Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House

From the plain facade, you wouldn’t expect much from Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House at 927 Race St. But don’t let its starkness fool you, this noodle joint is top-notch. My floor mates and I were delighted by the steaming bowls of savory broth, filled with a heaping portion of noodles, meat and green onions and garnished with cilantro. It’s the perfect meal to warm you up on a winter day.



There are two types of noodles to choose from at Nan Zhou. The shaved noodles are flat and wide, made by using a knife to shave off each individual noodle from a ball of dough. The hand drawn noodles, for which Nan Zhou is known, are long and skinny, like spaghetti. They are made by folding and refolding stretched out noodle dough, until the long noodles are formed. This traditional way of making the noodles is supposed to give them a more “springy” texture than those machine-made.

And then there was the meat! The menu lists the same noodle soup, with the only difference being the meat. We tried everything from duck to pork to oxtail, all of which were succulent. But for the more adventurous, there is beef tendon, and for the vegetarians, tofu.

The soup bowls ran us between $5 to $7 each, a steal for such amazing comfort food. For me, Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House is now a must-go for any future Chinatown visits!