Boston's Top 5 Spots For Slurp-Worthy Noodles

BOSTON (Hoodline) - Craving noodles? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top noodle spots in Boston, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best spots to venture next time you're on the hunt.

1. Le's Vietnamese Resturant

Topping the list is Le's Vietnamese Resturant. Noodle lovers will find varieties of phở, from rare eye round to meatballs to seafood. There are vermicelli bowls topped with the likes of grilled meat and crispy spring rolls. There are also stir-fried noodle dishes, including Pad Thai. Non-noodle dishes include meat or veggies with rice and caramelized fish. Located at 137 Brighton Ave. in Allston, it is the highest rated noodle spot in Boston, boasting four stars out of 622 reviews on Yelp.

2. Santouka Back Bay

Next up is Back Bay's Santouka Back Bay, situated at 66 Hereford St. With locations in both Japan and overseas, the chain makes ramen in a variety of styles, including miso, salt and pork, and serves it in distinctive blue bowls. Sides include gyoza, soft-boiled egg and negimeshi, a dish of hot white rice topped with katsuobushi (smoked and fermented tuna), nori and diced green onions. With four stars out of 363 reviews on Yelp, it has proven to be a local favorite.

3. Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe

Downtown Crossing's Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe, located at 86 Bedford St., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving it four stars out of 279 reviews. Owner Gene Wu is a native of Xi'an, capital of China's Shaanxi province. Hand-pulled noodles are the specialty of the house; find them in soups, with grilled meats, or served cold with vegetables and cilantro. There are also stews (lamb, pork intestine) and a hot-and-sour dumpling soup.

4. MDM Noodles

MDM Noodles is another go-to, with four stars out of 168 Yelp reviews. Encounter its hand-pulled noodles in such contexts as spicy hot pots, meat or seafood soups, and stir-fried with spicy lamb or beef and scallions. You can also get the hot pots and soups without noodles, or order from a list of appetizers that includes barbecue lamb kebab, black fungus with mashed garlic, and a spicy cumin lamb burger. Head over to 351 Washington St. in Brighton to see for yourself.

5. MIDA

Finally, over in South End, check out MIDA, which has earned four stars out of 131 reviews on Yelp. Instead of Asian noodles, MIDA does it Italian style. Think lobster scampi with linguine, porchetta ravioli and spaghetti carbonara. Every Monday, you can get all-you-can-eat pasta with a salad and bread. There are non-noodle dishes, too, like Faroe Island salmon, roasted chicken and a roasted beet salad. You can find it at 782 Tremont St.