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I had heard about this place from a lot of my colleagues who know I love real Chinese food. I wasn't disappointed. My first time I had the Fried Cutting Noodles with Seafood (shrimp and bay scallops) and Fried Dragging Noodles with Lamb. Absolutely amazing!
I actually came back a second time, ordered the Fried Dragging Noodles with Lamb again, but felt I should explore the menu more and I got the Dragging Noodles with Char Siu and some Pork Dumplings. Again everything was great.
I will have to add this to my Vancouver line-up.
I've waited so long to review this because I seem to keep trying it and hoping I will like it better the next time. I'm going to be honest, I don't like this restaurant and like it less than Peaceful, which doesn't thrill me either!
Sure, the noodles are good, but service is bad and everything tastes bland, no matter what I order. I think I've had my limit as far as visiting this place goes! It may be that I don't have enough time to decipher the menu as it's huge, but I've tried to pick from every different category over the years and all have been duds to my taste buds...meh!
Onward!
Listed in: West Broadway (Fairview/Mt.…
Maybe it's just the dish I ordered, but I don't understand why everyone loves this place soooo much. The noodles I had were thick, tasted like slightly undercooked dough, and the broth I had was very very bland. I really don't want to come back even though my boyfriend loved it and says his dish was much better.
I might go back some time, but not likely with all the other great choices in the city.
Decor is extremely plain and forgettable, but not the real reason why we were there. Service is of a typical Chinese restaurant, must raise arm and wave a bit shy of a madman for service. It comes with the whole experience of the atmosphere.
The noodles are extremely fresh. Yum. However, when all six of us had ordered, two of us had orders that were close to what we really wanted. Both of us had asked for dragging noodles, but both ended up with cut noodles instead, even though the server insisted they were dragging noodles. No, I don't think so.
Otherwise, I would go again.
I'll make this chop chop, unlike the service we got tonight.
-Cutting noodles, cucumber and pork - meh, the noodles were a bit underdone and while I love cucumber, this dish just didn't do it for me.
-Dumplings with pork and bok choy - alright
-Dragging noodles with vegetables and tofu - oh yeah! Winner! And the reason for three stars!
Lingering questions: is it standard issue to have to get up to pay? When you ask for leftovers to be taken home why did they only give us part of your food? And why won't anyone fill up my tea? Okay, rant done.
I'd go in for take away, those dragging noodles were that incredible, but to stay and eat, I think I'll be heading to Peaceful.
Listed in: Casual Fare, A Halfer's Guide to Asian…, That Hole in the Wall, Vancouver's Cheap Eats, Noodling it up in Vancouver
Good home-made food!
The noodle portion is a bit small, but the taste is great!
Lots of good northern Chinese style food; noodles, buns, etc.
Good appertizers dishes as well.
As always, remember you go to a chinese resturant for food, and not really for the service...keep that in mind...
Worth the money, go give it try!!
Close but Nooooooooooo NOODLE!
The Pork Black Bean & Dragging noodle dish was as limp as the cucumbers that surrounded it. The meat reminded me of Chef Boyrdee, and the black beans... Where? Not even a hint of BB flavour.
I thought the dumplings could have used a quick toss in a pan, but they were pretty damn good nonetheless. Perhaps some advice on how to mix up a dipping sauce would have helped the situation? My Whiteness was painfully noticeable at this point. A dash of the hot red stuff, and a blob of the black stuff, and why not a little soy? Yikes.
Service was lame and I was not happy about leaving a tip. However, I did, and will likely pass on a return visit unless I have an experienced guide.
I love this menu. If you crave it, and it has noodles, Sha Lin has it.
My favourite is the spicy beef cutting noodles, although most of the hand made noodle dishes are a step above what you'd find at most noodle houses. The green onion pancakes are always a hit. But without a doubt, the veggie pan fried dumplings, which I'll gladly cross the bridge of Cambie for. They're huge, and if you can't finish them, will make you the envy of your office lunch table the next day. No frills, prices are good, and you can watch the various noodles being made through a glass portal into noodle land.
Smallish restaurant. I wouldn't advise going with a group larger than six. Four is ideal, and perfect for sharing. People seem to really love this place and it can be quite busy at times. A line-up crowd often forms while the restaurant next door remains completely empty and silent.
The only problems I have with Sha Lin is the git-yer-own-drink-from the-fridge-at-the-front and get-up-yourself-and-stand-awkwardly-by-the-cashier payment method, and the fact that they close WAAY too early. I've been denied a to-go order of dumplings well before 9pm.
I have been addicted to this place for some time now. Even when i lived in Calgary and would be sent to Vancouver for work, and i had very little time to rest, i would order take out and drive from the airport and back just to get my fix.
I always order the same thing, The fried cutting noodles with veg and tofu. I have ventured into the curry flavored ones to spice things up but i still like the original ones better. It is oily and i am not sure if it msg free (places usually pride themselves on it i find) but i think it may be the garlic that gets me. Lots of fresh vegetables, and nice pieces of tofu for my protein fix.
I have tried the green onion pancake and found it a little boring and oliy of course. I also ordered the pan fried dumplings which are massive and much more reasonable if ordered for parties larger then 2.
I usually leave here with left overs, as it is still good the next day.
Side note: my friend ordered the chicken soup cutting noodles and did not like the meat at all.
I love this restaurant. Good value, great food, and clean-ish for a hole in the wall. The pan fried dumplings (crispy deliciousness) and the cutting noodles are my fav (I tend not to eat pasta b/c I think it's tasteless filler food, but here I love it). Both options are a great entry level drug into asian food (for those of you with picky eater friends). The pan fried are only available at dinner time (busiest- usually a wait) but their food is great to go if you want to eat elsewhere.
Mmm carby deliciousness.
Listed in: Life Altering Items, Best Hole in the Wall, Family Stylin' it!
Sha lin has charm, taste and it will get you great bang for your buck! the noodles are made right in front of you and as fresh as they can get. the washroom is nothing to boast about, could use a reno, but i'm willing to forget about how stinky the washroom is since the food is to die for. the soups are in a bland broth. They are basically vegetables thrown into a bowl of hot water, but if you've got a cold comming this will knock your sniffles out of your system and boost you. love the place, will always go back for more.
Forget Shalin, go down the street to Peaceful Restaurant instead.
Shalin is overrated. Food is ok, service is poor, and the environment / decorations are not nice.
My husband and I did a quick spurt of counseling across the road and, angry or not, Sha Lin Noodle House was always on the menu for that evening.
I love that you can watch your noodles being freshly rolled and cut by hand. Some dishes are a slight miss but anything black bean is quite yummy and the cutting noodles are heavenly!!! I'm not a fan of the salty plum drink. It's REALLY salty.
I wanted to write a review for this place for the longest time and couldn't find it on Yelp. Today I realized the name is spelt wrong! I always thought was called Shao Lin, but it is Sha Lin (which is wrong, it should have an "o"). Anyways, we ordered:
1. Curry Pulling Noodles - It is a dry curry dish, very different than the Indian curry. But really good, chewy and flavourful.
2. Cumin Lamb Kabob - My fav!! Don't even think it is on the menu. You have to ask for it. Peaceful has it too, but not as good.
3. Dry beef cutting noodles - Not bad. A bit greasy though.
4. Pork stir fry - Not bad. Too much starch. Good flavour
5. Pork and chives dumplings - Very authentic. You can tell it is home made and hand made.
I always enjoy my meals at shaLin. Worth the line up.
The biggest beef I have with this place is the horrible, i mean the worst service anywhere. The waitresses were pretty much always rude, never smiles and they make you feel like you are there to bother them. Our tea cups would not be refilled unless you ask for it. Peaceful's wait staff is much more friendlier and chattier.
The noodles are made fresh and you can watch the cooks making them, as there is a big glass window in front of the kitchen. This place used to be our best kept secret, but word on the street has gotten out and there are usually short lineups at dinnertime to get in on these goods. My favourite item is the curry cutting noodles because these are the shorter noodles that you don't need scissors to cut so you can eat them (no joke, they actually provide you with scissors for some of the noodles!) I also like the dumplings, but not the baked bread ones, I like the gyoza-style ones. Also the garlic-fried broccoli is very simple and very good, and the deep fried eggplant dish. We have tried most of the veggie options here and most of them are really good, but those are my favourites. And if you get a chance check out their specialty teas! They are served in very beautiful glasses and are lose leaf, and delicious!
The restaurant is pretty small, and the service is pretty ok. One time they forgot to bring us one of our items and we had to leave because we were running late so they gave us a Chinese calender and took the forgotten item off our bill, which we thought was pretty funny. The staff don't speak English very well, but they can understand it, so even though you have the fear that you will get random things you never ordered, or a dish with meat in it, when you ordered a veggie one, you always get exactly what you asked for.
Listed in: Vancouver Vege-me-tarian.
The best Chinese noodles I've had (but I'm not a connoisseur). You can watch them making the noodles through a glass enclosure around the kitchen area.
I had the dragging noodles soup with BBQ pork & baby bok choy and fried cutting noodles with seafood (shrimp and small scallops). Both dishes were tasty. The soup came with an enormous amount of noodles that I just barely finished. The brown broth was rich and not too salty. The noodles had a nice chewy texture.
I also had the green onion pancake which was nothing to write home about so I'd skip that.
Pretty reasonable noodle place with an enormous selection.
Having just returned from two years in China I'm pretty acquainted with Chinese food. I'm a huge fan of noodles, especially the dry sort. I also love the basics and chaos inherent in Chinese dining. The atmosphere here can be pretty good from that perspective.
The noodles here are mostly authentic with some concessions to the more Chinese-Canadian variety here and there. I love the choice of cut, pulled or pushed noodles.
Oh, and real beer from Beijing if you happen to miss it (it's pretty reasonable in context).
I like the chopping noodle in soup, they started many years ago with the same great noodles but your tea was poured into the cup on your table from across the room, no more long distance tea, WCB or something put a stop to it but the teas are still available. I'm not a big fan of the potsticker dumplings, too much dough to filling but however you want your noodles, fried or in soup this is the cheap eats place to go.
I am not a big fan of noodles but these home-made/hand-made noodles are pretty good. They are thick, doughy and taste like cholesterol accumulation. I definitely wouldn't want to eat them everyday and I have no plans to go back anytime soon but it is worth a try, especially if you are really into noodles, like a noodle connoisseur of some sort.
Quite a few tables had ordered heaping plates of sliced beef covered in cilantro. I used my sherlock skills to discern that whatever this mystery dish was, it was probably good. The dish arrived and it was pretty bad. I'm not sure why everyone had a plate of it, so my recommendation would be to stick with the noodles.
Noodles are good.
Overall a good place to visit.
The Pros-
Great Noodle soup - we had the pulling noodles with beef.
The broth was very good.
Dumplings - Pork and Chive - steamed - flavourful and good!
The prices are reasonable.
Noodles made fresh onsite.
Ellysia Coffee a few doors away :) for that after noodle latte!!
The Cons-
Don't go here for the atmosphere - no waiting area - loud.
A mad scramble for an open table.
Overall - I will return!!
We've been going to this place for a steady two years every time we're up in Vancouver (we live in Seattle)... We started going to Sha Lin similar to another reviewer by seeing it featured on Rachael Ray's $40 per day.
I love the noodles and haven't been able to find anything in Seattle that is nearly as good...the dumplings are delicious too! We also love the eggplant, broccoli, and green beans.. Just writing about it makes me miss it and wish we lived closer!
I took Rachael Ray's advice and decided to try it. I came for the pulled noodles, but ended up liking the texture of the cut noodles the best. I'd never had cut noodles before. The broth was good. My cousin and I enjoyed everything we got (3 dishes between the two of us). We both liked it, but wasn't crazy about anything in particular. I'd go back if I was in the area.
It's small and parking is either on Broadway or in the back alley, then walk through the kitchen to get to the restaurant.
Listed in: Vancouver
I'd passed this place on the bus a few times and it was always packed, so I thought it must have been good, and how right I was!
Brilliant - noodles made right before your eyes. Worth going just to watch the different types of noodles get made. Cheap, authentic, rapid.
I love the food here. Yes, I know the atmosphere is a little startling if you've never been to a real Chinese restaurant before but trust me, you'll adjust. First you will wait in a line-up where people will try to butt ahead. Hold your ground, this is serious business. When you stake your claim sit down immediately - there is still a chance for table piracy.
Order quickly. If you take to long they forget about coming back for quite some time. When your food arrives it will be so amazing you won't care how many elbows to the ribs you've taken or that there's a child crouching under your table. I love the pan friend dumplings, eggplant with tomatoes, fried green beans, noodles... sigh.
Listed in: Hole-in-the-wall Vancouver
This restaurant's decor is nothing to yelp and shout about but the food had me yelping and shouting for days !!!
It is a simple room with white walls a few photos of the food on the walls and tables that clutter the floor. Surprisingly not enough chatter in the background, I guess everyone is in their Utopian land, engrossed in their food which continuously titillates their taste buds with every bite.
Two expert noodle making men stand behind a glass chamber in the far back corner of the room. You can stand and watch their noodle making talent; they make three different types of noodles pulling noodles, pushing noodles and cutting noodles. They make it look so simple.
My friend took me to this restaurant, knowing I would be impressed. He did most of the ordering since I could not understand the menu. Beware - the menu is EXTREMELY complicated and 4 pages long. We ordered their specialty with seafood and the cumin flavored noodle dish with beef. Both were MOUTH WATERING ! The texture and flavor was absolutely perfect. I was craving them for 2 days after. We also ordered the pancakes which were deep fried deliciousness and these massive dumplings stuffed with vegetables. It takes about 30 or so minutes to prepare and cook the dumplings so if you are in a hurry I wouldn't advice ordering them.
The prices are fantastic. 8-10 bucks per plate of noodles and one plate can be shared by two people since the serving sizes are very large.
Apparently Sha Lin attracts a line that goes out the door. When we got there, there were about three other couples ahead of us and the line moved pretty fast.
Enjoy guys ! Hope this was helpful !
I have to agree with Marc D -- Peaceful is better and so close to this place!
I did enjoy my noodle soup here -- I went for the wide cut noodles and BBQ pork, which was sweet and savoury at the same time and very tasty. There was bok choy and carrots in the soup too. They don' t have any spicy soup options, but there is ample hot sauce in a little pot on every table. I actually think that the noodles were tastier at Peaceful.
There is always a line to get in here, and a very, very small waiting area. If the place has any atmosphere, it is that of a cafeteria. There were three servers, but one seemed to do all the hostessing and serving work while the other two just stood around by the cash register. It made the service very rushed -- to the point where the girl doing the lion's share of the work just handed us take-out containers for us to package up our own leftovers.
I would definitely go back to Peaceful over Sha Lin. But maybe I'm just a peace-loving diner.
I still crave the beef cutting noodles like a crack addict on withdrawl. Yes, they are that good and I have intense trouble finding places like this even in San Francisco where I live now.
The dumplings and fried bread with condensed milk are pretty bomb ass as well. Ugh, I have a mad craving for this place now and I'm 3000 miles away. Damn!
There is something addictive about Sha Lin. I love their spicy tofu (not fried) and their dragging noodles. Soups are generally good, too.
I was recently able to buy their frozen dumplings, which means I have to cook even less now!
It can get busy, but they move people in and out fast. If you can't take the wait, I agree with other people here - go to Peaceful down the block towards Cambie.
mmmm sha lin. i love love their dumpings. i have yet to find similar dumplings in my area. the portions were huge! and their hand made noodles were good too. a little greasy but the noodles itself tasted something different from what i've tried before. i had a curry tofu cutting noodles dish and it filled me up quick - enough to sober you up or leftovers for the next day. if you're in a party of 4, you can easily share one order of noodles. and the wifi from nextdoor was realllllllll handy as i didn't want to log on to use 3G since i was getting charged quite a bit for int'l roaming fees..
Watching noodles being made by hand is a pretty good show but the bottom line is that when you're eating them, they're only noodles.
I went with my wife and a couple. We had the soup noodles (not bad) the stir fried curry noodles (pretty good), the green onion pancakes (super good) and the pork dumplings (also super good).
Biggest surprise of the evening, the garlic fried green beans. Tons of garlic and good wok flavor.
The walls were a bit dirty but hey, no one is eating off of the walls right?
I'll be going back when I'm back in BC again.
I'm easily entertained by watching people prepare my food so I like this place for the fancy food preparation technique. The noodles are twisted, tossed, and teased into all shapes and forms before they go flying through the air and into the large vats of grease or soup base where they're cooked into submission.
Taste wise the dishes aren't bad, either.
I'm not sure what all the hype is about Sha Lin. Go a few doors down the street towards Cambie and eat at Peaceful (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...). The texture of the noodles is better at Peaceful in my opinion. The service is friendlier, and they have added menu items like cumin beef on flatbread and lamb dumplings which are both must tries! Walk East only about 5 or 6 doors to Peaceful!
Listed in: Vancouver Chinese Food
Sha Lin's cutting noodles with their unexpected edges and "q-q" texture really are the best, or close to the best, in Vancouver. Having been to China and seen noodle makers at work there, I have to say Sha Lin's noodles are as authentic -- and thankfully more hygienic -- as the real deal served at streetside stalls and restaurants. It's the real deal transplanted to Vancouver.
At Sha Lin you can watch as they prepare all kinds of noodles: flat, cut, round etc. They're very talented and the food tastes delicious. The decor isn't pretty but its clean and the service is efficient. Great place for kids.
Sha Lin is worth the stop, if only for the spectacle of the long, long noodles getting made and tossed about before they land in your dinner bowl. This place tends to be pretty busy, and it's not just for the noodle show; the food, which is your usual Chinese fare, is pretty tasty too!
A great find for hand-made Chinese rice noodles! Love the cutting noodles with curry, and the peking raviolis.
A few of my Asian friends rave about this restaurant, so I decided to give it a try one night. I was not impressed. I ordered the house noodles with vegetables. Apparently, vegetables means a couple pieces of broccoli and some sprouts. The noodles were also drenched in grease. The food, in my opinion was bad. However, it was neat to watch the cook make noodles by hand.
Neighborhood: Fairview Slopes
Neighborhood: West End
Neighborhood: West End
Neighborhood: Fairview Slopes
Neighborhood: Riley Park
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