They offer meals during lunchtime and dinner time.
Noodles & Company was founded in 1995 in Denver, Colorado by Aaron Kennedy who once worked as a marketing executive at Pepsi. Kennedy got inspired to start the company after he ate at a noodle shop in New York City when he realized it was an incredibly popular type of dish all around the world but not popular enough in the US with only a few restaurants focused on noodle dishes.
And although they had a rough first year of business and almost went bankrupt, they remodeled their menu and spent the following years growing at an incredibly quick pace.
You can visit their official website here for more information on the company.
Which Countries Have a Noodles & Company Restaurant?
Noodles & Company has restaurants only in the United States. They have over 400 locations in over 30 states. They have the most locations in Colorado, but they also have a bunch of locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, and Indiana.
What is Different About Noodles & Company?
The first thing that’s different about Noodles & Company is the speed of their service.
Noodles and pasta dishes are rarely served with the speed and efficiency of a fast-casual restaurant.
The extra effort it takes to make those kinds of meals is one of the reasons there aren’t nearly as many fast-casual or fast-food noodle-based dishes as there are burgers and sandwiches which you can find on every corner. It simply requires a lot more effort. But Noodles & Company lets you experience delicious noodles without having to wait for a long time to enjoy your beloved noodles and you can get your order served in just a few minutes!
The second advantage is the versatility of their menu – they don’t offer just one or two types of noodles from a specific region, but instead united different noodle dishes and recipes from all over the world into their menu, from Japan to Italy.
Is Noodles & Company Spicy?
Almost every item on their menu has no spiciness.
But, if you love to feel the heat, you can still do it with some of their dishes, like their Spicy Korean Beef Noodles with its spicy Korean Gochujang BBQ sauce. Most of their other meals are only mildly spicy at best, however, like the Japanese Pan Noodles and the Buffalo Chicken Mac.
As you might expect, noodles! Of multiple types and regions. They can be divided into 5 main categories:
1. Classic Noodles: This includes many of your traditional Italian and Mediterranean pasta dishes, like Spaghetti & Meatballs, Pasta Fresca, and Penne Rosa.
2. Asian Noodles: These include noodles from multiple Asian countries, including Pad Thai, Japanese Pan Noodles, and Grilled Orange Chicken Lo Mein.
3. Stuffed Pasta: As the name implies, this one includes different types of stuffed pasta like the Roasted Garlic Cream Tortelloni dish, the 3- Cheese Tortelloni Pesto, and the 3-Cheese Tortelloni Rosa dish.
4. Zoodles (Zucchini Noodles) & Other Noodles: These typically include zucchini noodle dishes like the Zucchini Grilled Orange Chicken and the Zucchini Pesto with Grilled Chicken, as well as their cauliflower-infused pasta dishes like the Cauliflower Rigatoni Rosa and the Cauliflower Rigatoni Fresca with Shrimp.
5. Perfect Bowls: These bowls are all about fitting different diets and ingredient-specific needs, like the keto diet, the paleo diet, or being gluten-sensitive. They include the keto-friendly Zucchini Pesto with Grilled Chicken and the gluten-sensitive Pad Thai with Shrimp, both of which have variants that are not keto-friendly or gluten-sensitive on the menu.
Oh, and they have chicken noodle soup too, which is perfect to cozy up under a warm blanket or to cure that annoying cold or stuffy nose you’ve been dealing with.
But noodle dishes aren’t everything that's available on their menu. They also serve different mac & cheese dishes, salads, and even desserts like cookies.
They also offer multiple sides and shareable foods like cheesy garlic bread, Korean BBQ meatballs, and tomato basil bisque.
And if you’re among friends or family and you want to order for everyone, they also have a Family Meals category to feed everybody.
How Do I Order Food at Noodles & Company?
You order at the counter and get your meal ready on your table in just five minutes or so. You can also order through delivery on their website or phone app. You can also order for pick up at one of their locations, or use the app to place your order without needing to go through a line.
Some of their locations also offer drive-up lanes
Does Noodles & Company Cater to Vegetarians?
Yes! They have multiple dishes that are vegetarian-friendly, and you can find a vegetarian sign on their menus indicating which meals are vegetarian. Some of their popular vegetarian items include Pasta Fresca, Japanese Pan Noodles, and their Wisconsin Mac & Cheese.
Yes! They have a specific section of their menu called “Kids Meals” which offers kid-sized meals that come in trays, like the Tortelloni Marinara meal, the Buttered Noodles meal, and the Grilled Chicken with Dipping Marinara meal.
Most of these items on the kids' menu come with broccoli and applesauce to give your child a nutritious meal.
What Are Noodles & Company’s Opening Hours?
Their hours vary a bit from location to location, but you can expect them to open at 11 am and close at 9 pm.
Is Noodles & Company Healthy?
Yes!
Most of their meals are low calories, low fat, and made with healthy ingredients, vegetables, and sauces. They also offer multiple items for people on specific diets as mentioned previously.
But they do have some items that are much higher in calories that you want to keep away from if you’re on a diet, like the Korean BBQ Meatballs that can have almost 900 calories on the regular size and the regular size Pad Thai with Shrimp that can come in at over 1000 calories.
Can I Cook Noodles & Company at Home?
Noodles & Company does not offer any cook-at-home products.