The Best Noodle Restaurants in Beijing

Hai Wan Ju should be on everyone’s must-visit list when in Beijing for the first time. The restaurant specializes in traditional Beijing noodles with soy bean paste and is particular about the way the dish is served; the sides are separate from the noodles, so you can DIY your dish. Don’t forget to drink some noodle soup after finishing the main dish—it’s part of the tradition. Hai Wan Ju also provides other traditional Beijing snacks, such as pea cakes.

Beijing foodies claim this restaurant is “the restaurant that will make your diet harder.” Their menu is handwritten and different according to the 24 solar terms. But no matter how the other dishes might change, the signature scallion noodle dish always awaits customers.

Punk Rock Noodles presents a juxtaposition of Eastern and Western culture in the Gulou area. At first, customers might think they’ve entered a pub with the dim lighting and big-screen TV overhead that airs football games. But, take a seat and look at the menu, and you’ll have a good laugh, as the dishes are hilariously named (the experience might be even better if you know Chinese). The restaurant is said to have been opened by the vocalist of a local punk rock band.

This restaurant is on Ichiban Street, the famous Japanese restaurant street in Beijing. Anyone who visits should try the signature Shichi Men Chyo Noodles, which are famous for the amazing taste, despite the large portion of scallions. The restaurant serves other Japanese izakaya dishes, too, such as the wasabi octopus, fried chicken, and even daifuku for dessert.

Although named after Bibimbap, this Korean restaurant is also widely known for its Jajangmyeon (Korean black bean sauce noodles). The Korean Jajangmyeon is different from Beijing’s Zhajiangmian (noodles with soy bean paste), as the former is sweet and the latter is salty.

Lady Chai is an exception in the buzzy and classy Sanlitun financial district area, with its plain decor and affordable prices. In fact, this restaurant often reminds people of Sanlitun as a pre-embassy-district in old Beijing. The king-sized bowl of beef noodles only costs 12 yuan, and a bowl of melt-in-your-mouth stewed beef is just 20 yuan. These dishes use less oil, so they are healthier than some of the options you might see elsewhere.

Can you imagine that instant noodles can be a restaurant dish? At the Chunlichifan Co., Ltd Beijing, nothing is impossible. Every element of the restaurant seems to shout out against the established conventions of the catering industry, from the door mat that says “Do not Welcome,” to the careless arrangements of tables and accessories that are reminiscent of a 1980s Hong Kong restaurant, to the blatant declaration that “the goose liver is bought at the Sanyuanli Market, so it’s super expensive.” The restaurant is very popular among Instagram users.