Artisan Noodle

Texture and chewiness is what I am an seeking in the hand-​pulled noodles — amazing! If you are getting the spicy beef soup, just be weary if you have hypertension… rather on the salty side. The beef tripe is nothing short of tasty however, I am biased towards anything with peanut butter.
Tiny, mom and pop feel. Although the tables are really tightly packed, don’t worry about people peering at you while you eat… everyone is either busy shoveling the food into their mouths (like me) or are on their phones.

Small and cozy place in North York. Very authentic Traditional Northern Chinese handmade noodles with a modern flair. Food is good and so is the service. The thoughtful server even brought hot water for the senior citizen in my group and cold water for the younger ones. Must try it!

Service is horrible, for get about servers handing you menus; they are tosses on the the table. A word of caution they barely speak a word of English. Super small place.

The food portion was good, but some food were too salty. Their service is not good. One time the waiter took down our number and promised to call us when they had a table available. So my friend and I left the store to buy some drinks. After 40 mins, no one ever called us, so we went back to check if they have table available, they said they never had our name/​number on the waiting list. We said we saw your waiter taking down our number. Later on, they found our number from the garbage bin, because their waiter threw it there. It was not respectful at all.

Heard good things about this Chinese noodle restaurant from my wife’s Chinese friend.
We decided to visit on a Sunday afternoon and it was packed. We had to wait about 20 minutes before we got a table for 3. This restaurant seats up to 16 people.
We ordered the pork jia-​mo, the cold noodle, and the lamb pao mo (sweet potato starch noodles).
Pork jia-​mo ($ 3.99): this was rumored as the best jia-​mo in Toronto, I don’t know about that but it was tasty and the gravy was not overpowering. The round bread was lightly toasted on both sides, which I liked.
Cold noodle ($ 4.99): about average taste for cold noodle and under-​sized and a little pricey (later found that for $ 2 more, the Szechuan cold noodle is much better tasting and a much bigger serving; this was on my second visit)
Lamb pao-​mo ($ 9.99)(sweet potato starch noodles): the noodles are in a small, chunky form and the lamb and soup base were decent. I appreciated the light soup base and the aroma of lamb, but if you’re not into the gamey taste of lamb, you would not enjoy this.
I think whether you like this place or not really depends on what you try. I also tried their original beef noodle soup on a second visit and only the soup base was above average.
I give the restaurant extra points for putting a hipster spin on a very traditional Chinese noodles restaurant. You’ll see.

Came here with a friend to grab a quick casual meal. This place is pretty small. It is filled with Chinese, and the tables are too close to each other. You can overheard everything.
We ordered an appetizer, one noodle soup and one dry noodle. We waited quite sometime for the food to come. Apparently, they prioritize takeout orders. Although we waited a while for it, the food is delicious. The food portion is good.
If I am coming here in the future, I would prefer takeout, as the place is really noisy and small.

Having grown up in Xi’an, I was super excited when I heard about this restaurant opening in North York. However, all the reviews and stories about how cramped the store is and how long the line ups are have deterred me from going until now. But I’m so glad that I went! The food was very authentic and yummy, and I’m already planning to go back with friends again soon!
My favourite Xi’an snacks since I was a kid are the pork jia-​mo and liang pi (cold noodles). Both these dishes here were great! It is hard to make the «mo» (bread) of the pork jia-​mo well, and Artisan Noodles did a wonderful job! The pork inside was also very tender and juicy, and together with the bread it was perfect. Keep in mind the bread is decently thick, so it’s better to share this with someone if you want stomach room to try the other items!
We got the Yo Po Biang Biang Mian, the Soy Stewed Beef Noodle Soup and Lamb Pao Mo. I would highly recommend the Biang Biang Mian and Lamb Pao Mo. These are both authentic Xi’an cuisine, and both are made very well at Artisan Noodle. I loved the texture of the hand pulled noodles in the Biang Biang Mian. My favourite dish of the night was the Lamb Pao Mo. The lamb was very tender, the soup was very refreshing, and the Pao Mo were just the right amount of chewiness. This is also a very good dish for take out, as the pao mo is meant to be soaked in the soup, so the its texture doesn’t get ruined. Because we ordered too much food and this came out last, I actually packed half of it home, and it was still very yummy the next day at lunch. The Soy Stewed Beef Noodle Soup was good, but very average, and I think you can get something similar at many other Chinese restaurants in Toronto. So I would recommend skipping this if there’s other items on the menu you want to try.
I came here on a Friday night with my parents. We waited around 20 minutes before a table became available. The restaurant is TINY. There’s around 5 tables along one side and a bar with four seats along the other wall. The tables and bar seating are all cramped together. Due to the lack of space, my parents and I had to wait outside the restaurant. They take your number down, and call you when a table is available. The wait outside would have suck, as it was pretty cold that night, but good thing we parked on Yonge right outside the restaurant, so we just waited in our car. I would definitely have given Artisan Noodle a 5 star, if it wasn’t for the fact that you are expected to wait for quite a long time outside in the harsh, cold Canadian winter.

The place is really small. Will only fit maximum 10 people at one time. We ordered an appetizer with beef stuffed inside a big bread which tasted pretty good. I ordered the Bian Bian noodle and it took 30 minutes for the food to arrive. Overall the food is just average by service isn’t that great. Won’t come back again.

First time here, on a Wednesday at around 6:30pm. Most tables just started eating so had to wait quite a bit for a table. Finally got seated at 7:20pm. Ordered right after we got seated and food arrived within 10 mins. Server were really friendly, quick service!
Sour and spicy noodle soup — I ordered this, looks spicy but it wasn’t spicy at all… I enjoyed the flavour but there is nothing in the bowl except for noodles, for the price I paid (6.99) I think it is worth it. It looked really oily but when I was eating it, it didn’t feel that oily but it’s for sure not something you want to be eating everyday.
Spicy fish fillet noodle soup — my friend ordered this, again there is a chill pepper beside it on the menu but it is actually not that spicy. My friend liked it a lot, generous portion of fish. I had a bit of her noodles, it had a chewy texture, my first time having such noodles, not bad at all.
We will definitely come back again and try out other plates on the menu!!!
TIP: you leave your number with them and they will call you when they have a table for you. While waiting you can drop by the bubble tea place next door, it’s called ‘easy drink easy go’. That’s what my friend and I did. First time there and we enjoyed their drink. You can even bring the bubble tea and drink it in artisan noodle, they don’t have much choices for drinks there and servers don’t mind you bringing drinks from outside.

Its a really small joint so I usually just drop by when I see there aren’t too many people. I had the pork jia mo to start — you can ask them to cut it in half for you, its perfect to share between two people. The pork was juicy and the dense bread soaked up the pork grease/​juice. It was yummy.
The Yo Po Biang Biang Mian — as a Korean it was really odd for me to have noodle with suateed tomatoes inside! It tasted super authentic and the garlic taste was strong. However, this dish made me really appreciate the thick hand pulled ribbon noodles that artisan noodle is so known for.
Spicy Stewed Beef Noodle Soup — I LOVE THIS DISH. I crave it at least once a week. The beef was juicy and the serving was pretty hefty. They used pretty good cuts of beef. It seemed really oily at first but I didn’t mind it as it didn’t ‘taste’ oily when I was eating the dish.

The dishes served here are from the north-​western part of China around the city of Xi’an. I was fortunate to have gone there last summer so I’ll try to compare and contrast. The pork bun/​Chinese hamburger was decent. Probably one of the better ones I have had in Canada. However their noodles are a bit lacking. It was really really oily. Although many Northern Chinese food tend to use more oil/​grease/​fat, these noodles were definitely on the upper limit. The oilness overpowered all the taste of the noodles and toppings.
There are only 3 small tables in the store. So I would recommend take out if you are visiting during lunch/​dinner hours.

Very good noodle restaurant. Tasty, clean, and not expensive.

Though ramen is still dominating the noodle scene, there’s now another option on the block. Like, literally. I can think of at least 4 ramen joints in the area, but Artisan is unique thus far.
In the teensy space, there are about 5 wall-​facing counter spots and roughly 8 two-​person tables that can be pushed together. The walls are lined with what appears to be wooden slats from old cargo trains, complete with date stamps. I think this is the first Chinese noodle spot I’ve been to that mixes the Western/​hipster deco feel with this kind of food while blasting old 90’s-current hip hop.
And what’s «this food»? On our visit, we ordered a Biang-​Biang Mian (hand-​slapped and pulled ribbon noodles, stewed beef, sauteed tomato fried egg, and mixed vegetables) and a Lamb Pao Mo (lamb stew, bean sprout, organic cloud ear mushroom, tomato, ground garlic, ginger and scallion with hand pulled noodles stir fried in wok, finished with house special marinara sauce) plus wood ear mushroom to share. Though the menu printed a little chilli pepper beside a couple of items to denote spiciness level, I didn’t find them spicy whatsoever. The hubs actually added extra spicy oil from a nearby metal condiment container to feel any heat (and medium level spice is usually his maximum). He said that he’d like to try a spicy lamb noodle next time, as he seemed rather ambivalent about his choice for the day.
I quite enjoyed the noodles that came with my bowl — like flat, wide ribbons, they’re denser and much more satisfying than the «usual» skinnier, round kind. If you do prefer those, not to worry — there are several noodle types available here.
It’s nice to have options.

I’ve been here several times, and they are known for their fresh hand-​pulled noodles. I’ve had their trio appetizer with enoki mushrooms, tripe and bean curd and it’s very tasty. Has a hint of sesame oil as well. I’ve also had their beef noodle soup. It’s quite spicy; actually, very spicy. I think they put a lot of chili oil into the broth, so it makes it hard to drink it. It’s flavourful though – the noodles (I prefer the fatter noodles, as I’ve tried both), are chewy and they give you a pretty good amount. I’ve tried one of their cold noodle dishes before but I wasn’t a fan – but that’s just my preference.
I usually get takeout from here because there is very very limited seating and oftentimes there is a lineup during peak hours. They have approximately seating for 10 – 12 people max. I’ve sat in once but it was so cramped, I don’t think I’ll do it again.
My primary issue with this place is the amount of oil in the soup. It’s not something that you want to eat every week, especially if you’re watching your waistline!

Overall impression: original!
Their Shanxi flavor Chinese noodles are heaven. Most of them are spicy so be careful if you can’t eat spicy food. Recommend Biang Biang noodle.

A bit of downtown Seoul in downtown North York
Ever wonder what a noodle joint in Korea would be like?
This is your answer
Hand made and pulled noodles with a wide variety of options to serve all tasted
Pretty much every bowl is under ten bucks so not a tough decision to make
However there is only seating for 14 customers so it’s a bit of a bolt hole but worth the wait to grab a seat
Great service and great food
My dish had wide flat noodles and had the right amount of chew to them and it’s a huge portion
All ingredients were fresh and it felt odd I was the only gaijin in the place where the waitress kept trying to explain to me how to eat… no I know chopsticks yeah h-​mart yes noodles… hahaha

Finally got around to trying this place. Artisan noodle is a decent noodle restaurant. It however suffers from being way too small of a location. More after the break
Pros:
Noodles are pretty well made
Portions are good
Cons:
Place is way too small
Right from the get go, you will notice this place is extremely small. There are about 12 seats in the entire place. Those 12 seats are pretty crammed too. The wait times are pretty crazy during peak hours. They at least will take your number down and call you in order when you’re turn comes up. That way you can wait somewhere else. This is good because they have no waiting area whatsoever.
On to the noodles. We ordered the spicy beef noodle soup and the soy beef noodle soup. Both were very good. I’ve seen earlier reviews complaining about portion size. Maybe they’ve listened to those reviews because our bowls were pretty big and they filled it all the way up. There’s a guy in the kitchen constantly hand making the noodles. Fresh noodles are always a plus.
Here’s the problem with place. As I said before, it’s much too small. Noodle houses in my opinion should never be to small. I’ve both eaten inside the restaurant and done take out. Whichever you choose, you need to make a concession of some sort. If you choose to eat there, you deal with huge wait times. Also, you’re crammed in with everyone, who are all having hot steaming noodles as well as a kitchen constantly making noodles. It’s very hot in there, not too comfortable. When you take out, the noodles obviously overcook a little in the container and are no longer as delicious as they should be. I live 5 minutes from this place so it’s not a long time from getting the food to getting home. Point is, the size of this place makes it so that you can never really fully enjoy this place, which is sad because it’s a pretty good noodle.
I like this place, it’s just I never believe noodle places should be small. They would of been much better off choosing a bigger place. Still worth a try though. Your best off going as a couple max. Any group bigger and it will be tough.

Über busy Chinese (most likely Northern region cooking style) noodle place! Worth waiting for a table.
T’was my second attempt going to this noodle joint tucked in a small unit on Yonge street, and there was still a bit of a wait of 15 mins+ for a one seater on Sunday early evening at 6:30pm. However the excited hustle bustle inside the cozy restaurant kept me captivated & I insisted on eating in even though the waitress struggled with where to put me and asked if takeout was an option.
Once I was happily settled down, I ordered the Chef Recommended Biang Biang Mian with Tomato, Egg, minced pork toppings and a dash of black fungus. Flavour was delightful without worry of it being greasy at all. Hand slapped noodles in my bowl were chewy and widely cut, reminding me of Pappardelle. I was eating away happily. I would say this place along with its atmosphere has my kind of comfort food~
Before leaving, be sure to also order a Pork Jia-​Mo bun to have for breakfast next day! Server’s tip: microwave for 40 secs & you’re good to go!

2.5 stars
We went on a weekday night. Not crowded at all possibly because we were early, it was raining and cold.
We had Pork Jia-​Mo, Traditional XPan Style Zha Jiang Mian and Biang Biang Mian.
The good:
Pork Jia-​Mo — meaty and tasty
The chef is from Xian. Noodles are about 1 inch wide and really long. Not sure if it was one piece :)
Staff is friendly and quick. Too bad no one offered us drinks. Maybe a fluke.
The bad:
Like zero meat in the noodles. There was some chopped up meat in the Biang Biang Mian. But virtually none in the Traditional XPan Style Zha Jiang Mian. It was more sauce than meat. See photo.
They didn’t ask us if we wanted drinks and didn’t provide drinks until we asked them. I should point out, ¹⁄₃ of the place was empty with no lines. Not sure if they have tea but didn’t see anybody having any. But they were quick and friendly.
Notes:
Takes cash only.
I heard there is normally a long line going outside. There was a line forming when we were there later in the evening.
Nice big bowls but Styrofoam cup for water. Didn’t see anybody with tea. Hard wooden seats. Clean so that’s the important thing.
I might recommend for someone to try the noodles if they never tried Xian noodles but I’m not going to go again as there was virtually no meat with my noodles. I admit I didn’t complain or ask why there was so little meat but seems kind of odd to be missing it.
Thank you.

It might have been my lack of knowledge of Mandarin, but I had a communication problem in this restaurant, and I found my only way of communicating the whole time I was here was by pointing menu items. The employees’ English skills were broken at best, extinct at worst. They seem to have carved out their target market though, cause everyone that was in the restaurant at that time were people who speak fluent Mandarin.
Nonetheless, I decided to try out this place after coming across its website online. I ordered the Biang Biang Mian, as it was one of the recommended items and the ingredients attracted me. The presentation was good, however there wasn’t much of a broth to it, so be warned. The noodles were the extremely wide type, which I personally like. The beef and pork were chopped and cubed, and tasted average. The tomatoes and carrots were also cubed and wasn’t anything too special.
Considering the size of the restaurant, this place is way too small for the demand it gets. I arrived today at around 1:30pm, when the peak lunch crowd should’ve left already. I personally wouldn’t mind it as much if there was an actual place to stand inside while waiting; the seats crowd right to the door entrance, so if there’s a lineup of even 4 people at least 2 are guaranteed to stand outside.
I don’t think I’ll come back in the short term until the logistics are sorted out.