Pagoda Noodle Cafe

My husband and I love going out to Pagoda Noodle Cafe before a movie at the Ritz, and we also love to order delivery from them. The food is great and inexpensive, a very rare combination in Old City! The salt baked shrimp are delicious, as are their noodle broths. The decor is inviting and a comfortable place to have dinner and a drink. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to avoid all the overpriced restaurants in Old City once in a while for a simple but good meal out. :-) Pros: Great food, inexpensive, location Cons: None more

My wife and I ordered peking duck for two. After being served a bowl of tasty soup the waiter placed what appeared to be a plate with a single serving of duck meat in front of me. We waited for my wife's plate to be served, but it never came. When I inquired of the waiter I was told that the order of duck was intended to serve two persons, (despite the meager amount) and that once finished he would return with the second course of fried rice then a third course of noodles followed by desert. I asked for the noodles and rice to be served simultaniously. Once finished I inquired about the desert and was told by a waiter that the meal did not come with desert. After he left the table another waiter showed up with desert! The desert consisted of a single bowl of ice cream...which I presume was intended to be shared. All in all the meal appeared to be peking duck for one at twice the price with an extra fork! Pros: None Cons: Portions and service more

It's pretty hard to find good, non-greasy Chinese food in Philadelphia - here is one of the rare good places! Food is cheap, tasty and NOT greasy or overly salted! Dumplings (even the fried dumplings) are not at all greasy! Chicken and beef dishes are flavorful and well cooked (we have NEVER ever gotten sick here, always a plus). Hong Kong style wonton soup is deelish, with large wontons and tons of asian style noodles (however, if you are looking for broth don't get this, because the soup is mostly noodles with not much broth). If you need to order takeout, this is by far the FASTEST place I can think of (food always comes within 15 minutes of when we call - a rarity). Pros: crowded on movie nights Cons: fast delivery more

My husband and I've been going to this place for past 5 years, and we always have very good meal. The food is consistantly good. They have yummy bowl of noodle soup (this is only thing I have eaten there), and the BEST salt baked squid ever. We tried many other Chinese restaurant in Philly/Chinatown, but nothing comes even close to this place's squid. The service is always good, and the price is excellent! more

My review from last year mysteriously disappeared, so I'm reposting it. Pagoda's signature fare is a fantastic value at around $6 for a filling bowl of steaming broth, brimming with noodles, meat, and vegatables. Add this to a $6.75 movie ticket at the Ritz (don't forget your student/senior ID!) and you've got a cheap evening out for two people for around $30, including garage parking! I do feel that service at the Pagoda is somewhat flakey, depending on who waits on you, and special non-menu requests such as shrimp noodle soup (not shrimp dumpling soup), are not always consistanly priced or simple to explain to the non-native english speaking staff. But these are small complaints. The food is consistantly excellent, appetizers such as breaded shrimp, spring rolls, juicy dumplings are always great. Additionally, the staff is always willing to rush simple orders if you have a film to get to. Pros: great value, gracious service, location Cons: can be slow, special orders are..., ...sometimes awkward more

I recently had my 30th birthday party here, the service and amount of food was out of this world! I had 15 hungry friends with me and we were all stuffed at the end, and brought home a ton of leftovers. The owner was incredibly sweet and even gave me a cake! The pan-fried dumplings are to die for, and the crispy hawaiian shrimp is the better than any other restaurant. My mouth is watering just thinking about their food. Their Asian-fusion style is so original. Pros: great for large group, great value, tasty food more

Although hidden in the heart of Old City, it's truly to a treasure waiting to be discovered! I come here at least once a week with my husband since I heard about it from a friend. The deco is so contemporary and not like a regular Chinese restaurant. Food is unbeatable. The general tso's is the best I've ever had, not too fried and uses the whole breast meat! Pros: inexpensive, great decor, delicious food more

I generally like going to Pagoda when I'm in the area because they make a couple dishes I love that I can't find elsewhere: namely a crunchy taro chicken dish that is to die for. The waiters make for good eye-candy as well! However, the service can be occasionally spotty (don't go when the place is really packed), and some of my friends have found the noodle dishes uninspired and bland. I guess it pays to know what to order. On the plus side, they are accomodating to vegetarians and will substitute tofu for meat in many dishes. Pros: location, atmosphere, price more

I frequent this place with my boyfriend. Pagoda serves the best Salt Baked Squid in the city, better than the places at Chinatown. I also love their noodle soup, favorite being pork and shrimp dumpling soup with the yam noodle. It usually cost about $20 for both of us, and we leave feeling full and satisfied. Pros: Food, Inexpensive, Good service more

Very impressed with the food, and the presentation was also beautiful. The chef is brillant with new innovative ways to bring out the best flavors in every dish. Pros: great desserts, innovative, atmosphere more

Never had chinese food this good!!! Love the atmosphere, very classy. Love the pan fried dumplings, the sauce was heavenly! definitely going back for more! Pros: atmosphere, food, inexpansive more

Wow! Incredible! everyone must try their General Tso's chicken, you get a lot more meat and not much breading! great presentation! if you're a vegetarian, try their vegetarian general Tso's! more

After reading the last review of Pagoda, I had to join citysearch just to disagree... Pagoda has great, delicious, fresh noodle dishes (the spicy seafood udon is my favorite) and a great big menu of all kinds of things. There's rarely a long wait, the service is fantastic, and it's CHEAP!! Noodle soups are filling and inexpensive ($5 - $6). I don't know what that guy is talking about, but Pagoda is God's Gift to Ritz Cinemas. more

Unfortunately, this is one of the few affordable restaurants in this area convenient to the Ritz. My friend and I were there 6 months ago. Both of our meals were terrible- very bland. Not recommended. more