The best noodles in Manchester

Serving authentic Japanese food since 1993, Samsi is a welcoming restaurant filled with cherry bonsai trees and flooded with natural light. It claims to be the best in the business when it comes to using premium ingredients, with a huge menu covering all the staple bases of sushi, donburi, katsu and teriyaki. The noodle offering is a DIY affair – choose from Yakisoba, Yakiudon or Ramen noodles, and add your choice of protein. For a more indulgent dining experience, Samsi also serves Sukiyaki, a Japanese take on a traditional hot pot, which sees noodles, veg and meat, tofu or seafood simmered in fresh sukiyaki stock and served at the table in an iron skillet.

With several restaurants in the North West, Zumuku Sushi is making a name for itself as a go-to spot for all things pan-Asian. While its Didsbury restaurant serves an extensive and popular menu of sushi, it also serves huge plates of stir fried noodles. Whether you prefer comforting Udon or the thinner Yakisoba, the noodles are served with either wok fried tofu or chicken, and heaps of crunchy veggies. Zumuku also offers its own Seafood Special, where juicy king prawns, squid and fish cakes are added to the dish. If you’re enamoured by the food, join chef patron Benjie Samson for a masterclass where you can learn how to make the authentic dishes for yourself.

Far from a social spot, Tokyo Ramen is a tiny Northern Quarter venue that takes inspiration from the ramen-houses of Japan. There are no frills here, just authentic food combining two of the nation’s greatest loves – noodles and fried chicken. While both the decor and the menu may be minimal, the ramen certainly makes up for it with maximum flavour – the house broth takes 10 hours to make from simmering chicken bones. The standout here is the Tantenmen Ramen, buttery noodles paired with Koji fried chicken, fermented chilli oil and roasted garlic, but there is always a vegetarian option or two.

If you fancy a tour of East Asian cuisine and all its flavours, Tampopo has a patchwork menu of street food dishes from Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and beyond. Full of bright colours, the sociable atmosphere of the restaurant is echoed in the menu, with sharing platters and street-food style starters. There is a whole section dedicated to the ‘Way of the Noodle,’ drawing on several popular Asian dishes – there’s Pad Thai, Yaki Udon and Singapore Vermicelli Noodles. If that wasn’t enough choice, Tampopo also serves hearty noodle soups, such as the Ramen and the Laksa soup, which certainly packs a punch with its fiery coconut broth.

It’s not only Japanese restaurants that excel when it comes to noodle dishes – Pho Cue in Chinatown has grown quite the cult following for serving up delicious and budget-friendly bowls of Pho. While they both contain a rich broth and noodles, the Vietnamese dish is distinctive from Ramen, with its soft rice noodles, aromatic broth and thinly sliced cuts of meat. At Pho Cue, the flavoursome broth is brewed for 24 hours and topped with everything from oxtail to roast duck, and handfuls of fragrant herbs. There’s also Bun – a spicy soup with vermicelli noodles – and steaming plates of pan-fried noodles on the menu, for those who don’t fancy the traditional Pho.