Some of the best meals I've ever had cost less than a cup of bad airport coffee. There's a tiny noodle spot in Shanghai that's been serving bowls for about $2, and it just went viral because Spider-Man showed up.

Well, not the actual Spider-Man. Tom Holland, who plays him, stopped in for a bowl during a press swing through Shanghai this summer, and the internet did what the internet does. Photos spread. Videos got reposted. And suddenly a no-frills noodle counter that has been quietly feeding locals for cheap is drawing crowds of people who want to sit where Spider-Man sat.

I love this kind of story because it's the purest version of what travel food should be. You don't need a Michelin star or a famous chef's name over the door. You need someone who has been making the same noodle dish for years, charging a price that makes sense, and doing it well enough that the neighborhood keeps coming back. And then sometimes a Hollywood actor wanders in and everything flips upside down for a few weeks.

According to the original report, the shop has been packed since the photos started circulating. That's really all we know for sure. And I hope the prices stay where they are, because it would be a shame if a spot like this lost what made it special in the first place. Two-dollar noodles are two-dollar noodles for a reason, and that reason is usually that the owner has been doing this long enough to know the neighborhood can't pay more.

If you're heading to Shanghai anytime soon, skip the places with the big English menus out front. Find the noodle counter with the line around the block and the owner who looks mildly annoyed by all the attention. That's where the good stuff is.