Ox 9 Lanzhou Handpulled Noodles

“ ===TL;DR=== - Lanzhou handpulled noodles with regular round noodle type with spicy sauce ===TMI=== Fuss free simple menu, you're really there for their handpulled noodles. Clean, clear, and aromatic soup base simmered for at least 20 hours. Your choice of noodle type paired with slices of beef's, chili oils, radish - boom done. Noodles were fresh and bouncy. I've personally added more chili oils from the table and it was perfect. The only thing I was unsure of was if the spicy sauce you order is the same as the table one -shrug-.... Cause if it's the same, you can just order the original and add your own amount of chili oils. Add a splash of vinegar if you want to elevated the flavor profile. Simple as 123. They might have a line outside but it moves relatively quick. ”

“ The dumplings are amazing! Super flavorful, not too spicy, and I could've eaten another batch. The noodle soup was also good, with thinly sliced and tender meat, bouncy handpulled noodles, scallions and cilantro and chili oil on top. Service was quick. Indoor seating only. Paid parking outside (not dedicated), but close to other shops and places as well. Will come again ”

“ Nearby parking at the Caltrain station, which also has a lower level. Long wait on weekends, 20 minutes for party of 2 on a Saturday at lunchtime. Menu and ordering are completely automated by scanning the QR code on your table. Restaurant interior is the cleanest I've ever seen. The restaurant staff are highly efficient and super busy, but they still stopped to help us when we had questions. I ordered the medium round noodles in braised beef stew with pickled veggies. Fresh noodles were slightly soft, with faint flour taste. The broth hit all my cravings for salty, savory, and mild spice! It was SO good and the beef was so tender. The pickled veggies had a flavor that reminds me of Tianjin preserved vegetable--which is a little funky and not for everyone. The pig ear appetizer was a little oily, but had a complex blend of spice flavors including Szechuan peppercorn (not enough to be numbing). It was highly addicting, and even though my husband and I were full from the noodle soup, we could not stop eating this. Ultimately Ox 9 is very good, but not the best for Chinese noodle soup. I would say if you're in downtown San Mateo and craving noodle soup but need a break from pho and ramen, this place checks all the boxes! ”

“ I have Northern Chinese ancestry, and I guess that's one reason why I've always preferred wheat-based sources of carbohydrates, like noodles and dumplings, over rice. I've been eyeing this spot for years, and so happy to finally come here on a Saturday roughly around noon, and it was suuuuuuper packed and crowded. We put ourselves on the Yelp waitlist, and then walked around downtown San Mateo for a bit while waiting for our text. We walked for about half an hour, and even though they never texted us our reservation, when we went back and told them so, they were kind to bump us to first in line. While waiting, it was very fun and fascinating to watch the cooks create the hand-pulled noodles through the glass windows. We were seated in a tight corner of the restaurant. There's not a lot of seating available in this tight space, and hence the wait is always so long with long lines. We got beef noodle soup, sauce with pork, shrimp dumplings. I was very hungry, and the food was so good, I was very focused on savoring my food, so I hardly talked at all during the meal. Mmmmm, so happy to say I finally tried Ox 9 Lanzhou Handpulled Noodles! ”

“ This is a great spot to go to when you crave some noodle soup. Located in downtown San Mateo next to Caltrain station, it has many types of noodle soup options, so you can get something either hearty or lighter. Lanzhou Hand Pulled Noodles - this is probably their most popular item. The soup is very flavorful for being a light/clean broth. It pairs very nicely with the chili oil. The meat is also good - thinly sliced and very tender. I wish it had more of the meat, which would have bumped this to 5 stars. Chinese Burger - it is delicious. The meat is fall of the bone tender and it is very very juicy. And when on an empty stomach and craving something fatty, it will hit the spot. ”

“ This location is delicious compared to some of the other locations in the bay! The broth is more flavorful than the one I usually go to in Cupertino, but both are still really good! There's usually a small wait but tables move fast. I recommend trying the cucumber, the original lanzhou hand pulled noodles and the braised version as well. ”

“ Didn't understand the hype with noodles at first. Don't get me wrong, I love noodles. Instant noodles, udon, ramen... I mean, I'm a noodle lover, but the way my family raved about this place... what? Well, my friends. I'm happy share that Ox 9 is worth their praise and more. My parents invited me out for lunch on a weekday and I was able to feast on delicious food on someone else's dime, hehe. The restaurant itself is long and narrow so it can feel somewhat cramped if it's packed (which always seems to be the case) and parking is what it is in downtown San Mateo. A few spots outside and a nearby parking garage. As it was my first time, I opted for their Lanzhou Handpulled Noodles in mild spicy and got their thin noodles. My family also got their pig ears, popcorn chicken, and sliced beef to share as appetizers. Overall, it's worth a visit if you haven't stopped by already. I'm a bit ashamed that it took me so long, but I'm happy to know about it now and will gladly repeat a visit. ”

“ Ox 9 has really great hand pulled noodle dishes and soup! After a weekend in Monterey my friends and I decided to stop by this noodle shop on our way back home and were comforted by the lovely depth of flavors and soul warming broths. As the portions are quite large, my boyfriend and I decided to share the beef noodle soup as well as a side of popcorn chicken. The popcorn chicken was average and a little too doughy for my taste, however the beef noodle soup was scrumptious! Pro tip they have chilli oil and chili flakes that amp up the flavor of every dish! Definitely recommend adding it to the soup. All in all, Ox 9 was a solid place for delicious noodles and soup. ”

“ This place came to my awareness recently and I was so excited when we coincidentally parked our car right across from Ox9 before deciding where to have dinner. We ended up grabbing dinner here with two other people (group of 3) and decided to share plates and do it family style. I was able to get our name on the waitlist (there's and iPad inside) and we must have beat the rush because we only had to wait about five minutes. We ordered via QR code and the food came out very fast. Even tho the order was automated/online, we were pleasantly surprised to find that we still had excellent wait service. The staff was quick, attentive and friendly. The food was ah-may-zing! As someone who is gluten and MSG sensitive I was worried and not sure what I'd be able to enjoy or how I'd feel later. I loved the mung beans noodles - and was able to try all the hand pulled noodle dishes! Aside from a little expected bloating, I didn't have much of a reaction thankfully! If they use MSG, I suspect it's not much as I typically get foggy and unwell when I consume. The N.1.2 Chili Oil Noodles(Wide Noodles) 油泼面 (宽) were incredible. The broth of the ramen was delicious. I didn't try the pork buns but everyone else said they were really good. We also ordered the basil popcorn chicken (not pictured) and I'll say - while the chicken was delicious and really enjoyable, I didn't get the basil flavor coming through as I had hoped. I'd say definitely order but not because you're hoping for basil...but rather dry cooked spicy chicken bites. I would definitely recommend and return to Ox 9. ”

“ A really casual noodle spot with really large portions. Especially liked their chili sauce and wide pulled noodles. Their spicy wontons were also good. Overall it was very decent and good pricing however I probably wouldn't wait very long to eat here. Service was also ok, the waiters seemed to be rushing us to leave when there was no one waiting in line by asking us if we wanted a takeaway box and putting the cheque down really early. ”