5 best spots to slurp Chinese hand-pulled noodles in Bangkok

There’s always an inexplicable sense of satisfaction when you witness the making of la mian, or Chinese hand-pulled noodles.

It’s almost like a magic show: one moment, you see a giant dough laying on the counter. Within few seconds, that very same dough is swung into a thick rope, folding, spinning, and stretching into strings of noodles. If you’re looking for a spot that does hand-pulled noodles, we have gathered some places around Bangkok where you can taste them.

5 best spots to slurp Chinese hand-pulled noodles in Bangkok

Ting Tai Fu

Not to be confused with the mall favourite Din Tai Fung, this wallet-friendly Chinese restaurant in Ramkhamhaeng should not be lumped together with your typical Thai-Chinese noodle shops. Whether it’s xiao long bao (soup-filled dumpling) or noodles, everything here is made from scratch. Right at the entrance, snakes of dough swirl and form into shape to make fantastically chewy hand-pulled noodles. Order their braised beef noodles (THB120)–the noodles taste very fresh and the beef will melt in your mouth. Head there during the weekends to try their dao xiao mian (knife-cut noodles), and you can gulp down a large mouthful of thick blocks of noodles.  

Ting Tai Fu 166 Ramkhamhaeng Rd, Hua Mak, Bang Kapi District, Bangkok, tel. 061-015-8439. Open daily 10am-9pm 

Lanzhou Noodle

Huay Kwang is so saturated with Chinese restaurants right now to the point where there are many jokes about how it might be the next Yaowarat–we somewhat agree with this–but that doesn’t mean it’s all that bad. In fact, the influx of new Chinese restaurants in the neighbourhood also means that you have more options to choose from, and one of our favourites is this 24-hour hand-pulled noodle spot Lanzhou Noodle.

Here, enclosed in the glass room is the lamian shifu (pulled-noodle master) who kneads and rolls the dough with lightning speed, swiftly thinning and pulling them into a string of noodles. There are five levels of thickness and shape available, ranging from maoxi (hair-thin round noodles–think slightly thinner spaghetti) and er xi (the bulkiest round noodles) to jiuye (thin-flat noodles) and kuan (thickest flat noodles). The braised beef noodle soup starts at THB150, but we highly recommend you to try their hot dry noodle with deep red chili oil. 

Lanzhou Noodle, 247, Pracharat Bamphen Rd., Huai Khwang, Bangkok, tel. 090-800-2683. Open daily 24 hours. 

Yoong Chang

Dubbed as a ‘neo-Chinese’ restaurant, this Chinese restaurant in Ari is one of the very first places in Bangkok that serve biang biang noodles–thick, hand-torn flat noodles. We loved their bowl of biang biang noodle (THB 215) served in a opaquely rich chicken broth and topped with juicy slices of pork char siu–roasted over eucalyptus wood for three hours. Despite its deceptively austere look, the dish does pack a lot of flavours.

Yoong Chang, 24 Ari Samphan 6 Alley, Bangkok, tel. 090-976-4686, Open Wed-Mon 11.30am-2.30pm; 5pm-midnight.

Yao

Perched on the top of Bangkok Marriott Hotel The Surawongse, this rooftop bar-slash-restaurant promises food equally satisfying to its impressive views. Inside the Shanghainese-inspired sleek, aesthetic decor, the restaurant serves the freshly hand-pulled noodles topped with spicy-minced pork and gravy sauce (THB588), offering a perfect pair for its Chinese-inspired cocktails.

Yao, 32/F Bangkok Marriott Hotel The Surawongse, 262 Surawong Rd., Si Phraya, Bangrak, Bangkok, tel. 02-088-5666, Open daily 11.30am-2.30pm; 6pm-10pm.

Nan Bei 

Rosewood Bangkok’s opulent Chinese restaurant sets itself apart from other elevated ventures with its youthful, dazzling appearance. After a brief hiatus during the pandemic, Nan Bei has made its comeback with a taste of Hunan, with its head executive chef Matthew Geng evoking the nostalgic, unique flavours of his hometown. Apart from its crowned peking duck, Nan Bei also boasts freshly-made hand-pulled noodles with chewy and firm texture. Try their niu rou mian(THB460), a popular Taiwanese soy-braised beef noodle with an elevated twist, swapping the usual beef with wagyu-quality and topped with Chinese greens.

Nan Bei, 19/F Rosewood Bangkok, 38 Phloen Chit Rd., tel. 02-080-0080.  Open Tue-Sun 11.30am-2.30pm; 6pm-10pm.