20 fast food and Netflix pairings for the classiest binge weekend of your life

Marvel’s The Defenders – Noodles & Company

Although they share a cinematic universe, an urban atmosphere and in a penchant for hard-hitting hand-to-hand combat, the superheroes that star in Marvel’s The Defenders are all really different from one another. Daredevil is a guilt-driven vigilante. Jessica Jones is a deeply troubled private investigator. Luke Cage is a neo-blaxploitation hero and Iron Fist is a mystically empowered warrior/billionaire goofball. Yet despite their vast differences, they work surprisingly well together. Therefore, a binge-watching banquet for this show should come from a fast food restaurant with a suitable eclectic menu.

True to its name, Noodles & Company specializes in serving noodle-centric dishes. However, its offerings range from the comfortably traditional to the enticingly unusual. For instance, it serves terrific versions of classics like macaroni and cheese, buttered noodles and spaghetti and meatballs. It also serves a range of delectable Asian dishes such as spicy Korean beef noodles, pad Thai and Japanese pan noodles. And it offers some outré fusion fare like Buffalo chicken mac, spicy chipotle adobo and Wisconsin mac and cheese with black truffle topping. Basically, it’s the kind of restaurant where you’d take a group of friends or at least grudging allies who have completely different tastes.

Whether you’re hosting a group viewing party or planning a solo Defenders binge-watching session, Noodle & Company has the right kind of food for the occasion. With a bunch of friends, you can discuss which Defender might fit each noodle dish. Alone, you can enjoy a particularly piquant dish that will keep you awake during inevitable narrative lulls that always hit during the last few episodes of a Marvel show.