With its signature beef noodle soup ringing in at a whopping $9 a bowl, Dai Ho may be the most expensive noodle hawker in the San Gabriel Valley. While sticker shock might keep some penny pinching noodle soup devotees away, those who take a chance are handsomely rewarded with one of the best renditions of Taiwan’s national dish.

Each bowl is packed with bouncy egg noodles that are the very definition of “Q,” a chewy texture prized by connoisseurs. The broth is deep, dark, and unabashedly beefy, while the chunks of stewed meat collapse with the gentlest of bites.

This bowl was made for burying one’s face in, preferably uninterrupted.

While it’s the beef noodle soup that gets all the good press, The Astronomer and I loved the “minced meat dry noodles” even more.

The flavors from the heap of marinated ground pork, tinged slightly orange from chili oil, along with the fresh scallions permeated every toothy strand. While the pitch perfect seasonings surely impressed, it was the wondrous texture of the noodles that sent us over the moon. As soul-warming and comforting as noodle soups are, hot broth tends to diminish the noodle’s impressive bite.

Dai Ho is only open for service from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Do plan accordingly because these noodles are phenomenal.

UPDATE:

Tried some new-to-me dishes on my last visit to Dai Ho…

Tripe with bean curd cold appetizer is excellent, if you swing that way.

The “Sesame Sauce Noodles,” also known as dan dan mien, don’t patch us much of a punch as their Sichuan counterparts, but are tasty nevertheless.

Same story with the wontons in chili oil. Not as punchy as the Sichuan version, but a respectable rendition to round out your meal.

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Dai Ho Restaurant
9148 Las Tunas Drive
Temple City, CA 91780
Phone: 626-291-2295

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