You’ve Gotta Catch Monkey King’s Pokémon Inspired Noodle Dishes

In Deep Ellum, it’s not uncommon to see roving packs of Trainers walking down the streets, phones in hand, in search of Charizard or Pikachu. The Pokémon Go phenomenon has officially hit peak popularity, and Monkey King Noodle Company has decided to capitalize on the game in a pretty delicious way.

Over the weekend, the newly-relocated Deep Ellum eatery debuted two new noodle dishes inspired by Pokémon Go – the Peanut-Chu, features MKNC’s freshly-pulled noodles tossed in a peanut-sesame sauce with napa cabbage and carrot, and the Porkemon employs a spicy Szechuan pork sauce.

“We definitely notice a lot of Pokémon Go players in Deep Ellum,” MKNC owner Andrew Chen tells Eater. “Last Friday. there was a massive influx of players in the area. You tend to spot them in Pokémon gear and cell phones out.” Chen also adds that he’s seen a notable influx of new customers, a couple dozen or so per day, dropping in for a quick bowl of noodles before heading back out on their quest.

And, should you need any incentive to try a dish so delightfully named as Porkemon, the former Monkey King Noodle Company (which will soon be converted into the Monkey King Banana Stand), is an official PokéStop.

• All Monkey King Noodle Co. Coverage [EDFW]