Ec1 Noodle Express

Very good place for noodle dishes. Very fresh and large portions at cheap prices! Will have leftovers fir another few meals. Very clean and the staff very friendly!

A no-​nonsense feed that was in the right place at the right time and not too pricey. That’s what we came here for, and I suspect most other visitors end up here for the same reason!
Having initially walked past and scoffed at how empty this place was, we soon found that all the busier restaurants around the corner had no free tables so were forced to turn tail and return here. It was late on a Wed eve after a drink-​heavy food-​light Unilocal event with no other options in sight — so we decided to take a gamble.
The tastiness of the food was matched only by the brusqueness of the lady in charge (and subsequently, our giggles!). We basically felt like naughty kids for most of our visit — having said we’d like to eat in, we were essentially shouted at that they were closing in half an hour, then sent to the furthest table from the till. We had to laugh, especially when we then heard her telling off someone in the kitchen…
But hey the food came out quickly, the ingredients all tasted fresh and my chicken udon was generously-​sized and delish. My mate also enjoyed his veggie ho fun (though the seaweed starter less so) and they happily brought him out extra chilli to add to his taste. All for a very reasonable price too, so no matter how grumpy the manager may be you can’t argue with that!

Cheap, fast and cheerful Chinese/​Malaysian food in Clerkenwell. Come here on reg. basis for lunch and diners. The owner is a bit moody at time, but the food is fantastic, always fresh made, and portions are plenty for the price.

Agree with the other posts… the laksa is fantastic…
Great depth of flavour, cheap and plenty of it.
If you’re coming for lunch… get here early… the place was rammed by 1pm.
Cash only.

The laksa here is one of the better ones in London. I haven’t tried anything else because kinda hesitant due to reviews of other dishes. There is a better buzz here at lunch than for dinner. Cash only so be prepared.

For what it is, the was a more than adequate noodle shop. It was cheap and fast and the quality was pretty decent. I would say the ramen broth was a bit oily and slightly bland but the noodles were really good.

Looks like I’m alone in this, but this is my favorite noodle joint in town. The EC1 Ho Fun with chicken, prawn, egg, squid, crabstick and more is amazing. I have never had chicken this yummy at a noodle place in London– it is seriously good. Sometimes I switch out the ho fun for udon, and guess what– still great.
This may even be outdone, however, by the Laksa. Holy goodness, it is amazing. Worthy of the Malaysian flag flying out front. A massive bowl of the spicy coconut curry goodness will sort you out during a chilly winter. Full of noodles and fish, it is seriously tasty.
Start off with dumplings and prawn crackers, and you’re cruising. It’s all good value for money, and definitely worth searching out if you work near Farringdon.

I wasn’t going to be too picky because there aren’t many Chinese places around my office. I ordered chicken ho-​fun for take way. The lady who took the order was very friendly and the food was ready very fast. However, I was extremely disappointed by the food. The noodles were mushy and tasteless. It seemed like it was cooked long time ago and had been sitting around. I would not go back again.

Cheap and cheerful Chinese tucked away off Clerkenwell Road near the Zetter Hotel.
My takeaway lunch last week was not notable but I suspect at some point I will still return here given that the food is served up speedily, the prices are right and so is the restaurant’s proximity to my place of work.
Expect standard fare like chicken in black bean sauce and fried rice as well as slightly more interesting offerings like Malaysian laksa, Singapore noodles and stir fried udon.

Not the cheapest place, but for the portions you get it is one of the best value Asian noodle and rice shops I have been to!
I tried the EC1 special ho fun (stir fried rice noodles), and it was pretty delicious and tasty, although it was a bit too sticky. The portion was so big that on a normal day, it would have been enough to feed two of me. On that day, however, I was super hungry from having skipped breakfast.
Service is very fast, you sit in long tables Wagamamas style, and the toilets are pretty clean. What more could you ask for?

Eight of us shuffled in here yesterday for a hasty work lunch on the run. As a very impromptu decision we worried whether they would have enough seats to fit us all and if they would manage to get our food out in time before we had to be back at work. As it turned out, we needn’t have stressed about either of these issues– a table of eight was waiting for us as we arrived and our food was with us in (slightly disturbing) record time.
Noodle Express’ menu is exactly as you would expect– lots of noodles, a few laksa’s and some fried rice to boot. Controversially I went for the house rice option. Approximately 40 seconds later, it was sitting in front of me. Looking back now I think I can still hear the sound of the microwave in the background. Ping, grub’s up!
Having said that, it was actually quite tasty. Although I couldn’t really taste the prawns, generally I would say it wasn’t bad. Food envy kicked in pretty quickly though when everyone’s elses food started to arrive. Sticky stock noodle soups and spicy prawn laksa’s made my rice look so very middle of the road. To analogise, it was the Embrace support slot to their Foo Fighter’s headline set.
Nonetheless, given how cheap the food is at Noodle Express it feels a little ridiculous to moan. For 8 of us, including service, drinks and prawn crackers, the bill came to £60. Around this neck of the woods these prices are unheard of and so I have no doubt that I’ll be back. Next time though it will be noodles all the way.

Greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeasy and pretty yummy too. But I don’t think my tum-tum’s up to eating here all that often. Maybe it was just the dish, Singapore Noodles, that I ordered but it just didn’t sit well. Anyway with that caveat, I suppose it’s worth keeping in mind when you want a somewhat quick plate of fried rice or noodles. The olden couple that work there and always seem to be there are very friendly and prompt with their service. At some point, it’s possible that I’ll drop back by this eatery on super secret cabbie passage, Albemarle Way. Until then I’ll stick with few other nearby Asian eateries and many quick lunch spots round the St John St area.

Noodle Express is a very nice place to go for lunch (it gets very busy after 1pm though) or for an after work meal (when it is much quieter).
This is far from a classy Chinese restaurant — it does exactly what is says on the tin. The staff are fairly friendly and are very attentive. After you have ordered your food will generally arrive within 10 minutes. This usually sets the ‘microwave’ alarm bells ringing with me but the food is actually very good — much better than a lot of expensive Chinese restaurants that I’ve been to. I usually have the beef or chicken in black bean sauce with egg fried rice — you can expect to pay between £5−6 for a main such as this, and for the price the portion sizes are very generous.
There’s a nice atmosphere here and it’s a lovely place to go for a quick, cheap and tasty meal.

I don’t think I’ve ever visited an establishment more aptly named. You can indeed get noodles in an express fashion. Having said that, they also have rice dishes, soups, and typical Chinese noodle place type starters (Salt and pepper prawn being a personal favourite).
Service is very quick (hence the express) — today, I had the EC1 Noodle Express Vermicelli and a cup of green tea — I was in and out in around half an hour (I eat fast).
Main course range from £4.95 — £6.95, and green tea is a pound. Starter hover around the £3 — £5 mark, except crispy duck, which is £8.50 for a quarter of a duck.
The noodles are good — not excellent though — the noodles I had were billed as ‘spicy hot’ but very much weren’t. Next time, I shall request extra chilli.
Service is quick (again, that’s the express bit) and friendly (though not overly so — efficient — they notice you very quickly) and they seem to have plenty of staff.
All in all, a good, inexpensive place for a quick weekday lunch — I’d certainly go back.

The unassuming name and exterior of this restaurant belies the quality and value of the food inside.
The service is fast but would probably be best described as efficient rather than friendly, although I have never felt as if anyone was being rude or unhelpful.
The food is not just limited to noodles of almost every kind, there is also a good range of rice dishes and side dishes. All of the choices are reasonably authentic, but you will have to specify that you would like them hotter than normal if you want it anything like as fiery as you might expect. The prices for a main are from £6 to £8 and a green tea will set you back another £1.
A note of caution though, take cash as they do not accept cards.