Lotsa Noodles brings lotsa disappointment
by Tim | April 6, 2008 | 15 Comments
(votes: 14, average: 3.07) 
Loading ...Lotsa Noodles is located at 2410 W. Memorial Road in Oklahoma City (map). They are open 11am to 9pm every day (8pm on Sundays). For more information, you can visit their website.
I’m surprised, taken aback, shocked … I’m really quite confused by my experience at Lotsa Noodles the other day. You see, I had several people recently tell me how good the place is and so I was really looking forward to trying it. When I got there, the sweet-looking decor and high-end marketing impressed me so much I had to ask the people to make sure it wasn’t a chain (and it isn’t, though they are looking at opening a location in Woodward soon). But then my food came out and, man oh man, I was disappointed.
First of all, if you asked my wife she would tell you that there is very rarely any food that I don’t like. I mean, I just like food and I will give any food the benefit of the doubt. So, you have to understand that it is not to be taken lightly when I say that I did not like the food here. Let me say it again — I did not like it.
Of course, I was open to the possibility that maybe I just went on a bad day or chose the wrong thing from the menu. I wouldn’t want to offer such a negative impression based on one isolated experience. So, I checked with my trusty co-writers here and found that they have had equally lackluster experiences with this place (I should have checked with them before I went).
Andrew says, “I have had an alfredo dish (tastes like it came out of a jar), the Stroganoff (much better than the alfredo), and a pesto noodle dish that was very underwhelming. I’ll never go back.”
Sarah says, “The last time we ate there, he (my husband) thought the pasta was too soggy, and he agrees it is way too expensive for what you get. Nothing I’ve had has ever been horrible, but it’s nothing special either.”
With these two impressions giving credence to my own, I feel completely justified in presenting my opinion here. So, here’s a some more detail about my experience.
I’ve mentioned the sleek, high-end marketing, and it really is top-notch. Just go visit their website and you’ll see what I mean. Beautiful photographs of the food, high-end design, simplicity — they’ve got it going on with marketing. The interior of the restaurant is equally polished. You really will find it hard to believe that it’s not a chain. I’ve heard that it used to be a chain called “Nothing but Noodles,” but at some point, the owners took it independent. They must have learned a lot about marketing from their chain experience because everything looks outstanding.
But then comes the food. Again, it looks great in the photos. And the menu is really interesting and widely varied. I was getting really excited about it as I waited to order. I chose Pad Thai. I love Pad Thai. It’s one of my favorite dishes so I really wanted to see how theirs stacked up. The cost was $6.49 for a bowl. Seemed pretty good to me, so I ordered it.
But then I noticed on the take-out menu I was perusing that the Pad Thai doesn’t come with meat. In fact, most of the noodle dishes don’t come with meat. Meats are listed as “toppings” and to add chicken to your Pad Thai will cost you $2.49 extra. So, now I’m realizing that to get a bowl of chicken Pad Thai, you’re looking at $9. “Yikes,” I thought. “This had better be some really good Pad Thai.” I kept an open mind.
Then it came. It smelled funny. I stirred it around in the bowl and noticed that the scrambled egg was not crumbled up and distributed throughout the Pad Thai. Nope. It was about a 3×3 inch block of scrambled egg that I had to try and crumble and stir around myself. Then, I tasted it and what I found was an almost watery-tasting sauce with very little punch to it and an overpowering amount of garlic (which I am still tasting now). Nothing bold. Nothing to set it apart. Just a bowl of slightly Asian-influenced noodles and a big brick of scrambled egg.
The other funny thing is that they served it with an Italian breadstick. Now, I understand they have Italian noodles too, but shouldn’t you pair up your offerings in the same family?
And this leads me to my conclusion. When you have a restaurant that serves such a variety of types of foods including American noodle dishes (like stroganoff), Asian dishes, Italian pastas … etc., it’s an interesting concept but near impossible to pull off. How can you expect to create Italian dishes that rival Italian restaurants or Thai dishes that compete with the Asian district? And, even moreso, how can you expect to charge 50% more for them?
To my mind, it’s just a doomed concept. But, I will say, they appear to be doing ok. Maybe the high-end branding is enough to distract people from the food and justify the higher price tag. The free wifi is nice as well. But, I cannot in good conscience support this place or return here because they are cranking out mediocre dishes. I wish them continued success, but I’ll be getting my noodles elsewhere.
(4.75 out of 5)
We want to hear from you!
So far, 15 people have responded to this article. Won't you join in?April 7th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Marketing and taste must be inversely related. For example, you’ll find really outstanding and inexpensive Pad Thai (among other Thai specialties) at a sketchy looking restaurant called Sala Thai on 23rd, just west of Classen. No website, just lots of rave reviews from customers.
Click here to see.
April 7th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Right on, OkPete. Sala Thai is very good. I also like Thai Kitchen downtown.
April 7th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Yeah, they have Lotsa Noodles alright and not one of them is Al Dente. Lotsa soggy noodles.
April 8th, 2008 at 8:04 am
Their marketing pieces in the building (menus, photos, etc…) were designed by a local firm called Staplegun. At least you liked that.
I still think that will all the chain food along Memorial that Lotsa Noodles is a welcome edition to the area. Despite the name on the building, they also serve incredible salads and an interesting assortment of appetizers.
The disclaimer is that the operator of this establishment, Paulo, is a friend of mine. So I may be operating under a bias, but I know a good thing for OKC when I see it and Lotsa is a good thing. I think of all those rave reviews of Sophabellas I’ve read and I still don’t understand… maybe they just save all the crappy overcooked/undercooked bland fare for me.
Anyway, I am the person who encouraged this review and feel frustrated ’cause I know it is a great place. Of course it isn’t fine dining, but it is lovely. I’d rather be there any day over a joint like Applebees, Hometown Buffet, or Olive Garden.
April 8th, 2008 at 8:24 am
Sheri, don’t worry, you were not the only person who recommended Lotsa Noodles. Certainly, you may have a bias since you know the operator, but you are not alone. They seem to have a fairly strong following and they have stayed in business and it even looks like they are expanding. I don’t understand it, personally, but it must work for some.
To each his/her own … that’s what makes this site so much fun. I love to hear all of the different opinions. Thanks for sharing yours as always.
April 8th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Quote from Sheri “I know a good thing for OKC when I see it and Lotsa is a good thing.”
Is another poor quality restaurant in suburbia a good thing for OKC? Are there throngs of suburbanites that can’t get a meal because all the other restaurants are booked full by reservation? Is there demand for, as Andrew says, overpriced food that comes out of a jar? No. No. No.
April 9th, 2008 at 8:27 am
I have not been to Lotsa Noodles in a long while. I too got the Pad Thai. I was sadly disappointed. Lack luster flavor. I have not figured out how $2.95 is a good price to have a meat added to your bowl of noodles.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
The food doesn’t come out of a jar. And I don’t think of Lotsa is a poor-quality restaurant. When I think of poor quality food, I think of that monstrosity across the street: Swadleys BBQ. Yikes.
Speaking of… seems like it is time for a new BBQ review. Suggstions: George’s Happy Hog, Banta’s Ribs, and Bedlam BBQ.
Excuse me while I hijack the comments… but what is the deal with BBQ places having such pre-packaged, canned-type food? If I have to have Sysco potato salad one more time…
April 19th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Oh no! This is one of my favorite restaurants! I love everything about it. The looks, the people and especially the food! I know people have different tastes but you guys are way off in my opinion. The food served is of great quality and you can tell their sauces are especially made and not “out of a jar”. In fact I love the marinara so much I even visited with the manager about specifics on how they make it…what’s not to like? I have lived in different states, states with a lot more gastronomical options than here but OK is home so it makes my belly happy when restaurants like LOTSA bring variety or as they say diversity to us customers…..KEEP UP WITH THE GOOD WORK!
April 20th, 2008 at 11:42 am
I loooove Lotsa Noodles. I’ve tried almost every item on the menu and I guess i would have to say the Shrimp Scampi is my favorite. I know all the sauces and ingredients are made fresh every day as I can see straight into the cook area. And I have arrive early for take out and can see the morning prep going on. This is important to me - the freshness of the product. I have to go at least once a wk. to get my Lotsa Noodles fix. Tim must have gone on a bad day.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Still excited to try the Lotsa Noodles that IS about to open in Woodward (They set up shop outside the RadioShack!) We have so few non-chain non-burger/pizza places that anything new is good LOL!
May 23rd, 2008 at 5:15 am
Have been to Lotsa Noodles about four times and was not impressed with either the food or the service. It is not the worst noodle bowl in the city, however - that distinction goes to Pei Wei, a chain which, in the tradition of Mazzio’s Pizza, proves that you can be successful in Oklahoma in spite of your product.
OKC lacks decent Japanese-style fast food (noodle and rice bowls) - the kind you find at Tokyo Joe’s in Denver, for example. If Whole Foods ever opens here (a remote possibility because of the state’s backward alcohol laws), I hope it will include a noodle bar like in some of their other locations.
The best noodle bowl in OKC - outstanding, really - are the Vietnamese ones served by Pho Ca Doa at 2431 North Classen. It’s called a vermicelli bowl, and comes in iterations of pork, shrimp and chicken.
May 24th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Mick, Whole Foods would be awesome! If only …
I also enjoy vermicelli. Thanks for your insights and the Pho Ca Doa reco. I’ve got to try some more of our Pho places.
June 12th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
I have eaten and worked at Lotsa Noodles and yes they do charge quite a bit for there food but…. there food is pretty good just dont be so picky about it but like seriously yeah they have some mess ups but just let them know they will fix it and if u dont like it they will offer u something else. They are a good restaurant u just need to let them know about there mistakes because even Mcdonalds and Sonic and all those big huge companies make the same mishapes so just stop being so spoiled.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:09 am
Wow…thanks for the groundbreaking comments Tyler.
The original business, “Nothing But Noodles” was pretty good…expensive, but good. Haven’t been there since the name change, though.
The original manager confirmed to me that the idea of NBN was copied off of a local chain based out of Boulder, Colorado called “Noodles & Co.”
Man, if you are ever in Boulder, you have to eat there, and see how it’s supposed to be done. I was just there last week and got a noodle bowl with parmesan crusted chicken for $7.25. The location I go to is right on Baseline Rd., pretty close to where you exit of of HW36 coming into town.
Please tell us what you think.