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A pair of chopsticks hold up noodles in a bowl of ramen at Kayo’s Ramen Bar.
Tantanmen at Kayo’s Ramen Bar.
Nick Woo/Eater Portland

16 Soul-Soothing Noodle Soups in Portland

From ramen to pho, these are the bowls to slurp and sip

by Nick Woo and Brooke Jackson-Glidden Updated
View as Map
Tantanmen at Kayo’s Ramen Bar.
| Nick Woo/Eater Portland
by Nick Woo and Brooke Jackson-Glidden Updated

On cold, wet Portland days, few things are as comforting as a nice, warm bowl of noodle soup. Luckily, there are plenty of standout options in the Rose City to quell chill, thanks to Portland’s wide range of Southeast Asian and Japanese restaurants. From multiple styles of ramen to shrimp cake soup, khao soi to beefy pho, the choices can often feel limitless here.

Representing a range of cuisines and neighborhoods, here are 16 spots where you can get a great bowl of noodle soup. For more noodle soups, feel free to check out our ramen, pho, and vegan noodle soup maps.

Note: Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.

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Tantan Ramen at Kayo's Ramen Bar

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At the airy-yet-comfy Kayo’s Ramen Bar, Kayoko and Matt Kaye bring clear, light assari-style ramen to North Portland. Despite having standards like shoyu, shio, and miso — as well as singular options like curry and mala Sichuan peppercorn — the go-to order here is the tantan ramen, a tasty blend of spicy chile, sesame paste, and savory ground pork. The noodles here are the restaurant’s own, though those who want to up their vegetable intake can swap them for zucchini and daikon, or go for some of each.

3808 N Williams Ave #124, Portland, OR 97227
(503) 477-6016
(503) 477-6016

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Mi Quang at Phở Mekha Restaurant

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Many people who visit Phở Mekha seek out its hủ tiếu nam vang, also known as Phnom Penh noodles — they’re a known favorite of Portland Thai royalty Nong Poonsukwattana. However, one of its sleeper hits is the mi quang, a seafood noodle soup brimming with bright yellow turmeric noodles, shrimp, peanuts, rice crackers polka-dotted with black sesame seeds, and a whole quail egg. The broth’s blend of pork and seafood gives the soup a savory foundation, complemented by the restaurant’s popular garlic condiment.

6846 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97213
(503) 719-4584
(503) 719-4584

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Pho Dac Biet at Pho Oregon Restaurant

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This NE 82nd Avenue spot features a large dining room that is often packed — with good reason. Steaming hot bowls of noodles over rustic-yet-elegant broth are paired with tender beef, toothsome tripe, and melty tendon. Pho Oregon is open for dine in, all within its expansive banquet hall.

2518 NE 82nd Ave, Portland, OR 97220
(503) 262-8816
(503) 262-8816
A bowl of beef pho at Pho Oregon comes with hunks of meatballs, noodles, and thin slices of brisket and tendon.
Pho at Pho Oregon.
Nick Woo/Eater Portland

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Wonton Noodle Soup at Bing Mi Dumpling and Noodle Bar

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There are a few spectacular wonton noodle soups available in this town — the pristine broth of the version at Master Kong, the soulful saltiness of the bowl at Mama Chow’s Kitchen — but we love this Northwest Portland noodle bar’s version, thanks to its deep, flavorful duck broth, handmade wontons, and house-made noodles. Add a side of roasted mushrooms for a boost of earthiness.

2572 NW Vaughn St, Portland, OR 97210
(503) 327-8574
(503) 327-8574

Also featured in:

Crossing the Bridge Noodles at Qiao Noodle House

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This Yunnanese soup is almost like an individual hot pot: Customers receive a cauldron of milky bone broth, accompanied by a pile of springy noodles and several little dishes of vegetables, eggs, meats, and condiments. At Qiao Noodle House, the soup’s broth comes in a variety of flavors, like hot and spicy or mixed mushroom. From there, visitors pick a choice of protein — braised beef, pork intestine — and any optional additions to the wide slate of toppings. From there, diners construct the soup themselves, carefully pouring quail eggs, tofu skins, and corn into the broth. However it’s customized, it is hard to go wrong.

1409 NE Weidler St, Portland, OR 97232
(971) 319-6159
(971) 319-6159

Ba Mhee Phitsanulok at Paadee

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Smack-dab in the middle of one of Portland’s great restaurant rows, Akkapong Earl Ninsom’s casual Thai spot is serving a dish not often seen in Portland restaurants. Featuring crunchy pork belly, slices of pork loin, and pork meatballs in pork broth, ba mhee phitsanulok is a massively pig-heavy, savory-tangy egg noodle soup that’s hard to forget. The addition of crunchy peanuts adds a nice textural contrast to the noodles and pork.

6 SE 28th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 360-1453
(503) 360-1453
A white bowl of Ba Mhee “Pitsanulok,” a noodle soup with meatballs, pork, and chunks of chicken. The bowl is served on a wooden table with a black spoon, with dots of crushed peanuts in the broth.
Ba mhee pitsanulok at Paadee.
Nick Woo/Eater Portland

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Tonkotsu Red at Kinboshi Ramen

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This Southeast Ankeny ramen shop is perhaps best known for its lipstick-red tonkotsu, supremely rich with a hearty pork broth and thick hunks of chashu. The heat of chiles is calmed by the creaminess of the broth, but you’ll still leave with a runny nose. The menma, or marinated bamboo, is particularly nice here — it’s worth ordering a little extra.

609 SE Ankeny St A, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 894-9021
(503) 894-9021

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Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen at Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya

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Portlanders no longer need to drive out to the western suburbs to visit this ramen spot. The Portland Food Hall location of Kizuki serves its stellar garlic tonkotsu, a 16-hour pork broth topped with a jammy soft-boiled egg, a thin slice of chashu, menma, bean sprouts, and nori, with tender, hand-massaged noodles. It’s Kizuki’s most popular noodle soup for a reason.

827 SW 2nd Ave, Portland, OR 97204
(855) 253-5825
(855) 253-5825

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Khao Soi at Rukdiew Cafe

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This pink-hued Belmont Thai restaurant serves flower-topped cocktails and pad thai tangled with soft-shell crab, but Rukdiew’s khao soi — a Northern Thai coconut-based soup with an earthy spice blend, plenty of shallots, and a crown of fried noodles — has leapt in front of the pack when it comes to some of the city’s great versions of the dish. It’s the balanced nature of the broth that really sets it apart, chiles intermingling with turmeric and coriander, accentuated by the recurring note of alliums. It’s best to order it with the whole chicken leg, fall-apart tender chicken floating among egg noodles and cilantro, though Rukdiew also offers versions with sliced chicken breast, pork, tofu, and even soy curls.

2534 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 841-6123
(503) 841-6123

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Yuzu Shio Ramen at Afuri

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The CEO of Tokyo-based ramen shop Afuri famously said the company chose to open its first US location in Portland because the pH of the water is closest to that of Mount Afuri. Thanks to that detail-oriented choice, refreshing yuzu-shio ramen with tender marinated pork belly, chewy noodles, and bright soft boiled egg is now a Stumptown staple. Enjoy the light, crisp, citrusy chicken broth in the large, sleek dining room, or along the bar where you watch the cooks making gyoza or skewers.

923 SE 7th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 468-5001
(503) 468-5001
A ramen bowl at Afuri with a soft-boiled egg, chashu pork, and a piece of nori.
Yuzu shio ramen at Afuri.
Nick Woo/Eater Portland

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Ba Mhee Tom Yum at Khao Moo Dang

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While the namesake pork-and-rice dish at this Hawthorne restaurant is always a stunner, Khao Moo Dang’s wide swath of noodle soups can steal the show on any given visit. The ba mhee tom yum, in particular, is the best of several different worlds in a single bowl — it has the sour-sweetness of a tom yum base, the thinly sliced pork loin and crispy pork belly of the khao moo dang, and the thin, squiggly egg noodles of a wonton soup. For something a little more coconut-y, the ba mhee tom kha is another fun alternative.

3145 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 206-6838
(503) 206-6838

Also featured in:

Hủ Tiếu Sa Tế Bò at Jin Jin Deli

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This Vietnamese-Chinese deli off Southeast 82nd Street is known for this nutty, savory beef noodle soup, grounded with a foundation of alliums and five-spice. A pile of fresh herbs, bean sprouts, and greens add a crunch and brightness that plays off the earthy notes in the broth, ribbons of thick rice noodle weaving throughout. Even a few steps from Teo, it’s likely the best noodle soup available in that talent-packed complex.

8220 SE Harrison St #138, Portland, OR 97216
(503) 774-8899
(503) 774-8899

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Yukgaejang at Chungdam Korean Fusion

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In a Powell shopping center home to a Winco and Korean barbecue standby, Chungdam Korean Fusion is a popular spot for spicy, comforting Korean soups like budae jjigae and jeongol. While any on the menu would satisfy, the shop’s yukgaejang is a particular highlight, thanks to its rich, beefy broth bolstered with shiitakes and gosari. It’s available with glass noodles or as a ramen jeongol, instant noodles tenderizing among a bobbing mass of vegetables.

7901 SE Powell Blvd. Suite# A1, Portland, OR 97206
(503) 206-4515
(503) 206-4515

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Shrimp Cake Soup at Rose VL Deli

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No list of Portland noodle soups would be complete without Christina Ha Luu’s brilliant stable of delicious Vietnamese soups. At both Rose VL and sister restaurant Ha VL, a rotating schedule of noodle soups thrill customers daily. On Fridays, the restaurant’s shrimp cake soup coats your mouth with umami-laden broth, while hunks of tomatoes, shrimp cake, Vietnamese ham, and a pile of herbs mingle in the bowl. However, any visit to Rose VL is going to involve some form of exceptional noodle soup — even if it isn’t on Friday.

6424 SE Powell Blvd, Portland, OR 97206
(503) 206-4344
(503) 206-4344

Also featured in:

Bún Bò Huế at Bún Bò Huế Restaurant

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For spice lovers, bún bò huế is an obvious favorite in the vast Vietnamese noodle soup canon, and in Portland, it’s hard to find a better version than the one at Bún Bò Huế Restaurant. The balance of savory beef and pork with lemongrass in the broth gives it incredible depth, only compounded by the congealed blood that arrives in the soup. A pile of fresh greens and herbs adds a nice touch of brightness, especially when finished with a squeeze of lime.

7002 SE 82nd Ave, Portland, OR 97266
(503) 771-1141
(503) 771-1141

Also featured in:

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Beef Noodle Soup at Wei Wei - A Taste Of Taiwan

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Nestled between a nail salon and a convenience store, Sellwood’s small and quaint Wei Wei serves thick, hand-pulled noodles and tender braised beef in a brooding, savory broth. Pickled mustard greens add a touch of lovely acidity, which keeps the dish balanced. The result is a super savory, ultra-satisfying bowl that is not to be missed.

7835 SE 13th Ave #102, Portland, OR 97202
(503) 946-1732
(503) 946-1732
A bowl of beef noodle soup from Wei Wei in Portland, topped with mustard greens and green onions.
Beef noodle soup at Wei Wei.
Nick Woo/Eater Portland

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Tantan Ramen at Kayo's Ramen Bar

3808 N Williams Ave #124, Portland, OR 97227

At the airy-yet-comfy Kayo’s Ramen Bar, Kayoko and Matt Kaye bring clear, light assari-style ramen to North Portland. Despite having standards like shoyu, shio, and miso — as well as singular options like curry and mala Sichuan peppercorn — the go-to order here is the tantan ramen, a tasty blend of spicy chile, sesame paste, and savory ground pork. The noodles here are the restaurant’s own, though those who want to up their vegetable intake can swap them for zucchini and daikon, or go for some of each.

3808 N Williams Ave #124, Portland, OR 97227
(503) 477-6016
(503) 477-6016

Mi Quang at Phở Mekha Restaurant

6846 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97213

Many people who visit Phở Mekha seek out its hủ tiếu nam vang, also known as Phnom Penh noodles — they’re a known favorite of Portland Thai royalty Nong Poonsukwattana. However, one of its sleeper hits is the mi quang, a seafood noodle soup brimming with bright yellow turmeric noodles, shrimp, peanuts, rice crackers polka-dotted with black sesame seeds, and a whole quail egg. The broth’s blend of pork and seafood gives the soup a savory foundation, complemented by the restaurant’s popular garlic condiment.

6846 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97213
(503) 719-4584
(503) 719-4584

Pho Dac Biet at Pho Oregon Restaurant

2518 NE 82nd Ave, Portland, OR 97220

This NE 82nd Avenue spot features a large dining room that is often packed — with good reason. Steaming hot bowls of noodles over rustic-yet-elegant broth are paired with tender beef, toothsome tripe, and melty tendon. Pho Oregon is open for dine in, all within its expansive banquet hall.

2518 NE 82nd Ave, Portland, OR 97220
(503) 262-8816
(503) 262-8816
A bowl of beef pho at Pho Oregon comes with hunks of meatballs, noodles, and thin slices of brisket and tendon.
Pho at Pho Oregon.
Nick Woo/Eater Portland

Wonton Noodle Soup at Bing Mi Dumpling and Noodle Bar

2572 NW Vaughn St, Portland, OR 97210

There are a few spectacular wonton noodle soups available in this town — the pristine broth of the version at Master Kong, the soulful saltiness of the bowl at Mama Chow’s Kitchen — but we love this Northwest Portland noodle bar’s version, thanks to its deep, flavorful duck broth, handmade wontons, and house-made noodles. Add a side of roasted mushrooms for a boost of earthiness.

2572 NW Vaughn St, Portland, OR 97210
(503) 327-8574
(503) 327-8574

Crossing the Bridge Noodles at Qiao Noodle House

1409 NE Weidler St, Portland, OR 97232

This Yunnanese soup is almost like an individual hot pot: Customers receive a cauldron of milky bone broth, accompanied by a pile of springy noodles and several little dishes of vegetables, eggs, meats, and condiments. At Qiao Noodle House, the soup’s broth comes in a variety of flavors, like hot and spicy or mixed mushroom. From there, visitors pick a choice of protein — braised beef, pork intestine — and any optional additions to the wide slate of toppings. From there, diners construct the soup themselves, carefully pouring quail eggs, tofu skins, and corn into the broth. However it’s customized, it is hard to go wrong.

1409 NE Weidler St, Portland, OR 97232
(971) 319-6159
(971) 319-6159

Ba Mhee Phitsanulok at Paadee

6 SE 28th Ave, Portland, OR 97214

Smack-dab in the middle of one of Portland’s great restaurant rows, Akkapong Earl Ninsom’s casual Thai spot is serving a dish not often seen in Portland restaurants. Featuring crunchy pork belly, slices of pork loin, and pork meatballs in pork broth, ba mhee phitsanulok is a massively pig-heavy, savory-tangy egg noodle soup that’s hard to forget. The addition of crunchy peanuts adds a nice textural contrast to the noodles and pork.

6 SE 28th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 360-1453
(503) 360-1453
A white bowl of Ba Mhee “Pitsanulok,” a noodle soup with meatballs, pork, and chunks of chicken. The bowl is served on a wooden table with a black spoon, with dots of crushed peanuts in the broth.
Ba mhee pitsanulok at Paadee.
Nick Woo/Eater Portland

Tonkotsu Red at Kinboshi Ramen

609 SE Ankeny St A, Portland, OR 97214

This Southeast Ankeny ramen shop is perhaps best known for its lipstick-red tonkotsu, supremely rich with a hearty pork broth and thick hunks of chashu. The heat of chiles is calmed by the creaminess of the broth, but you’ll still leave with a runny nose. The menma, or marinated bamboo, is particularly nice here — it’s worth ordering a little extra.

609 SE Ankeny St A, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 894-9021
(503) 894-9021

Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen at Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya

827 SW 2nd Ave, Portland, OR 97204

Portlanders no longer need to drive out to the western suburbs to visit this ramen spot. The Portland Food Hall location of Kizuki serves its stellar garlic tonkotsu, a 16-hour pork broth topped with a jammy soft-boiled egg, a thin slice of chashu, menma, bean sprouts, and nori, with tender, hand-massaged noodles. It’s Kizuki’s most popular noodle soup for a reason.

827 SW 2nd Ave, Portland, OR 97204
(855) 253-5825
(855) 253-5825

Khao Soi at Rukdiew Cafe

2534 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR 97214

This pink-hued Belmont Thai restaurant serves flower-topped cocktails and pad thai tangled with soft-shell crab, but Rukdiew’s khao soi — a Northern Thai coconut-based soup with an earthy spice blend, plenty of shallots, and a crown of fried noodles — has leapt in front of the pack when it comes to some of the city’s great versions of the dish. It’s the balanced nature of the broth that really sets it apart, chiles intermingling with turmeric and coriander, accentuated by the recurring note of alliums. It’s best to order it with the whole chicken leg, fall-apart tender chicken floating among egg noodles and cilantro, though Rukdiew also offers versions with sliced chicken breast, pork, tofu, and even soy curls.

2534 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 841-6123
(503) 841-6123

Yuzu Shio Ramen at Afuri

923 SE 7th Ave, Portland, OR 97214

The CEO of Tokyo-based ramen shop Afuri famously said the company chose to open its first US location in Portland because the pH of the water is closest to that of Mount Afuri. Thanks to that detail-oriented choice, refreshing yuzu-shio ramen with tender marinated pork belly, chewy noodles, and bright soft boiled egg is now a Stumptown staple. Enjoy the light, crisp, citrusy chicken broth in the large, sleek dining room, or along the bar where you watch the cooks making gyoza or skewers.

923 SE 7th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 468-5001
(503) 468-5001
A ramen bowl at Afuri with a soft-boiled egg, chashu pork, and a piece of nori.
Yuzu shio ramen at Afuri.
Nick Woo/Eater Portland

Ba Mhee Tom Yum at Khao Moo Dang

3145 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214

While the namesake pork-and-rice dish at this Hawthorne restaurant is always a stunner, Khao Moo Dang’s wide swath of noodle soups can steal the show on any given visit. The ba mhee tom yum, in particular, is the best of several different worlds in a single bowl — it has the sour-sweetness of a tom yum base, the thinly sliced pork loin and crispy pork belly of the khao moo dang, and the thin, squiggly egg noodles of a wonton soup. For something a little more coconut-y, the ba mhee tom kha is another fun alternative.

3145 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 206-6838
(503) 206-6838

Hủ Tiếu Sa Tế Bò at Jin Jin Deli

8220 SE Harrison St #138, Portland, OR 97216

This Vietnamese-Chinese deli off Southeast 82nd Street is known for this nutty, savory beef noodle soup, grounded with a foundation of alliums and five-spice. A pile of fresh herbs, bean sprouts, and greens add a crunch and brightness that plays off the earthy notes in the broth, ribbons of thick rice noodle weaving throughout. Even a few steps from Teo, it’s likely the best noodle soup available in that talent-packed complex.

8220 SE Harrison St #138, Portland, OR 97216
(503) 774-8899
(503) 774-8899

Yukgaejang at Chungdam Korean Fusion

7901 SE Powell Blvd. Suite# A1, Portland, OR 97206

In a Powell shopping center home to a Winco and Korean barbecue standby, Chungdam Korean Fusion is a popular spot for spicy, comforting Korean soups like budae jjigae and jeongol. While any on the menu would satisfy, the shop’s yukgaejang is a particular highlight, thanks to its rich, beefy broth bolstered with shiitakes and gosari. It’s available with glass noodles or as a ramen jeongol, instant noodles tenderizing among a bobbing mass of vegetables.

7901 SE Powell Blvd. Suite# A1, Portland, OR 97206
(503) 206-4515
(503) 206-4515

Shrimp Cake Soup at Rose VL Deli

6424 SE Powell Blvd, Portland, OR 97206

No list of Portland noodle soups would be complete without Christina Ha Luu’s brilliant stable of delicious Vietnamese soups. At both Rose VL and sister restaurant Ha VL, a rotating schedule of noodle soups thrill customers daily. On Fridays, the restaurant’s shrimp cake soup coats your mouth with umami-laden broth, while hunks of tomatoes, shrimp cake, Vietnamese ham, and a pile of herbs mingle in the bowl. However, any visit to Rose VL is going to involve some form of exceptional noodle soup — even if it isn’t on Friday.

6424 SE Powell Blvd, Portland, OR 97206
(503) 206-4344
(503) 206-4344

Bún Bò Huế at Bún Bò Huế Restaurant

7002 SE 82nd Ave, Portland, OR 97266

For spice lovers, bún bò huế is an obvious favorite in the vast Vietnamese noodle soup canon, and in Portland, it’s hard to find a better version than the one at Bún Bò Huế Restaurant. The balance of savory beef and pork with lemongrass in the broth gives it incredible depth, only compounded by the congealed blood that arrives in the soup. A pile of fresh greens and herbs adds a nice touch of brightness, especially when finished with a squeeze of lime.

7002 SE 82nd Ave, Portland, OR 97266
(503) 771-1141
(503) 771-1141

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Beef Noodle Soup at Wei Wei - A Taste Of Taiwan

7835 SE 13th Ave #102, Portland, OR 97202

Nestled between a nail salon and a convenience store, Sellwood’s small and quaint Wei Wei serves thick, hand-pulled noodles and tender braised beef in a brooding, savory broth. Pickled mustard greens add a touch of lovely acidity, which keeps the dish balanced. The result is a super savory, ultra-satisfying bowl that is not to be missed.

7835 SE 13th Ave #102, Portland, OR 97202
(503) 946-1732
(503) 946-1732
A bowl of beef noodle soup from Wei Wei in Portland, topped with mustard greens and green onions.
Beef noodle soup at Wei Wei.
Nick Woo/Eater Portland

Related Maps