FOOD NEWS
15 Best Noodle Shops In NYC's Chinatown
BY JOSHUA CARLUCCI
Xi'an
Operating since 2005, Xi'an Famous Foods opened its first Chinatown outlet in 2011. They claim to have to the U.S. the cuisine of Xi'an city of Shaanxi province, China.
Their popular menu items are hand-torn biang-biang noodles and liang pi, or cold-skin noodles. The liang pi is vegetarian but has the umami and depth of flavor of a meaty dish.
Mei Lai Wah
Mei Lai Wah has been a Chinatown bakery staple since the 1960s. Its pork buns are widely popular but the noodles also deserve much praise.
The wonton noodle soup features spools of egg noodles in chicken broth with soft wontons and scallions. You can also opt for pan-fried rice noodles or Singapore rice noodles.
Yi Ji Shi Mo
Yi Ji Shi Mo on Elizabeth Street is one of the area's best-kept secrets, focused on steamed rice noodle rolls, a traditional Cantonese item from the Guangdong province.
They make the rice rolls from scratch using freshly milled rice flour each morning. They're served paper-thin and steamy, with your chosen ingredients covered in black soy sauce.
Shu Jiao Fu Zhou
Shu Jiao Fu Zhou is a cash-only joint serving Fujianese noodles of all sorts. It's renowned for its addictive peanut butter noodles, which only cost $3.
They serve light, clean, and flavorful Fujianese cuisine. Grab some minced beef or beef tripe soup with thick rice noodles, or even a plate of chicken and mushroom dumplings.
Spicy Village
Spicy Village has been popularizing the food of China's Henan province, famed for its balance of all five tastes, especially in its fried and stewed noodles.
Of such many varieties, the da pan ji stands out. It's a nest of hand-torn wheat noodles served in a spicy chili oil-laden broth with a mountain of bone-in chicken and cilantro.