The Noodle Inn
Chinese restaurant · Soho
4-6 Old Compton St, London W1D 4TA, United Kingdom
Highlights
Hand-pulled noodles, pan-fried dumplings, and a bustling atmosphere
Hand-pulled noodles, pan-fried dumplings, and a bustling atmosphere
"The Noodle Inn queue is the most harrowing thing to happen to us in Soho since we accidentally body-barged Florence Welch outside Big Foyles. You will inevitably find yourself sandwiched between someone watching a TikTok of a man getting to second base with the hulking (yet deceptively dry) beef rib and a tourist whose idea of a good time is a tantric double billing of Apple store service and Final Destination: Noodle Fever. Enough. Break free. Marvel at the girth of some exceptional biang biang at one of these places instead. 6pm in the year 2030AD when everyone has moved on" - jake missing, sinead cranna, rianne shlebak, heidi lauth beasley
"The Verdict: The noodles are good, but not wait-in-an-hour-long-queue-good. The queue to get into this casual, walk-in-only Chinese spot on Old Compton Street tends to be long and full of people watching videos of an influencer getting to second base with their hulking beef rib. The bad news is: the beef rib is a bit of a nightmare to get off the bone. There’s the odd knock-out hit, like the tangy, spice show shredded potatoes, and the chewy headliner noodles could pass a buoyancy test. But there are plenty of other (better) places in London where you can marvel at the girth of some biang biang." - sinead cranna, rianne shlebak, jake missing, heidi lauth beasley
"The queue to get into this casual walk-in-only Chinese spot on Old Compton Street tends to be long and full of people watching videos of an influencer getting to second base with their hulking beef rib. The good news: the queue moves relatively fast and once you’re inside, the wood-panelled dining room is packed out and heaving in that way that makes you feel like you’re at the centre of something exciting—namely impassioned noodle consumption. Order the simple yet satisfying ‘chilli oil spill’ wide hand-pulled noodles that have a nice heat kick, and people-watch—or make a mukbang yourself." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, sinead cranna, rianne shlebak
"The people behind Kung Fu Noodle and Kung Fu Burger have opened another hyped spot in Soho—Noodle Inn. The hand-pulled noodles, with a Flintstone-sized braised beef rib, are getting serious airtime online, and queues for this Chinese walk-in only spot go down the street. The counter has already become a buzzy, coveted seat to watch dumplings sizzle. We recently checked out Noodle Inn. Read our first thoughts here. " - sinead cranna, rianne shlebak
"In Noodle Inn’s steamy glass hot box kitchen, pamphlet-thick Xi’an biang biang noodles are stretched, smacked, flipped, and spliced into existence. Industrial pots bubble and must-order potstickers are gaining their crispy skirts in a pan. The wooden-panelled Soho dining room is packed and heaving in a way that makes you feel like you’re at the centre of something exciting—namely impassioned noodle consumption. All is well. Until you notice the faces pressed against the windows from outside and the person next to you going all Werner Herzog with an iPhone 16 and their subject, a noodle the width of a post-it note. Because at Noodle Inn, the hype sizzles hotter than the spices. video credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley video credit: Emily Hai video credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley video credit: Emily Hai The queue to get into this casual, walk-in-only Chinese spot on Old Compton Street tends to be long and full of people watching videos of an influencer getting to second base with their hulking beef rib. The bad news for the meat-obsessed mukbang gang: the beef rib is a bit of a nightmare to get off the bone and the life-affirming chilli hit is missing in action. There’s the odd knock-out hit, like the tangy, spice show shredded potatoes, and the chewy headliner slurpers could pass a buoyancy test. But there are plenty of other places in London where you can marvel at the girth of some biang biang. Places where you won't need to stand in the cold for longer than it takes to update a MacBook Pro. Let the frenzy pass and return when you can casually walk into Noodle Inn for the experience it was destined for—friends and family eating big bowls of decent noodles, their phones forgotten. Food Rundown Jasmine Tea A must-order. Why? Because you’ve just spent upwards of an hour on a Soho pavement and the ice blocks formally known as your hands are very cold. photo credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley Hot & Sour Shredded Potatoes This sauce is so wonderfully sour and complex it could probably go to therapy and find new things to talk about each week. The near-glutinous slivers of potato are the perfect vehicle for the unadulterated sinus-clearing joy of the spices. This unsung heat hero is how you should start a meal at Noodle Inn. Oil Spill Wide Noodles With Braised Beef Rib The beef shank is very much committed to staying on the bone which makes it pretty troublesome to eat. Yes, you can pick it up with your hands but we are greedy little carb lovers with a potential iron deficiency who want to be able to eat our beef and our noodles in the same magnificent bite. Also, breaking news, the oil spill was minor. More chilli, please. video credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley Braised Beef Brisket Biang Biang Noodles The braised beef is chewy but it’s also a touch dry. The noodles themselves have a great, elastic bounce but they’re borderline too wide, resulting in a jaw workout that would make Facegym proud. photo credit: Emily Hai Pan-Fried Dumpling With Minced Pork & Chinese Leaves Comforting juicy pork meets highly snackable fried crispy skirt. An instant yes. photo credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley Shredded Duck Burger With Hoisin Sauce We’ve got history with this burger. The good kind, the kind that would make us check its ‘last seen’ if we were texting. At sibling grab-and-go spot Kung Fu Burger, the generous portion of duck was meltingly soft, the hoisin sauce sweet and moreish, and the flaky bun had a perfect, soft tear. At Noodle Inn, the duck was too fatty and the bun was edging towards burnt. Skip." - Heidi Lauth Beasley
Quỳnh Lê
Kenneth Wolfer
Chris L C
Mikey East
Nikko
Thao Nguyen
David Paterson
C. C.
