1045 Flushing Ave., Bushwick
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(718) 456-6543
The Scene: So you’re cruising down the industrial/residential area of Flushing Ave. near the Morgan L stop and all of a sudden you notice a huge purple awning with a giant squid drawn on it. Upon further inspection, you notice the interior painted with psychedelic colors, augmented by lighting that shifts constantly in a crazy loop of ever-changing colors. While you probably know better than to bring your boss who loves pantsuits to a place like this, King Noodle is one of Bushwick’s grooviest eating experiences. Serving up “casual Asian food,” the menu’s filled with new takes on various dishes you’d find on Korean, Chinese and Japanese menus. Each dish is unique, offering up new spins on menu items you’ve definitely had before. While this all may seem like a stoner’s attempt to experiment with munchie concoctions for Bushwick hipsters, the chef actually worked at some pretty great places like Roberta’s, Do or Dine and The Pines, applying this pedigree to deliver an amazing food set in a unique context.
Who It’s For: If you love Mission Chinese but don’t like the crowds, King Noodle is a nice local substitute. With a full bar, a few beer options, sake (both hot and cold options) and some fun Tiki-themed drink specials, they have everyone but the wine snob covered (who probably shouldn’t be here anyway). The dishes blend ingredients seamlessly in a sweet-but-spicy way. The snack bar-style chairs and laid back service gives King Noodle a neighborhood feel that’ll hopefully keep the Manhattanites away.
How To Do It: If you like to go out and eat delicious food after some quality time with your Volcano vaporizer, I can’t think of a better place to do it (though you don’t need any mind altering help to enjoy the meal). After you decide on your drinks, you definitely want to get some snacks, before choosing a noodle dish. The small dishes are well portioned to split and they all come in under $10, so there’s no reason to miss out on whatever sounds interesting. If you’re really missing your college dorm days you can go right for the Kimchee Carbonara with Doritos or the Pork Fried Spam. If you who want to live to see 40 there are some healthier noodle dishes and a handful of vegetarian options. Still, the dishes that really shine are the Glazed Ribs and the Wavy Noodles with Pork & Shrimp.
Local Secret: Keeping with their snack food theme, you can score a pitcher of beer as well as The Scorpion (a bowl of spicy alcoholic goodness) which can be split a to help keep the drinks bill under control. King Noodle stays open till midnight during the week and 2 AM on the weekends, which means after a night of freaked out psych-rock or dance you can keep the party going with a late-night meal .