In soup, curries, or stir fries, there’s something really satisfying about chomping on a good, springy noodle. And while pasta gets a lot of love, this week we’re getting touched by his noodley appendage. Below our writers run down their favorite Asian noodles, from flat, wide rice noodles to curly, chewy ramen.

Tallarín Zhen Fe (rice noodles with egg, tomato, and black garlic) at China Chilcano. (Alicia Mazzara)

TOM YUM NOODLE SOUP AT BAAN THAI: From the exterior, it’s hard to tell that Tsunami Sushi also happens to serve some of the best Thai food in D.C., but climb the stairs and you’ll find, in addition to sashimi and California rolls, a menu of Thai dishes full of spice and surprise (and no pad thai in sight!). While it’s difficult to choose a favorite of Baan Thai’s noodle offerings, the tom yum noodle soup is an addicting amalgamation of flavor with the power to chase away your winter blues. The soup’s chewy rice noodles are hard to spot at first, hidden as they are beneath slices of roast pork, ground chicken, cilantro and crushed peanuts. Each bite yields new surprises—a burst of chili, a crispy bit of pork skin—and the soup’s rich broth, bright with lime, will have you slurping until the last drop. The tom yum noodle soup is currently listed on the restaurant’s winter specials menu, but here’s hoping it becomes a permanent fixture. —Elizabeth Packer

Baan Thai is located within Tsunami Sushi, 1326 14th Street NW, on the second floor.

DRUNKEN NOODLES FROM BEAU THAI: It was my love of a good pun that first drew me to this spot’s Shaw location, but it’s the drunken noodles that keep me going back for more. Turns out that this spicy noodle dish isn’t even originally Thai, but actually a Chinese-inspired dish brought over by transplants who were living in Thailand and Laos. Regardless of where it came from, Beau Thai’s take on this classic has substantial kick and a nice mix of fresh veggies. Carnivores can order the noodles with chicken, beef, pork or shrimp, but I’m partial to the fried tofu with its chewy, but firm texture. —Victoria Finkle

Beau Thai is located at 1550 7th Street NW and 3162 Mount Pleasant Street NW.

CHOW FOON AT CHINA BOY: There isn’t much to D.C.’s sad little Chinatown, but China Boy is a bright spot if you love rice noodles. This dingy hole-in-the-wall does most of it’s business making and supplying chewy, fat rice noodles to other area restaurants and markets. The limited menu consists of noodle stir fries (chow foon), noodle soups, and “rice crepes”, a rolled up noodle stuffed with meat or seafood and typically served at dim sum. Grab a generous portion of slightly greasy chow foon to go, dine in at one of the few tables, or take home a batch of plain noodles to cook at home. —Alicia Mazzara

China Boy is located at 815 6th Street NW.

TALLERIN ZHEN FE AT CHINA CHILCANO: I’m always a little wary of elevating comfort food to fine dining, but China Chilcano absolutely nails it with this dish. Fat little tubes of rice noodles are topped with one of the ultimate Chinese homestyle dishes: scrambled eggs and tomato. Fragrant with five spice, garlic, and the scent of a hot, oily wok, the combination is exotic but still manages to be as soothing as a big bowl of pasta. —Alicia Mazzara

China Chilcano is located at 418 7th Street NW.

SHOYU RAMEN AT DAIKAYA: Daikaya is so serious about their noodles that they have them shipped in all the way from Japan. Daikaya specializes in a regional style of ramen common to Sapporo, and the chewy yellow Nishiyama noodles add an extra boost of authenticity, not to mention toothsome texture and delightful slurpability. While the springy noodles are good in any of Daikaya’s soups, I’m partial to pairing them with the deeply-flavored shoyu broth (made with dark soy) and half a soft-boiled egg. —Alicia Mazzara

Daikaya is located at 705 6th Street NW.

SESAME LIANG PI AT PANDA GOURMET: The best Chinese restaurant in DC owes at least some of its success to the hand-pulled noodles that fuel it’s Shaanxi dishes. My favorite of these depends on whatever I’m eating at the moment—the ribbon-like
noodles in the Shaanxi Style Homemade Noodles, the thicker swirls of the Dan Dan Noodles. My current favorite is a variation on the old staple, sesame noodles. Sesame Liang Pi holds back on the spices that usually accompany the dish. But the cold noodles soak up the sesame flavor for a delicious appetizer that won’t burn less adventurous tongues, and it’s a great chaser to go with a roujia mo, their spicy cumin burger. —Pat Padua

Panda Gourmet is located at 2700 New York Avenue NE.

SPICY LEMONGRASS PHO AT PHO VIET: There’s nothing fancy about the décor, service, or atmosphere at Pho Viet (unless you count year-round Christmas lights), so you know the restaurant is surviving on the strength of its food. For an extra $1, you can substitute a spicy lemongrass broth in any of their 13 pho options, including all the regular beef suspects, chicken, shrimp, and vegetarian. It’s lighter and brighter than regular pho broth, and will swiftly clear your sinuses and leave your lips and tongue buzzing with red chili heat, without sacrificing flavor. If it’s your first time trying it, you might want to order your soup “half-spicy,” though I’ve found the difference between “half-spicy” and full throttle is less than a factor of two. —Jenny Holm

Pho Viet is located at 3513 14th Street NW.

FRIED CHICKEN DAN DAN MIEN AT TOKI UNDERGROUND: Toki Underground is of course known for its ramen. However, they do some other pretty interesting things with noodles as well. The Fried Chicken Dan Dan Mien mixes a Chinese spicy noodle dish and Japanese Karaage&mdashbatter-less fried chicken. Crunchy, moist bites of chicken are mixed with chili garlic paste, seasonal pickles, soft egg, and herbs. Egg yolk, seasoning, chili, and vegetal flavors mix together in each bite. This dish is Asian soul food at its best, if you can only keep yourself from ordering the ramen. —Josh Kramer

Toki Underground is located at 1234 H Street NE.

ROCKVILLE BONUS: If you’re serious about Chinese noodles, ditch Chinablock on H Street and get yourself to Rockville where multiple noodle joints—like Joe’s Noodle House, Bob’s Noodle 66, Michael’s Noodle’s—dot the strip malls lining Rockville Pike. — Alicia Mazzara