From the renowned “Noodle Man” himself, Chef Guoming “Sam” Xin, The Noodle Den inside SAHARA Las Vegas offers elevated Chinese classics, Xin’s famous hand-pulled noodles and dumplings.
When you walk up the ramp to The Noodle Den, which opened in December 2021 at SAHARA Las Vegas, you first come across a window into the demonstration kitchen where you can watch dumplings formed by hand, noodles being pulled and more. The window provides an opportunity to see the attention to detail that goes into every dish at The Noodle Den. This detail becomes apparent with every bite.
Much like the yin and yang, The Noodle Den beautifully incorporates traditional Chinese design with numerous motifs and elements from the modern day. Each dining area has its own unique features, while seamlessly integrating aspects and themes that appear throughout the restaurant. It’s worth taking a moment while waiting for your meal to take everything in and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere wherever you’re seated.
The drink menu at The Noodle Den features both domestic and Asian beer selections, wine, multiple options for sake, and ready-to-drink cocktails like a Bacardi mojito, passion fruit caipirinha or Cazadores margarita. They also offer baijiu by the half-bottle (375m). Baijiu is a fascinating Chinese liquor that normally registers at a higher alcohol by volume and has a distinct odor and taste that varies depending on the grain and technique used in the distilling process. The Noodle Den also has a variety of iced and hot teas, Genki sparkling waters and standard fountain drinks.
The menu is divided into three columns. Soup, barbecue dishes and appetizers, and handmade classics fill the first column and will likely be your first course. Handmade noodles and rice dishes are entrée-sized and then familiar Chef’s specials take up the last column. This setup is perfect. It’s easy to see an uber-popular dish like crispy orange chicken, pair it with pan-fried dumplings and call it a day. It will be delicious! But then you leave and your friend says, “You went to ‘The Noodle Man’’s latest restaurant? How were the noodles?” And you’ll wish you knew. By all means, order the crispy orange chicken. The dish is aromatic, lightly breaded with subtle flavors from the sauce and tender chicken. But share it with your tablemates (along with the dumplings) and make sure to order other items so you can experience the items that put Chef Sam on the Las Vegas radar.
Among the “Barbecue & Appetizers,” the Szechuan cucumber provides a crisp, bite-sized palate cleanser that can be enjoyed throughout the meal. The spice comes at the end and lingers nicely. The crispy roast duck comes partially on-bone. The succulent duck meat is extremely flavorful and complemented perfectly by the duck sauce provided. In the “Handmade Classics” section, the crab and pork xiaolongbao provide one of the brightest highlights. Puncture the steamed bao and allow the hot soup to fill your spoon. After you enjoy the soup, the soft bao bun remains, holding plenty of delicious crab and pork meat within.
There are a plethora of noodle dishes to choose from featuring a variety of proteins. The Taiwan beef brisket hand-pulled noodle soup has big, meaty chunks of tender brisket that melt in your mouth. The deliciously thick noodles soak up the spicy broth. This is a more intimate dish to share – it’s better to pass it around than to try and dish it out – but remains a must-have selection.
The rice section offers options like braised pork belly and fried egg over rice or roast duck fried rice with XO sauce among others. Among the “Chef’s Specials,” popular dishes besides the aforementioned crispy orange chicken (or beef) include kung pao chicken, honey walnut shrimp, and beef with broccoli. Dessert options include mango pudding and a matcha tiramisu with matcha instead of ladyfingers and a sweet fruit layer as the base.
The Noodle Den is open daily for dinner from 5 to 11 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and until midnight, Friday and Saturday.
For more information, visit www.saharalasvegas.com.
2535 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89109