Food

Cheap Eats 2008: Bob’s Noodle 66

Why go: The secret is out—it’s not just homesick Taiwanese nationals who find comfort in this humble dining room, where affable owner Bob Liu presides and a vast menu of Taiwanese dishes beckons, including tureen-size soups, platters of loofah and duck’s blood, savory casseroles, hot pots, and shaved-ice desserts.

What to get: The misnamed Taiwanese hamburger, really tender pork tucked in a bun with tart mustard greens; sha cha beef with thick hand-cut noodles; crispy fried duck tongues with basil (you’d never guess what they were); gingery chicken casserole; caramelized short ribs with black-pepper sauce; papaya milkshake; for dessert, shaved ice with rivulets of red bean, lychee, and taro.

Best for: Culinary adventurers who want to eat very cheaply and very well—a group is best because you may want to try lots of dishes. But make a reservation: The place can get crowded at peak lunch and dinner hours.

Insider tip: Bring cash; the restaurant doesn’t take credit cards. And the daily lunch special—three dishes and a soup for $18.95—is meant for two but big enough for three, and it’s one of the best deals around.

Open daily for lunch and dinner.

See all 2008 Cheap Eats restaurants

Ann Limpert
Executive Food Editor/Critic

Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.