Came because I had to pick up my sunglasses at Morganthal Frederics. Grabbed a quick bite due to being starved. I'd say pass. If you aren't in a hurry, avoid this place. The xialongbao was so so. The dough of the dumpling was a little firm. The meat inside tasted a little over steamed. The crab part was too firm. Had the beef noodles. My god the beef was too firm. Thin firm overcooked shavings of beef. Noodles were not soft. Still al-dente. Talk about crap service. I asked the waitress to have them cook it for me softer and she said they do cook the noodles soft. Soft my ass. The noodles came in clumps. Service is crap. No more beef noodles for me. Even if they are hand pulled. I want my noodles properly cooked! Soft! Not in clumps! Msg I think. My breath overnight still reeks of their soup. read more

The foods are mediocre. Too bland to my taste. Doesn't take like Lanzhou cuisine I know of. Dunhuang Lanzhou beef noodle place is way better. If you want better food at lower price, try Dunhuang at Edison. Service is nice. I give foods 2 stars and service 4 stars. read more

I loved this place when I returned to town for my 10th reunion last weekend! As my dad pointed out, Lanzhou ramen is a relatively new style on the worldwide stage -- in fact, even within China, it was not well-known in his younger years. Lanzhou noodles became all the rage in China within the last 15-20 years and now this is the first place I've encountered stateside that does this style, which is characterized by a complex, beef-and-other-meat-flavored broth, long-stewed beef, hand-pulled noodles, and some veggies that add texture and a pop of crisp flavor. We tried two bowls of ramen and the scallion pancake appetizer. The scallion pancake was out of this world flavorful and perhaps the most memorable part of the meal, but my Lanzhou noodles and my dad's Beijing zha jiang mian (the signature noodle style of that city) were wonderful as well. The zha jiang mian was a little different, deemphasizing the soy paste and relying more on the flavor of the meat, but it may have suited my more American palate even better. read more

I started coming to Lan Ramen during the pandemic (they have great take out!) and find this spot so refreshing! It's hard to find good Chinese food in downtown Princeton, but Lan Ramen puts a modern / fusion twist to a lot of Chinese dishes, while preserving the authentic flavors. My favorite dishes include the scallion pancake roll with beef, Lou minced pork belly over rice, and Lanzhou braised beef noodles. read more

I've been to Lan Ramen on two separate occasions following several favorable recommendations. Service: On both occasions, I found the staff to be highly attentive (water glasses were frequently refilled) and knowledgeable about the menu. I was pleased to find our server had both tasted a large part of the menu and was willing to steer me away from certain dishes he disliked. Locale: As with many of the restaurants in Princeton, the physical space is quite attractive. I found the space to be excellent for both intimate conversations and livelier gatherings. Food: I've had both the traditional and the crab soup dumplings. Both are, by far, the best items served here. While the traditional dumplings are excellent in their own right, the crab flavors the broth inside the second set of dumplings a bit more nicely, making the crab the better option. I've also ordered the pork buns--although the pork was quite tasty, I found the buns disappointing. You can pass on those, as well as the Kung Pao Chicken (nothing noteworthy there) and the Sweet and Sour Whole Fish (if you're interested in eating anything other than the fish skin, you'll find this entree relatively tasteless). Finally, the jury is still out on the Lanzhou Beef Noodles. While the noodles were--on both occasions--delicious, the quality and taste of the broth (which is supposed to be spicy, but only was on my first visit to here) and beef varied from visit to visit. Overall: You'll find some standouts here--the dumplings for sure, and perhaps the noodles--but the variation in quality and prevalence of underwhelming dishes, coupled with the higher price point here than at other Asian restaurants in the area, leaves me wanting more. read more

when living in central jersey, the food options are sort of scarce and you really have to scourge for the good spots, but I'm so glad i found this fire chinese ramen and sichuan cuisine place. no dranks this time, had to drive back (sorry) appies: we got some pork soup dumplings otherwise known as xiao long bao (XLB for short) which are a staple at dim sum places where they have soup inside this delectable dumplings. Was not expecting much and was blown away by how amazing the soup and meat were. So good that we ordered 2 orders of this ~ entrays: we decided to go big because our friend was going back to college in california so we got the lanzhou home-style noodles which had some very nice noodles buried under a savory broth. crispy spicy chicken (pretty much a classic dry pepper chicken dish) was so deliciously spicy that it was addicting. we even ended up just straight eating the peppers that were underneath the chicken haha. Next up (nope we are not done yet) is the cumin lamb which i pretty much order at every sichuan place i go to. Here the meat was so tender and thin that there was zero gaminess a true test to determine if it's cooked well. The vegetables it came with also so well cooked that we finished the plate clean. alright last but not least we had to try the fire fried pork belly which were these glorified fat pieces of bacon with some of the best spices on it and the vegetables here also were just covered in the juiciest pork fat. we need to do this more often please. during covid we got a nice outdoor table far from people and overall it was a very enjoyable time, definitely coming here again and again! read more

Lan Ramen - Pork soup dumplings - Chinese Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

I've been here a few times and it's a solid option for Chinese-inspired food in the Princeton area with reasonable prices. I also like the ambience / overall vibe. I will keep coming back! read more

Updated after owner reply: I noticed she said that gloves (I think she means masks) are required at all times, but as I noted, the person going in and out of the restaurant and handling food was not wearing one. This is obviously a rule violation and not being taken seriously. If she is not a waitress, why was she waiting tables? And not changing her gloves in between touching a personal device and then going to customer tables? Seems like another rule not being followed. In my original review, I noted that the longer wait was understandable given the time we live in now (COVID-19 results in more takeout and deliveries). I cannot go back and see if the order was ready after the listed wait time, but my recollection is that it was. If you read my review, I am not being critical of this point, I said it was understandable. I am being critical of the lack of safety and unprofessionalism which is also outlined in your reply. ****** I am a delivery driver for a third-party app and was flabbergasted at so many things. Number 1- one of the main people handling food WAS NOT WEARING A MASK. At this point; I don't know why it is that hard. This person was not a waiter but going in and out of the kitchen and handing bags of to-go food to people. This person stood very close to me to ask me why I was there; it was extremely uncomfortable. One waitress spent more time on the phone than with the few tables that were outside. She did not change her gloves that I could see at any point before or after touching her phone. The wait time for food was also long. There were several people waiting, but I understand that that may just be a product of the time. Due to the lack of mask compliance that I witnessed, I will not be dining here nor picking up any deliveries from this restaurant. read more

This place is hiding in the basement, but it is a gem. From the appetizers, the Taiwanese popcorn chicken is a must (5 stars!!); it is probably the best thing on the menu. The Taiwanese sausages are very tiny, but tasty; they would have been better if they were accompanied by raw garlic. As for the entree, the noodles are hand made on site and they are definitely great. The braised beef could have been cooked longer and are not tender enough (this really contributed to the 4 star rating). Taiwanese pork chop has great flavor (same flavor as the popcorn chicken), but the coating is a bit doughy. For dessert, we chose the fried dough. Fried dough is covered with condensed milk and chocolate syrup; pretty tasty, but it is a lot of dough (4 stars). The decor is minimalistic, but classy. Service was phenomenal (service deserves 5 stars). Overall, it is a good place and I al glad it is in Princeton. read more

Very nice place. Delicious food. Pleasant service. Even have free Wi-Fi. Strongly recommend if you are on the lookout for authentic Chinese food. read more

This place is fantastic! Tucked away in a basement in Princeton it's well worth a visit. The food is delicious, the atmosphere is great and the staff is super friendly. We got the soup dumplings, scallion pancakes and Taiwanese popcorn chicken as appetizers and they were all incredible. The ramen as an entree was so good and I could've honestly eaten two bowls (the hand pulled noodles were great too.) Definitely check it out! read more

Lan Ramen - Chinese Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

Service was wonderful and the food was DELICIOUS. We showed up on Valentines Day without a reservation and were still seated a a table fairly quickly. Our server was very friendly, and had suggestions and recommendations ready for us since it was our first time there read more

We were walking around Princeton and Lan Ramen caught our eye. If theres one thing you MUST order, its the Pork with Crab Meat soup dumplings! THE DUMPLINGS ARE AWESOME! read more

Lan Ramen - A6b - Chinese Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

AMAZING! Carlos our server gave popular suggestions and they were perfect. The soup dumplings, the buns, and our shrimp dishes were all flavorful, fresh and delicious. Service and outdoor ambiance were A+! Also, VERY Covid Clean! read more

One of our favorite restaurants in Princeton! The pork pot stickers and beef noodles are always delicious. The service is always wonderful as well! read more

I like this friendly place, not big but very cozy, also wd a open kitchen:) Food is very close to the real Chinese northwest taste, and the soup dumplings r yummy too read more

First time here from NYC, this place is pretty roomy and clean, staffs here are polite, wait time for the food is not long and the taste of food is as authentic as you can get. Although the food portions is not as big and it's a bit pricey. read more

See all

Hand pulled noodle was excellent. I'd definitely return but wish they add more vegetarian option. Only vegetarian noodle dish they had were Scallion and Ginger Noodles, Tomato and Egg Noodle. read more

Lan Ramen - Beijing Zha Jiang Mian. Authentic Chinese Food and hand pulled noodle was excellent. - Chinese Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

See all

Fantastic food and a great atmosphere. Lots of cute shops nearby as well. I had the Lanzhou noodles and the broth was incredible. The noodles are homemade in house and are also wonderful. I highly recommend this place. read more

Lan Ramen - Chinese Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

This spot has a super neat outdoor seating setup with cabana umbrella for shade, and great noodle variations (regular, thin, extra thin, wide). They serve authentic Chinese dishes that tastes rly good, which is hard to come by in the area -- i recommend the spicy pot beef and braised beef noodles :) read more

Sorry to give this two star rating but it is accurate. The waitress's and atmosphere were fantastic, but the food was the WORST Chinese food that we both have every tasted. Sorry, but we were so disappointed. I would rather not go into detail about the food we experienced, just be aware. read more

Coming from LA and NYC it's been tough to find good Asian food, but this place it legit. Great hand made noodles, and excellent xiao longbao, potstickers, and Chinese food. read more

Best spot in Princeton! My favorite ramen place! Great atmosphere and the workers were very friendly

one of the best chinese restaurants ive been to in the tri-state area! some of the waiters and chefs were local chinese people was it was rly a taste of home. awesome environment, great service, authentic dishes, good taste in music too. ordered the hallmark lanzhou beef noodles & the shredded chicken noodle: lived up to my expectations and more! the sauce in the scallion pancakes with beef was very tasty and savory. the specials- jellyfish & cucumber and the water spinach- were also delicious. the water spinach was slightly oily for my taste, though. overall a lovely dining experience, would definitely come back! read more

See all

Excellent restaurant! It's a very cozy place and the food doesn't take too long! There are lots of options for everyone and I enjoy the atmosphere. I recommend !! read more

Lan Ramen - Chinese Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

I love the ambiance of the restaurant and the servers were very friendly. I was fully satisfied with my meal!

Great spot to check out if you're in Princeton! A few friends and I went to Lan Ramen for dinner, and the food was fantastic. We ordered two scallion pancakes to share and our own individual dishes. I had the Beijing Zha Jiang noodles, which were delicious and had a good crunch from the carrots and cucumbers. The broth in the braised beef noodles is also wonderful. You can't find any other place for hand-pulled noodles; it's very unique to this restaurant. There's a good variety of dishes to accomodate for different dietary restrictions (have a friend who doesn't eat meat and is gluten-free). Decor is really cute as well, and I would definitely come back again! read more

Lan Ramen - Beijing Zha Jiang noodles! Comes with a variety of veggies which add a nice crunch. - Chinese Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

Fresh and flavorful. Best noodles in central NJ. New favorite spot in Princeton. Please eat here! The location is a bit tucked away (old Infinitea location)... I hope they get to stick around. Top picks: Beijing noodles Soup dumplings Beef noodles Ginger & scallion noodles read more

The food is pretty good, but very overpriced. It's a bit of a creepy basement vibe as you walk down the stairs. There are several other restaurants nearby that I would check out before returning. read more

Very cute and romantic feel to this place! The food was very good as well. I had the soup dumplings and spicy beef noodles. My boyfriend had the sesame chicken. My favorite was the soup dumplings. Portions are a good size and filling. I would definitely come back here again. Perfect place for a date night! read more

Lan Ramen - Chinese Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

This place is amazing!! Yum I can still taste those luscious hand pulled noodles and dim Sum. I crave this all the time. Great service and amazing food. read more

Pricing was a bit much for the amount that was served but no regrets and I'm still glad I checked this place out! It was surprisingly busy on a Tuesday evening. read more

Absolutely delicious! You can hear the slap of the hand pulled noodles and they taste wonderful. The soup is clear and light, and the braised beef melts in your mouth. The popcorn chicken is also amazing! Rock shrimp is not quite "tempura" as described on the menu but pretty good. Celtuce was a very good vegetable dish to have, yummy and good to balance out. My boyfriend enjoyed his oolong tea :) read more

See all

Probably my favorite restaurant in princeton. You might need to wait to be seated, but once you're sitting the food comes out really fast. I've been at least 4x and the food is always great. Service is meh and sometimes the waiters seem really annoyed, but the food is good enough that I'm willing to ignore it. read more

Soup Dumpling is great, tender and juicy! Definitely recommend this lanzhou ramen restaurant.

By the name, Lan Ramen, you couldn't tell if it's a Chinese or Japanese place. The restaurant signage says 蘭州拉麵 . Very authentic Chinese Lanzhou style noodle dishes - freshly made by hand. The restaurant has been here for one year, so far mainly known by the locals. A must-try Chinese restaurant if you are in Princeton next time read more

Lan Ramen - Lanzhou noodles - Chinese Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

See all

Delicious food! I don't know why this isn't a more crowded place. They really know what they're doing! Try the mini shrimp buns, soup dumplings, and beef ramen. Can't wait to go back! read more

This was my first time trying real ramen noodle soup, so I may be a bit biased, but I've never had a more delicious soup in my life, absolutely amazing. I had the one with braised beef. The scallion beef pancakes were also delicious, as was the matcha green tea. The staff are really nice. Will be back I hope. read more

This place was rather disappointing. Food was below expectation and overly priced. I had the mama chicken noodle soup, it hardly had any broth and it wasn't even chicken broth. My husband had the Taiwanese beef noodle soup and coincidentally they both tasted the same cause they used the same soup base for these 2 different dishes. The bowl was mainly chunks of noodles that weren't even cooked thoroughly, had a few leaves of bok choy and pieces of chicken that tasted dry and old. 2 stars for the decor of the place, it looked modern and clean, with open kitchen and chefs were wearing hats and uniforms. read more

tldr: awkward uncomfortable experience. food mediocre too. Not worth. I went, hoping to be proven wrong, but unfortunately, all the poor reviews here were spot on. The place is gorgeous, but that just contributed to my feelings of disappointment with the rest of the experience. First, we walked in, and had to get the waiter's attention to get seated in an awkward manner. He then proceeded to give us the option of sitting anywhere we wanted, which was cool, but then kinda forcibly pressured a table on us, which got me really confused. But not a big deal. We sit down, and they bring us the menu. It's two separate sheets, literally, of large printer paper. Super awkward to hold. Still, not a big deal. My friend and I look at the menus and are prepared to order, and flag the waiter down. I first try and order gyozas, and the waiter pauses and exclaims, "oh I'm not sure if we have those today. Wait maybe we do. Maybe not... (pauses for a long time) Let me ask". Proceeds to converse with the other waiter in front of us, both clearly confused, and they decide to ask the chef, and leave us mid-order. Okay. He comes back and says they have them! I proceed to order their original Lan Zhou noodles. They don't have them. Okay. I came prepared after reading the other reviews so I had a backorder. My friend orders with no issue. The food comes decently quickly, which was a pleasant surprise. On the otherhand, the gyozas were straight weird. Rather than being pan-fried, they seemed very Americanized, like air-fried to some weird lightly puffy texture. They also just weren't very flavorful, and I soaked them in soy-sauce, which I never do. The noodles came and looked decent! We saw them hand pull the noodles which were cool. But again, I felt like my order (zha Jiang mian) was not seasoned correctly, and I yearned for more flavor. It tasted just like what I make myself at home, but I'm not a great cook. My friend ordered the tomato-noodles, which tasted similarly homemade but slightly better and more tomato-saturated. Lastly, I'd just like to emphasize that our specific waiter seemed to particularly out of it the entire time. We had to flag him down aggressively for the check, and he was just talking to the other waiter without so much glancing up. We also saw another table's guests literally get up to get their attention. Service is definitely the first thing they should fix here. read more