[Update: Dandan Soul Food is closed]

Cheap Lunch: If you’ve always found old-school, no-nonsense Sichuan restaurants in Hong Kong intimidating, Dandan Soul Food is an easy alternative. It’s a casual, relaxed spot serving up classic dishes in Sichuan cuisine, including springy dandan noodles served in spicy soup.

Look & Feel: Easily accessible from street level, Dandan is bright and welcoming. Grab a seat by the window on the bar table and you’ll be slurping on noodles within minutes.

Service: The friendly co-owner himself usually mans the counter, taking orders and making suggestions for newcomers. Most importantly, its service is lightning fast—an essential factor for a restaurant’s survival, given that Dandan Soul Food is right on the Central/Sheung Wan border.

On the Menu: Dandan is primarily a lunchtime spot serving the worker bees of the area, and its set lunch menu is pretty good value for money. A main, appetizer and drink combo will set you back from $70 and up—a rare find in the area where overpriced and mediocre foods are the norm. Try the tender beef stew noodles, served with big chunks of meat. Want to beat the summer heat? Cold noodles (served with either chicken, or peanut and sesame, or vegetables) is not a bad shout.

Jeng: We love the Chongqing-style classic dandan noodles, a classic Sichuan dish that comes with all the necessary ingredients in making it great: red-hot soup with a thin film of oil for flavor and aroma, al dente noodles and flecks of spring onions as garnish.

Not so Jeng: We can’t fault this place!

Great For: A quick, filling lunch that won’t leave you out of pocket or rummaging for snacks at 4pm.

FYI: You can usually find founder Jerome Plassat manning the register and seating customers with a smile.

This writeup was based on an independent tasting. The Loop doesn’t guarantee/sell restaurant review coverage. See our editorial policy here.