If I were to start a review saying “I like food”, I’d probably be stating the obvious. But it’s true. I genuinely like food, and I get excited by most of it. But every now and then I’ll eat a dish that’s so unlike anything I’ve ever had before that I’m left giddy with excitement. And that’s precisely what happened when I visited Noodle & Beer in Chinatown.
Robyn, my plus one and trusty photographer, and I ventured down into the absolute chaos of Chinatown to visit one of the Noodle & Beer branches (the other is in Spitalfields). I did look at the restaurant’s Instagram and website before visiting and expected a gorgeous, dripping-in-glamour restaurant from the get-go. But it’s not quite like that.
See, from the outside and in the ground floor seating area, Noodle & Beer pretty much looks like any other (slightly nicer) restaurant you’ll find in London’s Chinatown. But if you balance your way down a steep set of stairs, you’ll come into what I could best describe as a little cave-like area, with red curtained walls and mirrored ceilings, an assortment of tables, a fancy bar, and lots of glitz and glam.
This is the Noodle & Beer you’ll see reflected in the restaurant’s online visuals.
Red-curtained walls and mirrored ceilings make for an intimate dining experience.
I’m quite claustrophobic and it did take me a second to calm down to a mild panic in the restaurant. Downstairs, fully-enclosed dining is still a concept I need to get used to – though somehow I doubt I ever will. I am from Namibia, after all, the land of wide open spaces, and squeezy places without windows perplex me.
Alas, luckily I was so distracted by the whirlwind of leading a review – from taking photographs and video footage to chatting with the staff, browsing around, and studying the menu – that I quickly forgot about the enclosed space and relaxed into the wonder that is Noodle & Beer.
The Noodle & Beer Menu
Noodle & Beer is known for its Sichuan-inspired dishes and “chilli-ometer” rating, with some dishes packing a five-chilli punch. Needless to say, with my chilli tolerance falling into the half-a-chilli (if even) vicinity, I did not try those.
You’ll find a good selection of small eats and rice dishes, including meaty and veggie favourites, alongside the restaurant stars, the noodle dishes. The bulk of the menu is made up of dry noodles, but there’s also a small selection of noodles with soup and rice noodles with soup. And, of course, Noodle & Beer offers seasonal specials to keep things nice and fresh at all times.
There’s a lot to choose from on the Noodle & Beer menu – and it’s all bound to be excellent.
Price-wise, you’re looking at an average of £9 for small plates and £15 – £20 for mains, which is pretty decent, especially considering how large the portions are – and how insanely good the food is!
But let’s get to that next.
Noodle & Beer Review – The I Love Foodies Experience
In a nutshell: Noodle & Beer was incredible.
Service is quick and friendly, the ambience is luxe and vibey (but definitely take note if you’re claustrophobia-prone like I am), and the food is out-of-this-world fantastic.
When the food all comes out at once, it’s hard to know where to start!
Upon arrival, we settled with two classic cocktails, a Pina Colada and a Pineapple Mojito, both £12.50, and browsed the menu. (Ok, first we took lots and lots of photos, and then we browsed the menu).
Small Eats and Mains
For small eats and mains, we ordered the following:
- Crispy Beef Jerky (£8.80): Deep-fried beef strips with sticky Sichuan spicy sauce and sesame
- Crispy Courgette Fries (£9.80): Courgette fries with lemon pepper and Persian spices
- Super King Braised Beef Ribs With Blanket Noodles (£19.80): Blanket noodles with slow-cooked braised ribs and spring onions
- Xia-Xia Mian (£19.80): House special soup noodles with king prawns, fish balls, tofu, bok choy, and coriander
I’ve grouped them together because the food came out so quick, it pretty much all arrived at the same time! This made for a few great shots, but generally I’d prefer my starters to start – worth keeping in mind on your visit!
Courgette Fries – what a treat.
The Crispy Beef Jerky may not look like much, but it’s a meat lover’s dream!
The Crispy Beef Jerky was insane. I first tried crispy beef strips at Niu Hot Pot for a review last year and instantly fell in love. For my fellow Namibians / South Africans, I can best describe it as a delectable biltong, served as a meal instead of a snack. Of course, Noodle & Beer aptly names it crispy beef jerky and while we all know biltong is far superior, the concept remains the same. The courgette fries were also lovely, and a welcome non-meaty break from the rest.
I had opted for the Braised Beef Ribs with Blanket Noodles, a dish that Noodle & Beer is famous for. When served, it’s sprinkled with edible gold dust and then expertly cut with scissors to provide bite-size portions. This dish was excellent. The rib was soft and tender, full of flavour and utterly moreish. And the blanket noodles – INSANE. I can without a doubt say that these were probably the best noodles I’ve ever had in my life.
Visiting Noodle & Beer for this dish alone is completely worth it.
Succulent beef, gold dust, and the best noodles in the world – what’s not to love?
Xia-Xia Mian (left) and the Braised Beef Rib with Blanket Noodles (right).
The Xia-Xia Mian was also delicious – a massive portion that’s full of flavour! But I’d still recommend the Braised Beef Ribs above the soup noodles, if only due to personal preference.
Desserts
Noodle & Beer has a couple of interesting dessert options, but the staff on the night recommended we try their Bingfen, which is on their seasonal specials menu. Did I know what Bingfen was before ordering? I did not. But alas.
In a nutshell, Bingfen is a popular Chinese dessert, also known as Sichuan ice jelly. The translucent jelly is traditionally made from the seeds of the Nicandra physalodes plant and it has a unique slippery and cooling texture, making it a great option for summer desserts.
Lychee Bingfen – interesting, and delicious.
We went for the Lychee Bingfen (£11.80 to share), which is served with haw flakes, lychee slices, mini rice ball, tapioca, mint stalk, and light coconut cream. Haw flakes are a traditional Chinese sweet made from the fruit of the Chinese hawthorn, and I can best describe them as little dried fruit bites. It was definitely giving South African road trip vibes, Montagu Snacks and all.
Robyn and I really didn’t know what to expect from the Bingfen dish but we were both pleasantly surprised – this was really, really good, and I’d definitely order this again! The ice jelly itself doesn’t offer much in terms of flavour, but the combination of everything together was really quite lovely.
The perfect end to a perfect meal.
Visit Noodle & Beer
Noodle & Beer is spectacular, no doubt about it. We’d 10000000% go back. And while I’d be tempted to try something new on the menu, I can already tell you now that I’d go for exactly the same dishes, with the Crispy Beef Jerky to start, followed by the Braised Beef Ribs and Blanket Noodles.
My only wish is that the second time will be just as good as the first.
I’d highly recommend checking them out – you’ll find all the details below.
Noodle & Beer Restaurant Contact Details
(Chinatown Branch)
Address: 27 Wardour Street, W1D 6PR, London
Opening Times: Sunday – Tuesday (12:00 – 23:oo), Wednesday – Saturday (12:00 – 04:00)
Website: www.noodleandbeer.com
Call: +44 2035893345
Email: chinatown@noodleandbeer.com
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Written by Benike Palfi
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Article Date: August 2025
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