1. Spicy Ramen With Boiled Egg at Totto Ramen
Obviously most of the ramen here is great, but this one in particular is worth inevitably INSANELY LONG wait times.
Pro tip: Grab a tall boy and drink it outside while you wait for a table. Only if you're of age. Actually, wait... that whole idea is illegal. Never mind.
2. Cumin-Lamb Hand-Pulled Noodles at Xi'an Famous Foods
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Arguably one of the best places for hand-pulled noodles in the entire city. Lucky for you, there are six locations scattered around Manhattan and all are equally excellent.
While it's kinda hard to choose (stir-fried or soup? beef or lamb?), start with these. Trust.
3. Pho Sao Mai at Sao Mai
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This one has three (three!!) kinds of beef: sliced eye round, braised brisket, and something called a beef ball, which I don't ask questions about.
This place is a little off the radar since it's not in Chinatown where most Vietnamese spots are located, but IMO it's the best pho in the city, hands down.
4. Ginger-Scallion Noodles at Great NY Noodletown
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Kind of like the "spaghetti with butter and parmesan" of the Chinese noodle world. Simple, salty, and really good the next day scrambled with eggs for a hangover breakfast. Not that I would know.
5. Minca Ramen (with kimchi on the side) at Minca
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Because the broth here is a lighter version (made with chicken and pork as opposed to 100% pork), it comes with a more delicate, skinny kind of ramen that stays delightfully chewy, down to the dregs of the bowl.
For ME (haters please sit down), this is some of the best ramen in the city. And at $10.50, it is also some of the cheapest.
6. Sichuan Dan-Dan Noodle With Minced Pork at Hot Kitchen
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These are SPICY and will make all your cold noodle dreams come true. Made with ground pork, scallion, crushed peanuts, sesame and lots of chile, they are a goddamn delight.
This is the kind of thing you order "to share" because it's listed under appetizers, but sorry, that is *literally* impossible.
7. Plain Soba in Original Soup (soba kake) at Soba-Ya
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If you've never had soba, this is the best classic version in NYC. The broth is so clean and clear it lets the soba noodles SING their earthy, nutty tune.
Eating buckwheat noodles has this crazy ability to make you feel like you just did something really great for your body, like eating 10,000 cans of spinach.
8. Big Tray Chicken With Noodles at Spicy Village
Literally any of the hand-pulled noodles are fucking insane here (they are available stir-fried, aka "dry," and in soups), but especially when paired with one of their best dishes: Big Tray Chicken.
Beef brisket and spicy lamb get honorable mention here. Oh god, I am so hungry.
9. Vegetable and Egg Fried Hand-Pulled Noodle at Sheng Wang
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Not many places do skinny hand-pulled noodles, and if I'm guessing it's because that shit looks hard AF. But they do it here, and they do it it really well.
There are lots of meaty options here (beef! pork! goat stomach!), but the simple vegetable and egg (plus chile-garlic condiment: NOT OPTIONAL) is the one to get if you want to experience the hand-pulled noodles in their minimalist glory.
10. Akamaru Modern Ramen at Ippudo Ramen
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If you ask someone where to go to get ramen in NYC, most people will say you HAVE to go to Ippudo. Specializing in tonkotsu, a super rich creamy pork broth, eating a whole bowl of this will prime you for the greatest nap of your life, so plan accordingly.
11. Cold Soba With Apple and Kimchi at Cocoron
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Cocoron is a magical place where they've got an adorably illustrated menu featuring many different kinds of SOBA, aka buckwheat noodles.
These noodles are so perfect in every way, it really doesn't matter how you get them (cold, hot, dip), but this little number with apples, kimchi, and cucumber is truly special.
For hot soba, the pork-kimchi or sansai (vegetables with seaweed) are also BANANAS good.
12. "Dry Noodle" With Minced Pork Sauce at Lam Zhou Handmade Noodle
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As the name would imply, all these noodles are handmade (and hand-pulled). Lots of people go straight for the beef noodle soup (also great), but the sleeper hit for me is this vaguely dan-dan–esque dish.
The noodles themselves are kinda slippery, really chewy and the ideal canvas for this saucy, spicy pork situation.
13. Pan-Fried House Special Noodle (with "knife-peeled" noodles) at Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles NYC
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"Knife-peeled" here refers to the fact that the fresh noodle dough is rolled and hand-cut, rather than pulled into long skinny strands.
The end result is something more like a dumpling-y thing, so they are soft and pillowy rather than springy and chewy. Which is to say, holy shit.
14. Chilled Spicy Noodles With Sichuan Sausage, Spinach, and Cashews at Momofuku Noodle Bar
I KNOW, I know. Yes the ramen is great, and at the risk of the entire internet coming at me with pitchforks and flaming torches, I'm going to say that you should be ordering this instead. Or at least in addition to.
The almost-too-spicy sausage! The crunchy fresh spinach! The salty-sweet cashews! Oh, how I dream of you. You can get great ramen lots of places. But this? This is a special bowl.
15. Mount Qi Beef Noodle Soup at Super Taste
If you can get past the name (lol) and the vaguely seedy vibe, this bowl of noodles is pretty spectacular. Thinner than a lot of other hand-pulled noodles, it's hard not to eat them all like they are one unit, which could result in choking, which has happened to me. So just, like, be careful.
The "Mount Qi" part refers to a the spicy/sour sauce added at the end, as well as a melange of vegetables like peppers, pickled mustard leaf and mushrooms. It's good. Real good.
16. Cold Sesame Noodles at Han Dynasty
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Saucier than most varieties, these cold sesame noodles are my platonic ideal. So good you can easily take down multiple bowls in one sitting then order a few to go so you can eat them through the entire week.
17. Pho Tai (beef noodle soup) at Pho Bang
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The move here is the beef pho with only sliced eye of round (as opposed to combination) because they really pile it on, which means most of the meat stays pretty rare.
They sometimes give you a lemon instead of lime, which I forgive because I really like the broth.
