Ox 9 Lanzhou Handpulled Noodles — Restaurant in San Mateo

Looking for authentic hand pulled noodles? Look no further because this spot will win your heart!

With the Lanzhou Handpulled Noodles being their most well-known item, they were named to be one of the Top Ten Noodles in China. Their noodles are all hand-made and their beef broth is slow cooked daily.

Went on a Sunday around 2pm thinking the line would die down, but I was wrong. There were probably 10-15 parties waiting ahead of us. You put your name down on the waiting list. After waiting 30ish minutes, we finally got seated. You don't have to wait for a server to order. You place your order directly by scanning the QR code and they will bring out the food when it's ready (5-10 mins).

Portion size are relatively large. It looks small because the bowl is big but it was enough to fill me up. The chili oil is really good and fragrant. Although it looks super red, it wasn't really spicy. Love how they offer 6 different noodle types from small, regular, medium round to small, large, belt flat. Seating inside was limited. Maybe around 10-14 tables.

「 O R D E R E D 」 Lanzhou Handpulled Noodle Soup ($14.48) | 5/5 My new favorite noodle soup! If you're torn on what to get on the menu, highly recommend ordering this which is their most ordered and well-known item! We ordered it with regular round noodles. They were al dent and had the perfect chewy texture. Comes with slices of beef, radish, chives, cilantro, chili oil (not too spicy). Soup was super clean.

Stewed Lamb Noodle Soup ($15.48) | 4.5/5 Similar to the Lanzhou Noodle Soup but with cubes of lamb and without chili oil. Soup was clean but slightly saltier than the Lanzhou one. Lamb was tender.

Chili Oil w/ Wide Noodles ($13.48) | 5/5 I read many mixed reviews about this dish but yo this is probably my most favorite item on the menu so far. Super flavorful. Again, looks spicy, but it's not. This is coming from someone who can't take spice too well. Wide noodles are more on the chewy side which I like. It was fun to eat but can get a little messy. The length of one noodle is almost as tall as me LOL.

Crispy Lamb Chops ($23.98) | 5/5 I was a little hesitant to order this but no regrets. Very tender. Flavors dancing in your mouth. Meat falls right off the bone. Pairs well with the noodles.

Spicy Pig Ears ($9.98) | 5/5 Can't go wrong with this dish. Slightly numbing. Crunchy. Thin. Good portion size. Every bite becomes more addicting.

Overall, this place lives up to its hype. Everything tasted clean and fresh. Service was nice and prompt. Will be back!

Street parking was available so that's...

You can watch them spin, toss, split the dough to make the noodles Probably the best show since Franky Jonnie and luigy closed. I ordered chow mein (and they allow you to pick the width of the noodles, which I thought was very exciting and cool) When we got in and ordered, a few people who sat down received there food order before us. We stood and watched the guy make the noodles, but a few tables came in sat down and got their order. Another couple who were doing take out, also got their orders after them.. They had scissors to cut the noods (they had soup, and stir fry orders) and maybe bread .. I would like to go again.. (maybe call ahead? ) we ordered 2 things& they were "nice" about charging $5 for a small container of chicken but by the time we got it, it was cold.(and grizzly)(if i knew they were going to do that, not cook the chicken with the food, I could of used the left over chicken i had in my refrigerator) They do not have tofu on the menu, my chow mein was normal flavored (like the thousand chow meins I've had(and made)) the seasoned egg was ok. I prefer tea/seasoned egg at other places(coupertino and mountain view). The other dish was the chili oil noodle .. the person eating didn't think it was that spicy.. we went to a place in Eugene that had pulled noodles (you couldn't watch them make it,(it was in a food truck) but the spice level was way better for him (he was sweating) and my egg tomato noodle flavors were way better.. I think if you sit there your service will be better. ( i probably should of gotten the mung bean noodle and garlic sauce-that may of been more tasty) .. I 'm glad they are there. But really what we ordered was just O.K. I"m probably going to have to find a place that does tofu chow fun around here.. This didn't really hit the...

I visited Ox 9 on a Saturday for lunch with a few friends, and we managed to snag a table just before the lunch rush! It's located on the end of B street near the Caltrain, so it's not too crazy of a location in downtown San Mateo. Parking is not too bad on this side compared to the rest. The restaurant is tiny so prepare to get cozy! We were at a table in the back corner so it was a little cramped, but we were okay. The tables are also small so 5 bowls of noodles on the table definitely left no open table space. 😅

For placing orders, I believe you need to scan the QR code at your table, and order on their website (or app?).

That being said, I ordered the Braised Beef with Chinese Pickles, with the regular round noodles. These noodles are phenomenal! I guess that's the best part about eating fresh handmade noodles. Not only are the noodles good, but the soup tastes great, and it comes with plenty of braised beef. This is a great dish for fellow braised beef noodle lovers. The price is also not bad for a huge bowl of noodles ($17).

I also ordered the Juicy Pork Burger, and it was also amazing. The bread is super soft, just lightly toasted, and the pork was perfectly seasoned and juicy just as it is named. To add extra flavor, rip a piece of the burger (bun + meat) and dip it in your noodle soup. Just. 😗👌🏻

The popcorn chicken deserves an honorable mention. The flavor is great, and has a good amount of moisture. The only downside is that it's a bit expensive for popcorn chicken ($11!).

All in all, I would definitely come back for more noodles and the...