Niu Rou Mian (牛肉麵; Beef Noodle) is one of those noodle dishes that holds a special place for many people, especially those who have lived in Taiwan and tasted how great it can be. Beef noodle to Taiwan is what Ramen is to Japan. Neither place was the originator of the noodles, but they have taken them to the next level and transformed them into the culinary echelon.
So it has always seemed strange to me that so few places serve a good version of it in the greater San Francisco bay area. Of the places that serve this noodle dish in bay area, few makes a good enough version to go back to. I can count on one hand places that are worth visiting. However, I’m still holding out hope that one day there will be as many good niu rou mian place as there are good Japanese ramen places in the SF bay area.
With that said, here are my list of the top niu rou mian in the bay area:
- ASJ Restaurant, San Jose
- Fortune Garden, Union City (CLOSED)
- A&J Restaurant, Cupertino
- Joy Restaurant, Foster City
- Darda, Milpitas
- Ay Chung, Milpitas
The following could not muster themselves into the list as they were really poor showings. Some were named niu rou mian but really were very bad and do not even come close to what a niu rou mian should be.
- Marina Market Food Court, Cupertino
- e-Noodle, Milpitas
- Cafe Ophelia, Milpitas
- QQ Noodle, Fremont
- New Ma’s Islamic, San Jose
- New Nutrition House (Wu Bing Er Yu), Milpitas
- Jujubi Cafe, Milpitas (Closed)
- House of Noodles, Milpitas (Closed/Replaced)
- China Stix, Santa Clara
- Queen House, Mountain View
- China Tofu, Union City
- Spices!, San Francisco
- Chef Woo’s, San Jose (Cupertino)
- Shinbala, Cupertino
- Tong Dumpling Pot, San Jose (Cupertino)
I love beef noodle soup!