One of the great things about Shanghai is that there’s always a new noodle shop to explore, no matter how long you’ve lived here or how well you think you know an area. That’s why we were ecstatic to stumble upon Ding Te Le (顶特勒粥面馆), a tiny Shanghainese shop tucked halfway down a nondescript lane. It boastfully calls itself the top nongtang restaurant in town, and though it’s easy to be skeptical, we quickly came around. Ding Te Le is known among locals as a late-night porridge stop (it’s open 24 / 7), but our favorite is the spicy beef noodles (larou mian, 辣肉面, RMB14). An always affordable bowl of warming goodness, it’s filled generously with pliant, chewy noodles and an unexpected torrent of beef slices—what you see floating up top is just the tip of the iceberg. Everything sits in a chili-charged broth that glows an oily, angry, fiery orange, and its spice has a weird way of pulling you in for a second slurp even as you’re finishing your first. Be sure to go find Ding Te Le—the 24-hour shop already pushed its way onto our list of top noodle stops.

DETAILS

What:Ding Te Le

Where: No. 22, Lane 494 Huaihai Zhong Lu 淮海中路494弄22号

Tel: 6553-2288

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