30 Noodle Dishes You Should Try In China : Ultimate Bucket List (2025)
Introduction
This list has been curated by me, a person who has worked part-time for 8 years in Chinese restaurants and takeouts in a European country. Yes, I’m from a restaurant family. 👨🏻🍳
I am now in China permanently and frequently explore new dishes, with an aim to recommend them to family and friends. Noodle dishes are one of my favourite categories.
In my experience, most people new to China are only familiar with noodle soups and stir-fried noodle dishes.
I have hand-picked these dishes to cover a range of tastes for visitors to China. Most of the dishes are top choices for the locals.
I recommend you prioritise the local dishes in the city you’re visiting first. But you should be able to find excellent versions of the other dishes in any major city. 🍜
The items cover different regions of China but doesn’t cover every single province. There are hundreds more noodle dishes that have not been covered here.
Wishing you an amazing food journey throughout China! Do your best to “collect” all of these dishes during your trip! 🥢
Northern China
1. 炸酱面 | zhá jiàng miàn | noodles with fried bean sauce (Beijing version)
2. 刀削面 | dāo xiāo miàn | knife cut noodles (from Shanxi province)
3. 𰻞𰻞面/油泼面 | biáng biáng miàn | hand pulled noodles in spicy sauce (from Xi’an)
4. 凉皮 | liáng pí | cold noodles in chili and vinegar sauce (from Xi’an)
5. 烩面 | huì miàn | braised noodles (from Henan province)
6. 热干面 | rè gān miàn | hot dry noodles (from Wuhan)
Western China
7. 兰州牛肉面 | lan zhou niú ròu miàn | Lanzhou beef noodle soup
8. 担担面 | dàn dàn miàn | minced pork noodles with chili oil and Sichuan pepper
9. 酸辣粉 | suān là fěn | hot and sour noodles (from Sichuan province)
10. 蚂蚁上树 | mǎ yǐ shàng shù | “ants climbing a tree” (ground meat noodles)
11. 凉面 | liáng miàn | Sichuan cold noodles
12. 重庆小面 | chóng qìng xiǎo miàn | Chongqing noodles
13. 新疆拌面 | Xīn jiāng bàn miàn | Uyghur Laghman (Xinjiang stirred noodles)
Eastern China
14. 上海炒面 | shàng hǎi chǎo miàn | Shanghai fried noodles
15. 葱油拌面 | cōng yóu bàn miàn | scallion oil noodles (from Shanghai)
16. 阳春面 | yáng chūn miàn | spring noodle soup (from Shanghai)
17. 大排面 | dà pái miàn | pork chop noodles (from Shanghai)
18. 鸭血粉丝汤 | yā xiě fěn sī tāng | duck blood vermicelli soup (from Nanjing)
19. 南昌炒米粉 | nán chāng chǎo mǐ fěn | Nanchang rice noodles
Southern China
20. 云吞面 | wan tan min / yún tūn miàn | won ton noodles
21. 烧鹅濑粉 | shāo é lài fěn | roast goose rice noodles
22. 龙虾伊面 | lóng xiā yī miàn | lobster longevity noodles
23. 干炒牛河 | gān chǎo níu hé | stir fried beef rice noodles
24. 星洲炒米 | xīng zhōu chǎo mǐ | Singapore-style fried rice noodles
25. 沙茶面 | shā chá miàn | shacha noodles (known as satay in some countries)
26. 螺蛳粉 | luó sī fěn | snail rice noodles
27. 桂林米粉 | guì lín mǐ fěn | Guilin rice noodles
28. 云南过桥米线 | yún nán guò qiáo mǐ xiàn | Yunnan crossing-the-bridge rice noodles
29. 南宁老友粉 | nán níng lǎo yǒu fěn | Nanning old-friend noodles
30. 粉丝煲 | fěn sī bāo | glass noodles claypot
