DC Noodle

I headed down to DC Noodle with a friend because Ben's Chili Bowl had a line out the door and around the corner and some kind of concert going on out front. When you come into the lunch hour looking for a half smoke and chili and end up at an asian noodle place, your mind might not be in the right place to fully appreciate the food you are served.

When my friend and I walked in we looked at the simple/futuristic style and heard the techno music humming in the background and questioned whether we had made a serious mistake. Our hunger and laziness kept us headed toward the table with considerably less than an open mind on the meal we were about to be served. When the oddly shaped artsy water glasses came out, it was as if you could hear the nail being hammered into the coffin.

The menu offers a number of different styles of soup and curry with whichever meat you prefer. My friend ordered the shrimp and shrimp meatball in the spicy soup, and I had the Burmese Kao Soi Coconut curry with chicken.

When the food came out, our doubts were lessened, and a few bites later we realized that this place has very delicious food. In particular the coconut curry I had was really excellent. With both wet and fried noodles, asian spices and vegetables and thinly cut chicken, this meal had excellent flavor and texture. My friends spicy soup was also decent although it had too much peanut flavor for my liking. We both devoured our meals and I must say that the curry I had was really top notch.

On the whole this place is pretty pricey ($12-14 per noodle dish) and a little strange decor but does have tasty food. A place that has good curry is such a rarity in DC that this eatery can get away with its ridiculous style and high prices, until someone comes along and does it better for less. They also deliver in the U Street/Columbia Heights area which is great for me. This will be a place that I will eat at again although I will probably still complain about the price.

1410 U St NW

(between N 14th St & N Portner Pl)

Washington, DC 20009

(202) 232-8424

dcnoodles.com/