The UK’s best places to eat noodles

Noodles and Dumplings
The student-heavy clientele come for the hand-stretched noodles in dishes with garlicky sliced beef in broth, adding the house-made chilli oil to taste. 23-25 Gibson Street, Glasgow G12 8NU.

Noodles Home
The charm lies in unpredictable style: Lanzhou beef noodles and Chongqing spicy noodles with pork mince vary each time yet always deliver bold, fiery flavours to keep you coming back. 14A Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DH.

Matsudai Ramen
In this cult ramen spot in an old bank, chef-owner James Chant ensures the handmade ramen give a perfect toothy bite in each bowl of the signature satisfying, milky pork tonkotsu broth. 183-185 Clare Road, Cardiff CF11 6QS (matsudai.co.uk).

Hatsu Udon
The kake beef udon with onsen egg (below) is a standout, the homemade noodles chewy and bouncy. The Hong Kong couple who run it meticulously slice tender short rib, drowning it in rich soy-mirin broth, and finishing with tempura sprinkles that shift texture with every satisfying bite. 146 Penarth Road, Cardiff CF11 6NJ (hatsu-udon.co.uk). 

New Wave Ramen
Creative cocktails, highballs and sake are a reason to linger over the house ramen, made in classic styles. 16 Tib Lane, Manchester M2 4JB (newwaveramen.com).

Everyday People
Cheeseburger ramen? (See below.) Keep an eye on the specials at this fun spot specialising in maximalist ramen, cold drinks and good times. 12 Byard Lane, Nottingham NG1 2GJ (theeverydaypeople.co.uk).

Karamay Uyghur Cuisine
This claims to be the first in the country to offer a menu of Uyghur cuisine, a western Chinese style that speaks to the Uyghurs’ place on ancient trading routes. Here the noodles come not only hand-pulled, but diced and stir-fried. 63 London Road, Leicester LE2 0PE (karamay.uk).

Four Seasons
The glossy roast ducks that hang in the window are carefully sliced to sit on top of silky ho fun rice noodles – possibly one of the greatest bowls in London. Various locations around London (fs-restaurants.co.uk).

Happy Dim Sum
In this small food hall, a sweet Guangdong couple carefully stuff and fold cerebral balls of joy for their crystal-clear wonton noodle soup, made with bouncy, angel-hair-thin noodles and dried flounder broth (below). Unit 09, The Junction Market, 95 Seven Sisters Road, London N7 7QP (happydimsum.co.uk).

Laksamania
Yes, we’re crazy about the eponymous dish (10 versions, with regional specialities from Penang to Melaka, Singapore to London), but don’t miss the hawker classics of char kuey teow and wat tan hor – both cooked in pork lard, not the norm in the capital’s Malaysian restaurants. 92 Newman Street, London W1T 3DT (laksamania.co.uk).

Liu Xiaomian @ the Jackalope
You can get a good vinegar-sour soup here, slippery with sweet-potato-starch noodles that flick you with broth if you lose your focus. But this place is known for Chongqing noodles – the thin wheat kind in a very hot sauce. Whether you choose vegan, pork or beef, the pro order is extra chickpeas, extra pickled mustard greens. 43 Weymouth Mews, London W1G 7EQ (liu-xiaomian.com).

Mandarin Kitchen
A ceremonial lobster egg noodle dish that’s such a spectacle (below) it comes out with its own table and a team of waiters to portion the bouncy e-fu noodles in ginger-spring onion sauce, tossed with sweet chunks of shell-on lobster. 14-16 Queensway, London W2 3RX (mandarin.kitchen).

Papa Noodle
Hand-pulled to your preferred thickness, swimming in rich, slow-simmered broth topped with beef, radish, carrot and tea egg and finished with a generous drizzle of chilli oil. It’s no wonder the Lanzhou beef noodles are the star and shown on every TV while you eat. 1 New Oxford Street, London WC1A 1NU (papanoodle.co.uk).

Wong Kei
Chinatown’s great sanctuary that unites solo diners, groups and late-night revellers together over a bowl of Cantonese wonton noodle soup. Plump prawn wontons and springy egg noodles swim in a clear chicken broth. Take advantage of the pot of homwemade chilli oil and free tea. 41-43 Wardour Street, London W1D 6PX (wong-kei.placejoys.com).

Yeye Noodle
For an affordable meal in the City of London, this is as good as it gets. Big portions of its signature spicy braised beef come in two ways: in a deeply savoury beef broth or dry-tossed in a sticky, moreish sesame-soy-chilli dressing that clings perfectly to the noodles. 14 Artillery Passage, London E1 7LJ (yeyelondon.co.uk).

Two Treasure Hand-Pulled Noodle Bar
Hand-pulled glossy, bouncy Lanzhou-style noodles made by a chef stationed by the door. The short rib, garlic and chilli oil ramen in aromatic beef broth are crowned with an enormous beef rib served on the bone. 85 Regent Street, Cambridge CB2 1AW.

Noodles Plus
Everyone raves about the Shanghai xiao long bao, but don’t miss out on this tiny, cash-only establishment’s hot and sour potato vermicelli in a light beef broth. Order jellyfish with sesame oil to go with. 24A Mill Road, Petersfield, Cambridge CB1 2AD.

Vietnam Pho
Feast on light, bright bowls of bun rieu cua packed with crabmeat and minced pork in tomato broth, or shimmeringly translucent goi cuon chay filled with vermicelli, tofu and herbs. 67 Dereham Road, Norwich NR2 4HU.

Noodles Street
Bring your appetite to this hole-in-the-wall canteen or you’ll struggle to finish the generously proportioned bowls of Chinese, Thai, Korean and Singaporean soup noodles – all available with a choice of udon, ramen, flat rice, rice or egg noodles. The must-order beef belly laksa features chunks of tender short rib, tofu puffs, beansprouts, spring onions and fresh chillies in a deeply spicy coconut milk broth. 14 London Road, Brighton BN1 4JA.

Reviews by Angela Hui, Nicola Miller, Andy Lynes and Observer staff. For more, go to observer.co.uk/food