Evangelina W.

Tried Noodle 501 last week with anticipation and left with disappointment. The menu has a wide offering but all of the items were not exactly right in terms of flavor profile. The Tom Kha in particular was only sour and did not leave room for "sweet and savory" as the menu described. For the price of the items the value also isn't there. The passable thing was the appearance of the restaurant and the theme. It felt like there was intention there. The main disappointments come from the quality of the food and also service interaction. The chicken in the Tom Kha and the pork in my friend's ramen were both tough. I was charged extra for the chicken in my Tom Kha order even though the menu said "choice of protein" and it did not indicate an additional charge. Upon addressing this at checkout I asked if it could be compensated since it was not written. The cashier just gave a blunt "no". I am understanding that maybe there was nothing that could be done, but the disappointment and lack of care towards the misunderstanding felt like a disregard for the customer experience. Lastly, my friend ordered a Tonkotsu ramen which is not pictured here and had food poisoning. Seemed like there were plenty of people that visited the restaurant for takeout and enjoy the food, but I will not be returning.

Kassim C.

What I recommend: The kimchi tofu soup or the coconut curry soup Noodle501 has very good soup if you enjoy traditional Thai-style flavors. We tried the kimchi tofu soup and the coconut curry soup, and both were pretty solid. The staff was friendly and the food came out quickly, which made for a smooth experience. It is a little pricey for what you get. With one appetizer, two soups, and two waters, the bill came out to about $50. The flavors were good and the soups were comforting, but just be aware of the price point. Overall, it's a nice spot if you're craving a warm bowl of soup and want something a bit different.

Tova B.

Came here and had drunken noodle and my friend had the udon drunken noodles. The food came out quickly and the ambiance was nice. I appreciated that the spice level of the food felt like of was supposed to be where its at if that makes sense? Like mild is actually mild. I got my drunken noodles gf and it was good! I felt like the portion size was great. I'd like to come back and try something else though!

2nd reply to the restaurant: Please DO NOT twist the truth. Thank you for telling me that this lady is the front (I will call her front lady this time). The correct thing in your description is that, I was welcomed by the front lady and asked to take a seat. BUT no menu. If you truly looked at the camera carefully (I was wearing a black coat), you must have seen that I never had a chance to touch any menu. The more funny statement is that, you said I ordered a ramen and a drink??? Oh, my apology, before today I never knew that I have the ability to order food using air... I feel so sorry for you and your staff, either or both of you are terrible lier. What I saw and experienced is that, you kept smiling serving other larger groups of white people (came in after me) while kept ignoring me. That is why I feel very HUMILIATED and am doubting that you are racist. Reply to the restaurant: (I do not know where to add the reply so I edit it here) I apologize for the rude word if you think you get hurt -- SORRY. HOWEVER, what I said is totally the truth. I DID NOT directly walk in and seat myself. Instead, that overweighted lady (I change my description this time) said hello to me and let me to take a seat (Many people witnessed this at that time). Then I started waiting, and during this period, you (or this lady, I cannot remember very clearly) seated at least two groups and helped them order the food. I raised my hand twice and came to your front desk once (all got ignored). In the last time, I came to the back door to ask, but you still ignored me. That is all the details. If you think these are all normal behaviors, then I have nothing more to comment. Otherwise, I believe at least I deserve an apology. (I apologize if you think my previous language makes you unhappy.) It is very possible that this fker is a racist. I am asked by a fat female to take a seat when I stepped in. No one even gave me a menu in the following 30 min, but they were smiling serving other white guys and continuing ignoring me. I tried to ask them to come but failed several times. At last a tall man come with a pen but no menu, saying, "you can keep patiently waiting or leave now". I offended no one, but they treated me like a dog, perhaps because I am a professor at Duke with yellow skin? If you guys want to have dinner here next time, my suggestion is to leave them a 0.1 dollar tip each time.

Delicious, authentic FRESH food! Generous portions. Can't go wrong here. The Chef/ Owner popped by our table to check on us. You can feel the love & care that goes into each meal. Give it a try you'll love it.

Correy E.

I was passing through the area and had to try this place out again. The second time was just as good!! I ordered spicy level 5 duck ramen and it was amazing! It had a good balance between heat and flavor. The service was excellent as well. The waiter gave up great advice which made our meal even better. The place was clean! I noticed how the waiter would immediately clear and clean each table when the customer leave. Overall, what a great place! I'll be back next time I'm in town!!

Y C.

I have found my ramen spot. So glad I decided to try this place. Service was great, food was spectacular and the place is very cute. I tried the shrimp shumai and the duck ramen. Both were delicious. I will definitely be coming back here.

Jake V.

Good food but bad amount of meat for the price & bad customer service. We've been here a few times but will never return again. My wife and I ordered red curry with beef & green curry with chicken, and while both taste good with the vermicelli noodles, the amount of meat for the beef is too little for a $19 dish. Chicken had more meat for slightly less price but there are better Thai restaurants that offer more value (meat) for less price. Ambiance is okay: nice anime art around, but the young Asian waiter's customer service was not good. He did not offer to refill our water glasses, unfriendly attitude as if he doesn't want to be there.

Jason W.

This place is amazing! Not a single critique. Our server (said Abbey on the receipt, blonde lady) was friendly, outgoing, and helpful when we were overwhelmed with so many good looking choices! Food was all phenomenal. We got fried gyoza for the appetizer and it was great. Seemed like they added some batter to the outside which we hadn't seen before which made it extra crunchy. For a main I got "Thai hot" drunken noodles with roasted duck, and my friend got a medium heat tonkatsu pork ramen. The duck in mine had a great roasted flavor to it and the heat was enough to make me sweat without killing me. The broth in my friend's ramen was to die for; we would buy it by the gallon if we could! Once done we asked if it was possible to get a brownie to go (this was after they finished cooking so we were ok with a "no" but it doesn't hurt to ask!) Not only were they ok with that, they brought it out on a plate for us to enjoy there (we asked to go originally so we could get out of their way for closing). This experience was everything one could ask for, and one we look forward to repeating in the near future!

Daniel B.

We liked Noodle 501 OK. I give it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. This is a casual Asian noodle restaurant located on 15-501 just off I-40 exit 270. Most of the noodles served here are Thai and our main server was Thai. This place isn't super "authentic," but it's decent for what it is, especially in this part of Durham. Expect about the same or maybe a step above the noodles served at a typical Triangle Thai restaurant. The noodle selection is better here. This restaurant opened on June 4, 2022: https://bit.ly/43ZvET4. It replaced the Firehouse Subs next door to the Starbucks in the Indigo Corners shopping center: https://bit.ly/436mLWs. The space has been renovated. It's got sort of an industrial, modern, street-food feel to it with corrugated and diamond-tread metal siding, exposed brick, murals, and pendant lighting. Noodle 501's noodles fall into three broad categories: (1) Stir-fried noodles or "dry" noodles, (2) curry noodles, and (3) noodle bowls, a.k.a. noodle soups. Most of the noodle soups are ramen with a chicken broth base. The stir-fried noodles, which are all Thai style (e.g., Pad Thai, Drunken Noodle) are among the more authentic items. During our visit, noodle entrees started at $14-17 each and proteins and extras cost anywhere from $1-6 each. The noodle bowls already include protein. Also, the restaurant serves more than just noodles. They offer an assortment of Asian apps and snacks, such as Fried Soft Shell Crab ($14) and Takoyaki (6 octopus balls for $9), and soups, like Thai Tom Yum (lemongrass) and Tom Kha (coconut) soup. On the menu, the Takoyaki caught my eye, but I was skeptical. That skepticism was confirmed when I saw a table near us order it. The Takoyaki didn't exactly look like the kind you'd get at a proper Japanese restaurant. It looked rough around the edges, including the bonito flakes on top. Not that it was bad. I just prefer higher quality. Desserts included Crispy Roti with or without ice cream ($4/5) and Mango Sticky Rice (seasonal, $7). Here's what my wife and I ordered: Starters * Loaded Fried Tofu (8 pieces for $6) - fried tofu topped with peanuts, scallions, and sweet chili sauce * Rotee & Curry ($6) - Indian pancake served with yellow curry and cucumber salad sauce Stir-Fried Noodle * Pad Woon Sen ($14) - bean thread noodles stir-fried with choice of protein (we chose chicken, +$1), yellow onions, scallions, carrots, and celery Noodle Bowls * Yen Ta Fo ($17) - flat rice noodles with roasted pork, calamari, fish balls, fried tofu, and bok choy in a fermented soybean pink soup, topped with fried wontons * Thai Style Chicken Ramen ($16) - chicken drumstick, thigh, and bok choy Dessert * Mango Sticky Rice ($7) - seasonal Beverages * Thai Tea ($4) The Loaded Fried Tofu was a fun little snack though I probably wouldn't order it again. I wanted to see what it was like. Not bad. The Rotee & Curry was good, as it often is at Southeast Asian restaurants. Our order came with one fresh, savory pancake and a small side of curry. The pancake had appetizing an texture and overall, the app was delicious. I recommend it. The Pad Woon Sen was good and satisfying. Also, the portion size was generous. We took leftovers home. Pad Woon Sen is comfort food in Thailand. When I ordered it, our server said she had just had some earlier in the day. When it comes to Thai food, a lot of people know about Pad Thai, but less know about Pad Woon Sen. The main difference is the type of noodle used -- glass noodles or cellophane noodles. It's described on the menu here as bean thread noodles, which is also accurate. The only thing that stood out to me about Noodle 501's Pad Woon Sen that could be better was the chicken. It was a bit tough and dry. When I saw Yen Ta Fo on the menu, I had to order it. This was one of my sister's favorite noodle soups to eat in Thailand when we used to make annual trips there growing up. Yen Ta Fo is easier to find in the States now, but it's still relatively rare. It's known for its distinct pink broth which comes from the fermented bean paste. Noodle 501's Yen Ta Fo was OK. Certainly not like the ones you can get in Thailand. It tasted "instant" and the roasted chashu pork was tough and tasted cheap. Like the tofu, I probably wouldn't order the Yen Ta Fo again. Something I would order again is the Thai Style Chicken Ramen. It was yummy, and I found it to be relatively light. It had tender, bone-in chicken, ramen noodles with nice consistency, and a decent broth. The bok choy was fresh as well. I would also order the Mango Sticky Rice and Thai Tea again. Noodle 501's Mango Sticky Rice was unique because the rice was Thai blue sticky rice made with butterfly pea flower, and it was topped with black sesame seeds. The mango was ripe and sweet. The Thai Tea wasn't anything out of the ordinary, just solid. Service was great. The staff was polite and very attentive, including our server Aey. TL;DR version - Noodle 501 is acceptable for casual noodles out.

Lauren H.

So delicious. This place is awesome. Got a curry noodle bowl and it was perfection. Noodles were cooked perfectly. The both was full of flavor. So good. The sampler appetizer was also very tasty. And the Thai tea was lovely. Our server was very nice and the food came out quickly. Live the hand painted walls. Will definitely go back.

Denise S.

My fiancé has been telling me about trying this place and finally gave it a shot and I can say this is the BEST RAMEN I ever had in Durham and will be coming back if you love kimchi deff get the kimchi tofu ramen bowl is so good and got a medium spice level and it was so filling and I love the texture of the tofu really soaked in all the flavors and the corn was a nice touch the owners were showing so much initiative And leadership with running everything from cooking in the back and helping running the front I can understand the wait time on ordering because they are making fresh Hot ready ramen and the plating was beautiful too so maybe order some appetizers or have some patience because these people are really going all out for a decent price thank you Noodle 501 ! Keep up the awesome work