The Handpulled Noodle
“I had their ding ding chopped noodles spicy cumin lamb and it was delicious!”
“We tried the pork & chive dumplings, Old Beijing Bolognese, and Lagman Noodles in Traditional Herbal Beef Soup.”
“I had the lamb soup with the house specialty Ding Ding noodles, lamb dumplings and scallion pancakes (yup I was hungry).”
The Handpulled Noodle
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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This is great in a neighborhood where the choices are limited for food.
So glad i came here. I tried the Lagman noodles on both dishes with the chicken and beef. Neither disappointed and packed a flavorful punch. I ordered it only a little spicy….and it was spicy. Lol im not complaining though. Will defs come back.
Went here with my workmates and friends Sharon and Carly. First of all, I was about to take a star off for this, but the place needs better signage. I got there later than everybody else, and it feels pretty foolish to be pacing back and forth along the same 10-foot stretch of sidewalk looking like a DOPE because you can't find your destination.
Second, the place has a $15 credit card minimum. Proper solution to this is not to make a big deal out of the $15 minimum and complaining about the vendor fees, which they do, but just to pass the cost on to the consumer covertly by upping the prices. (This one reason why researchers believe there is intense anti-tax animus in the United States; our biggest tax comes directly out of incomes, and we see the money go away. By contrast, in a lot of the western European nations, it's through the VAT and occurs more covertly when buying goods and is rolled into one price.)
The seating in the place also needs a little work, although I don't know how they can do that given geometry.
OK, let's get to the food. I had dumplings and the thick rice noodles. Handmade makes a difference, and I keep thinking about the dumplings. I wasn't sure if the "handpulled' was just a clever marketing gimmick like "organic." But I administered by 3-pronged AZN food test, and this place passed with "flying colors:" 1) no dry mouth = no MSG; 2) not overly greasy; and 3) still thinking about it after a week.
GO HERE, despite the quirks noted at start.
FRESH noodles!
This place came recommended by a friend, to whom I am very grateful.
It's a teeny tiny place, guys. We dined in, but it got packed pretty quickly. I would suggest this place for take-out if you can, if not, come at an off time and have a seat at the little bar.
Okay so food!! My friend tried the beef noodle soup and it was A+. I accidentally ordered wrong and ended up with a stir-fry thing, which was tasty, but when I come back I'm definitely getting soup because it was beautiful. We also ordered the pork and chive dumplings and omg. They were divine. Seriously, those dumplings were so good my mouth is like filling with spit as I type this.
Anywaaay, this place is a total gem and definitely worth checking out.
But but but it's HAND PULLED!
I tried Handpulled Noodle after hearing a lot about it. It's really great to have an authentic noodle shop in that neighborhood now.
The traditional lagman noodles with veggies and meat were quite tasty. The medium spice is perfect. Plenty of meat and fresh veggies with the right proportion of noodles and sauce. A-OK for sure. The portion size was generous too. But it should be considering the price – woof! The dumplings were just OK, not enough inside them!
The service was quick but come on they didn't even give me utensils with my delivery order. Never seen that anywhere before. Even pizza shops include napkins. Strange. Overall, I see the appeal because of the neighborhood. But, the food was not too memorable and honestly I can't tell the difference between 'hand pulled' and conventional noodles. Good gimmick though I guess.
The first time I tried hand pulled noodle I wasn't impressed. I ordered the ding ding noodles and it wasn't good at all. I got the stir fry beef and the sauce was really herbal tasting. I tried something else today and it was a lot better. It was the chicken stew with ribbon noodle. It was pretty good but what really upset me was that I ordered a beef herbal soup Bs they gave me lamb broth instead and they tried to lie about it. That is just horrible customer service.
To sum up in one word: wow.
I have been meaning to check out this place for awhile. I visit NYC fairly often and this place is very close to my good friend's apartment. Every time I walk by The Handpulled Noodle on the way to her place, it is PACKED. There is very minimal seating, and in the winter months the windows were so steamy you can barely see in.
So, finally one day I walked by a few minutes after they opened and there was only one person sitting inside. This was my chance! I walked in and chatted up the guy working the register, asking him what I should order. I ended up getting the lagman noodles with spicy cumin lamb. Normally I am not a lamb person but the way it was spiced was just so good. And the noodles! They are like nothing I've ever eaten before. They are pretty substantial and I could see how the noodle dishes would be good even without meat. I took half of mine home and had it for lunch the next day!
Anyway, I will totally be back next time I'm visiting my friend. In fact, I will probably drag her with me because I can't believe she hasn't tried this gem that is easily within walking distance!
I would come here just for the lamb carrot dumplings. The soup in them was flavorful. The texture of the skin was on point. Just the right touch of springiness. I also liked how they fried them a bit (technically making them pot stickers not dumplings, but I'll allow it because they were delicious.)
The pork chives dumplings had good skin but the xian or the inside meat was dry and needed more flavor. To the chef: try a fattier portion of pork or some more sesame oil.
The dan dan mien was good. The flavorings and thin cucumber slices melded well. The only complaint here is that the hand pulled noodles were a touch too tough. This goes for the ribbon noodles in the da niu (beef noodle dish) as well. I've found with many hand pulled noodles restaurants that I wish they used a different flour:water ratio for the noodle in their soups than their sautéed dishes. What turns out a perfect texture in soup (or as a dumpling) ends up being too tough when just sautéed.
Their version of the beef noodle soup left much to be desired. I wouldn't order this again. In addition to the noodles being too tough, they should break off with a springy bite, the flavor was overly sweet. The sugar in the sauce overpowered the complex flavors I usually enjoy in my beef noodle soup. The beef cubes in it were stylistically cool to look at, but terrible to chew. They were dry and very unpleasant. I usually look for a tender, melt in your mouth beef chunks in my beef noodle soup.
The scallion pancakes also weren't that great. They were all fried and crispy but did not have the chewiness or the flavor of scallion pancakes. There were not that many scallions inside the pancake and instead there were raw green onions on top. I get that this is a fusion place, but this just didn't work for me.
I know I probably sound really picky. My dad's family is from the Hunan region in China and we LOVE hand pulled noodles. We grew up making dumplings together all the time. Beef noodle soup is the prized dish for us, so yeah we're picky because we love these dishes. And I will definitely be back for the lamb dumplings, the dan dan mien and to try the ding ding noodles which we didn't get to try this time.
Definitely will satisfy your noodle needs when in the area.
Cons – it's a very small space, and as it's recommended that you eat your noodles right away, this makes for a cramped dining experience.
Pros – I haven't been too adventurous in ordering, but the Seitan ribbon noodle was a "yes." Huge portions & super friendly staff.
Life Recommendation: As it's located on the block of awesome, you can spend your day doing work/bingeing on coffee & pastries at The Chipped Cup, head to The Hand Pulled Noodle for a carby scrumptious dinner, & then go get your drink on at At the Wallace.
You're welcome.