Special Noodle in Richmond

Review №1

2023-11-06 23:38:56

We ordered the Soup Pan Fried Buns (6), Spicy Beef Mixed Noodles with Thick Noodle, and Spicy Beef Noodle Soup with Thick Noodle. Among these, the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup with Thick Noodle stood out for me. The soup base was rich and flavorful, brimming with the delightful essence of garlic. What impressed me the most was the generous serving of tender beef pieces – there were at least five in my bowl. And lets not forget about the noodles – they were wonderfully chewy.Its a Sichuan-style delight, distinct from the more familiar Taiwanese-style beef noodle soup. The latter tends to have warm spices, sugar, and fermented broad bean chili paste, while this one offers a unique and spicy twist.The only drawback was the timing of our Soup Pan Fried Buns. They arrived last, taking approximately 40 minutes to reach our table. We had expected them to be served as an appetizer, but by that point, we were already quite full from the other dishes. And its worth mentioning that Special Noodle can be a bit on the pricey side.

Review №2

2023-09-08 04:11:49

I often need to travel at least 1 hour to go to my favorite dumpling places. So when this place opens in my neighborhood I am super pumped!I know they are called Special noodles. I think their noodles are alright, but their dumplings are excellent! Been there several times. I always order the soup dumpling and the pan fry pork buns. Honestly I usually double my order!The soup dumpling is juicy, with lots of soup inside, which requires special chopsticks skill to pick it up, definitely not forks! The wrapping is not thick and starchy at all. Super hot (in temperature) when it just comes out so be careful not to burn your lips.The pan fry pork buns is crispy at the bottom and soft on the top, and juicy inside, yum! There’s also burning hot soup inside the bun so watch out.It’s inside a shopping mall so free parking is not a problem. Plenty of tables too so no need to wait in lines.

Review №3

2023-06-04 01:49:15

What a fun place. The wall LED screens really sets the mood and the servers look like they just came from the gym. The service was extraordinarily fast and efficient and the foods tend towards the Yunnan areas, and can be spicy. This is not your typical Chinese restaurant.

Review №4

2023-09-08 02:57:47

This place absolutely is my favorite dumpling to go place in East Bay. Xiao long bao is super juicy and lots of soup in it. Sheng jian bao is crispy on the bottom and juicy inside as well.

Review №5

2023-02-27 01:15:31

First time here at Special Noodle, located in the Ranch 99 mall. Steamed dumplings, pork and cabbage were delicious. Soup dumplings w/pork were awsome. Pork belly noodle soup was warming for my tummy on this rainy, cold day in late February, and the pork belly pieces were large. Warning, do not let your food get cold. And f you like hot crunchy chile oil, bring your own. I never eat Sciracha chile sauce, too much salt and chemicals. Good eating.

Review №6

2023-04-02 04:13:26

I really like Xiaolongbao here. It’s the best that I’ve had in the bay area! Super delicious and very authentic! I would recommend it to everyone!!! However, the pork feet is a little disappointing. The overall taste of pork feet is good, but 90% of it was just potato… i expected there were more pig feet than potatoes.

Review №7

2022-12-12 06:22:12

I noticed this place was packed when I passed by a few weeks ago so I had to see what it was! What I found was an awesome restaurant serving really good food!My friend and I ordered multiple dumplings and two entrées. The first thing we ate was called Snow Flake Pan Fried Dumplings. We had it with shrimp, egg, and chives. It was a pretty standard dumpling but it also had a crispy texture to to it to mix things up. The dumpling was filled up and moist, didnt disappoint! Next were the traditional Xiao Long Baos. These soup dumplings dont stray far from what you would imagine but thats not a bad thing! The soup was delicious and the dumpling was delicious! Now the soup pan fried buns were the stars of the show! They were chewy on top but crispy on the bottom! It was also filled with meat and soup. I viewed it like an advanced soup dumpling, it was so good! Definitely get these!The first entrée we got was the braised pork belly with rice! The pork was very tender, didnt take much to chew through! The sauce it came with was also very velvety smooth and stuck so well to the meat, veggies and rice! The second entrée was the beef stone pot noodle soup! We got the sour rendition of the broth, I thought it paired so well with the spiciness of the dish. It had a little kick, enough to clear my sinuses! Very similar to a tomyum or sinigang flavor. I wish it had a little more meat but I cant complain too much when it has so much flavor!Its been cold in the area lately and Special Noodle helped so much in warming me up! Good service and good food, cant ask for much more!

Review №8

2023-03-29 21:19:37

Ordered the cucumber appetizer, beef wrap & stone clam pot. The cucumber app was marinated thoroughly & had great flavor. The beef wrap was just the right temperature & flaked nicely. Clam pot was quite large & had lots of goodies with smokiness from the cumin. Attentive service.Located inside the 99 Ranch plaza. Lots of menu items to choose from & carb load!

Review №9

2023-01-20 16:09:53

Pan fried soup buns and braised pork belly were delicious. 😋 Popcorn chicken, chive stuffed dumplings tasted average. But, server were very attentive.

Review №10

2022-11-06 01:44:32

OMG!!!! Havent tasted such an authentic spicy beef noodle soup for eons! Definitely A+The employees here are very friendly, especially Mr. Chen from Sichuan.Ill be back tomorrow, even though I live 60 miles away 😆. 👍👍👍