendon dish was horrible. The oil the food was cooked in was burned, and the whole dish had a funky flavor, making it tasted really bad. I didn't eat the dish and pushed it to the side. They asked me if I liked it and I said no. They still charge me for it. The owner kept yelling at someone in the kitchen the whole time. The person in the kitchen was even louder then the other guy.