Considered one of the more casual restaurants at Mandalay Bay, The Noodle Shop is tucked right off the casino floor in a dining area that appears to have been a breakfast cafe at one point in time. This is the kind of restaurant you could visit any time of day and feel comfortable; no fancy attire is required here.
The surprisingly laid back decor is a bit kitschy and worn down, the lights seem a bit too bright and the ambiance in general seems to have a bit of an identity crisis, but the off-kilter vibe wouldn’t seem so odd if the prices and quality of food more accurately reflected the atmosphere.
The Noodle Shop offers a menu of classic Asian appetizers and an entree menu of dozens of items ranging from shrimp fried rice and chicken chow mein to meat combo platters. Expect to pay $6.00-$10.00 for an appetizer and $10.00-$20.00 for an entree. And extensive wine menu offers champagne, white wine and red wine for $10.00-$20.00 a glass, domestic and imported beers run $6.00-$10.00, and sake is $20.00-$140.00 a bottle.
Wait staff at The Noodle Shop is friendly and efficient, but the food delivered to our table was a disappointment. The lettuce for our lettuce wraps was crisp but browning, the spare ribs were slathered in a standard sauce and the chow mein was average at best. The quality of the meal was no better than what we could have gotten at a take-out place in the food court, but our bill was more than $50.00 with gratuity.
Though I can appreciate the need for Mandalay Bay to offer a more casual dining atmosphere among the many high-quality, world-class restaurants scattered throughout its property, and I know that food on the Las Vegas Strip in general is pricey, but when a restaurant such as The Noodle Shop offers a casual dining atmosphere and mediocre food, prices should reflect the quality of the experience.
If you have access to a rental car, you would save money and enjoy a more authentic dining experience in Las Vegas’ local Chinatown.
Photo credit: Cory Haugen (may not be used without permission)
