Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to bring 10 of my readers to the Garden City location of Noodles & Company for a tasting of their new seasonal menu. It was a great opportunity to get out with the girls (yes, most of my readers are women…SURPRISE!) and try some new great food. The best part for me was trying food that I may not have thought to order because I thought I wouldn’t like it, but the good news is that it got to try new things, and the even better news it that it was all very yummy. Was there any bad news? Yes…I hate to say it but there was. The bad news was that they were serving a ton of wine and this pregnant girl didn’t get to indulge….yes, this wino had to refrain and that is the only downside I could come up with for this experience.

Let’s start with Noodles & Company as a whole. If you aren’t familiar it’s a “fast casual” restaurant. The manager who ran the event was amazing and very accommodating. He first gave a little insight on Noodles & Company as a company. The good news for all of you on Long Island is that they plan on opening up many more locations. The Garden City spot is just the first of many, so get ready, many of you locals will get to try it! Fast casual seems to mean that you place your order (all food is fresh and made to order. No freezers in this restaurant!), then you go and sit down and you are then served like you are in a normal restaurant. The servers are all paid more hourly so that means you don’t even need to tip! They serve beer and wine as if you were at a more casual dining experience, but the fact that you order at the counter gives it the “fast food” aspect that many like.

Noodles & Company’s New Seasonal Menu

The amount of food given to us that evening was insane. They warned us in the beginning to take it slow or we wouldn’t be able to enjoy our main course, or our dessert. Boy were they right! The manager was great at accommodating those in our group with specific allergies. It was really nice that they got to try the great food too.

Here’s what we got to try:


  • Margherita Flatbread – Fresh whole leaf basil, Roma tomato, a custom blend of Italian seasonings, feta and Parmesan cheese toasted atop flatbread
  • Rustic Hummus – Rustic Hummus served with fresh cucumber, red bell pepper, broccoli and pita chips. Topped with a Kalamata olive and fresh lemon wedge.
  • Backyard Barbecue Chicken Salad – This fan favorite is returning to the menu by popular demand! Pulled chicken breast tossed in barbecue sauce, fresh-cut corn, Roma tomato and red cabbage over mixed greens with tangy coleslaw dressing
  • Asparagus di Parma – Fresh asparagus, white wine butter sauce, mushrooms and tomato tossed with spaghetti noodles. Served with Parmesan-crusted chicken breast and finished with a lemon wedge and a dusting of Parmesan cheese.

For dessert we got a bit of a sampler which this pregnant girl loved. It was Chocolate Cake, Tres Leches, and carrot cake. YUM!

Everyone in the group raved about the food. It got two thumbs us from everyone! The best part was that I got to introduce this great restaurant to people who had never heard of it, and we all got to try food we may not otherwise order. It was a complete success!