Lanzhou Hand-Pulled Noodle, Legitimate Hand-Pulled Noodles in Rio Center, Gaithersburg

[beachgirl54]

I rarely go out for lunch as I'm not a fan of most of the options in the Rio Center (think chain dining).  So was surprised to learn that this place opened recently.

There are guys in the front pulling noodles - really cool to watch.  Have been twice and have tried both thin and knife cut noodles in stir fry.  Really good.  The bao and dumplings are delicious and fresh.  It's fast casual - you order, get a number and they bring your food to you.  Very busy at lunch.  Glad to have an independent place near my office that I can walk to and enjoy.

[mdjordy]

totally agree on stir fry.  I tried both thin and knife cut---knife cut was a clear winner for me.  Much more texture/bite.  Too hot to try the soup, but they look amazing.

[Marty L.]

Both the "regular" and (especially) the knife-cut are the real deal.  Now there are two places to eat in G'Burg, virtually on top of each other (Taco Bar being the other).

[pras]

I have been there several times.  Everything I have tried has been enjoyable, both soup and stir fry noodles.  This past weekend we had a bowl each of shrimp stir fry noodles, normal thickness  and shrimp stir fry knife cut.  I think I prefer the knife cut.  Both were very tasty and had a tinge of smokiness from the wok.  Very enjoyable.

[bimbap]

I've been meaning to try this place and having two Chinese exchange students desperate for some taste of home gave me the perfect excuse. We all ordered the hand-pulled noodles in the soup and everyone was happy with their meals. I had the beef tendon version and it was delicious (noodles were obviously great, but I'll give an extra star for the depth of flavor in the broth). We also had the pan-fried pork buns which were nicely chewy with a golden crust on the bottom.

I'll definitely be making a return visit to try the knife-cut noodles.

[Jsenter]

My 8 year old son loves this place.

[pras]

Tim Carman seems to like the noodles here (Credit Washington Post).  Also worth a read the the embedded link which gives some background on Lanzhou lamian. BTW, I have recently become a fan exclusively of the knife cut choices and really liked the dry-mixed choice.