Fresh noodles are key for this Chinese restaurant coming to State College. See the menu
A new Chinese restaurant specializing in fresh-cooked noodles plans to open soon in State College.
Kung Fu Noodle, whose company mission is to “bring the authentic flavors and traditions of Chinese cuisine to the United States,” expects to open in May or June at 346 E. College Ave. in the former home of Liberty Craft House. The Chinese restaurant will mark the first Pennsylvania location for the small chain, which launched in the U.S. in 2019 with a franchise in Dayton, Ohio.
Dennis Zhang, Kung Fu Noodle North America’s president, said the company is working on expanding into college towns, including the 2024 opening of a restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, near Ohio State’s campus. State College’s proximity to Penn State made the move convenient.
“One of my key investors graduated from Penn State, so they kind of introduced me to the area and told me they really wanted to see real, authentic Chinese food in the area,” Zhang told the Centre Daily Times. “They said it’s a pretty good market, so I visited and found a pretty great location and am excited to keep moving forward.”
The star of Kung Fu Noodle’s menu is undoubtedly its Lanzhou beef noodle soup. The dish — featuring hand-stretched noodles, braised beef, white radish, green garlic and cilantro — hails from the eponymous capital city of northwest China’s Gansu province, where Zhang grew up and fell in love with Chinese cuisine.
“We serve authentic Chinese noodle dishes that give an original taste from China — like what Chinese people grow up eating,” the Kung Fun Noodle North America president said. “We even import our seasonings directly from China to help keep that original flavor.”
Other mainstays on the menu at Kung Fu Noodle include pan-seared pot stickers, sausage-fried rice, braised pork, stir-fried noodle bowls, spicy tofu and Chinese donuts. Plans for the incoming State College restaurant also include a counter serving boba drinks and teas, Zhang said.
Kung Fu Noodle’s restaurants serve noodles cooked to order. Preparing dishes in-house makes a big difference for taste and overall quality, Zhang said.
“With noodles, the machine process and fresh, hand-stretched product are totally different,” he said. “Once you’ve tasted hand-pulled noodles, it’s hard for people to go back. We try to maintain as many parts of the noodle-making process as possible to preserve Chinese culinary art.”
Zhang expects to open State College’s Kung Fu Noodle restaurant in the coming months and said his team is still working through some plans and approvals for the space. Once open, the restaurant will employ between six and eight workers.
Though Kung Fu Noodle operates just a few restaurants in Ohio so far, reception from guests has been positive. The company’s Dayton-area restaurant landed on Yelp’s 2024 “Top Places to Eat” list, which praised Kung Fu Noodle’s fresh flavors and expansive menu.
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 11:18 AM.
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