The city’s best noodle spots — for ramen, pho, and more — according to a panel of pros

Recommendations are a dime a dozen, but in Pro Tips, we go directly to the source, asking food and beverage experts for their professional opinions on the city’s best burgers, dive bars, and more.

When the days are soggy, the nights are crisp, and the sidewalks become a blur of puffers and beanies, it can mean only one thing: soup season. While it doesn’t get more quintessentially San Francisco than a bread bowl of clam chowder, this city is also home to a diverse array of noodle-filled soups from across the Asian diaspora, everything from an aromatic bowl of pho to rich and creamy laksa.

In the latest edition of our Pro Tips series, we spoke to 11 chefs, sommeliers, pastry chefs, and restaurant owners to find the best noodle soups in the city to enjoy in any weather.

Favorite noodle soup spot: Mong Thu Cafe, 248 Hyde St., Tenderloin
Eusope’s dad was a noodle vendor in Penang in Malaysia, so “noodles are in my DNA,” she says. Two to three times a week for lunch, she heads to Mong Thu Cafe, just around the corner from Azalina’s, to get bun mang vit, a duck bamboo soup with rice noodles, or bun bo hue, a soup of beef and pork with thin rice noodles that’s common in central Vietnam. “Charles Phan introduced me to this spot three years ago,” she says. “I lived in Vietnam briefly during my adolescence, and this reminds me of the food I ate back then.”

Favorite noodle soup spot: Pho Huong Viet, 5733 Geary Blvd., Richmond
“Whenever I find myself sick, hungover, or simply longing for home, I order Pho Huong Viet’s pho ga,” says Justice. “It’s their magnum opus to the Bay.” The dish is a perfect symphony of flavors and textures: supple, melt-in-your-mouth noodles, comforting chicken broth brightened by makrut lime leaf and scallions, and a little sprinkle of house-made pickled garlic and vinegar. Heads up: If you see the spot listed as “temporarily closed” on Google Maps, don’t stress — the owners have probably taken their annual trip to Vietnam and will return soon.

Favorite noodle soup spot: Dabao Singapore, Metreon, 135 4th St., SoMa
During the pandemic, Dabao Singapore was a popular delivery service from which Tan, a native of Singapore, would order laksa meal kits to get a taste of home. Now, she strolls over to the brick-and-mortar location in the Metreon mall to get her fix. “I can confidently say their laksa is the real deal: rich, creamy, and generously loaded with quality ingredients. It’s not just good — it’s comfort and nostalgia, all in one bowl.”  

Favorite noodle soup spot: Nute’s, 903 Cortland Ave, Bernal Heights
After becoming a Bernal Heights resident and restaurant owner, Alpin grew to love Nute’s, a cozy neighborhood spot serving Thai and Japanese fare. His go-to? A hearty, spicy red curry from northern Thailand called khanom jeen nam ngiaw, which is loaded with delicate, thin rice noodles, pork ribs, cotton flowers, tomatoes, and pickled mustard greens, all topped with fried garlic, bean sprouts, green onion, cilantro, and lime.

Favorite noodle soup spot: My Canh, 626 Broadway, North Beach 
No matter the time of day, Nasir’s order at this hole in the wall on Broadway rarely changes: the No. 25, rare steak and noodle soup. “During my early days in the industry when we would finish very late into the night, the team would hit up My Canh almost every day,” Nasir says. “On off days, you’ll still find me there, sometimes as early as 10 a.m., because who doesn’t like pho for breakfast?” Ask for housemade chile oil to add an extra kick to the broth, and don’t forget to grab a Vietnamese iced coffee on your way out.

Favorite noodle soup spot: Burma Love, 211 Valencia St., Mission
Gopinathan says no noodle soup in the city compares to the ohn no khauk swe (coconut chicken) from Burma Love. Marinated chicken thighs and noodles are added to a rich, aromatic broth of coconut milk, onion, garlic, and turmeric, then garnished with boiled eggs, chili flakes, raw onion, and cilantro sprigs. “It’s a great, comforting dish for those foggy days in San Francisco,” he says.

Favorite noodle soup spot: Hon’s Wun-Tun House, 648 Kearny St., Chinatown 
Einbund, a bona fide noodle-head, can easily spout off a list of must-visit spots. His favorites include Laowai Noodles for Lanzhou-inspired options, Lunette for Cambodian, and Hon’s Wun-Tun House for Hong Kong-style soups. For 15 years, his go-to order at Hon’s has been the signature wonton noodle soup. “I always order extra broth, because I love the intense dried-shrimp flavor,” he says.

Favorite noodle soup spot: Bac Lieu Restaurant, 3216 Mission St., Bernal Heights
When beloved Vietnamese restaurant Turtle Tower closed in 2023, Strong, like many, had to find a new spot for pho. Enter Bac Lieu. He pops into this unassuming Vietnamese restaurant every week to get oxtail stew, fried quail, woven noodle sheets with grilled pork, and bun rieu, a noodle soup with tomato crab paste and pork. “It has this delicious fried crab and pork cakes in it, a couple of shrimps, and a few fat chunks of juicy turnip.”

Favorite noodle soup spot: Taishoken, 665 Valencia St., Mission
At this popular shop, Chang’s go-to is the spicy miso ramen. But if you want to eat “Joe’s secret menu way,” ask for a second serving of thin, al dente noodles to soak up more of the umami-packed broth. “For the grand finale? I grab a bowl of rice and mix it straight into the leftover broth. It’s like an extra dish hidden at the bottom of the bowl, and I always leave completely satisfied.”

Favorite noodle soup spot: Burma Superstar, 309 Clement St., Inner Richmond
After she moved from Seattle to SF almost 20 years ago, Furst headed to Burma Superstar and tried oh no kauswe, a coconut chicken noodle soup, for the first time. “I’ve had it elsewhere since, but, like a lot of firsts, no other version quite does it justice,” she says. For her, it’s the ultimate comfort food, a dish she returns to when she’s feeling sad, cold, or lonely. “It never fails to set me right.”

Favorite noodle soup spot: Daeho Kalbijjim & Beef Soup, 1620 Post St., Japantown 
Yukgaejang, a spicy Korean soup with shredded beef and assorted namul, doesn’t always have noodles, but Daeho Kalbijjim’s version adds a small tangle of the bouncy glass variety known as dangmyeon. To avoid the restaurant’s usual line — especially on chilly days — Kim suggests coming by during lunch or late after a night of drinking. Extra pro tip: Add a bowl of rice to soak up and enjoy more of the broth.