King of Noodles

Time for a confession. Please don't run away.

I am one of those white people who heard about King of Noodles from Bourdain's Layover. I apologize sincerely to people like my friend Janice's cousin (http://www.yelp.com/biz/king-of-noodles-san-francisco-3#hrid:-NC4Dyk7wDNiDzhtd6VARQ), who have known about this spot for years before it got pimped out by bad boy Bourdain.

Okay, can I get absolved now? I have a bowl of noodles waiting for me. Ever since I saw their video on their Yelp page with the owners hand pulling noodles and slapping them on the counter like a whip I knew I had to come and taste these noodles. I usually find place named "King of {Insert plural noun here}" suspect and presumptuous, but heavens oh my, they are not lying.

I'm so infatuated with these noodles that I don't even know where to begin. The lamb soup with hand pulled noodles is the best thing that I've had here and can't imagine not ordering it, but the beef noodle soup is amazing too for those who don't dig little lambs. Just a solo bowl of these thick, firm, and doughy (but not too doughy) noodles would do the trick for me. The cold tofu noodles with cilantro and sesame oil shows that noodles can be fantastic even without flour and water, and are the perfect accompaniment to a heavy bowl of noodles. Noodles for two courses? I am so down with that. If you're feeling keen on green, the farmer's cucumber appetizer is a seriously delicious, heaping plate of crunchy cucumbers, perfectly seasoned.

King of Noodles' prices are fit for paupers. They could double their prices and it would still seem reasonable. The king treats his subjects with the utmost consideration when it comes to prices. The service? Not so much, but after being in noodle heaven I could care less about service...just be prepared to wait and don't be shy if you need to ask for something twice. They are probably still adjusting to the aftershocks of the Bourdain effect or similarly high on noodles like I was.

I will be a loyal subject of the Noodle King as often as I can schlep myself out to this farflung place. Apologies again to the old-school regulars with much more street cred than myself, but these noodles are too good to keep secret.

I'm surprised this spot only has 3.8 stars.

I got the pork dumplings with shrimp and chives today, and they were delicious. The wrapper was thick and doughy, just like the dumplings I would have at home.

I also love the inside of the restaurant. It feels homey and clean (somewhat rare combination for a Chinese restaurant). There's some cute art on the walls as well.

My server was super nice and refilled my water every time I wanted more (before I had to ask). Appreciate his attentiveness!

My family and I used to come here, but haven't been here in a while. We decided to stop by for lunch after checking out the dahlia show at Golden Gate Park. There were new decorations inside and the menu looked brand new.

We shared these items:
羊肉汤面 Lamb Noodle Soup ($13.95): This was one of our go-to items, and once I tasted it I knew it was the same recipe.
+Tender chunks of lamb
+Long, chewy noodles that tasted homemade: They are hard to pick up but using the ladle helps.
+Vegetables were crispy and not overcooked.
+Broth was nicely spiced and not too salty.

牛腩面 Beef Stew Noodle Soup ($13.45): Since my dad doesn't eat lamb, we also ordered this.
+Tender chunks of beef along with tendon and shiitake mushroom slices
+Long, chewy noodles that tasted homemade: They are hard to pick up but using the ladle helps.
+Vegetables were crispy and not overcooked.
+Broth was nicely spiced and not too salty.

拍黄瓜 Farmer's Cucumber ($7.95): After seeing the table next to us order this, we decided to add this.
+Fresh, crunchy cucumber chunks
-Not marinated long enough as the chunks were still kinda bland

牛肉馅饼 Beef Pancake ($10.95): This used to be one of our go-to items, but we were disappointed upon seeing and tasting it.
-The pancake appeared to be fried for too long, and it was hard to bite.
-There was barely any beef filling.

In the past, the Beef Pancake had a flaky, crispy exterior and a juicy beef filling.

*Verdict: 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.0

I appreciate how free hot tea was provided. However, when we asked to clean the table and chairs since they were kinda dirty one of the servers had an attitude. It's definitely more of a hole in the wall place. I'll return if I'm in the area and craving Chinese noodles!

Ordered dumplings, woodear mushrooms and cucumber salad here. All super delicious. They serve handmade dumplings (from yummy dumplings across the street). It's so delicious I even ordered two bags of frozen dumplings to take home hehe.
The restaurant has your typical family run Chinese restaurant vibe. Feels very relaxing.
Service was fast and friendly, too.

I once worked for a guy who walked around the office. Management by walking around is what he called it. He merely did it to show his face to people and not have them think that he's isolated in an ivory tower. Really good guy.

King of Noodles is that kind of place. I was just minding my own business, intent on going to another noodle place, when my friend and I drove past the restaurant. Open parking spot in front, hungry stomachs, and not much money to spent. King of Noodles fit the bill.

Order the beef chow fun, enjoy the crisp of the beef, and thank me later.

My boyfriend and his brother found this little spot a while ago and right across the street is a little Japanese sushi café, Yoma Cafe.

My boyfriend wanted their spicy beef noodles and I got some takeout sushi since I have stupid food, allergies and sadly, I'm allergic to MSG/mono sodium gluconate.

The gentleman wasn't too sure if that was in their dumplings since the dumplings are outsourced from another local restaurant down the street, but my boyfriend assured me that even if they had MSG, they taste delicious!! Lol we got some frozen dumplings to take home and he loved his spicy beef noodle soup!

As we sat in the restaurant, there were a number of families that came in after us, and they were all seated and served rather quickly. The two people working behind the counter, were incredibly friendly and thoughtful with their orders, and on top of all the food as well as the takeout/DoorDash orders. I would not mind coming back again and ordering.

I came to King of Noodles with a friend on a gloomy day in the Sunset, and it was the perfect meal to warm ourselves on a chilly and quiet afternoon. The shop itself is super cute and feels very mom-and-pop, which I love. A decent number of the other patrons were older Asian folks, which is always a great sign for a Chinese establishment :)

Shanghai Soup Dumplings ($8):
This is one of their best sellers and for good reason! They are delicious with the right dough:soup:filling ratio and clearly handmade.

Shrimp w/ Green Chives Dumplings ($12):
These were good but not our favorite compared to the other dishes, which just stood out more. Still, they're a solid option if you're wanting to split many dishes among a group.

Now onto the noodle soups: they are a must order. I mean it's literally called King of Noodles. I was kind of giddy when our server brought out our huge, piping hot bowls, and they did not disappoint one bit!

Spicy Beef Noodle Soup ($13):
My friend ordered this and she loved it. I tried the broth and the flavor was fantastic with a good kick. A generous amount of beef and noodles too.

Beef Tendon Noodle Soup ($13):
I always like to order slightly unconventional meats if it's an option, and the tendon piqued my interest. So good!! Gelatinous: yes. Overly chewy: no. Which is exactly what you're looking for in tendon. And such a generous amount as well!

The service was quick, the value was fantastic, and the food was delicious. I definitely would recommend trying it out!

King of Noodles

This Resturant certainly lives up to its name. It's a great mom and pop shop with delicious food and great staff. I've had Ansen as my waiter the last couple times I've been here and he's been super good. Very attentive and friendly. I have come here a couple times for their Lamb Noodles. Their noodles are made fresh and they always are generous with their lamb portions. I got the Lamb Noodle Soup (13.95) like I always do, and again, was super satisfied. It's such a simple noodle dish but so delicious. This place's soup isn't too salty, which I personally like. It could use a little bit more veggies, but overall it was great! This time, I decided to also try their mango sago. It was made on the spot by my waiter, Ansen, and honestly such a good way to wrap up my dinner. The mango sago had lychee jelly and had a good consistency.

Will be back soon!

I haven't been back to this restaurant in over 20years, it probably went through many owners since then, but it has remained a place for xlb and dumplings. They've added newer items on the menu since I last visited like the pancakes and various desserts.
The prices are still fairly reasonable and the dishes come out quite fast. Big plus, the servers can converse in english, Cantonese and Mandarin, makes for easier ordering without looking at the menu for me, since I don't know the translation in a english menu.
The xlb were a disappointment to me but I've tried them in lots of restaurants and thought theirs were a little lacking in some crucial ingredients like ginger.
The lamb dumplings were as I would expect, very outstanding in lamb flavours.
The beef pancake was a bit underwhelming to me. I didn't order or will ever order the chicken dumplings with corn, I've never been a fan of such a bland dumpling.
I can't comment on the sesame bun since it's not my taste for sesame seed anything.
This would qualify as a hole in the wall, but certainly worth it for the lamb dumplings.
I will need to come back to try other items on their menu.

Long live the King!

We were very lucky to come before the lunch rush, because this place filled up and a line formed (see picture).

Very much a while in the wall type of establishment. Excellent service, prices, portions, and flavors! They were able to accommodate our kid-related request; bring the whole family!

XO Chow Fun and Beef Stew Soup Noodle were both excellent. Our kid is a picky eater, and he couldn't get enough! We saw a lot of people ordering the green onion pancakes as well. Will try those next time and report back!

This was my first time at this restaurant and was trying to explore some different options than my usual spots so decided to give this spot a try.
It was pretty packed but we were able too get seated relatively quickly, which was a plus.

My friend and I ordered a variety of dishes. I got the wonton soup and my friend got some dumplings. For appetizers, we got the chicken wings and string beans. The wonton soup was on the blander side which was disappointing and the dumplings were not as juicy as we had hoped. The string beans were very good but the most disappointing part was the chicken wings since we had received a batch of undercooked wings. We let the staff know and they offered to refry it for us, but unfortunately it made our dining experience here not the most pleasant.

The restaurant may have been having an off day given some of the other pleasant reviews but I don't think I would be returning to this spot for my noodle fix.