Dining
The 6 Best Noodles in London
Six noodle kitchens covering Japanese tonkotsu ramen, hand pulled Chinese noodles, Thai stir fries, Vietnamese pho and Malaysian laksa.
In short: our top picks are Kanada-Ya, Bone Daddies and Xi'an Biang Biang Noodles. 6 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
Noodles cover more ground than almost any other category of food in London, running from an eighteen hour tonkotsu broth in Angel to a laksa built on a family recipe from Holloway Road. Treating them as one cuisine misses the point entirely. The six kitchens below were chosen because each one commits fully to a single style rather than spreading itself across a menu of everything. That focus is usually what separates a good bowl from a forgettable one.
| Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Kanada-Ya | Covent Garden | ££ |
| Bone Daddies | Soho | ££ |
| Xi'an Biang Biang Noodles | Whitechapel | ££ |
| Speedboat Bar | Chinatown, Soho and Trafalgar Square | £££ |
| Song Que | Shoreditch | ££ |
| Sambal Shiok | Holloway | ££ |
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Editor’s choice
Kanada-Ya
Why we pick itKanada-Ya built its name on a single bowl, tonkotsu ramen with a pork broth simmered for eighteen hours, and the Angel branch still sells out of it some evenings. There is little else on the menu because there does not need to be.
Tonkotsu ramen specialist
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Bone Daddies
Why we pick itBone Daddies opened in Soho in 2012 and helped start London's ramen boom, and the Bermondsey site keeps the same loud room and a broth list that runs from classic tonkotsu to a vegan miso version. Toppings can be added freely, which suits people who like to build their own bowl.
Worth knowingLoud by design and paced to turn tables fast, which reads as exhausting rather than fun if you want to linger over a second bowl.
Japanese ramen bar
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Xi'an Biang Biang Noodles
Why we pick itXi'an Biang Biang Noodles hand pulls its noodles to order, wide, chewy ribbons tossed in chilli oil and Sichuan pepper that give the belt buckle noodle its name. The Wentworth Street room is small and functional, built for eating rather than lingering.
Hand pulled Chinese noodles
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Speedboat Bar
Why we pick itSpeedboat Bar channels the canteens of Bangkok, and the drunken noodles, wide rice noodles fried hard and fast with holy basil and chilli, are the dish most people order twice. It gets loud and the pool table in the back tells you what kind of night this is.
Worth knowingDownstairs is corridor-like with tables packed close together, most seating takes no bookings, and the cooking slips when the kitchen is under pressure.
Bangkok style Thai drinking food
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Song Que
Why we pick itSong Que has served Kingsland Road since 2002 and its pho, a clear beef broth ladled over rice noodles with fresh herbs, remains the standard against which a lot of London's Vietnamese kitchens are measured. No bookings, so expect to wait at busy times.
Vietnamese pho cafe
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Sambal Shiok
Why we pick itSambal Shiok specialises in laksa, a coconut and prawn broth built over rice noodles and finished with a fried shallot and chilli sambal, all made from founder Mandy Yin's own family recipes. The Holloway Road room is small and canteen style, with a menu that goes beyond laksa into other Malaysian classics.
Malaysian laksa bar
Before you book
Ramen and pho both suffer from sitting around, so eat as soon as the bowl arrives rather than taking photos first. Xi’an Biang Biang and Song Que do not take reservations, so weekday lunch is the easiest time to get a table without a wait.
Common questions
What are the top picks in this guide?
Kanada-Ya is our editor's choice: Kanada-Ya built its name on a single bowl, tonkotsu ramen with a pork broth simmered for eighteen hours, and the Angel branch still sells out of it some evenings. There is little else on the menu because there does not need to be. Kanada-Ya, Bone Daddies and Xi'an Biang Biang Noodles lead the guide, with 6 places in total, all chosen on merit.
How does Lamplit London choose its recommendations?
Every place is chosen on merit, after first-hand visits where possible, with no pay-for-placement. Read our full method at https://www.lamplitlondon.com/how-we-choose/.
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