Kung Fu Noodle (aka Lanzhou Beef Noodle)

It's highly irregular to have a decent, non-chain restaurant in tourist haven Shaftesbury Avenue – the trafficky artery that separates Chinatown from Soho – and this corner hot spot defies all expectations. Opened in August 2022 by Alex Xu (also owns Happy Lemon bubble tea shop in nearby Newport Court), this is Chinatown's first restaurant that features an open noodle kitchen, and it churns out thin, thick, wide and extra wide noodles nonstop. Plus various tasty broths. Cold noodles are also available, though the restaurant's signature dish is the Lanzhou (Lan Zhou) beef noodle soup. It's not cheap (£13.80 in 2024), but 'nothing is' these days, and the quality is very fine. No starters, and no lingering; it attracts mostly young people who don't mind sharing tables or a quick-turnaround dining experience. Located a one-minute walk south of Old Compton St, on the corner of Shaftesbury and Wardour Streets. Expect queues, though they are fast-moving. Note that the 'Kung Fu Noodle' sign out front is accompanied by Chinese text (熬兰州牛肉拉面) that translates literally as 'Simmer Lanzhou Beef Noodle'. Recommended.