Noodle Art
Chinese noodle restaurant · Fairfax District ·
Hand-pulled noodles, lamb, brisket, Chinese burgers
Hand-pulled noodles, lamb, brisket, Chinese burgers
"Recommended as a go-to alternative for a great bowl of hand-pulled noodles after the Culver closure; located in the Original Farmers Market." - Rebecca Roland
"The San Gabriel Valley’s prodigious noodle scene has such a dizzying array of specialists that it would take a lifetime to experience it all. Noodle Art, located in a crowded strip mall in Monterey Park, comes from chef Xibao Wen, who has been cooking Shaanxi cuisine in X’ian since the mid-1980s before opening in Los Angeles in September 2021. Highlights from the enormous menu include the “three-topping” spicy wide noodles with a combination of tomato and egg, cumin pork belly, and cubed potato bound together with a dry chile mix. Hand-pulled stir-fried noodles offer the same satisfying bounce of well-made Italian pasta but with heady cumin spices and the tinge of wok-fried aromatics. Chinese “burgers” of minced pork or cumin lamb are always popular, and the tangy-spicy-sweet shredded pork with garlic sauce and julienned wood-ear mushrooms tastes like something from New York’s Chinatown taken to a flavor level of 11. In February 2024, Noodle Art took its talents westward to the Original Farmer’s Market with a slightly truncated but still excellent menu. — Matthew Kang, lead editor" - Rebecca Roland
"Yes, its name sounds like a summer camp extracurricular, but Noodle Art is an SGV original that’s home to some of our favorite hand-pulled noodles. The move at their tiny counter in the market is the Three Toppings Spicy Noodles, which comes with three toppings of choice (the spicy cubed pork and sweet tomato-egg stew are non-negotiable) on a bed of thick, chewy noodles. Portions are on the smaller side, so if you’re really hungry, order a pork “hamburger” as well, a griddled flatbread pocket filled with carnitas-esque shredded pork. It can also be easily stuffed into a jacket pocket if you’re running late for a movie." - brant cox
"A Chinese restaurant that opened at the historic market this past year as a newcomer." - Matthew Kang
"Noodle Art is unfussy. Expect to refill your own water cup, but also expect a menu loaded with gems from Xi’an. Start with the three-topping spicy noodles, which pile hand-pulled noodles with tomato egg stew, fatty pork cubes, a mushroom and potato medley, plus a sprinkling of scallions and chili powder. The fermented bean noodles, served with julienned cucumbers, are also worthwhile, thanks to the balance of stewed umami sauce, sticky noodles, and fresh cucumbers. Chilled sesame noodles are nutty and spicy, lightened up by a fistful of crunchy beansprouts. And if you have room for a little snack, get the pork “burger,” a toasted flatbread sandwich filled with carnitas-esque fatty shredded pork." - kat thompson