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Noodles are a serious business in the San Gabriel Valley. But what did you expect when you have an area so diverse with different cultures and cuisines? If you are ready to indulge your taste buds and up your noodle game with Burmese, Taiwanese, Chinese, Vietnamese and even Halal choices, here are 10 noodle dishes you need to try in the SGV.

Bull Demon King Café (Photo by Kristie Hang/LAist) By Kristie Hang

The star noodle dish at Bull Demon King Café is the Taiwanese-style niu rou mian, better known here as the Full House Noodle. The rich broth comes with beef chunks, tendon, and tripe. Patrons are able to customize their desired spiciness level, portion of beef, and type of noodles. You can get the noodles four ways: thin, thick, flat, or glass. I prefer the thick noodles. The thin noodles are similar to skinny ramen noodles. Bull Demon King claims that they use more than 10 different spices to make their broth, which is then in turn brewed for over 12 hours.

FYI: For fans of competitive eating, Bull Demon King Café offers a Hell Style Beef Challenge. Competitors must finish every drop of the Hell Style Beef Noodles within 30 minutes to win a T-shirt and their picture on the wall. If you don’t make it, the bowl of noodles will put you back $20.99. It’s cash only for the Temple City location and there is a $25 minimum for credit card usage at the Diamond Bar location.

Bull Demon King Café is located at 5953 Temple City Boulevard in Temple City, (626) 286-4788, and at 1155 South Diamond Bar Boulevard in Diamond Bar, (909) 718-9877.

Molokhia Leaf noodles (Photo by Kristie Hang/LAist) GREEN ZONE

Organic and healthy, my favorite noodles at Green Zone are their Molokhia Leaf noodles. They are $2 extra and taste similar to spinach noodles. I like to order either the beef soba or wonton noodles and replace the original noodles with the Molokhia ones. The green noodles are made from Molokhia leaf, which is a leaf used frequently in Egyptian cooking and is packed with lots of vitamins.

FYI: Make sure to order a bottomless Passionfruit Ice Tea. You can thank me later.

Green Zone is located at 534 East Valley Boulevard in San Gabriel, (626) 288-9300.

Dai Ho (Photo by Clarissa Wei) DAI HO

Exclusivity at its finest, Dai Ho is only open for 3 ½ hours each day from Tuesday through Sunday. Although their Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup is the restaurant’s namesake, it’s the minced meat dry noodles that is deserving of the spotlight. The chewy dry noodles are mixed with marinated ground pork and chili oil, and then topped with freshly diced scallions. FYI: Cash only

Dai Ho is located at 9148 Las Tunas Drive in Temple City, (626) 291-2295.

Mohinga (Photo by Kristie Hang/LAist) DAW YEE

Mohinga aka Catfish Chowder is widely accepted as Myanmar's National Dish. It is an extremely delectable noodle soup filled with catfish, lemongrass, vegetables, and eggs that will leave you wanting to order another bowl. Although Monhinga is often eaten as breakfast in Burma, I assure you that it tastes amazing as lunch and dinner as well.

Daw Yee Myanmar Café is located at 111 North Rural Drive in Monterey Park, (626) 573-8080.

JTYH (Photo by Kristie Hang/LAist) JTYH

JTYH touts Shanxi-style knife shaved noodles. The must-order noodle dish here is their knife-cut Mooshu Cat Ears. No, they’re not actual cat ears. The ‘ears’ from JTYH are oval, shell-shaped pasta that is cooked to a doughy consistency then stir-fried with garlic and cabbage in a scramble egg and pork mix. It’s like having an omelette and noodles all in one.

JTYH Restaurant is located at 9425 Valley Boulevard in Rosemead, (626) 442-8999.

Tasty Noodle House (Photo by Kristie Hang/LAist) TASTY NOODLE HOUSE

Tasty Noodle House is a tiny shop made up of only 6-7 tables. They are known for their noodles, soups and dumplings. All the noodles from Tasty Noodle House are fresh, handmade and well, tasty, but the pork belly noodle soup is definitely worth a try. The broth has a thick, starchy consistency and is laden with pork belly slices and veggies. The pork they use is tender and not too fatty. Plus the noodles are very chewy and filling. FYI: it's cash only.

Tasty Noodle House is located at 827 West Las Tunas Drive in San Gabriel, (626) 284-8898.

Spicy sweet potato noodles from Flavor Garden (Photo by Kristie Hang/LAist) FLAVOR GARDEN

An impeccable juxtaposition of flavors, the suan la fen aka spicy sweet potato noodles at Flavor Garden is made of sweet potato flour noodles paired with a hearty broth topped with peanuts, fried soy beans, chili, cilantro and other spices. Don’t worry though, the soup isn’t as spicy as it looks. The sweet potato noodles soak up the soup to give each bite a delicious, chewy punch of flavor.

Flavor Garden is located at 1269 East Valley Boulevard in Alhambra, (626) 284-3549.

HP Pho Ga Bac Ninh (Photo by Kristie Hang/LAist) HP PHO GA BAC NINH

HP Pho Ga Bac Ninh specializes in free-range chicken. Their star noodle dish is their chicken pho, which comes with a unique ginger-dipping sauce made with lots of minced ginger, vinegar and fish sauce. The chicken is juicy and tender. You can choose between dark or white meat, more or less chicken skin. The chicken pho broth is made with fresh chicken stock, tastes light and healthy, and contains no MSG. FYI: It's cash only.

HP Pho Ga Bac Ninh is located at 8930 Mission Drive in Rosemead, (626) 288-9999.

Lamb noodles (Photo by Kristie Hang/LAist) OMAR'S XINJIANG HALAL RESTAURANT

Due to the sizeable Muslim population in China, many Chinese restaurants serve Chinese Islamic/Halal cuisine. Omar's in San Gabriel is one of those restaurants. With only 8 tables, prepare to wait a bit for a seat. The lamb hand-pulled noodles are made fresh daily and not cooked until you order it. With a texture similar to Japanese udon, the freshly made lamb noodles are topped with a mixture of stir-fried celery, lamb, tomatoes, and onions. Don’t worry about the bright red sauce. The dish is not spicy at all. FYI: it's cash only.

Omar’s Xinjiang Halal Restaurant is located at 1718 New Avenue in San Gabriel, (626) 570-9778.

Dan Dan Noodles (Photo by Carmen To) CHUAN MA

You really can’t go wrong with any of the noodle dishes at Chuan Ma, but the dan dan noodles are on the top of my list. Each bowl of dan dan mian is topped with peanut sauce, crushed peanuts, chilies, ground pork, and freshly chopped scallions giving each bite a creamy, spicy kick! You have the option to customize the desired spiciness of your noodles. The sky’s the limit! FYI: It's cash only.

Chuan Ma Noodle House is located at 18438 Colima Road in Rowland Heights, (626) 888-6318.

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