Noodles in Beijing come in a bewildering catalogue of shapes, sizes and styles: hot or cold, with or without soup, wide or thin … and they’re all delicious! Here are some of the city’s best spots to slurp away.

Cantonese Wonton and Fried Noodles
Cantonese people love noodles and soupy wonton (云吞面). The wonton stuffing usually consists of fresh shrimp, and the dish is served either dry, with soy sauce and sesame oil, or in a clear pork stock. In Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong, people tend to fry long, thin noodles with shrimp and sausage.
Macau Street. Daily 11am-9.30pm. B136, The Place, 9 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District. (6587 1366) 澳门街茶餐厅, 朝阳区光华路9号世贸天阶商贸城B136号

Guilin Rice Noodles
Guangxi-style rice noodles (米粉) are probably the most fast-food-like of traditional Chinese foods. The noodles themselves don’t have any particular flavor; the soup (usually chicken) is what gives the dish its flavor.
Longcheng Tang. Daily 10.30am-10.30pm. 28 Huangchenggen Beijie, Dongcheng District. (6401 9498) 龙城堂, 东城区东黄城根北街28号

Jingweimian Dawang
Noodles, strips of cucumber, radish and bean sprouts, all mixed in a thick pork sauce – that’s all you need for a bowl of zhajiangmian (炸酱面). Located beside Houhai, Jingweimian Dawang (literally “The Beijing Noodle King”) specializes in zhajiangmian and other Beijing treats. The decor and wait staff’s uniforms match the lao Beijing theme, as do the red lanterns in front and the gong that sounds when you walk through the door.
Jingweimian Dawang. Daily 10.30am-10.30pm. 35 Di’anmen Xidajie, Xicheng District. (6405 6666) 京味面大王, 西城区地安门西大街35

Korean Cold Noodle Soup at Haitanghua
The perfect dish for warm weather, Korean naengmyeon can also be served warm in the winter. Haitanghua serves buckwheat naengmyeon in a cold, flavorful soup accompanied by a spicy sauce.
Haitanghua Pyongyang Cold Noodle Restaurant. Daily 11am-2.30pm, 5.30-9.30pm. 8 Xinyuanxili Zhongjie, Chaoyang District. (6461 6295/6298) 海棠花平壤冷面馆, 朝阳区新源西里中街8号

Noodle Bar
The noodles at this place are all hand-pulled before your eyes, Lanzhou style. The noodles can be hair-thin vermicelli or thick and wide according to your preference, and the meat and soup itself are served Hong Kong and Taiwan-style in a Japanese setting. Sit around the bar and watch the chefs make their magic.
Noodle Bar. Daily noon-midnight. Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District. (6501 1949) 朝阳区工体北路4号院

One Long Noodle at Noodle Loft
Shanxi is famous for its enormous variety of noodles. Perhaps the most interesting example is the “one-noodle dish” (一根面), made from a single long strand as the name suggests. Legend has it that some chefs even had to learn some tai chi before learning to make this dish. Try it at both branches of Noodle Loft.
Daily 11am-10pm. 1) 3 Heping Xijie, Chaoyang District. (5130 9655); 2) 18 Baiziwan Lu, Chaoyang District. (6774 9950/5372) 面酷, 1) 朝阳区和平西街3号; 2) 朝阳区百子湾路18号

Wuhan “Hot and Dry” Noodles
The good people of Wuhan eat “hot and dry” noodles (reganmian, 热干面) for breakfast everyday – even in the summer. Usually served with sesame sauce and small pieces of mustard and peanut, the dish is dry and served al dente – probably the closest thing to pasta you’ll find in China. Wuhan Reganmian – a small restaurant with only four tables in a downtown hutong – claims to be Beijing’s first reganmian restaurant. RMB 7 gets you a bowl served with donkey meat and broth.
Wuhan Reganmian. Daily 7am-9pm. West end of Dongsisitiao, Dongcheng District. (no tel) 武汉热干面, 东城区东四四条西边胡同内

Xinjiang Latiaozi and Chaomian Pian
Nothing goes with beer and lamb kebabs like these two dishes, made from noodles cut into small square pieces (chaomian pian, 炒面片) or served long and thin (latiaozi, 拉条子) and fried with tomato, green peppers and other ingredients, including lamb.
Xinjiang Fanzhuang. Daily 11am-9.30pm. 1 Chegongzhuang Beili, Xicheng District. (6836 2795) 新疆饭庄. 西城区车公庄大街北里1号

Yunnan “Crossing-the-Bridge” Noodles at Middle 8th Restaurant
The ingredients for this rice noodle-based Yunnan favorite are served separately; carefully put the noodles, meat and vegetables (and sometimes seafood and even a small partridge egg) into the boiling hot soup yourself, and enjoy.
Middle 8th Restaurant. Daily 11am-11.30pm. Zhongba Lou, Sanlitun Zhongjie, Chaoyang District. (6413 0629) 中八楼, 朝阳区三里屯中街中八楼