Ox 9 Lanzhou Handpulled Noodles

Have been here a few times throughout the year and they never disappoint! The noodles are very long but absolutely delicious! I am a big fan of the large flat ones. Their broth is a perfect blend of spice and salt and their pork is always cooked perfectly and falls right off the bone! They have very fast service and every worker I’ve encountered has been friendly. They bring our food out within 10 minutes of ordering, even on busy weekends.

They have great food and noodle soups and fairly fast service given how crowded the restaurant can get. The staff are very attentive and the waitlist moves fairly quickly. Lovely place to get some good noodle soup!

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 pork burger.

Amazing hand pulled noodles. We tried this restaurant a couple of times, and the noodles are very tasty. My baby is one picky eater, yet he ate all the noodles in his bowl. That means the food here is pretty good 😊
The restaurant is quite small, so the seating is a little cramped. The biggest table can seat up to 6 people, and that is way in the back of the restaurant, and there’s only 1 6-people table. 3-4 people in a group takes longer waiting time than people come as a couple or alone. If you come in bigger groups, your waiting time is longer as the waiter have to wait and reset the tables for you.

As someone who has lived in Mainland China for 12 years, I can confidently say that this place is pretty damn close to the real deal. For those who don’t know, Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles (兰州拉面 lánzhōu lāmiàn) are an exceedingly popular street food across Mainland China. Shops can be found in every city all across the country, and sometimes multiple shops can be found on the same street, even right next to each other. Chinese people absolutely love this tasty dish and I myself had my fair share of it growing up in the country.

Tasting the noodle broth here was an instant nostalgia trip back to the dozens of hole-in-the-wall Lanzhou hand-pulled noodle shops I frequented in my childhood. Seriously, this place is legit. It is getting easier and easier nowadays to find truly authentic Mainland Chinese food and I am so happy that this popular Chinese dish is finally getting its recognition here in the United States.

Aside from the Lanzhou noodles, the spicy wontons and pig ears were also delicious.