Tofu Papa Noodles, Noodlefan

Every time a new restaurant comes to my area, I give it a try. If it turns out to be a bust, well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. But if it turns out to be as delicious as Noodlefan, then I’ve got a new favorite restaurant on my hands. With a great, yummy menu filled with tons of creative Thai/Asian dishes under $10, it’s no surprise that I have actually gone back for back-to-back-to-back lunches as many as three days in a row! Check out my favorites from the noodle shop, but beware: mouth-watering photos await!

At Noodlefan, everything on the menu is worth trying. The next time you visit (because you will be back) you’ll want to try out something new, but you may end up craving your old favorites that brought you back in the first place. It’s become my practice to order multiple dishes on the menu all at once and share them with my table, and I highly recommend this method as a great way to try out a bunch of entrees at once.

Entree: Tofu Spicy Green Noodles

One of my biggest decisions at Noodlefan is whether to start with Papa Noodles — which are lo mein-like noodles with egg, bok choy, and your choice of meat all lightly drizzled in the custom-blend house sauce — or Spicy Green Noodles — which are flat noodles in green curry sauce, a dish I haven’t experienced at any other restaurant. Both are amazing options, as are the super-spicy Spaghetti Thai Basil Noodles or the traditional Pad Thai. One thing every diner at Noodlefan I’ve eaten with agrees on is that if you’re a fan of noodles, you must sample a noodle dish there.

Entree: Tofu Sidewalk Fried Rice

After I decide on my noodle dish, I pick an accompanying fried rice dish — from the spicy Thai Basil rice to the moderately spicy Smoked Chili Fried Rice to the mild and egg-based (and cleverly titled) Sidewalk Fried Rice, there are great options. You can’t go wrong with whatever you choose, but make sure to pair a spicy noodle dish with a milder rice and vice versa for optimal results.

The curry dishes and soups are also excellent: they offer a great combo of flavors, and the portion sizes are perfect.

If you go, Noodlefan is located at 1029 Stuyvesant Ave. in Union, New Jersey. They are open from 11am-10pm daily, but you can check out lunch special deals on weekdays from 11am-3pm.