The Vitals:
the spot: Julie’s Noodles 8557 Research Blvd #110 Austin TX 75758
the eats: Xiao Long Bao(crab and soup dumpling), Pork Chopped Noodle Soup
the bucks: $10 a person will set you up nicely 
the full nelson: a divey Chinese joint that satisfies the itch for affordable & authentic dough driven cravings

Julie’s Noodles is a go to of mine in Austin when I’m craving legit affordable Chinese food. Though not regionally specific and not 100% authentic, Julie’s Noodles just feels right, especially in a town that is just not deep in the Asian food game like Houston, Los Angeles or New York City. Yet every time I pull up to this strip mall store front:

. . . I know I am in for a treat. Especially if I get myself an order of these all to myself –

Pork and Crab Soup dumplings, Chinese comfort food of the Gods. There are a number of dumplings on the menu at Julie’s Noodles but these are by far the best. The dough here is thick, so expect a dense bite but also a filling meal. These may not be the elevated delicate Xiao Long Bao’s of Din Tai Fung or Lin Asian Bar, but they scratch the itch. Especially when you douse them in that potent black vinegar and the chili oil that Julie’s Noodles makes in house and sells to go as well.

I’ve had a few other interesting items like the beef burrito and an ox tongue served cold doused in Julie’s chili oil but my go to and perhaps the best Bang for your Chinese Food Buck on the menu would the Pork Chopped Noodle Soup.

This right here is a meal for two. Fat ribbons of Julie’s handmade noodles soaked in a savory clean broth and chopped braised spareribs fill this bowl to the rim. A reasonable person could eat half of this and take the rest home but if you take a ravenous 7 year old, he just might try and crush the whole thing. If I’m lucky I can sneak in a morsel of sparerib without him looking but more often than not, I am the recipient of his death glare. And I’m the one picking up the tab too.

So there you have it Cheap Eaters, Julie’s Noodles, my Austin go to for Chinese eats on the Cheap. This place might scream take out but heed my advice and dine in. The toothsome noodles deserve your immediate attention and eating in divey places is good for the soul.