Xiguan Zhuyuan (Lizhiwan)

Xiguan Zhuyuan sits on Lizhiwan Road in the old Xiguan quarter of Liwan District and functions as both a noodle shop and a working noodle factory, a combination that gives it a reputation extending well beyond its own dining room. The noodles here are made using the traditional bamboo-pressing method, in which a length of bamboo is used like a lever to knead and stretch dough made rich with duck eggs, producing a springy, deeply yellow noodle strand that is dried outside the shop on racks before being cooked to order. Shrimp wonton noodles are the signature order, pairing the shop's handmade noodles with delicate wontons packed with whole shrimp in a light pork-and-dried-flounder broth, while a roast duck noodle soup and a dry-tossed version finished with chili oil round out the core menu. Because the shop also supplies noodles wholesale to other restaurants in Guangzhou and as far as Hong Kong, the noodles served here are effectively the source product rather than a restaurant's own in-house recipe, which is part of why food writers and noodle enthusiasts specifically seek it out. The shop itself is simple and functional, with a handful of tables aimed at quick turnover rather than lingering, and it does not accept reservations, operating purely on a walk-in and takeaway basis. Its location within the historic Lizhiwan (Lychee Bay) area makes it an easy stop while exploring the surrounding old Xiguan streets and canals.