The northern province of Shanxi, where the mighty Yellow River slices through the Loess Plateau, has long been considered as the heartland of cooked wheaten food in China. And the most famous variant is definitely the knife-cut noodles, aka 刀削面 “Daoxiaomian“.
While strolling through the streets of Taiyuan, I was captivated by a red billboard with the words “Shunliu Sliced Noodles 20th Anniversary” prominently displayed. Shunliu Knife-Cut Noodles 顺溜手工刀削面 started in 2005 by Zheng Yu 郑宇 and three other partners as a 30 m2 small noodle store with only 5 tables near Taiyuan Kaihua Temple.
The restaurant’s decor is simple and bright, and the open kitchen lets you see the chef slicing the noodles. In Sep 2007, this Taiyuan Causeway Bay store opened, heralding the start of the local Chinese fast food chain business model. At that time, there was no fast food restaurant specialising in knife-cut noodles in Taiyuan. From store decoration, staff uniform to packaging and promotion, we can see obvious traces of foreign fast food.
And like all Shanxi native, I prepared my clove of fresh garlic to accompany my bowl of noodles.
Be sure to pour some of their chilli oil – it’s fragrant, not spicy, and super flavourful.
Vinegar is usually fermented from rice, but Shanxi vinegar is made from sorghum, which makes it particularly fragrant and earthy. Every Shanxi native will pour liberal amount of the vinegar onto the noodle which gives it plenty of kick and aids digestion.
Knife-cut noodles, first made during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), is a testament to the region’s rich culinary heritage and its generations of skilled noodle masters. As the name implies, unlike pulled noodles, they are prepared by thinly cutting a block of dough directly into boiling water. In 2008, the technique behind the dish was added to the national list of intangible cultural heritage.
As a chain that locals have been eating since childhood, their noodles were absolutely amazing after just one bite! I ordered a bowl of signature Datong Minced Pork Knife-Cut Noodles 大同非遗肉臊面, and the noodles were smooth and chewy. Achieving this texture requires quality ingredients and precise technique. Shanxi cooks favour hard, high-gluten wheat flour and carefully control water-to-flour ratios. The dough must be firm and elastic so it can be shaved thinly and hold its shape during boiling—a craft that machines rarely replicate convincingly.
The noodle soup was made with meat broth, very rich and flavourful. Stir thoroughly to distribute sauce and heat. Add a splash of Shanxi vinegar and chili oil to taste. If you dare, accompany the noodles with a bite of raw garlic for a true local flavour profile.
The noodles set came with a side of stewed pork belly 扒肉条, which you can also replace with a few other choices, but I love pork belly that is done properly.
The fats have been rendered properly to a melt-in-mouth consistency and yet the pork was not dried out. Very generous strip of pork belly.
The noodle set comes with a portion of signature pickled cabbage 顺溜泡菜 which is necessary to balance the greasiness of the soup and the heaviness of the pork belly.
I ordered one more side that I really enjoy – century eggs with grilled peppers 烧椒皮蛋. The Shanxi vinegar used in this side dish was delicious, and I really enjoyed the grilled chilli pepper and century egg combination.
This was my first night in Taiyuan and my first knife-cut noodles in Shanxi. I wasn’t disappointed. It was nice, but then later in Datong (where the noodles started) I tried another small restaurant that served even better ones. The freshness of the noodles plays a large part of the taste.
Shunliu Knife-Cut Noodles (Causeway Bay Branch) 顺溜手工刀削面
C-13, Hall 04, Causeway Bay Pedestrian Street
太原市迎泽区铜锣湾步行街04楼-C13号
Visited Oct 2025
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