A group of coworkers and I stopped in to Noodle Wave for lunch late last week—and in fairness of full disclosure, it wasn’t our first choice. We originally tried to grab a bite at Thai Soon, which I featured in this month’s cover story. But after being told the wait would be nearly an hour, we opted for another nearby Thai option: Noodle Wave off Coit and Spring Valley.
If you’re familiar with that part of the neighborhood, then you already know it’s pegged as a somewhat seedy area. But don’t let that deter you. There are plenty of good and safe places to eat in the area, including Noodle Wave.
This Thai restaurant sits between a Mediterranean café and a Honduran taqueria, an eclectic shopping strip indeed. The décor in this small space has a fresh, funky vibe (think Mint off 75 and Forest). If you go, check out the bar. It’s made of stacked wooden blocks and looks like a huge Jenga tower.
We started with the fried dumplings filled with cream cheese (photographed below by one of our lovely Advocate staffers), which are just as fattening and addictively delicious as they sound. We also tired the fried spring rolls, which tasted more like egg rolls, but were still good. 
I tried the shitake mushroom chicken (photographed below by yours truly), which was not too greasy like a lot of Thai dishes tend to be. Although, I have to admit, I was longingly eyeing a grease-laden bowl of red curry stew one of my coworkers ordered. Next time I might have to forget the calorie count and go for that. But if you’re watching your waistline, the shitake mushroom chicken is a healthy and flavorful option. It’s a hearty mix of mushrooms, broccoli, chicken, and rice in a light brown sauce. Plus you get a small cup of soup and a good-sized lunch portion for about $8. 
Another nice feature of this place is that every dish can be ordered in four levels of hotness. Plus the menu here offers more options than most Thai places. There are salads, stir fry bowls, rice dishes, soups, noodles in broth (not the same as soup), curry stews, chef specialty entrees, and almost an entire page of just noodle dishes. With that type of selection, you’re bound to find something for every taste bud at Noodle Wave. If you’re in the neighborhood stop by for lunch and give it a try: You’ll be happy you did.
