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You might recognize Native Noodles' Singaporean offerings from its stint as a food stall at the Queens Night Market back in 2019. But now, the destination has officially expanded into a brick-and-mortar space in Washington Heights and, needless to say, the noodles on offer are as delectable as we remember them to be.
The fast-casual destination—now offering takeout, delivery and indoor dining—opened back in February and it has amassed an expanded devoted fan base since then. That's all for good reason: not only are the menu options delicious but they offer New Yorkers the chance to revel in Singaporean food, a cuisine that has yet to be thoroughly explored within the sea of ethnic eateries that make up the city's relatively varied culinary culture.
Amy Pryke is the chef and owner of the space at Amsterdam Avenue and West 166th Street. Although she was only able to cook a couple of dishes per night while operating her stand at the Queens Night Market, Pryke crafted a permanent menu that includes a vast variety of noodle-centric dishes, like the uber-popular laksa, basically a spicy noodle soup made with slow-cooked coconut shrimp-based curry, bean sprouts, cucumbers and crispy onions. Consider this the restaurant's signature dish.
Other gastronomical standouts include the vegetarian Singapore wok-fried thin rice noodles, which are served with greens, shredded egg, scallions and crispy onions, and the satay peanut noodles, which are wider egg noodles paired with cucumbers, scallions, crispy onions and a soft-boiled egg.
We do also suggest indulging in a couple of non-noodle-based menu options, like the popcorn chicken, which is topped with butter 'cereal' crunch; the pillowy chili crab buns; and, perhaps, the Roti John sandwich. If you order the latter, expect an omelette, ground beef, caramelized onions and spicy ketchup to ooze out of a toasted hero roll.
We might not be able to properly travel around the world just yet, but there's something to be said about New York's ability to transport us to faraway places by indulging our palates. Which is all to say: step into Native Noodles and you'll feel like you've just flown to Singapore.
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