Where to get your noodle on in Vancouver
Noodles are a staple in many Asian cuisines, and most Vancouverites are familiar the many noodle joints that seem to be popping up at every corner of the city. From ramen bowls to pan-fried noodles and everything in between, these favourite hotspots serve up a wide variety of noodle dishes that you're bound to like.
Kintaro Ramen
788 Denman St, Vancouver BC V6G 2L5Kintaro is one of the original ramen noodle shops in Vancouver. Their beloved miso ramen – which can be customized with rich, medium or light broth and fat or lean chashu – keeps customers coming back. The ramen here is served Tokyo-style with a pork-broth base, so if pork isn't your favourite flavour, try the chicken-broth noodle bowls at Kintaro's sister shop Motomachi Shokudo just down the street.
Motomachi Shokudo
740 Denman St, Vancouver BC V6G 2L5Located a few doors down from Kintaro, Motomachi Shokudo prepares its steaming ramen bowls with a chicken-based broth and offers three distinct flavour choices: miso, shio or shoyu. Their signature dish is the bamboo-charcoal dark miso ramen; the blackened noodle soup is packed with a rich smoky flavour. The shop is tiny, so be prepared to sit alongside other hungry customers.
1206883 BC Ltd
515 Abbott St, Vancouver BC V6B 0J9This small, recently opened ramen shop is located near the T&T Supermarket in Chinatown. While it serves a variety of noodle dishes, the tsukemen – or dipping noodles – are probably the most popular. With tsukemen style, the noodles and broth are served separately and the noodles can be ordered hot or cold. Dip the noodles directly into the broth, and ask for a thermos of plain broth if you want to adjust the flavour.
Harvest Community Foods
243 Union St, Vancouver BC V6A 2B2Located in the Chinatown-Strathcona neighbourhood, Harvest Community Foods is not your typical noodle shop. Delicious noodle soups are served from a small counter within the community-based grocery and food store. The noodle dishes – udon, ramen and rice noodles – combine traditional recipes with modern touches, such as candied bacon and radishes. In keeping with the store’s grocery products, these noodle dishes feature locally sourced ingredients. As a true local food enterprise, Harvest also offers year-round CSA (community-supported agriculture) boxes.
Gyoza Bar
622 Pender St W, Vancouver BC V6B 1V8Flavourful gyoza are, unsurprisingly, the main attraction at Gyoza Bar. But while these plump Japanese dumplings take centre stage on the menu, the ramen is also quite popular. Fusion-style dishes feature house made noodles and unique ingredients. Seafood lovers will enjoy the pan-fried kaisen garlic noodles with mussels, prawns, scallops and char siu. Alternatively, try the spicy tonkotsu tsukemen with barbecue pork, shoyu tamago (soy sauce egg) and broccolini.
