When in New York, you're probably there for a reason; however, that reason might be for the food. Given that we're now in the season of summer, you're going to want to cool off somehow. What I suggest you do is cool off with some cold noodle dishes as you go about your day, not only because you'll probably be hangry after spending time in the heat, but because it's not ok to starve yourself regularly.
Little Tong
Located in the East Village and known for their Crab-o-cado and Mixian & Chill dishes, Little Tong is a Yunnan-inspired rice noodle shop with an all-woman team as the shop's backbone. If you're unable to make a physical trip out to the shop, you're able to order delivery from them via Caviar online.
In terms of their two most popular dishes that are mentioned above, here's what you need to know. Little Tong's Crab-o-Cado mixian cold noodle dish is known to be more on the cool and creamy side of things. The dish is priced at $18 and has an ingredient list of lump crab meat, citrus-soy glazed avocado, pumpkin seeds, vibrant green herb curry sauce, and is finished with fresh market herbs.
On the other hand, Little Tong's Mixian & Chill cold noodle dish is their summer special and is priced at $12. The dish pairs well with most, if not all add-ons that Little Tong has to offer, so you get some freedom with how you want to dress your cold noodles up (or down). For the base of this cold noodle dish, you'll get some of Little Tong's bang bang sauce with white soy, cucumber, house pickles, spicy peanuts and chili oili. For an extra two buckaroos, you're able to top your cold noodles with a soft-boiled tea egg. If you're no fan of eggs and their existence on planet earth, you can top your cold noodles with garlic shrimp or dry-aged duck for an additional six bucks.
SakaMai
Down in the Lower East Side is a Japanese izakaya and sake lounge known as SakaMai. Specifically for this summer, there's a new light Cha Soba Salad that's being offered via chef Takanori Akiyama. For a mere $16, you'll be getting a cold noodle dish that comprises of green tea buckwheat soba noodles topped with fresh tomato, avocado, cucumber, corn, walnuts, and nori, and dressed with a sesame soy vinaigrette. Pair the dish with any of SakaMai's sake offerings, and your taste buds will thank you later.
Glaze
With four locations in New York, Glaze is a teriyaki shop that's offering a Cold Soba Noodle Salad. Clocking in at four bucks per bowl, this cold noodle dish is made with soba noodles tossed with a julienned veggie blend, housemade sesame dressing and topped with toasted sesame seeds. The nice thing about Glaze and their dishes is that they're fresh, made daily, and made in small batches. What this means for you is that you don't have to worry about if you're going to be served moldy noodles.
Now that you know where to get some cold noodles when in New York, it's time to go cool off by chowing down on all of the dishes mentioned in this article. Besides, is there really any other way to cool off after walking all around the city and dealing with overcrowded streets that smell like trash?