Crazy Noodle is Crazy Good For Curry Noodles, Ramen, and More
Crazy Noodle is Crazy Good For Curry Noodles, Ramen, and More
Update 2020: Crazy Noodle in midtown Memphis offers noodles for very limited dine-in, takeout, to-go, and delivery through UberEats.
Crazy Noodle is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday (11 a.m. - 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.) and open for dinner on Saturday and Sunday (4 p.m. - 9 p.m.). Call ahead to confirm hours as policies may change frequently. And now...on to the noodles!
As a shameless noodle lover (in college, giving up noodles for Lent meant saying goodbye to nine half-opened boxes of various pastas), I'm thrilled that Memphis has a proper Asian noodle shop.
Crazy Noodle is just down the street from Overton Square next to the Kwik Chek and across from the Blue Monkey. For longtime Memphians, that's the former Umai space on Madison.
It's owned by Ji Choi, the sister of the woman who runs the Kwik Check, and features an expanded, Korean-inspired menu that goes beyond the Kwik Check's bibimbap, including ramen noodles, curry noodles, and delicious soups.
Crazy Noodle's menu isn't huge, but it's loaded with authentic soups, plated noodles and hot pots, plus salads and a cold soup or two. There are vegan and vegetarian options, too. My dinner date and I decided to order entirely too much food and split everything, which is my favorite way to order.
We started with an appetizer of Fish Jeon, a plate of five crispy-fried fish patties circled around a small bowl of mild chili sauce. For dinner we ordered Japchae curry noodles and a bowl of Yukgaejang beef noodle soup
The curry noodles are thin, ramen-style noodles that are served cold, plated next to, but not quite under, a spicy brown curry. The idea is that the curry sauce will warm the noodles up. The curry has diced potatoes, bell peppers, onions and chicken.
I really liked the Japchae noodles. They reminded me a little bit of Pad Thai in consistency. The soy-based sauce clings to the rice noodles, which are topped with mushrooms, peppers, onions, sweet potatoes and sesame seeds. The Japchae noodles aren't super spicy, but they've got a lot of flavor.
The best part of the meal was by far the Yukgaejang noodles. What you need to know about this dish, is that it's a hot pot of happiness. The bowl comes with thin white noodles, diced bell peppers, tender mushrooms, potatoes, onions and ground beef in a spicy, red broth. The spice isn't outright—I ate a few bites before I realized that the soup has a lingering slow burn.
Crazy Noodle's atmosphere is pretty casual. The kitchen is exposed, sushi-bar style, and you can watch the cooks work if you sit in the front room. The main dining room has a wall of colorful graffiti and the bathroom is wallpapered with pages from Asian newspapers.
Crazy Noodle is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday (11 a.m. - 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.) and open for dinner on Saturday and Sunday (4 p.m. - 9 p.m.).
Go There:
Crazy Noodle
2015 Madison
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 272-0928
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