Here’s all the noteworthy noodle news for June 2025! Kind of a light month, but there’s yet again more new Buldak flavors to talk about, plus an instant noodle retailer warning.
Read more: Noodle News Roundup: July 2025Buldak Taco Flavor in Target
It really seems as if Samyang is stealth-dropping new Buldak flavors all the time without any kind of announcement or press release. The big one this month is the new Buldak Taco flavor, which has been spotted in Target stores all across the USA in 5-packs. My local Target had them for $6.89 plus tax, so if this flavor interests you and you live near a Target, check and see if they have it! I’m hoping if things clear up and I can commit to video reviews again, I’ll be able to tackle a proper review of this one, but if not I will certainly publish a written review here on the website. Early indications are that this flavor is essentially a toned-down spice level with a healthy addition of cumin and cilantro, plus dried veggies and soy protein bits. Sounds interesting! One Redditor has also spotted a bowl version at an undisclosed Asian market in the Pacific Northwest, so while the packs may be exclusive to Target for right now, the bowl version might be in other stores.
Target Also Has Buldak Potato Chips (and Other Stores Too)
Also noteworthy for you Buldak fanatics: if you decide to go to your local Target for some Taco Buldak, you may also spot Buldak-flavored potato chips. There are three varieties currently available: Original, Quattro Cheese, and Habanero Lime. Now, these don’t appear to be exclusive to Target, as they’re pretty readily available in Asian grocery stores and on Amazon, but a nationwide Target rollout means these might be way easier to find in person in areas without an Asian market nearby. Do you want me to review these? Let me know!
One More New Buldak Flavor, and It’s a Weird One
This is the last bit of Buldak news this month, I swear. I don’t want to turn into a Buldak-only site, but the ever-growing presence and popularity of this brand just knows no bounds. A couple of Redditors have now confirmed the existence of a Sweet Buldak bowl flavor being sold in some Asian markets. Not to be confused with Sweet & Spicy Chicken Buldak, this one looks to be an extra-sweet version of the spicy noodles we all know. Yes, if you look closely at the picture on the lid, you’ll notice those are friggin’ sprinkles (or jimmies, if that’s what you call them) and some kind of icing on top of the noodles. I gotta be honest, folks, I thought last month’s Banana Buldak was a bridge too far for me, but this one might be close behind. Still, if I find someone near me selling these bowls, you know I’ll buy one for review.
Beware of Instant Noodle Shadiness
So this is something that I noticed on Facebook and Instagram recently. I’ve mentioned this several times, but due to my constant immersion in the world of instant noodles, I get targeted ads for noodles literally all the time across all social media platforms. This past month, I happened to get some ads from a shady-looking company called “Klyra” (and no, I’m not linking to their site for obvious reasons). Their ads raised some red flags to me, so I dug in a bit deeper.
All of their ads show people eating noodles clearly manufactured by other companies, yet Klyra claims they are all Klyra-branded noodles. What’s worse, if you go to their website, you find that every single one of their products appears to be someone else’s product with the original company name smudged out. Here, check it out:
Did you think those were Samyang Buldak Noodles? Nope, apparently they’re Klyra Buldak Noodles! /s
The top row from left to right features noodles from Baijia, Pholicious, Otoki, and Samyang, and the bottom row is Trader Joe’s and Chaimi. All of them appear to have had the manufacturer logos conspicuously photoshopped out. In the case of Pholicious, I’m guessing Klyra got a legal threat, because the package image used to be the normal black Pholicious bowls with a black smudge over the “Pholicious” name up until a few days ago, but now it’s been replaced with some barely-legally-distinct AI-generated slop. Just zoom in on that sad AI attempt at a bowl of pho if you’re in doubt:
Yikes. Oddly ridged noodles randomly merging into other noodles, evenly-spaced clusters of cilantro, a whispy green plume above the chopsticks, beef chunks that look like cat turds, and I’m guessing that bulbous green thing in the top left is supposed to be a lime? What the actual fuck? I’d hate to see the AI results they rejected.
But the worst offender to me is the image of the Baijia A’Kuan noodles, where there’s just a glossy, rust-colored smear where the product name used to be:
Under normal circumstances, reselling other companies’ noodles wouldn’t be the biggest deal, except look at those prices. $20 for 2 bowls of Pholicious is double the price they sell for at Walmart. That exact 4-pack of Baijia is currently $14 on Amazon, but Klyra’s charging $30. Everything they’re selling is at least an insane 100% markup compared to normal retailers.
Look, as shady as it is, it’s not illegal to resell other company’s products at a markup, and whether or not it’s legal to claim a product as your own by photoshopping out the manufacturer’s logo is something Samyang’s/Otoki’s/Pholicious’s/Trader Joe’s lawyers can argue about with Klyra’s lawyers. But even though it’s not illegal, it’s shady as all hell. If you’re a consumer, please do not fall for this nonsense. Buy your noodles from a trusted retailer and don’t reward this deceptive-marketing, price-gouging bullshit with your hard-earned money. Based on the comment sections on Klyra’s ads, a lot of people are getting duped, and that’s both alarming and frustrating to see.
Note: All opinions expressed above are based on publicly available information and personal observation. If Klyra would like to clarify or respond to anything mentioned, they are welcome to reach out to me.
