Red Bowl - Albany Park pan asian

on the northeast corner of lawrence and lawndale, came here for a weekday evening dinner. a slight notch above hole in the wall and the menu didn't seem to be impressive, with the usual thai, chinese, and korean noodle and rice dishes. there were some japanese rice plates as well (katsu don and the like).

but i do believe the thing to get here are the noodles. they have a machine that fresh cuts noodles for them, and i greatly enjoyed my ja jang mein. it was one of the better bowls i've had, comparable to Yu's Mandarin in its' prime, but with more noticeable chunks of zucchini, cabbage, onions, and pork, and no shrimp. Most importantly, the gravy was not made extra watery by the noodles.

apparently all of their noodle dishes feature fresh noodles, but i'd double check before ordering any of the others. final verdict from my first visit: nice addition to the neighborhood, add a few extra bonus points if you like noodles of the asian variety. I do, and will definitely be back when I'm in the noodling mood.

they also have chicken wings here, so a jaja mein/korean chicken wings crawl is possible between here, Great Seas, and... Peking Mandarin? Add Cafe Orient 33 if you just want wings.

Red Bowl
3658 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 564-9819

Windows papered over, with a sign promising "Authentic Burgers coming soon", whatever that may mean. I will miss the noodles somewhat, but not much else of distinction here.