Kudzu Noodle Bar

Kudzu’s online presence had always piqued my interest, so I was excited to try a fun, slightly hipsterish noodle bar, especially in Montgomery. There was nice sized crowd when I arrived, but still space at their tiny bar for a single eater. Unfortunately, walking in was the best part of the experience. I knew what I wanted but I had to wait almost 15 minutes just to order because the server was confused (not sure how).
Maybe my mistake was not ordering the redneck ramen they’re famous for, but the drunken noodles I had were the worst – clumpy, dry, and barely room temperature. The chunky veggies in the dish were mostly raw. Also, why did I pay exactly a dollar per lukewarm shrimp when I added them? I honestly felt depressed when I left.
A second visit is tempting, but I think I’ll pass.

Great atmosphere, really good service!!! The food was very tasty !!! Will definitely be back!

Atmosphere:
On first impression I was pretty happy with the place when I walked in. However, once we sat down we noticed that the music didn’t really fit the venue and the «paint» was a little lack luster. The bowls on the wall are neat but it feels kind of out of place. Lighting in the resturant is odd as well. The nice, elegant light bulbs hand over the table yet the whole place is lit with outdoor lawn and garden fixtures from the ceiling. Kind of unappealing.
Tl;Dr the atmosphere could use work. Let’s start with properly themed music and lose the projector.
Wait staff was great. Nice suggestive and prompt. Kept the table clean and glasses full. No complaints
Food:
spring rolls:
They are definitely not made in house.
Pork steam bun:
Excellent! I can’t recommend this enough. Very flavorful. You can taste the pork all the way through and the house pickles and sauce are a nice component that adds just enough heat.
Redneck Ramen:
Noodles were great. Perfect consistency. Egg worked but was a little over cooked.
Pork belly– well it’s really hard to mess up pork belly, but they did. It’s was almost flavorless and way over crisped. I had such high hopes: (
It was ok but nothing special.

I had been warned about this place, but decided to try it anyway. The food was subpar, overpriced, and in laughably small portions. I won’t be returning for a second try.

Update after another visit (or two?).
Still great. Still small menu. Still expensive for what it is, but i’ll give it a pass for really being the only place in MGM for ramen.
I had the winner winner chicken dinner again, and it was quite different from the first time. Almost a totally different flavor and consistency to the broth. Still good, but different for sure. Almost want to dock points for inconsistency, but it was still very good, so i’ll let it slide.
I really wish they had more variety in the noodle dishes, and honestly I wish it was more traditional and less fusion/​hip/​creative. I’d love some good tonkotsu ramen, or any of the really good Japanese styles of ramen really.
–minor quibble– I was not by myself this time, had a friend with me. We were seated and had our menus/​water brought to us, and i was about to order when the girl turned to seat/​help a large group. She brought their menus and drinks right away, then took their orders before coming back and getting mine. Was kinda annoyed, as i was absolutely starving.

This noodle bar was a huge letdown. The interior is cute, but the quality of the food is just not there. The menu is limited, and upon appearance none of the food actually looked appetizing.
The ramen is too salty. Straight up nearly half soy sauce. The soft-​boiled egg was the only redeeming part of the ramen. Everything was salty, even the fries that came out with the catfish banh mi were salty.
There was only one server, who was very sweet, but everything came out rather slow despite there being no customers.
I wouldn’t recommend to ramen lovers @_@ :(

Sad to say I was looking forward to trying kudzu out. The place looks great, food looks great.
1 star for atmosphere and service and 1 star for their steamed bun appetizer and mixed drinks.
The pork steamed bun was made well — soft bun and a nicely sized chunk of pork.
The entrée, however, fell short. My friends all got either a ramyeon bowl or the winner winner chicken dinner. I had a taste of the ramyeon and it was bland. Very tasteless with maybe a weird hint of sweetness. Noodles were overcooked to the point where it’d rip apart easily when lifting it up with chopsticks. Broth was almost nonexistent.
I had their kudzu burger and was disappointed by the lack of flavor. The bun wasn’t bad, it was probably the only decent part of this burger. The meat was unseasoned. Their add ons of kimchi and lettuce didn’t add anything to the flavor as a whole. Even the kimchi on its own was bland. How does that even happen?
The Asian seasoned fries that came with it were okay. They were seasoned at least, but not understanding the ‘asian’ flavor from it. Easily the best thing of all of our main courses which isn’t saying much.
Anyway, our server was pleasant and helpful and outdoor seating is a plus.
Doubtful of returning anytime soon.

This place is awesome. The menu is short and oh so sweet. Having spent time in Hawaii, I have been craving manapua (steam buns) and this place did not let me down. In fact, these were the BEST I’ve ever had. Every detail from the thickness of the bun (cooked to perfection), the delicious pickles, the sauce, and the pork belly– oh the pork belly. We also have some fantastic spring rolls– tons of flavor packed into those little guys. My husband had the bulgogi burger and I had the vegetarian miso. Loved all of it. To top it all off the waitress was so sweet– she was the probably the best server we’ve had in a long time, which is really saying something since we’ve eaten at several upscale restaurants in several countries. I wish I lived in Cloverdale between this place and A&P Social. But we will definitely be back very, very soon!
To add to all of those who wish this was a «true noodle bar” — there are plenty of those. This place is amazing and different. If you aren’t afraid of flavor and new items– you will like this place. If you are a noodle snob then find a «real» noodle place… But good luck: you will have to leave the continental US for that.

I wrote a review right after it first opened and thought I would write another as it’s settled in.
Kudzu has a serious case of mistaken identity. It calls itself a noodle bar but that is not what it is. It is some sort of weirdly vague asian fusion. A noodle bar with 2 specific noodle bowls, no a la cart noodle menu, banh mi and steamed buns that are very Americanized, wings, and burgers? Kudzu is trying to pander to too large an audience and they’re losing their audience because of it. If you’re going to be a noodle bar, be a noodle bar.
I was so excited for it to open. I was expecting a bar at which to order whatever ingredients in whatever bowl I’d like and to sit with friends and enjoy it. It was almost that at the beginning, but has deflated so far from that since. The gigantic tables do not help. If I have a party of 2 and I’m seated in a booth that can fit 8, it makes me feel very guilty and rushed to see other people wait to sit.
A&P is your sit down restaurant. Let Kudzu be your counter service, low-​key alternative.

Tried this place during lunch when it first opened a few months ago. They were out of the broth for the winner winner chicken dinner bowl, so I ordered the yaki noodle bowl with chicken. It was very bland; I wouldn’t order it again. The spring rolls were ok. My husband ordered the the steamed bun because his lunch entrée was bland and not filling. While he liked the bun, the price was ridiculous.
Bottom line: pricy, mostly bland, haven’t been back since.

This joint had a great ambience, Japanese television projected onto walls, cool logos, clean table setup, and modern art décor. But the food… meh
Good:
The pork buns were good, wish they were bigger for the price
The marinated egg in their ramen was great
Bad:
Their noodle dishes were pretty bland. I ordered their Ramen and it had very low broth to noodle ratio. Noodles were clumpy and weren’t that chewy. The broth didn’t have the meaty body or taste that you would expect from a good bowl of ramen. The majority of the fixings were veggies, and two spoonfuls of bulgogi. For its price ($ 13) an addition of pork belly would have been great!
I wanted this place to be awesome, since it is so unique to Montgomery. But, was disappointed by the food. I hope this place comes around, because I love noodles…

I had to try this place out before I moved out of Cloverdale and Montgomery. The only downside is that I wish it had come in to the neighbourhood sooner! I was able to go twice and I was pleased, both times with the Yaki noodle bowl (add tofu and a hot, spicy bomb!) and another noodle bowl, it was a cold dish but I don’t see it on their website menu anymore… well, I ordered it and I liked it! I also ordered a tempura fish steamed bun (that’s not on the menu anymore either). The tempura fish banh mi is $ 8 and having the little $ 4 steamed bun tempura was a better option for just a sampling. The sriracha mayo is tasty with that nice little zing from the sriracha!

We really enjoyed our first visit to this gem in Cloverdale. The spring rolls were hot and delicious… the dipping sauce was perfect! Try the Winner Winner Chicken Dinner… deeeeelicious! Everything was. Only suggestion, add a cabernet, merlot or pinot noir… you need some RED wine… otherwise, well done.

The wife and I stop here on the way through. Kind wish we would have kept going. Ordered the wings and some kimchi as an app. The wife ordered the Yaki noodle bowl with bulgulgi, I ordered the bah mi roll. The server was kind and attentive. The food came out all at the same time. The wings were basically soaked in soy sauce with sesame seeds. The kimchi was also not edible. My sandwich was on very poboy bread. Not what I was expecting. The meat was so salty my mouth was burning. My wife’s bowl was good, but again the meat was salty. Over all it was a nice try but poorly executed food. Probably wouldn’t eat here again.

Dream come true! I can’t believe that Montgomery has a place this good. We are big fans of the famous ramens in NYC (i.e. Momofuku, Ippudo, & Rai Rai Ken), and I would choose the Redneck Ramen from Kudzu over anything they serve. They pack so much flavor into one bowl! The pork belly & marinated egg are wonderful additions to the perfectly cooked noodles and veggies. Great atmosphere with the Japanese movies playing on the wall & the cool playlist on the stereo. We’ve tried almost everything on the menu, and it has all been delicious. As an app, try the pork steam bun or the wings. I’m so thankful this is in Montgomery.

I really want to love this place. The concept is golden but unfortunately the consistency hasn’t been there for me. After my first time dining here I originally gave this place 4 stars and said the following:
«There are a few times where you find a place that just feels right like watching „The Big Lebowski“ in a bowling alley. This was that place for me. Walking in and seeing Japanese monster movies cascading on the wall and eating succulence bathed in a rich umami broth with a cold Sapporo took me to a place I haven’t been before. Well done friend… well done.»
My last couple of visits I feel like the noodles not the same, broth lacked flavor, and overall quality of buns and wings wasn’t there like it was a month earlier. I really want this place to be special. I’ll give it another shot soon and update my review. I hope they can pull this off.

So yummy! A bit pricey. I though it was a nice touch having old school Godzilla playing on the wall.

Meh. The food is OK but 20 percent overpriced (except the appetizer buns, which are 50 percent overpriced at $ 4 apiece). VN Phở in Montgomery is a much better value, with bigger, richer noodle soups for far less money.

This place is really neat, which i think is its greatest attribute. There’s really nothing like it in montgomery (or most cities for that matter). They project old Japanese si-​fi movies on the wall, and the whole place has a very clean, simple look.
So the things i didn’t like about it (and why i only gave it 3 stars):
1. It’s very loud, likely due to the concrete floors and overall lack of fabric. It’s pretty much a soundbox.
2. Very limited seating (which could possibly be a good thing for some people).
3. The food is alright. Not great, not bad. The meats in the noodle bowls are really good, but the noodles themselves and the broth is pretty bland, mostly for the $ 12 price. However, the portion sizes are quite large.
This is a really cool place to check out, but i probably won’t come again.