New Long Beach Joint that I'm very excited about: number nine noodles + beer

Okay, so I'm in Long Beach today, working, a rarity since I usually work in Los Angeles these days - anyway, I'm in Long Beach, and I try to make the most of it by visiting some places I haven't been to for a while to see if I can make an appointment with them..... I head to 4th Street to a new wine bar I have passed by a few times called Fourth on Vine or Vine on Fourth or something like that - finally, I get a chance to talk to someone there, and I ask questions about whether this block is hopping at night and he says it is really in a growth spurt, ie. it is not quite super busy but it sure is trying to get there.

And I ask, is the theater on that block the draw?

And he answers, no, its actually the noodle place.

I'm like, hmroo?? What do you mean, the draw is "that noodle place?"

In my mind, a noodle place is like a divey old school Pho place that is old-looking and certainly not much of a draw to young hipsters who drink wine at winebars.

Alas, I was wrong. Apparently this new place is called "number nine noodles + beer." Okay, you had me at beer. Not that I'm a raging alcoholic, but when you put some classic Asian food with artisan beer, you might be getting somewhere.... somewhere that people want to be. And so I was intrigued.

I headed out of the wine bar and down a couple of doors to number nine noodles + beer.

Alas the place had a vibrancy to it that one doesn't find with your grandparents' pho place. Bright clean lines, modern decor, done a little flashy but still tasteful, and oh that aromatic pho broth permeating one's pores as one walks through the door. If you weren't hungry before you walked in, you will be, there is no fighting the pungent herbs and rich broth that is thick in the air, but not in a bad way. But in a way that makes you want to come back for dinner, or lunch, IMMEDIATELY.

I'm excited about this place. It serves wine, it serves beer, and a menu full of goodies featuring noodles and some other things. I haven't eaten there yet (I just learned of it about 3 hours ago), but I will. I just hope the line out the door won't be too long.

number nine noodles + beer
2118 e. 4th street
long beach, ca 90814
562-434-2009