Gol's Lanzhou Noodle Ratings: 4.6/5
Food: 5/5 - WOW, what an awesome spot. Hand-pulled noodles are my favorite type of noodles of all times, beating the Italian pasta! Gol's was phenomenal, beautifully executed, and surprisingly delicious. The noodles are hand-pulled fresh on the spot, top-notch quality, and fun thing is you can choose your own width of the noodles. You need to see the descriptions of the noodles below, and why I'm obsessed.
- Zha Jiang Mian [GET]: Yummy! I got sized 5 noodles (ErZhuZi), because I like it thick and al dente. The noodles are so chewy, like whoa kind of chewy. It's so hearty and comforting, and I can eat this all day. The meat sauce was packed with so many flavors and decently sized meats chunks, but not too salty at all. I purposely asked for the chili oil to be on the side, so I can adjust it myself at the table. The verdict is to add some chili oil, and you will like it. It comes with a variety of vegetables and toppings, and my favorite was the pickled cabbage with beans. There's lots of textures and flavors going on, but all in harmony. I wished there was more scallions though, even though I requested it too.
- Dan Dan Noodle [GET]: Yummy again! My boyfriend got size 8 noodles (ErKuan), which the usual size for dry based noodles, so if you ever been to Xi'an Famous Food in NYC, then you'll understand. The noodles are so al dente and chewy. It had the perfect texture and bounciness, literally perfection. It is simple, comes with bok choy, scallions and a generous layer of crushed peanuts. It is the same meat sauce as the Zha Jiang Mian, and when you pair it with the peanuts, it's wonderful. The umami and flavors of them just works so well together. Low key, I think this is better than my dish.
Ambiance: 4.5/5 - The decor is nice and cozy. As soon as you walk in, there's a glass window showcasing the staff hand pulling the noodles in action in the kitchen. The dining room is in another section of the restaurant. I love the simple decor with bamboo and wood furniture, and the relaxing and calming vibes. It was brightly lit, clean, and simple. There's also a light up patio outside for more seating but would recommend sitting inside. There's usually a wait for Gol's, but we came during the weekday, so there was no wait at all.
Price: 4.75/5 - The zha jiang mian and the dan dan noodles were both around $13 before tax, and honestly most of their noodles and menu items are in this range, without exceeding $15. This is a great steal, definitely worth it for the taste and authenticity. The portions are huge and generous, and I couldn't even finish my entire bowl.
Service: 4.25/5 - The service is pretty good. Our server seated us as soon as we arrived and asked us if we want hot tea or water. When he took our orders, he was explaining the toppings and differences of the dry noodle dishes. I was able to request for subtraction such as chili oil. During our meal, he would stop by to check-in and see if we were doing okay and if we like the food. He was friendly and definitely doing his job well, so shoutout to him.
BLUF: I am not being biased here! This is the SPOT if you want some authentic Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles. I loved that we could choose the thickness and shapes of the noodles and pair it with either a soup or dry sauces. Pro tip is to get the flat wide noodles for dry dishes, because there's a bigger surface area to pick up the sauces, and the skinnier ones for soup. Please get the dan dan noodles if you like peanuts, and the zha jiang noodles if you are craving something more subtle and sweeter side. If you can't decide, dan dan noodles is the way to go! Just go and try it out yourself, and you will be addicted to it. read more