-Grubbing in Chicago(land)
Dan Dan Noodles Roundup
I love me a bowl of Dan Dan Noodles. So much so I will travel back to China one of these days so I can try them in their natural habitat in the Sichuan Province. Closest I got was in Beijing where there was satellite location of a famous spot from Chengdu. I’ll kill two birds with one stone by going to see the Pandas there too. The origin of Dan Dan Noodles is said to trace back to Chengdu where it first appeared as a cheap, portable street food sold by vendors who carried the ingredients and noodles on a long bamboo pole (dan) balanced on their shoulders, which is now the dish got its name.
One of the things I love about Dan Dan is how it varies from spot to spot. Ordering a bowl of Dan Dan is like getting a scratch off ticket. Much like a pot of chili there’s a base most recipes follow but exact ingredients vary. The blueprint for a bowl of Dan Dan starts with thin and chewy noodles served with preserved vegetables, minced meat, and scallions sitting in a puddle of spicy oil commonly made up of sesame paste, chili oil, Sichuan peppercorns, soy sauce, and black vinegar. Though regional variations abound and no two spots make them the same way. Some versions are soupier, other versions come served cold, in Taiwan they use peanut sauce. Lots of spots use chopped peanuts but some do not. Some bowls are spicy while others are savory. The noodles vary from spot to spot too. Chinese wheat noodles are the traditional choice but in Japan they have their own version called TanTan and it’s made with ramen noodles as it’s commonly consumed at ramen spots.
Over the last year and change I tried as many desirable versions as I could find in the Chicagoland area. This isn’t a complete list but it’s the spots that talked to me in terms of trying the Dan Dan Noodles. For now the final count is 15 versions tried across the Chicagoland area and because everybody loves when foods are ranked I’m listing the top five that stood out in terms of quality and then I'll round up the rest in no particular order as I liked all of these versions in one way or the other.
Szechuan Bistro
First stop is in Chinatown at the Richland Center food court. The basement of this building is home to a collection of small food stalls including Szechuan Bistro - my pick for the best Dan Dan Noodles in the Chicagoland area. I’ve written about this place before and you can learn more by clicking HERE. This is likely the most traditional preparation of Dan Dan in town, down to the portioning of the ground pork and the usage of chewy wheat noodles. It’s also laced with a good amount of Sichuan peppercorn and has Ya Cai, both of which are crucial elements when it comes to a good bowl of Dan Dan Noodles. I also appreciate the pricing which as of this being published is still under $10 an order.
Dan Dan Noodles at Szechuan Bistro
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Sichuan Style Noodle & Mao Cao
Next up we head about 25 miles west of the city limits to yet another Asian food court. This one is called the International Mall in Westmont, it houses a handful of Chinese food stalls. One of them is called Sichuan Style Noodle & Mao Cao. The Dan Dan Noodles from here are very similar to the version listed previously. They use a chewy wheat noodle with a nice amount of Sichuan peppercorn, ground pork and it’s a smaller portion priced at $8.95 a bowl. I’m not sure if there’s any connection between here and Szechuan Bistro but you can’t go wrong with the Dan Dan Noodles at either spot.
Dan Dan Noodles at Sichuan Style Noodle & Mao Cao __________________________________________________
Katy's Dumplings
We’ll stay in Westmont and head to Katy’s Dumplings. Katy’s is known for having some of the best noodle soups in all of Chicagoland. The Dan Dan is a full on bowl of noodle soup with their signature handmade noodles resting in a spicy chili slicked broth with a bright red hue. The price reflects the portion in that it’s a large bowl of soup ($14.95). Aside from the standout noodles which are perfectly chewy the broth comes loaded with Sichuan peppercorns giving it a very nice spice profile (order extra spicy to guarantee this). Ground pork, sesame seeds and stir fried bok choy round it all out.
Dan Dan Noodles at Katy's Dumplings
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Akahoshi Ramen
The Tantanmen ($18) at Akahoshi Ramen in Logan Square is perhaps the highest quality bowl of noodles on this list. Akahoshi being the brainchild of Mike Satinover aka Ramen_Lord on Reddit where he shared his journey from Ramen Head to Master Ramen Chef. Tantanmen is a Japanese ramen variant derived from dandanmian aka Dan Dan Noodles. Tantanmen has been adapted into a rich, creamy, and nutty ramen soup with a more moderate level of spice. It’s a staple dish of "Chuka Ryori" (Japanese-style Chinese) and it’s becoming increasingly popular in ramen shops across the globe. The soupless version served at Akahoshi is a top shelf rendition with extra thick ramen noodles that are made on site plus ma-la spice and sesame. It’s topped with seasoned Japanese style pork soboro, green onions, blanched bok choi and it’s best to add a soft boiled egg ($2) into the mix.
Tantanmen at Akahoshi Ramen
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Wei Dao Cheng Du
Wai Dao Chengdu is still relatively new. It's stationed next door to 88 Marketplace on Jefferson. The menu is full of Sichuan and Chengdu specialties with a heavy dosage of numbing Sichuan style peppercorns, chili oils, rich broths, and the option to make your order come out extra spicy and numbing. The ability to make it "Mala" is what really stands out here. The noodles themselves are just ok, they’re almost spaghetti like, but everything else about this bowl is spot on. It’s a large serving meant to be shared by the table but I made a complete meal out of it with leftovers for $13.95.
Dan Dan Noodles at Wai Dao Chengdu
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Hing Kee
The Dan Dan Noodles at this dumpling specialist in Chinatown Square are listed on the menu under the ‘Hand Pulled Noodles’. It’s served as a noodle soup and the broth is creamy with a slightly spicy kick although the noodles are a tad softer than you'd expect hand pulled to be. There’s also ground pork, sesame seeds, green onions, and half of a hard boiled egg. While it’s not the most traditional version it’s a very satisfying bowl of soup and a very good deal too at just $9.50 when dining in.
Dan Dan Noodles at Hing Kee
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Bowl of Fortune Express
Dan Dan Noodles at Bowl of Fortune Express
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Next we head back to the Richland Food Court for a visit to Noodleverse. This Chinese noodle specialist opened last year with a menu of about 15 different noodle options including Chengdu Dan Dan Noodles ($16.50). I went in blindly since it was very new at the time of my visit but I saw the light as soon as my number was called. This was a very well put together bowl with equal portions of ground pork, Sichuan chili crisp, green onions and peanuts on top of thin and flat noodles with a puddle of spicy oil on the bottom. I mixed it all up and was pleasantly surprised with the final product.
Dan Dan Noodles at Noodleverse
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This popular West Town spot recently opened a South Loop location. I've featured Chengdu Bistro before and I frequent it regularly as one of my go-to spots for takeout. Sichuan style noodle dishes are the star of the show and while I wouldn't list the Dan Dan among their best options I still get it regularly. It comes in two sizes with the small being a true single serving. At around $5 it pairs perfectly with an order of Sichuan string beans and Zhong's Dumplings. The noodles are on the soft side and it's not super spicy but the oil and the pork have good flavor and the bok choy adds a contrasting texture.
Dan Dan Noodles at Chengdu Bistro
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Bridgeport continues to see a surge in Chinese restaurants up and down Halsted street. SzeChuan Alley opened over a year ago and I stopped in to try the Dan Dan Mian ($15.95) around the time period when they first opened. I thought their version with thinner and slightly soft noodles topped with dark browned pork mixed with chopped peanuts and lettuce was a hit but more like a single or a double than a home run. The little puddle of chili slicked oil on the bottom could've been spicier and the noodles were softer than I like but it still hit the spot in a way that Dan Dan almost always does.
Dan Dan Noodles at SzeChuan Alley
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Min's Noodle House
We'll stay in Bridgeport and head a bit further south down Halsted to get to our next spot - Min's Noodle House. This place is one of the elder Chinese spots on the block having opened almost ten years ago. As the name suggests the noodle dishes at Min's are front and center with options like their signature Chunking Noodles with your choice of toppings being very popular, as are the Dan Dan Noodles ($11.95). The Dan Dan are unique in that it's loaded with a pork mix that's wetter than most plus lots of lettuce. The noodles are thin and soft and there's a noticeable amount of peanut flavor in the sauce mix at the bottom. Not sure how I feel about the lettuce as it tends to get wet and becomes texturally unpleasing. It's not the spiciest version but you can amp it up upon request.
Dan Dan Noodles at Min's Noodle House
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YooYee
This Sichuan restaurant in Uptown on Broadway became a popular spot right out of the gate when it opened last year. People including myself flocked to YooYee for their spicy braised beef brisket noodle soup made with hand pulled noodles which are very good. The Dan Dan ($16) isn't quite as good but that's not to say you shouldn't try it. I just didn't think it was as well made as the brisket soup. Their Dan Dan is made with a much thinner egg noodle and its a drier version meaning there's no broth. The pork was a bit too dry and the texture was rather monotoned without any peanuts or bok choy. But the sauce on the bottom had a good spice to it and it clings to the noodles nicely.
Dan Dan Noodles at YooYee
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Chef's Special
Chef's Special is different from all the previous spots on this list so it's only fitting that their Dan Dan is too. The term "Chef Driven" is overplayed but that's exactly what Chef's Special is. The menu is an ode to the Chinese food that Chef Jason Vincent grew up eating in Northeast Ohio as seen through his culinary lens which also gave us the critically acclaimed Giant in Logan Square. At Chef's Special in Bucktown the Dan Dan Noodles ($17) are unique in a few different ways. They use thick and chewy egg noodles that are stir fried and tossed with a mix of ground pork, sesame paste, peanuts, green onions, and Sichuan peppercorns. The end result is a bowl of steaming hot noodles with great texture and great flavor. You can even personalize it a bit with the trio of sauces that comes with it.
Dan Dan Noodles at Chefs Special
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The Dan Dan at Noodlebird in Logan Square is a recurring special that seems to pop up in the summer months. Pretty much everything is solid at this place and that includes the Dan Dan ($15.00). They use long wheat noodles with minced pork sitting atop a puddle of spicy sesame Sichuan sauce and they give their own touch by garnishing it with yu choy, pickled peppers and shaved cucumbers.
Dan Dan Noodles at Noodlebird
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Lao Peng You
Our final stops takes us to Lao Peng You in Ukrainian Village. This is one of the city's most popular Chinese restaurants outside the Chinatown neighborhood. It's a new school spot that I featured when it first opened. If you ask where to find the best Dan Dan in Chicago odds are at least a few will tell you to go to Lao Peng You. Personally I prefer their dumplings which come swimming in a tangy broth but the Dan Dan ($19) is very good and worth getting when you're craving some noodles. The menu lists chopped pork, spinach, peanuts, soy, sesame, chili oil, brown peppercorns. Upon delivery it looks a bit off with a mound of greens on top but as soon as you mix it all up it starts looking the part.
Dan Dan Noodles at Lao Peng You
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