The food was amazing as always. We had another great experience, such kind service. The food was great. We started coming for the soup dumplings but now not only come for the soup dumplings but the basil fried rice and always find a new dish that never disappoints. You won't be disappointed. read more

Having rarely written reviews for restaurants, I feel obliged to contribute one to Lan Ramen. This hidden gem was recommended by a Hilton Doubletree guest during our visit to Princeton University from NYC. My colleague and I ordered their beef brisket noodles, mom's chicken noodle, one chicken dish, and one shrimp dish suggested by the owner who said the restaurant has only been open for a few weeks. To say that the flavor and authenticity are above and beyond our expectations may be an understatement, even according to the standard of 'NYC food critics'. We felt tempted to devour the shrimp and chicken in a couple of bites but had to remind ourselves that exquisite savor requires time and patience to appreciate. Needless to say the food is not something one would expect of a typical Asian fusion setup. The flavor is mostly representative of authentic northwestern style Chinese cuisine according to the owner but there is this Japanese twist to it that is both distinct and discreet. The noodle is handcrafted in front of customers and the texture of which is on par with some of the high quality ramens we've had in NYC and LA, if not better. The broth might be the highlight of the meal which suggests it's slow cooked hence flavorful but not over-saturated with MSG and soy sauce. We also have had the opportunity to engage in an interesting conversation with the owner who turns out to be a world-class musician out of Julliard surprisingly with zero experience in restaurant establishment prior to the grand opening. We were intrigued by her pursuit of perfection in that she always has the avidity for sharing with people a unique food experience that she personally adores. As a musician and entrepreneur myself, I somehow resonate with the audacity and willpower behind relentless pursuing one's dream regardless the extent of headwind and deficiency, as I fully appreciate transitioning from being a concert musician to a restaurant owner may not be a smooth undertaking. This is the very reason I concurred with owner's request to write a review accurately conveying our feedback. It was an inspirational experience coming here from the perspective of both food craving and soul pleasing. We wish all the best to this memorable establishment and look forward to coming back here in due course when visiting Princeton. read more

Hmmm...lot of five star reviews from accounts with only a handful of reviews. All of them raving about how good the ramen is. Came here today only to find out this Ramen place doesnt serve Ramen and wont start serving it until mid February. So what ramen did all those other "reviewers" eat? read more

Good service, great food. Must try the mini buns, and ask for the "hot oil". It's delish. Overall: A little on the pricey-er side. Very polite and caring staff, nice ambience. My peeve- $3 for tea on the side. read more

The ramen here is amazing! The one I got was the Lanzhou beef noodle, the broth was not very heavy or salty but was flavorful to the right amount. The noodles were also very delicious! The atmosphere of this store is also quite welcoming and very pretty. The service was great as well, the noodles didn't take very long, it is a relatively big enough bowl and the waiters were very friendly and nice. A nice spot for warm cozy ramen in Princeton, would definitely come back here! read more

Came here for the hand pulled noodles. NOT disappointed! Fantastic noodles. Broth Excellent as well. The rock shrimp appetizer also very good. Service as mentioned in the other reviews a bit slow but very pleasant and not a negative for me. It's all about the food and that's great! read more

Food was not that great. And it is expensive. Xiaolongbao and the gyoza were ok. Did not like The ramen and Lilly bulb.

Really chic decor on the inside and close to the center of Princeton. The Dan Dan noodles were excellent and the dumplings were good too. The sesame chicken was a little too saucy and sweet for me. Regardless, I would definitely come back here. read more

This is the best LAN's noodle that we ever had in tri-state. Every dish tastes really great. It's worth to come here!

Live's up to it's 4-star reviews, the Noodle bowls were outstanding. The Crab/Pork Soup Dumpling is a must try app! Too bad this hidden gem is situated partially underground, limiting views of the bustling outdoor action at one of the busiest intersections in Pton. There is some upward view of pedestrians, but it's location at Witherspoon & Hulfish in the "Square", is hard to beat (beneath the high end salon which "steals all the windows realestate"). Aside from this, making it cozy hideaway, it features a very nice menu selection and excellent service (just have to ask for water, which I think is a major annoyance in any asian restaurant). Don't let these little annoyances stop you at all, the food, decor & quietness more than makes up for it! read more

This time I would deduct all the stars and see if any stars can be deducted. .. let's say every restaurant should have 5 stars and see why this restaurant only deserve one star or less. 1. Food - Some food from menu is out of order. We went there for lunch by the way. That means it is deceiving , you don't have the food, Why put in the menu? The only good thing about the food is the Ramen or noodle is made right there, very good noodle in mouth feel. However, it is very SALTY! And the portion is very small!! - 1 star - This is a Chinese type of restaurant, and there is no free hot tea. 2. Service - The waitress did not know how to serve. The utensil is supposed to be first before the dash. She did it other way around. We were watching food and waiting for the utensils for few minutes before we can get to the foodl - 2nd star 3. Bathroom - How do you know if the owner is cheap? You can by going into the bathroom. I could not understand many restaurants tend to have dim lights to add some romantic atmosphere. (even i didn't like that, I need to see the food when I eat). However, this place is dark enough. And the bathroom is even darker. They use the very low voltage light like they don't want to spend money on electricity. There are two bathrooms, one male and one female. -3rd star 4. Location - It is down in basement or you walk down. There is no sign to tell you where the restaurant is. You have to look. They don't have money to put the sign? -4th star 5. Paper Menu - They have 11x14 paper menus like just came out from printer. Again, they are not ready for better looking menu, why opened? -5th star 6. Price - It's not cheap. When you look at the portion of the meal you ordered, you will see the owner is very cheap. -6th star Well, I already have 6 minus, that is minus one star, okay, the noodle is freshly made, I added one back. That means 0 star. Why do i still give 1 star.. Well, there is one thing I like about this restaurant, but it has nothing to do with food. It may be opened by a Christian owner. It is a Plate or sign that says in Chinese "Full of God's Grace"... If you go there and eat, support the owner who may be a Christian. Otherwise, I don't think this restaurant is meant to stay longer in food or service business! read more

Heard about this place serves great noodles and decided to give a try. It was Saturday afternoon around 5 and the place was about 30% full. The entire dinner experience was ruined by the terrible table services. It's ridiculous that it took so long for the waiter to submit our orders in that one of the kitchen staffs actually came out and took our order directly from us. The waiter never stopped by asking if we needed anything and just seemly wondering around and telling every table 'give me a moment.' Overall, food gets a 3-1/2 Star as it was just ok but not worth the price. 1 Star for the service. Will not return. read more

Very decent and authentic Lanzhou Ramen place in town. The deco is rustic but modern and the noodle soup has that unique and mysterious authentic aroma of Lanzhou Ramen I had when I visited Lanzhou city in Northwest region of China. read more

I stumbled upon this place by accident around lunch time! And I'm so happy I did. I never would have discovered what makes this place so unique unless I ran into the owner, Duojia. Apparently they've only been open a few weeks. She explained that she'll be carrying a certain type of Ramen that is very hard to find in the US (I think she mentioned only 2 spots in NYC even carry it) and unique to the the Lanzhou region (I hope I got that right!!??). It'll be in the restaurant starting mid-February. Everything is made from scratch including the gyoza dough. I had the seafood spicy hot pot and the lamb and dill gyoza. Perfect amount of heat in the hot pot. Gyoza was great too. Only thing I'd say is it needed a bit of salt, in the wrapper and the filling as well. But other than that, super fresh and delicious. Can't wait to go back and try the rest of the menu! I kinda like that it's tucked away and has this intimate and cozy feel. If you sit at the kitchen bar, you can see all the food cooked right in front of you which is always cool to see. The chef that came out and was very friendly. The server was so nice as well! A really unique and great addition to the Princeton downtown. Looking forward to watching them grow! read more

Amazing food. The service there was great and couldn't have been any more perfect. When you walk in the delicious smells and friendly faces make you feel at home. A whole other definition of comfort food. I ordered the beef ramen #N1 with appetizers scallion pancakes and pork/cabbage pop stickers. Absolutely amazing. 5 stars!!!! read more

I've been here about 6 times and this time is definitely the best!! Everything I had was amazing. This might be my favorite Raman spot, definitely top 3! The soup dumplings were the best I've ever had! I'll definitely be back for the authenticity of the food and the ambience. read more

Best Chinese noodles I've had in America. The noodles are handmade (you can see the chef making the noodles while you eat) and tasted great. Loved the beef broth noodle soups. The meat and spice balance was perfect for me. Also had the lamb cumin dish, which I enjoyed as well. read more

Lovely setting. Courteous wait staff. Good food though on the expensive side for what you get. A soup with meat had merely two tasty, thin small pieces of meat. Plenty of noodles! Parking on street or in lot, across the street or behind the library. read more

This is not a restaurant. No one knows how to manage the restaurant. Sitting down for half and hour without being taken care of. Limited menu. A large space with only one waiter who obviously does not know what to do at all. Constant waiting and keep seeing things go wrong. Don't come until the owner is willing to put money and effort in operation instead of exploiting cheap labor of the poor young guy who works there. read more

We have been here two times. The soup dumplings were delicious (and better than the regular dumplings), as were the ramen dishes we ordered. We were less impressed by the meat offerings: while the beef was well cooked, the vegetables were a bit bland and tasteless. The service was less than impressive. On our second visit, even though we were almost the only ones in the restaurant, the waiters either chatted with each other at the bar or cleaned the tables obsessively rather than come to our table. When our "rice included" dish arrived without rice, we waited for it a while before asking and getting the response "oh, you want rice?". read more

I stopped in for lunch and had the lamb dumplings and spicy beef ramen. It was very good with generous portions. The noodles are freshly pulled and so are the dumplings. I would recommend this restaurant. read more

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I really enjoyed the Lanzhou beef noodle soup. The broth had a rich beef flavor and the hand pulled noodles were al dente and had a nice bouncy texture. My only complaint was that the beef was a bit tough and there weren't that many pieces. I'd also recommend trying the fried whole fish. Can't go wrong with either dish. Will be coming back! read more

If you have the patience, this is the place for you. Horrendous service. It's a shame because the food was delicious. This place is not great for kids even though it says it is. They have no high chairs. Luckily they had a booster seat. So we were ok. The family next to us was seated after us and they were given menus before us and had food served to them before we even got a menu. We had to ask for a menu. Then we had to ask for utensils. Then we had to ask for napkins. We asked for straws and they had none (not a deal breaker but what restaurant doesn't have a straw???) One request after another...horrible! The waitress finally came around to take our order and she had no idea what was on the menu. The menu itself is two pieces of 11x17 paper. Two separate sheets! Not binded or even stapled together. While she was taking our orders 2 other waiters came to the other side of the table and asked what we would like to order. We were like uhhhh???? This place definitely has the potential. If they fix the service problems then it would be great. We may return later this year. Hopefully by then they have the service fixed so we can enjoy our outing. read more

Hand pulled noodles were good, aside from that not much else good to say. Service is absolutely horrendous, food was ok, but lacking flavor, very disorganized. Arrived to a semi empty restaurant and still had to wait awhile to be seated. Took 20 min before someone took out order, had to flag 3 different people down to just get some chili paste. After asking those same 3 people for a check and waiting 20 min it never came. Just put money down and walked out. Never goin back read more

Great new Chinese ... finally decent Chinese in this town. Great space. They're still just opening so it's a little rocky (noodle chef not here yet) but very promising. Very much not your usual Chinese fare. For princeton it's 5 stars but I'm reserving 1 for when they get fully up and running! Warning though the front door is in the middle of the restaurant and it gets drafty when it opens so bring a sweater if it's cold and you get chilly. read more

Pleasantly surprised by the braised beef noodle soup, highly recommend! Bokchoy was also very fragrant and flavorful with garlic. Solid spot to satisfy your Asian cravings! read more

Been here two times. Both were terrible experience. Been waited for more than 40 mins to get my noodle. No water.

The place is super cute inside and distanced! All the food smells amazing for really big portions too. Theres plenty of seating inside and out and the service is amazing! read more

If I could give 0 stars I would. I do not like everything about Lan Ramen. From the $$$ food to the service to the food itself. Too costly for food made by chefs with no qualifications or passion for food that they make. If they do, it shows. Sure, the chefs make Chinese dishes, but it is just that - Chinese dishes. Any chefs at any Chinese restaurants can do that. I have seen the prices at Lan Ramen hike from what you would call affordable entree to what it is now - price of an entree at a Michelin starred restaurant; except it is not. Sure, you can blame the rent for opening a restaurant in Princeton, but comparison in prices between restaurants in Princeton points to greedy owners who care more about profit and earning more. It's good that the owner care for profit - like every other business owner, but while they are doing that, they totally screw everyone over. Service. I would be glad to get the type of service for the type of price I pay to dine in here. Food. Very, very small in portion. Again this brings up my "Michelin starred restaurant" argument. It is not a Michelin starred restaurant, but it is like they are trying to be one. Small in portion - high in prices; except they do not have the high standards that comes from a Michelin starred restaurant. Looking through the reviews posted by users here, I am sure I will be getting a smart response from the owner Jessica. It is my sympathy that she can accept no criticism and improve upon the cons that the restaurant has. Had she been doing that, she would not enforce a minimum of $30 to pay with cards and many would have chose Lan Ramen as a place to hang or to have a meal. read more

It was a good meal with great vibes!

This place is so good. The architecture is beautiful and the food is delicious! I had the fried rice with basil, which I'd never heard of before. The chef told me it was Thai style! So amazing! My friend had the beef noodle ramen bowl. It looked so good and smelled delicious. This is a great place to go on a date or to bring a group of friends to because they have seating for larger parties too. BYOB but that's no problem with the liquor store around the corner on Witherspoon. I'd definitely would recommend this place to my friends read more

Great spot in Princeton! Nice vibe and great outdoor seating area. I recommend the Cumin Lamb and Braised Beef Noodles! Highly recommend!!

my favorite noodles, it's the real lan noodle style. Nice service, cleanliness and comfortable environment. read more

Went there with my wife and tried the beef noodles and crispy spicy chicken dish. I enjoyed them both and next time I wanted to try their veggie dishes since I'm starting to include veggie in my diet. Now we got one more good spot to eat, it's always exciting to see a place offer different style of noodle soup and authentic Chinese dishes. read more

They offer Outdoor dining but I am not sure how long they can do it as it's getting colder at night. Everything we ordered were so good!

I normally don't leave a review but I just had to for this one. The place is cozy and service was top notch. The food was delicious. As a starter, we ordered the soup dumpling with crab meat, the best by far. We ordered the noodle and saw the chef hand spun it. Pretty neat. We also ordered popcorn chicken, sweet & sour fish, vegetables, lamb and tofu platter. If you can eat spicy that would be even better. We will definitely come again. Highly recommend this place. read more

This place is so good period. If you are ever up by Princeton you've gotta stop by here. The best noodles and dumplings. The noodles are hand-made and you can see them making them. A must-eat!! read more

Came in Monday night for some dinner and the food was amazing the staff was great we will be back with some friends soon... love finding this little gem in Princeton... read more

Poor service, no water, no offer for high chair, no napkins, unless you ask. I guess it is common sense to ask do you need a high chair of guest come with kids. It is common to have water or ask guest once sit on a table. It is common sense that all basic tableware is ready on the table. This place is very wired, in the sense they don't have any basic common sense. Ramen taste quite poor, nothing but salty. If you have chance to visit nyc, try "little gong fu ramen" at 55st, much much better than this one. If rate little gong fu as 80/100, this lan ramen is about 40/100. Considering the service and taste, this lan ramen is quite over priced. Highly not recommend. Per owner's reply, he claimed this is only true Lanzhou ramen in nj and ny area. It is so funny. Please try 146 e 55 st ramen in nyc, before you make such claim. read more

Yesterday I took my mom on a lunch date and we had no idea to expect. We wanted the traditional feel and the restaurant gave us just what we were looking for. From the decor to the service Lan Ramen is absolutely amazing! We will be back soon! read more

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