This Tucson restaurant serves up delicious noodles and dumplings

I'm ashamed to admit that Panda Express has become my go-to place when I want to eat Chinese food.

I don't know why, but there's something about their orange chicken and lo mein that has captivated me for years, and whenever I had a craving for Chinese food, I would hop in the car, head to the nearest drive-thru, and eat there.

As I was sitting in my apartment earlier this month, it finally dawned on me: I deserve better than Panda Express.

With that in mind, I've been asking friends what their favorite local Chinese restaurants are, and sure, I'd heard of Tucson favorites like Chef Wan and Noodleholics, but over lunch last week, a friend mentioned a place I'd never heard of.

Tucked between the Big Five Sporting Goods store and the spa is Jewel's Noodle Kitchen, a small restaurant that has been serving a variety of dishes including meat pies and noodles since 2019.

Though it lacks the glamour of the PF Chang's chain, Jewel's Noodle Kitchen makes up for it with its juicy dumplings.

When you first step into the building at 5683 E. Speedway, you'll immediately notice the photos of the food on display: The counter is lined with pictures of dumplings, pork buns, various noodle dishes and pan-fried dumplings, so you can point to exactly what you want.

As for the decor, it's a bit plain, but if there's one thing I learned from this restaurant, it's that you can't judge a place by its appearance.

The menu at Jewel's Noodle Kitchen is pretty extensive and it can be hard to decide which dish to choose, I had to hold back as I could have easily ordered the whole feast.

The menu includes eight types of dumplings, meat pies, several noodle dishes, pork buns, pan-fried dumplings, green onion pancakes, salads and soups. While thinking about what I wanted to eat, I decided to try the green onion pancakes and pork and Chinese cabbage dumplings, which were recommended by my friend.

Of course, I couldn't leave without trying the noodles, which are exactly what the name suggests, and I also ordered an extra bowl of noodles with pork bean paste.

About 20 minutes later, I headed home with a bag full of delicious looking food and proud of myself for breaking my Panda Express habit.

As soon as I got home, I opened the bag and took a bite of the dumpling – the dough was soft, tender, and slightly chewy – the perfect texture – not mushy or soggy at all.

Then I take a bite of the filling, which is just dreamy: the pork and cabbage work so well together, it's an explosion of flavour, a bit reminiscent of sausage.

The best part is that each dumpling has just the right amount of filling – there's nothing worse than biting into a dumpling and finding that it has very little of the delicious filling inside – thankfully, I didn't have that issue at Jewel's Noodle Kitchen.

Next, I had the scallion pancake. The pancake was crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle – it was delicious. The scallion flavor was subtle and I liked how it tasted more like a flatbread than a thick, fluffy pancake. It also wasn't too oily or greasy.

Finally, we tried the Pork and Bean Sauce Noodles. In this dish, noodles are topped with bean sauce and minced pork, and a cucumber skewer. The sauce is salty and tastes similar to soy sauce. The minced pork balances out the saltiness and gives it a nice flavor.

What I like most about this dish is the cucumber. It blends perfectly with all the other flavors and adds a refreshing flavor to the noodles. I definitely prefer cucumber over other vegetables that are often used with noodles, such as carrots or cabbage.

Jewel's Noodle Kitchen is a cozy place that makes you feel like you are eating home-cooked Chinese food. This hidden gem is often overlooked, but the taste and preparation are noteworthy. The next thing I want to try is the pork buns and dumplings.