Green Bowl is one of our most favorite restaurants in State College. Their specialty is their noodles which are unlike any noodles you may have had before - they are exquisite!! And the toppings for the noodles make this not only authentic (according to my Chinese friends) but absolutely delicious. My favorite dish is the "Noodles in Black Bean Sauce" which has ground pork, bok choy, scallions and some other ingredients that will spin your head around! This would be considered a mild dish as compared to the Noodles with Chili Sauce which appeals to so many. The menu is loaded with selections (beside noodle dishes) such as Soups Chef's Specials,, etc. The people who work there are so pleasant and affable. The prices are very reasonable and the servings are generous. **I give this restaurant 5 stars without reservation. It has become a go-to for my wife and I. Give it a try - you will not forget it and you will be back. Mark Polis, MD read more

The service was fast at first. We had our order taken rather quickly and the server was very nice. The food ordered from the menu with no modifications took a bit longer. The restaurant was clean but very basic. The noodles are homemade daily and taste very good. read more

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The food for this place was amazing!! If you want Ramen come here hungry because you're gonna get a Ton of food for the price. The service was ish but the lady was very humble and took care of us. Ambiance for where we were in state college was average but honestly the food is where they killed it. read more

Green Bowl - #8 on the menu beef noodle - Asian Fusion Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

Very good but a little greasy. The dish was flavorful, just not great. My wife's noodles were extremely oily and there was a large puddle at the bottom of the bowl. That oil left us with a repeating taste all day, not exactly what we wanted for dinner after having lunch here, LOL! Service was slow when we arrived due to a full and busy restaurant. It happens... Kind of a greasy spoon ambiance, no great decor and the bathrooms were bad. Could use a cleaning and paint job... One thing that confused the heck out of me was that they offer Halal chicken, however they serve pork and their soups are made with a mixture of pork, chicken, and beef broth. That's not Halal! Definitely trying another place next time we're in town. No need for us to go back here. Sorry, that's just what our experience entailed Sunday 9/1. read more

Green Bowl - #59 - Asian Fusion Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

I ordered a "Chef Special," the Chinese hamburger, which is basically a white flour bun flat-pressed on a grill and filled with a generous amount of sauced-up pulled pork. It was a very filling meal and okay taste-wise, but it was kind of getting to me about halfway in. I kind of wish the bun were corn meal instead of white flour. I kind of wish there were caramelized diced onions in the pork. So I can basically give this food item three stars. It's more like 2.5 stars. I've actually never had a Chinese hamburger before, even though I'm Chinese, so this was unique to me. read more

IF you want authenticity, this is your place. IF you cannot handle authenticity, you will not enjoy this. I honestly want to rate this higher because the effort the staff goes to is quite exceptional, but the product is frankly niche, it's definitely not going to appeal to everyone. read more

I think I may just not be the target audience for this restaurant. The service is subpar but fine; the interior is dingy, sticky, and echoey; and the food was the worst part: tasteless broth and questionable meat. Prices are pretty decent though. read more

Delicious fresh noodles with fresh vegetables in a rich broth-- The staff welcomed us and made us comfortable. read more

The noodles were amazing. The way they balance the spice and depth of the broth is masterful. The price point is also perfect for a college town at anywhere from 15-20 a person. I will be back again. We sat and ate within 30 mins and the experience was quick and satisfying. read more

Green Bowl - Asian Fusion Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

++ food. The rich hand pulled thick noodles and pork bits with the spices were good, but I might see if I can order takeout next time. Food 4.5/5 ~ Service. Table service was fine, attentive and let us sit and chat for a while. As I was checking out, the cook was staring at me from across the room with a blank stare. I looked at him a few times but his gaze didn't move, I felt pretty uncomfortable. -- Ambiance was pretty rough. The bathroom was run down, the dining room had a pile of junk in the corner. Not just a basic dining area (which is fine if clean), but a slightly grungy one. read more

The food was ok but found hair in my food and chicken wasn't fully cooked. The workers were nice and told us recommendations. The scenery just looked like a normal restaurant and it was dirty. There was only one person there wouldn't recommended. read more

Having mixed feelings after my visit here. I got a scallion pancake encasing eggs, beef, and something else I can't remember. The entire thing was soaked in whatever juices I imagine the meat excreted, causing the entire thing to be sopping wet. I was hoping for the scallion pancake to be crispy as I've had it before, but because of this, it was incredibly soggy. The meat was also very fatty, not something I particularly enjoy. The plate it was on was also extremely small. It was a nightmare to eat, but it tasted okay. My sister didn't like her soup either. It wasn't very busy and the service was pretty fast- I'd give this place another chance, I think I just had an off day meal. read more

I had never been to a build your own stir-fry type place until college and Green Bowl was my first experience of such. At first I was obsessed! You pick your meat and veggies and concoct your own sauce mixture. After living in State College for a while, I have found other similar places that do it better. Green Bowl also seems to have gone downhill since the first time I had it five years ago. The ingredients don't always seem fresh. You can only have one protein option per plate. And since the chef cooks everyone's plate on the same grill, it's not the best place for allergies; I often always get other people's meats and veggies in my plate. I'm not complaining- I get the premise- but if you have allergies, I would avoid. Because of the grill situation, it can also take a while to get your food, even if the restaurant doesn't seem that busy. This is a decent option if you're on Penn State's campus and need a good lunch or if you live downtown and don't have other means to travel elsewhere. I have other restaurants I prefer now. read more

food was yummy! a little spicy at first but scrumptious after i got used to it. i wish i had a water pitcher. i wish i could go up to a bar to order. read more

Green Bowl - chicken noodles in slow stewed soup - Asian Fusion Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

This place has absolutely beautiful food. The noodles are hand made in house, the broths are exceptional and the service was kind and accommodating. The only reason that I didn't give a five star review was that the food came out a little slow, but it's a nitpicking thing. Knowing how fresh and delicious everything was makes the wait time worth it. So good. read more

Came here twice in 3 days so yeah I'm pretty sure I'm a fan. The setup is your typical Mongolian barbeque, grab a plate and fill it with noodles, toppings, and veggies, then grab another bowl and make your own sauce. Leave it on the counter for the staff to sautee, and you've got your own stir fry with rice! They also have off menu items like beef over rice or shrimp over rice with an egg, so if you don't feel like making your own just ask for that. Happy stir frying! read more

Green Bowl - Asian Fusion Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

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I'm telling you right now, this is one of the best meals I've had in a long fucking time. I got rice noodle with chicken, it was FLAME. ACTUALLY SO GOOD. I got extra chicken in it so it was lowkey expensive but you need to go here. It's a nice place and you can see where they cook in the back. Nice server too. You got to come here man, great vibes, great food. read more

I was on a work call when I walked into green bowl. I put myself on mute and showed the server my yelp check in and asked if I can get the "free" drink using the coupon to which he said yes. But when he got my check at the end of my meal, he had included the drink. I was still on call so I wasn't able to discuss and get it off the check. Overall, I'd say the quality of the place and food is just okay. I made my own bowl - took a bunch of different veggies, pork, egg, and hoisin sauce. Turned out alright. The place was very empty... on a weekday during lunch. Guess it isn't doing very well. read more

Green Bowl - Made my own bowl! - Asian Fusion Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

Phenomenal authentic soups! Love the homemade noodles. The family was so wonderful to make it a special moment for my son's 17th birthday read more

Green Bowl - Pork with rice noodles - Asian Fusion Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

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The Green Bowl is an inexpensive (ok, not if you're a college student) and fun lunch that's sure to please. It's all practically self-serve. Grab a bowl, put some noodles into it (you have some choices here), add your fixings (baby corn, onions, mushrooms, you name it), and consult the blackboard to prepare a sauce of your liking. It takes mere moments, then hand off the bowl to a floor cook who will handle it and - if I remember correctly - will deliver your cooked masterpiece to your table. It's not authentic stir fry, as everything is cooked at once, vegetables and meats, resulting in some things being overcooked occasionally. Speaking of sauces, I made the mistake of mixing way too many spicy sauces together so my first serving was fiery, to say the least. There are free refills, so get up and start the process all over again. Eat, enjoy, repeat. Just make sure to lay off the pepper sauces! read more

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Sorry Green Bowl, our relationship is over. I've gone to Green Bowl since I was a kid, but the last few years it has really gone downhill. I haven't gone often lately, but I don't think I'll be giving it any more chances. Veggies have looked just kind of sad and dry. Most recently all the sauce choices were well stocked but I've gone before where over half were out :/ The sauce mixing suggestion board was the same as it was when I visited last year. Wish they'd change it to reflect the variety of sauces they offer and give ideas for mixing (heh) it up! I'm willing to overlook that but the place is just dirty and decrepit. The plates/bowls are old (chipped and scratched), floor is worn out, chairs looked grimy, windowsill undusted. The sugar packet holders were dusty and sticky with rice stuck to them. The place desperately needs a scrub down and fresh coat of paint. I will say our server was wonderful and attentive, and the only reason for 2 stars instead of 1. read more

Green Bowl - Dirty sugar holders - Asian Fusion Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

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Food quality and portion size is the best in State College! Staff service is beyond all expectations! Recommend to all my friends.

The food here was amazing. It was cheaper than tadashi, and still very good. The workers were very nice.

I used to LOVE green bowl's stir fry buffet. Now, there is a super limited menu, no buffet, and no stir fry. They serve huge bowls of noodles. While the noodles are delicious and homemade, they are nothing compared to what Green Bowl used to serve. The noodles are super plain and almost flavorless except for their chili oil which can only take you so far. When I went they didn't even have chicken on the menu. The only meat options were beef and pork, neither of which I eat. I don't plan on coming back here again which is a shame because it used to be my favorite place. :( read more

I am not even sure where to start. There are so, so many things wrong with this place! By far the worst buffet / open grill restaurant I have even been to. It's dirty: The front windows, the barn-like floors, the back of chairs, etc. It's dingy: The lighting is really bad. It's almost impossible to see the writing of the items on the canopy over the buffet, not to mention the glare of the street light on the unlight, back, black board, written in thin Expo marker, that lists some meals / sauce creation suggestions. The server: Confused us explaining the process / how the place works, and when we asked how many times you can go back, she said twice. We then later saw the sign on the street saying unlimited buffet and then clarified with another server - yup, it's unlimited. The food: Options are limited for the 'guts' of the meal, and you can't even choose the quantity of the meat or fish, they do. When we got the shrimp, it was 5 tiny (tiny) shrimp placed in the bowl. While the chicken was good, when we had the pork, it was shredded, like something you find on a bbq sandwich, not something you put in a stir-fry. And you can't mix the meats. Your bowl can only have either chicken, pork, beef or shrimp. What's so hard that if you want chicken and shrimp to just cut the portion down a bit of each but still get both. Silly. And the food quality = just mediocre. Staff etiquette: While we were there, the staff was visibly eating their meals at a table within the restaurant (break room perhaps?) and the cook was listening to music on his headphones. Really? The concept was great but needs a lot of improvement. I wish we had looked at the other Yelp reviews first. :*( read more

This restaurant is listed as a good gluten free option. We went in, sat down, and the owner said they had NOTHING that was gluten free. when I said their online reviews said they had many gluten free options, I was told that was wrong and they could not help us. Very disappointing. read more

Used to be one of my favorite places to eat in State college until recently. Its basically an all you can eat stir fry. Set up like a buffet you take your bowl and add as many veggies/noodles as you like then top it off with a variety of their sauces. They have a large board with sauce suggestions and rank them by spiciness. You then choose which meat you'd like via colored stick and they fry it up for you. While the variety and price are a plus, the service recently has been far from spectacular. Have to agree with other reviews when they say the staff slack off. We ate here this past weekend and our server, Jordan I think her name was, was less than happy to be at work. She forgot to get us water and rice and when we asked she simply said "Sorry" and rolled her eyes. We could clearly see our food was done and it took another server reminding her we were her table before she moved from her phone/friends to serve us. When we did get our food it was simply thrown down and said "here ya go" as she strolled back to a table in the back. Overall I'd hit it for the lunch price and the experience but expect the service to be a bit slow and the veggie bar to run low at times. Random students seem to stop by and distract the staff so I think thats part of the problem with the service. (I wasn't sure which ones worked there and which ones were their friends) Again, its great food but the service needs work. read more

I love this place. The service is pretty decent but the whole idea about serving yourself and selecting whatever you want to make your meal into is fantastic. Start by adding whatever ingredients from veggies to noodles, then combine sauces from the menu, third select whatever kind of meat you'd like and bonus: you can make it into a soup, a wrap or keep it classic stir fry. Amazing. Try the oyster, plum sauce or sweet and sour. read more

Green Bowl - Asian Fusion Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

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This place is certainly unique, fun, and tasty! During my latest trip to State College, my friend suggested we have dinner here. I had never eaten here before, but I'm always up for new and exciting things. We entered and were seated immediately. Our waitress, Jordan (I think that was her name) was very kind. She had asked if either of us had been to the restaurant before, and I hadn't, so she explained how everything worked. The explanation was very much appreciated too! The buffet had just about everything one would possibly want in a stir-fry. And I'll admit I very much wanted to try everything. As a veggie-lover, I very much appreciated the wide variety of veggies. There was also a lot of sauces to choose from... I didn't even know that many sauces even existed. I tried both the chicken and the steak for my stir fry. Both were excellent and tasted very fresh. I only have two minor complaints. 1.) I would have loved to have more rice, but I couldn't seem to track down the waitress to ask for more. And 2.) The stir-fry got cold rather quickly. Other than that, it was a very tasty meal and I plan on returning for more yummy stir-fry. read more

You put what you want all together and they stir fry them for you. The sauces were terrible. Selections were quite limited. Been there once and never wanted to go back. 那种点了然后一块儿混炒的地儿。菜品特别少味道非常一般，店面也超级小。去过一次实在是觉得他们混炒的酱汁儿太难吃了。再也不想尝试第二次。 read more

Delicious authentic Chinese food! Best way to celebrate The Year of the Rabbit. Will be back.

Great food! Vegan and vegetarian options! Veggies seem fresh and food comes out quick.

What a cool concept. If you like to be creative when eating this is the place to visit. How it works each customer is given a stick with your table number on it, then you go to the food table and do as follows: 1) Grab an empty bowl 2) Pick your ingredients (IE. mushrooms, watercheshnuts, jalapeno, mixed greens, eggs, etc....) 3) Select the type of noodle you want 4) Now heres the fun part..Select what type of sauce you want, they have over 20 types of sauces to mix and match and don't worry there are several chalk boards that will give you recommendations on how to mix these sauces. 5) choose what kind of meat you like by inserting a colored stick into your bowl. You can also choose if you want your noodles made as a soup, which I would not recommend. The food is how you make it so if you don't like your food, blame yourself cuz you don't have the culinary arts in you : ) Prices are good and service is good. If your hungry and its busy here it make take some time to get your plate. read more

Green Bowl - Asian Fusion Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

Really good Chinese styled BBQ with quality meat. The staff here is very friendly. Highly recommended to try out its bbq offering.

I am less than 2 miles from them and ordered on grubhub since they were offering a promotion and i was unable to leave my desk. Order was canceled immediately saying i was out of their range. Or perhaps the deal was just a promo for no reason. Why offer any promotion at all? read more

Got delivery from GrubHub. It came SUPER quick - that was nice. I got a chicken bowl but added beef and shrimp. I also added the "spicy and salty" sauce. It was pretty good. I loved the sauce and the flavors. The chicken was sort of fatty/hard to chew and the shrimp were relatively small... The beef was my favorite so I'll probably just get that next time. Whatever mayo sauce they added onto the lettuce - amazing. 10/10. Needed more of it honestly. Also HUGE portion. I def have leftovers. All in all, great college Chinese joint. read more

Green Bowl - Asian Fusion Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

The name Green Bowl definitely drew me in! I was exited to experience some clean fresh food. Walking in the restaurant was quite dark inside and the process of making your food I think was a little weird. My order was a to go order. I ordered a salad which they did not have any salad dressing for. I would say my overal experience was ...okay. read more

Green Bowl - Asian Fusion Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

Very very confusing experience. Any restaurant that comes with instructions, they should post them outside instead of having the waiter recite. It was so dark in there, i could not read any of the black boards that had info or see the food that i was grabbing. I didn't understand what all you can eat meant anyway. And even after all that, the food was just okay. Conceptually a really awesome idea of build your own bowl. If they had explained that first, i would have had a much better experience. read more

This is very popular among the students. Bottomless stir fry! Choice of veggies, noodles, and meat (if you eat meat) The food was very good. The staff was friendly. read more

I finally tried Green Bowl. Heard about it a few times. The best part of it is that it's a great deal (all you can eat for about $8 lunch or $11 dinner). You basically put all the ingredients (including sauces) you want into a bowl, put a stick into your food indicating the type of meat you want added (also if you want it made into soup), and hand it over to be cooked for you. Okay, it's a good bargain for students, the service was really nice, it's a good concept. But it's not good food. I know there are people out there who love it and I'm glad it's there for you, but I either want someone to expertly cook my food for me (instead of throwing my food onto the griddle all at once) or else, I'd want to cook it all myself so it can be made the way I like it. But this in-the-middle thing is unsatisfying. I can't mess with this when I'm hungry! For example, if I put broccoli, mushrooms, garlic, zucchini and shrimp into my plate, I'd want you to cook my garlic in some oil, then throw in the shrimp, then the mushrooms and zucchini, and then the broccoli which should have been dropped in some hot water to cook halfway until it's turn on the griddle. Unfortunately, my dish came out with mushrooms and zucchinis that were almost completely shriveled from being overcooked in the sauce, topped with raw broccoli. Next, I tried making a noodle soup. I don't know what kind of broth the soup is made in, but it wasn't good. It had no character or flavor to speak of. Was it a veggie-based soup? Was any stock of any kind used to make it, or was it just the result of boiling vegetables and meats all day? Maybe I was supposed to put in my own soy sauce or salt into it? I don't know, but I just felt depressed. Plus there was a peanut in my soup. I didn't put one in my bowl. Oh well. My third attempt at being full was a simple tomatoes, eggs, shrimps, and green onions. I added my own salt & pepper after it was cooked. Paired with my rice, it was a more basic version of fried rice that I make at home. Um, why was I paying for this again? The shrimp is the tiny kind, about the size of a dime -- maybe even a nickel. I was scared to get any tofu because it was just a big crumbly mess. It was a clean establishment with very professional & hardworking staff wearing uniforms and all that, but the food quality left a lot to be desired. I think I'll need some inspiration before going back here. read more