Noodlehead is a casual noodle shop located in the outskirts of Shadyside, toward East Liberty. Noodlehead offers inexpensive noodle and soup options in an industrial-style restaurant. I went to Noodlehead on a Friday night, and I had to wait about 5 minutes for a table. Business picked up quickly, and there were many people waiting when I left; there were so many people that they were almost out the door. My advice would be to get there early on weekends because it got very busy very quickly.
The restaurant was very intimate with dim lighting and casual seating. Service moved quickly even though there were many people there. There were tables and bench tables, as well as bar seating and stools at tables. Noodlehead serves lunch and dinner, and their main focus is on providing good noodles at an inexpensive price. The restaurant is very family friendly and has many options for everyone. All soups at Noodlehead only cost $6 and all noodle dishes only cost $9.
The menu had a variety of options.
To start, we had the sweet potato triangles and the pulled pork belly steamed buns. Both dishes were fantastic and set the bar high for the rest of the night. The sweet potato triangles were perfectly sweet and crispy. They were not greasy at all, and they had a light texture. They reminded me of sweet potato fries with an Asian flare and better than normal sweet potato fries. They came with a dipping sauce that provided a savory twist that helped tone down the sweetness and provide a nice contrast. I would very much recommend these. The pulled pork belly steamed buns were fantastic, and I could have eaten them for the rest of the night. The pork and the sauce that were on the bun provided a nice mix of savory and sweet flavors while the pickled cucumbers added a bitter taste in a good way; all of the different flavors added up to a fantastic dish. The steamed bun was perfectly stretchy and delicious. The starter only came with two, which I was disappointed by because they tasted so great, and I could have had more. After having the starters, I had high expectations for our main dishes.
Our starters were fantastic, and the pulled pork steamed buns were our favorite.
For my main dish, I got the sukothai, which was a soup with rice noodles, pork, cilantro, peanuts, green beans and a hard boiled egg. The different combinations of flavors all tasted great together, and the noodles were cooked perfectly. The soft noodles, which were not chewy, were contrasted by the crunchy green beans. The hard boiled egg added a nice touch of protein along with the pork, which were in the shape of little meatballs. I have to say that it was difficult to eat at times, and I did have to use both a fork and a spoon for my soup, but it was definitely worth it to order. The flavors of the pork and the broth along with the noodles tasted great, and it was our favorite main dish. For all the main dishes on the menu, except for the curries, the customer can choose the level of heat, ranging from 0 to 5 (0 being the least spicy; curries can only go from 1 to 5. I got my soup at a 0 because I can’t handle spice). My mother got the Chiang Mai curry, which had egg noodles, chicken, mustard greens, bean sprouts, and crispy shallots all in a curry coconut milk sauce. The portion of the noodle was very generous for only $9. All of the flavors were present in the dish, including the coconut milk in the curry sauce, which was great because it added a nice touch of sweetness. The crunchy shallots added a different texture that kept the dish interesting. The amount of the curry was hard to finish because the portion was so large, but it was definitely worth it.
The wait staff at Noodlehead was extremely nice. We needed a noodle dish to take out, and they got that for us quickly. While we waited for our table, the hostesses were very kind and friendly. Our server was mindful of us, despite the restaurant being busy. He asked if our meals were good, and our table was cleared quickly between starters and our main dishes.
Noodlehead is located in the outskirts of Shadyside, near East Liberty. There are many restaurants and shops in this area. My favorite ice cream shop, Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream, is right next door to Noodlehead. I highly recommend Noodlehead to anyone who is looking for inexpensive, but good, lunch and dinner option in a modern space.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Location: 242 S Highland Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Hours: 12pm-10pm (Sun-Sat)
Accepts: Cash only
Parking: Street
Pricing: $
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