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Lan Ramen

4.1 (638 reviews)
Closed 11:00 am - 3:30 pm, 4:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Updated 1 month ago

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LAN RAMEN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Trendy
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Lan Ramen

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Terri C.

3.5. Strolling down the streets of Princeton on an early Monday evening, we were looking for a place to eat. Most restaurants we passed were empty but this hole in the wall, below ground level restaurant had people and lots of energy. In fact, when we finished our dinner and left, there were people waiting for tables. The food was good and yes it's authentic but it's pricey for what it is. I ordered the Lanzhou noodles. It's good but the broth could have been more flavorful. It was a little watered down. The beef in the broth was delicious though. It's sliced beef but it tasted like short ribs. It's tender and meaty.

N10 Authentic Chow Fun with beef
Maria N.

Freshly made food with authentic flavors. The chow fun is chewy and bouncy. Rice is fluffy and filling

Sandip S.

I went there for lunch during a weekday in the summer of 2025. Some Chinese colleagues suggested this place. Parking was a bit tricky as this is pretty much in the middle of Princeton downtown. The place was not very crowded. We ordered several dishes and shared them. The food came relatively quickly and was quite tasty and plentiful. The service was very good. We were quite happy with our visit.

N5 Beijing Zha Jiang Mian ($16) - not good, really oily yet watered down tasting. Noodles are too soft.
Lena J.

After several years, I recently revisited Lan Ramen during Princeton Reunions. The quality of the food (in particular the noodles) unfortunately seems to have gone down a bit, especially the noodles. The interior is still as beautiful as in the past, and it's still one of the better options in Downtown Princeton, in my opinion. In my past experience, many of the dishes here tasted fresh and clean; next time I would stick to their non-noodle dishes. On my most recent visit, I tried the following dishes (roughly in order of most to least enjoyed) -L4 Fiery Lamb Stew of Lanzhou with Wide Noodles ($24+$4) - I actually prefer the lamb stew now to the version I tried in the past: it's very flavorful, decently spicy, has a strong cumin flavor, and clings well to the noodles. The bone-in lamb is good. However, the noodles were very soft, not bouncy at all, and shorter and thinner than in the past. I would recommend getting this dish here, but I'm not sure if the wide noodle add-on is worth it. (Side note: I'm sad that they no longer serve this on a sheep-shaped platter). -V7 Water Spinach ($20) - good and fresh, not overly salty. Quite garlicky. P4 Shredded Pork Tenderloin with Baby Bamboo Shoots ($18) - I think this is their version of 鱼香肉丝, and I liked it. The pork texture is good, and it comes with shredded bamboo and a few wood ear mushrooms. The flavor is slightly sweet, vinegary, and spicy. The red oil at the bottom is spicier than expected, so gets spicier toward the bottom of the dish. -D1 Black Sesame Munchkin ($8 for 5 pieces) - much worse than before. These are black sesame and walnut tangyuan with a peanut coating. It tasted like frozen store bought tangyuan; the peanut coating was coming off in several places. The filling is much sweeter and fattier than before; I found it too sweet. -N5 Beijing Zha Jiang Mian ($16) - this wasn't good. The noodles were too soft, and the sauce was very oily yet watery; the flavors tasted watered down. Service was nice, but it was really busy when we went and the servers seemed a bit overwhelmed (e.g., our vegetable dish came after the dessert). I believe that there is a 2% credit card fee, according to a sign on their wall (I forgot to double check my bill for this).

Jeisia E.

Hand-pulled noodles piqued my interest in this place, especially after reading all the positive reviews on Google. I visit with my husband for lunch while we're in the area. It didn't disappoint! The braised beef noodle soup was delicious, and so was my husband's lunch. My appetizer arrived while I was still eating my main course, but I didn't mind because the portion was generous. I'll definitely be back with my family. The menu offers so many delicious options that I'm eager to try more in my next visit.

B6 Shabu Shabu Beef with gluten free noodles.
Anusha V.

We went here for an early dinner at 5pm on a Saturday eve and snagged the last table they had. Not sure if they take reservations but if they do I definitely suggest getting one. We started with the Taiwanese popcorn chicken and it was really good.. crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.. just perfect!! We then got the ultimate lanzhou beef noodles and the shabu shabu beef with GLUTEN FREE noodles!! We personally preferred the shabu shabu beef. The portion sizes are huge for the entrees so keep that in mind when you order. I took my leftovers home and I had enough for 2 more meals Will definitely come back to try the other stuff on their menu!!

N7 Scallion And Ginger Noodles (top) and N1 Lanzhou Beef Noodles (bottom)
Sarah X.

When my friend and I visited on a Wednesday afternoon, we were seated immediately! The restaurant was in this cute downstairs space on the corner, and the interior was also cozy. The Lanzhou beef noodles were delicious; I asked for spice on the side, which the server was able to accommodate. My friend ordered the scallion and ginger noodles, which were SO good (I would order them again). The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the eggplant fries; while the sauce that came w/ them was delicious, the eggplants were bland, and the batter was really thick. Honestly though, I was overall really impressed by the variety of foods and the affordable pricing of everything. I would come here again!

N7 Scallion And Ginger Noodles  Vegan with crispy tofu
Val E.

That was some of the best ramen and dumplings I've ever eaten. It's a fun atmosphere here too. The food is very fresh and high quality. I think it's the best I've tasted locally. The quality is unmatched. The dumplings (goza) doesn't have mystery stuffing it has actual fresh veggies that you can see. Friendly staff.

Why linguine for dan dan mien if you're restaurant specializes in fresh noodles.

Order delivery, and while the food was tasty and packed well, I was really disappointed to see they used linguine for the dan dan mien. The picture on yelp showed thin fresh noodles, but I guess they assume they can get away with mediocre noodles for delivery orders. On top of that, the linguine was very overcooked.

a6. pork with crab meat soup dumplings
Sebastian C.

Very disappointed with Lan Ramen. First off--despite the name, Lan Ramen is not a Japanese ramen place. Their noodle dishes and the rest of the menu are distinctly Chinese. I had looked at the menu online beforehand so I was not surprised, but it's something that could be easily missed. Don't expect to see shoyu or tonkotsu ramen on the menu. My party was given water and menus right away, but we sat for 15-20 minutes before a server came by again. One of us has a gluten allergy so we were pleasantly surprised to see that most of the dishes on menu can be prepared gluten-free. We asked to order the crispy spicy chicken gluten-free, but our server responded "Sorry, it's not really gluten-free. I know the menu says it can be made gluten-free but most of the entrees aren't really gluten-free because of breading and sauces." I appreciated the heads up from the server, but I was confused as to why the restaurant would misleadingly label those items as having a gluten-free option. Thankfully, the noodles are the one thing that can actually be made gluten-free. We ordered two bowls of lanzhou braised beef noodles--one extra spicy with regular noodles, the other with gluten-free noodles--as well as the lanzhou home-style noodles. The food came out fairly quickly, about 10 minutes after ordering. As the server was handing us our bowls, he said, "I don't remember which one is which; you guys will have to figure it out," and left. Given that our noodles had different spice levels and one was gluten-free due to an allergy, it felt inconsiderate to leave us to determine who ordered what, especially since all the bowls looked identical. The bowls were filled with broth, noodles, a few pieces of beef, and a massive amount of fresh spinach on top. The menu mentioned the noodles would be topped with spinach, but the amount just overwhelmed everything else in the bowl. I ended up picking out over half the spinach to get it to an amount that would even stir into the noodles and broth. The amount of meat was disappointing for the price ($17-$18 per bowl, plus $3 extra for gluten free noodles). I had about five pieces of beef and one piece was entirely fat. All three of our broths had very little flavor. The home-style broth was supposed to have hints of sesame and peanut butter but it tasted almost identical to the braised beef broth. None of the broths were spicy, despite being marked as such on the menu--not even the "extra spicy" bowl had a hint of chili oil. After the server dropped off our food, I did not see him again for the rest of the meal. Our waters were not refilled a single time. We waited 15-20 minutes for the check after we finished eating. Finally, I went up to the hostess stand and paid the bill there. I won't be coming back. There are many noodle places across NJ and NY with better service and tastier noodles.

Gerald S.

Lan Ramen is a delicious Chinese subterranean hole in the wall on Hulfish Street in downtown Princeton, NJ. It specializes in Lanzhou hand drawn noodles with well made sauces and soups to please the savage beast within. The family stopped in this week to celebrate an important birthday and the purchase of a new electric vehicle by the lovely woman sitting next to me. An app (Thin Sliced Tripe in Hot Chili Sauce), and then onto the mains (Baby Lamb Chops - excellent, Mapo Tofu - soft, silky and nicely spiced, Ultimate Lanzhou Noodles w Sliced Beef - as good as advertised as the most popular dish on the menu, Dry Lanzhou Noodles with Soicy Beef moderately hot, and Big Chicken Plate - dark meat chicken, red onion, jalapeños, potato and tomato that was stew like). Everything was really delicious and as folks who are a mixed Chinese/American family who always look for something unique in our wheelhouse, were impressed with the whole spread. We just wondered how Lan Ramen had escaped our attention for so long? Needless to say, it will escape it no longer. The somewhat haphazard service was the only reason for this 5 Star report.

N0 The Ultimate Lanzhou Beef Noodles
Brittney C.

We ordered the Beijing zha jiang noodles, the Ultimate noodles, popcorn chicken, wonton shrimp with spicy peanut and pickled carrot and radish. The zha jiang noodles were incredibly bland. It tasted like oil with meat sprinkled over it. The broth for the ultimate noodles was literally water mixed with chili oil. The popcorn chicken was very crunchy and the flavor was good, it was honestly the best dish out of the five. The wonton tasted store bought and the peanuts had no spice to them all. The pickled carrot and radish were exactly what you think it is. Overall, the food was mediocre at best. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't good. Although they have a large menu, I doubt I would come back to try the other things.

N0 The Ultimate Lanzhou Beef Noodles
Kristen G.

Visited Princeton with some friends and wanted to try this place out. My friend ordered the sesame chicken because he doesn't like soup and he loved it! The Ultimate Langzhou Beef was perfectly spicy and left a nice numbing aftertaste and the Lanzhou Home-Style noodles had a similar flavor profile but on a lighter spice level. My personal favorite was the Beijing Zha Jiang Mian. Service was great and I will definitely would come back.

S6 Griddle Cooked Spicy Pot (Seafood)

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Jessica S.

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The service and food was delicious. Everything tasted very fresh. Seeing the noodles being made in the kitchen was fun as well.

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2 months ago

Great food with so-so service. Fresh noodles in a piping hot, flavorful broth full of basil leaves.

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4 months ago

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6 months ago

This is the to-go place for authentic Chinese noodles and fresh tasty good quality food in the area!

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5 months ago

I enjoyed my meal here, the service was great and the food was fresh and tasty. I'll be back!

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6 months ago

Great service and great atmosphere. Highly recommend. Homemade Raman is a must in town.

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Lan Ramen Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Lan Ramen

Do they still have soup dumplings, they aren't on the menu anymore?

No soup dumplings anymore unfortunately

Does this retaurant have outdoor seating?

No outdoor seating that I saw.

Is it byob?

Yes it is, was just there again this week

View All 4 Questions

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Terakawa Ramen - Rice ball was tasty. Comes with spicy mayo dip on the side.

Terakawa Ramen

(439 reviews)

$$

Spicy Ramen for people who can handle spice. Great service and servers…read more 2 meals for the price of one for me ... a large bowl of soup and noodles. Excellent on a cold winter day. And any other day as well. Enjoyed it. My second visit to this place. Will come again for sure.

Slurp, slurp -- ahhhhhh. What's happiness? Happiness is a bowl of ramen where, when you close your…read moreeyes, your soul and tastebuds meet in Nirvana. That is what you get when you get great eats at Terakawa Ramen. As you enter, you'll notice the wall murals with the chefs on one side and the opposite wall has anime customers slurping their ramen. Yes, it's perfectly fine to make those loud slurping noises to show your appreciation for a great bowl of ramen. Here's what was ordered: - Signature Terakawa Ramen - 4.5/5 stars Boasted of rich, lovingly homemade pork bone soup with a good amount of sliced roast pork, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, ginger, scallions, and a jammy egg. The straight thin noodles were al dente. They maintained their texture in the broth, brilliantly. The broth was deep and flavorful. - Pork belly Donburi - 4.5/5 stars The juicy tender pork belly was plentiful, sliced perfectly as their we're not too thick nor paper thin. Their flavor was rich, savory with a balance of sweetness from the soy dashi sauce. Elegantly layered in top of a humongous bowl of seasoned rice, along with a sprinkle of scallions, pickled radishes, and sesame seeds. The photo on their menu does not do it justice. I would have loved a jammy egg to be included to bring the dish to the next level. - Gyoza - 3.5/5 stars 5 pieces of Pan-fried gyoza dumplings with their dumpling sauce. I would prefer them to have been fried a bit more. The balance between their pork and cabbage was even. They were delightfully light in both taste and texture. The service was very good. Both Willie, the owner, and a charming waiter named Sung served us. Sung kept coming over checking in to attest our cups were full, and if we needed anything else. I was told the have two locations: Philadelphia and the one we're dining at, Princeton Junction, NJ. Both locations serve homemade recipes from the Kumamoto region of Japan. If ramen is your love language, this place will absolutely speak to your soul.

Purinsu Ramen

Purinsu Ramen

(112 reviews)

$$

My husband and I were in Princeton for the day and decided to try this place. It is quite small…read moreinside but there was only 3 other groups in there so we did not have any problems sitting right away. We ordered the 'Pork Shumai' which was very yummy for an appetizer. Unfortunately, it came out with the other meals but that's okay. For an entrée, my husband got the 'Popcorn Chicken Udon' which was fried Japanese style chicken over rice. It was very flavorful, very moist, really delicious! I got the 'Tomato Vegetable Ramen' which was tomato vegetable broth topped with fresh tomato, tofu and corn, served with kale noodles. I did remove the Tofu and replaced that with the egg though. It was good, but I would liked a more strong tomato flavor like tomato soup... this was very light on flavor. The service was very friendly and kind as well as informative. I don't know if I would be back - just because I have had better Ramen... but that Popcorn Chicken was DELICIOUS.

Absolutely delicious ramen spot with an extremely friendly staff!…read more I attended the Dancing Under The Stars event tonight in Princeton and wanted to eat something after dancing up a sweat and working up an appetite so I decided to walk to Purinsu Ramen. I ordered Coconut Bubble Tea and Tonkatsu Ramen. The bubble tea was fresh, refreshing, sweet & hit the spot. The Tonkatsu Ramen was delicious with savory broth, plentiful noodles, delectable boiled eggs and seaweed. I stopped back in closer to closing time and the owner let me in and even grabbed me a bottle of water which he let me drink some of inside his restaurant even though it was empty and they had obviously closed up for the night. I had been dancing for hours and really needed water and there weren't any other spots where I could just walk in and ask for a bottle of water and he was gracious enough to provide one even though it was a minute before closing time and the entire restaurant was empty. If you're in Princeton & want some tasty ramen from a friendly & professional staff, check out Purinsu Ramen! You wont be disappointed.

Mistral - Pan Seared Snapper ($34) - celery root puree, buttered leeks, potato sarladaises, confit tomatoes​

Mistral

(768 reviews)

$$

We came here on a Sunday morning and there was only one other party seated, so it was pretty quiet…read more That may have been due to it being MLK weekend, with many people out of town for the long weekend. I ordered the Grilled Chicken Wrap, which was excellent, packed with chicken and very filling. I ended up taking half home because it was both generous and delicious. The side salad was also surprisingly good. We ended up returning later for happy hour, which takes place in the room to the right of the hostess stand. I highly recommend stopping by for drinks and bites if you're in the mood for classic cocktails and solid food. Happy hour is first come, first served and limited to the bar only (around 15 seats total). We arrived right when it started, and when we left about 40 minutes later, the bar was about half full. I'd definitely come back to try their dinner or to enjoy their happy hour again.

Wow just wow. Had a…read morebusiness meeting here. I don't even know how to communicate how delicious it was. We got some starters. West Coast Oysters - filled with lime and pickled cucumbers. Tuna Sashimi - spicy fish over green melon. Such a great combination. Who thought of this?!? Crispy Salmon Bites - my second favorite thing tonight. I got the scallops over peas with bacon as my main meal and man was it amazing. Best scallops I've ever had. I am trying to decide if I want to leave my current spot and work for him. Taking me here was a major step in the right direction. He said we could meet here monthly since it is halfway between us. Uhhhh I guess I should say yes!!

Lan Ramen - chinese - Updated May 2026

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