San Francisco has lots of amazing Asian restaurants, but we were curious about where to get one of our favorite types of food – noodles! They come in all shapes and flavors with endless combinations of ingredients, but who does it best in the city?
After eating our way through plate after plate, we’ve got the scoop on the best Asian noodles in SF! In no particular order, let’s jump into it!
1. Burma Love’s Shrimp Garlic Noodles
Burma Love is an amazing Burmese restaurant overall, and their garlic noodles with shrimp is, in our opinion, one of their best dishes.
The noodles are actually relatively mild compared to many other menu items, but that actually works ridiculously well when you add in the flavorful shrimp.
Read all about Burma Club in our full blog post on them here!
2. Ushi Taro’s Traditional Paitan Ramen
If you’re a ramen fan, chances are you’ve had tonkotsu ramen at some point. It’s one of the most popular styles of ramen, which uses a broth that’s made from pork bone.
Well, Ushi Taro is a super unique ramen joint in the Inner Sunset that actually makes their ramen broth from beef bone! When you taste it, it’s familiar, yet different at the same time, and is definitely worth a visit.
When dining-in, they include a huge bone with marrow that you can scoop out and either eat on it’s own, or mix it in to make the broth even thicker and richer (our favorite method). We’re not sure if they include this to-go, though.
Read all about Ushi Taro in our full blog post on them here!
3. The Lucky Pig’s Buddae Jjigae (Army Stew) w/ Ramen Noodles
2022 update: Unfortunately, The Lucky Pig announced they have closed their doors permanently.
Buddae Jjigae in Korean cuisine is also known as “Army Stew” and it came into existence right after the Korean War using all the surplus food from the Military bases.
The Lucky Pig includes spicy instant ramen noodles in theirs and that totally makes the dish! Instant ramen noodles are actually used frequently in Korean cuisine, and even though it may seem to those who are unfamiliar like a cheap product to use in a restaurant, they really are the perfect addition.
4. Ramenwell’s Signature Pork Ramen
Lots of ramen spots in the States that serve tonkotsu ramen prepare their broth relatively lightly when it’s supposed to have some substance. It’s pork bone broth and it’s supposed to be really rich and thick.
Ramenwell is the first spot in the Bay Area that we feel really does a superb job of creating a rich, thick, robust, flavorful tonkotsu broth. The chashu pork is tender and melt-in-your-mouth, too!
5. Kagawa-Ya Udon’s Beef Curry Udon and Niku Udon
Kagawa-Ya Udon is one of our favorite udon spots in the city. Two of their core menu items – the beef curry udon and the niku udon – are bowls that we could come back to again and again.
They make their own noodles in-house that are always the perfect springy consistency, and both bowls are worth a try!
6. Tang Bar’s Szechuan Cold Noodles
Tang Bar is a delicious Szechuan restaurant in Stonestown mall that specializes in malatang, which is basically hot pot that’s cooked in the kitchen and served ready to eat instead of being cooked at the table.
But what’s most interesting is that they have a whole list of appetizers that are all served cold. Their Szechuan Cold Noodles are a must-try when you visit! They’re definitely spicy, but the coolness kind of balances it out.
Read all about Tang Bar in our full blog post on them here!
7. Perilla’s Five Spice Chicken Garlic Noodles
Perilla has several location in SF and they’re most well known for their garlic noodles, which are so good! You can get them paired with various meats and veggies, but our absolute favorite is the five spice chicken.
The portions are enormous, too, so how can you go wrong?
8. Z & Y Restaurant’s Tan Tan Noodles
Z & Y Restaurant is an award-winning Szechuan restaurant with more accolades that we can count, and nearly everything we’ve tried from them has been outstanding.
But if we’re looking at noods, their tan tan noodles are the perfect dish to share. Their chili oil sauce isn’t too spicy, but still adds a nice pepper corn flavor.
Read all about Z & Y Restaurant in our full blog post on them here!
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