Licious Noodles and Bao Review: Chinese Comfort Food in Orlando
After our weekly trip to the Chinese grocery store, we stopped by this newly opened noodle shop to grab some dinner because everybody knows after loading a trunk full of groceries, the best thing to eat afterwards is not home cooking but eating out.
First off, I want to say I do not like the name of this place at all. I don’t even think Licious is a full word, and the Chinese name of this place is also very brief, pretty much just one syllable. The name of an establishment does not hold a lot of weight for me when choosing a place to eat, but if a place has an odd name, it does make me think about the thought process behind the whole branding.
The Chinese Noodle Renaissance in Orlando
The food here is Chinese comfort food to me. I’m always down for a bowl of noodles and they do a decent job here. There’s been a huge renaissance of Chinese noodle places opening up in Orlando, and it has started to feel gimmicky to me like the froyo craze of the 2010s. But at least for Licious, the food is perfectly fine for a quick meal.
What We Ordered
Scallion Oil Mixed Noodles
I got the scallion oil mixed noodles, which on the menu says comes with chicken, but it was honestly more of a garnish than a main ingredient. The noodles are oily wheat noodles with a nice aroma of cooked green onions as the name would suggest and seasoned with soy sauce for both color and taste.
It’s a simple dish with not many ingredients, but it’s comforting and mild but addictive. I could probably slurp everything down in a minute if I was in a hurry. I wish the portion was a bit bigger, but if you’re a more modest eater, this is perfectly acceptable.
Hot and Sour Rice Noodles Soup
My wife got the hot and sour rice noodles soup. The combination of spice and strong punch of vinegar will definitely catch you off guard as you go to inhale the first steaming bite and make you have a slight coughing fit. But for those willing to try something more aggressively seasoned, this dish is a good option.
The noodles here are slippery and have more of a chew compared to the softer smoother wheat noodles from the mixed noodle dish. The soup is both savory, spicy, and sour. This is authentic Chinese flavor and a contrast from the Shanghai specialty of my noodle dish.
Fried Chicken Wings
We got the fried chicken wings and honestly they are quite bland. The crispness is nice and light and the meat is tender and moist, but overall just lacked flavor.
Soup Dumplings
The soup dumplings, which are also popping up at a lot of Chinese joints in town, were decent. I think Zen Dumpling is still better, but these were better than I expected. They’re made fresh in house and met most of my requirements for a good soup dumpling. It must have a good amount of soup, which it did, and filling must be flavorful.
The only thing it fell short on was that I think their wrapper is a little thick, especially towards the top where all the little pleats come together into a dome. With the exception of soup dumplings, which are extremely hard to do well unless you’re a very skilled dumpling folder, the rest of the dishes remind me of good Chinese home cooking.
The Verdict: Is Licious Noodles and Bao Worth It?
It’s nothing super impressive, but it’s a good meal at a relatively affordable price point and the service was friendly. All the kids running around with their parents trying to eat dinner reminded me of my cousins growing up whenever we went out for a big family gathering.
This is nostalgia for me, and I think it’s still good for any fans of Chinese cuisine who don’t need childhood memories to enjoy the food. Licious does Chinese comfort food well enough for a quick, satisfying meal when you don’t feel like cooking after a grocery run.
Tips for Visiting Licious Noodles and Bao
- Get the scallion oil mixed noodles for simple comfort food
- Try the hot and sour rice noodles soup if you like bold, aggressive flavors
- Relatively affordable pricing for a quick meal
- Good for families with kids, casual atmosphere
- Freshly made soup dumplings in house
