After much confusion and speculation among students surrounding Ivy Noodle’s future, owner Coreen Guo confirmed Wednesday that the restaurant will re-open next month under the name Ivy Wok.
Guo said that the restaurant, which closed for unannounced “personal reasons” in early February, will re-open before April 15. The newly renovated restaurant will include smaller, free-standing tables, a larger kitchen and an expanded menu. The restaurant will offer new items including crab rangoon, General Tso’s chicken, chive dumplings, Singapore curry, chicken wonton and healthier options such as brown rice, Guo said.
After reflecting on the expanded menu options, Guo said she decided to change the name to Ivy Wok because the restaurant would be serving much more than just noodles.
“They think it’s a noodle house and if they don’t want noodles then they don’t come here,” Guo said. “We have a lot of new dishes and a wok [can cook a lot of dishes] other than noodles.”
Patrick O’Brien, marketing coordinator for University Properties, said that the restaurant will serve a similar menu and have similar price points to the former Ivy Noodle.
Students interviewed said they were excited about the re-opening of the restaurant but expressed mixed reactions on the name change.
Alex Herkert ’17 said that he was especially upset by the switch.
“Ivy Noodle was a Yale institution, and even though it’s coming back, the name change might, in fact, entirely alter its status on this campus,” said Josh Young ’17.
Future Ivy Wok patrons will find a larger kitchen and new tables in the store, Guo said. She added that she had kitchen walls knocked down during the renovation period to make room for more cooks.
Guo also said that, prior to the renovations, there were only tables for six and one table for eight. With the smaller tables, customers would be able to combine into larger groups or sit at one for privacy, she added.
“Now you can join tables and you can have 30 people sitting at one table,” Guo said.
Although Ivy Noodle underwent renovations during the last two months, the restaurant also closed for “personal reasons,” about which Guo declined to comment. Regardless, Guo said that, despite Ivy Noodle’s abrupt closure, landlord University Properties helped her with the general renovations by explaining building codes and supporting her new visions.
Students interviewed said that they missed a critical late-night food option during the renovation period.
“We need more places that are open late so there’s been a vacuum for cheap, not-so-good food late at night,” Anna Walton ’16 said.
Ivy Noodle first opened in 2000. Aside from the Elm Street location, the owners of Ivy Noodle also own Ivy Bistro at 302A Winchester Ave., near Science Park.