Zoba The Noodle Bar

I’d been meaning to try Zoba ever since I saw that something new was going into the late, non-lamented Vive La Crepe space. I suppose given the quality of the food served at Vive La Crepe, I was a bit skeptical of Zoba. I needn’t have been.

I spoke to the owners, a very nice Thai couple. Considering this is their first restaurant, only open for three weeks, they’re fast learners.

Even though they’re Thai, the fresh noodles that they hand-make daily are wheat-based, more in a Northern Chinese style. The owner explained that he learned to make noodles from friends in Northern China and Korea, and makes them fresh every morning.

The menu offers many of the usual pan-Asian suspects, but clearly the reason to come is for the noodle-based dishes.

We started with soft shell crab – I couldn’t tell if was two small crabs cut in half, or one large crab cut in quarters, but four pieces of lightly breaded and fried came out, served on lettuce with a lemon-soy dipping sauce. Nice crunch, good crab flavor, very well-balanced dish.

We had two noodle dishes – basically you choose your sauce, then choose a protein to go with it. The Spicy Basil we had with beef wasn’t particularly spicy; on subsequent trips I might ask them to kick the up the spice level a notch or two. But the noodles were near perfect – toothsome, and actually seemed to absorb the flavors of the sauce, even though I assume they hadn’t been in contact very long. Similar comments for the Red Curry we had with chicken, although the vegetable assortment with the curry, including sweet potato and eggplant, was a little more interesting/less traditional.

Total bill for two, before tip, was under $25. Filled, we took home leftovers. Nothing on the menu was over $15. BYOB.

Their website, zobanoodlebar.com, is just barely up, but, hey, they’ve only been open three weeks.

Sorry I forgot my camera.

Zoba The Noodle Bar
1565 Sherman Ave.
Evanston, IL
847-328-7866
Lunch and dinner 7 days

Whoopee! Good handmade noodles in Evanston! Whoda thunk it! Thanks for jumping in there, NR - I walked by several times with extreme trepidation, remembering the fates of all the other restaurants that had been there.

This has now moved up to my must-try list!

My friend and I met up for lunch in Evanston today and drove around the block before deciding. I had Zoba in mind, but didn't really know the exact address, so I was happy that we spotted it so easily. I knew I wanted one of the homemade noodle dishes, so I opted for the Thai Spicy Noodle w/chicken. It was very good, and I liked that it was spicier than expected. The ingredients were fresh, especially the bean sprouts. The noodles were great. I was pleased that the chicken was ground, and there was a lot of it! I think there was probably more meat than noodles! When it first arrived, I thought the portions were kind of small, but as I began eating, I felt like I didn't even make a dent in it. I ended up eating 1/2 and taking the rest home. I look forward to returning.

Pucca wrote:My friend and I met up for lunch in Evanston today and drove around the block before deciding. I had Zoba in mind, but didn't really know the exact address, so I was happy that we spotted it so easily. I knew I wanted one of the homemade noodle dishes, so I opted for the Thai Spicy Noodle w/chicken. It was very good, and I liked that it was spicier than expected. The ingredients were fresh, especially the bean sprouts. The noodles were great. I was pleased that the chicken was ground, and there was a lot of it! I think there was probably more meat than noodles! When it first arrived, I thought the portions were kind of small, but as I began eating, I felt like I didn't even make a dent in it. I ended up eating 1/2 and taking the rest home. I look forward to returning.

What time were you there today? My niece (age 11) LOVES that place so we went there around 3 pm for lunch. I love there Pad Thai Noodles (combo) and my niece is nuts about the red curry homemade noodles. They make it special for her as she only wants the noodles and sauce. She says that the noodles are so good they make her jaws hurt

We had two orders of the shumai, the sesame chicken dumplings and the Gyoza, then lunch which went home with us. The Thai tea was really good as always. They do a great lunch special with a choice of 2 entrees (steamed or fried rice) for $6.95 and for an extra dollar you can throw in some Miso soup with the meal. We tend to go there once a week because we are at Pivot Point being serviced and it is just across the street.

qofu2 wrote: What time were you there today?

How funny. We must have just missed each other b/c we left at 2:50 so I could take the 3:00pm Metra. Glad to hear more rec's on what to order.

I would like to thank Edzo's for being closed on Monday. I had a taste for a burger, but completely forgot they were closed on Monday. I parked my car and got nearly all the way to the front door when I remembered that Monday is a Day of Rest for Edzo's. As I was getting ready to move my car a little closer to WASC, I looked up and saw Zoba Homemade Noodles emblazoned on a sign. I figured, what the heck. I've already paid for the parking meter and if it's at least as good as Chef Ping's, it would be good enough for a quick lunch.

I ordered something called "Crazy Noodles" at the suggestion of my server, and I told him to ask for it to be made extra spicy. While they lacked the great toothsome quality and Wok Hay of Katy's, they were undeniably hand made and quite tasty! They delivered on the spicy request and I really enjoyed my lunch. I don't know how often I'll be back, simply because it takes around the same amount of time for me to get to Katy's (although it's a much longer drive in miles), but at least I have the option if I'm stuck in Evanston and looking for something besides a burger for lunch. I didn't remember reading anything about Zoba before and I was pleasantly surprised to find this thread. Zoba deserves a little more attention.

I too ended up there today after forgetting Edzo's isn't open on Sundays. I'd been there once before sometime ago and liked it okay.

Today though I ordered their homemade crab rangoon, which was excellent - world's better than your typical chinese restaurant crab rangoon. Crispy without being greasy and the filling was the perfect consistency.

Unfortunately the entree wasn't any good - I had the (homemade) orange noodles with chicken, which is essentially orange chicken on spaghetti. The chicken was dry and the whole thing was undersauced.

Back on the positive side - best Thai Ice Coffee in Evanston. Dark and delicious. I'll be back for more of that and the crab rangoons again, but trying a different entree!

Zoba The Noodle Bar is no more.