Xi’an Famous Foods
“Ordered 3 to take back with me to Boston, along with an order of Liang Pi and Mount Qi Veg noodles.”
“Their spicy cumin lamb noodles and spicy Chinese cucumber salad are one of the best cheap lunches in the area!”
“I got the N4 — stewed pork hand-ripped noodles and NS2 — spicy and tingly beef hand-ripped noodles in soup.”
Xi’an Famous Foods
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I believe one of their locations appeared on an Andrew Zimmerman's show.
Xi'an is good but not anything I've haven't had. Northwestern Chinese is becoming really popular and we're spoilt for choices. I had the Cumin Lamb Noodles and the Lamb Dumplings. Both were delicious and has the chewy texture common to Northern Chinese noodles and dumplings.
Not a place that I'll crave for but I wouldn't mind if I had to eat here.
So good. Hands down one of my favorite meals in New York EVER.
Order the famous N1 – spicy cumin lamb hand-ripped noodles. The noodles are hand ripped, cooked al dente, and hearty enough to soak up all the spiciness. My plate was given a rather generous portion of spicy cumin lamb. I usually avoid lamb because I don't like the gamey taste, but this lamb meat was incredible. It was tender, flavorful and paired nicely with the noodles.
My friends and I also shared the tiger salad which is a salad consisting of cilantro, green onions, celery, long-horn pepper slivers, dressed in a sesame vinaigrette. This was phenomenally good and flavorful on its own without being overpowering. We also ordered a plate of spicy cucumber salad – diced Asian cucumbers, tossed in black vinegar, garlic, and chili oil. This was also a nice addition to our meal because it offset the spiciness of our other dishes.
I've seen Xi'an Famous Foods featured on God knows how many travel shows and features, and for a very long time, it has sat on my New York list of things to eat. It was everything I hoped and wished it'd be – unpretentious and delicious. And cheap. Do yourself a favor and stop by one of the many Xi'an Famous Foods establishments.
This looked underwhelming when I walked in. A friend's friend recommended it and so why not try it. The noodles weren't fully cooked for me so it was tough and not tender enough. I got the spicy and tingly beef soup. The beef was very tender but also very fatty so that makes it a pretty good texture in my opinion.
It was definitely a fast food joint. Everything was plastic that was served. Disposable and that's what I thought about this soup. I didn't finish it, it was just not hitting any good notes. Although it was spicy, so I will give it that.
It was about $9 for a small bowl. The server did not want to be there. She was ready to head home and obviously hated her job. She was on her phone when we got in and was on her phone when I asked for the bathroom key.
The place was somewhat clean, but it reminded me of what I imagine to be a joint in China. Cramped and the bathrooms were dirty and was next door in what seemed to be part of an apartment complex. It was sketchy and I don't find very many things sketchy.
I would not come back or recommend it. And I believe they have multiple store fronts throughout New York.
This may be the least crowded Xi'an Famous Foods location I've ever been to! Is it because it is in Chinatown, deep alongside tons of other authentic hand-pulled and knife-cut noodle competitors? Not saying there wasn't a line; there was. Not saying the venue wasn't filled; it was. I came in after work and was able to easily find a seat during these busy dinner hours. That's all I'm saying.
With all of the locations I've been to, this is my first review of this local, mini chain. With all of the locations I've been to, I've never been disappointed. The quality is consistent at every location. "Asian Hipster Cuisine" (see photo of an article that is framed and posted on their wall)? Well, hipster prices, for sure, but the food is authentic and not watered down. There are TONS of noodle shops in the area, noodle shops that I frequent and love! For me to walk into Xi'an Famous Foods with all of the choices I have and pay almost double the price for a plate of noodles, you know I've gotta love it!
I've tried several items on the menu by now and have enjoyed them all at varying levels of appreciation, but my go-to flavors are all things Cumin Lamb and Mount Qi. I love the spices and bursts of complex flavors. I'll take them in any form: noodles, noodle soup, burgers…any form!
Other pluses for me are that they accept cards at all locations and that they also have a good website and they're honest about the pricing at different locations.
Is it worth the hype? For me, it is. I get it. I often wait in line for it. I stain my shirts over it. I do love it!
I used to love this place but I don't know what happened. During my recent visit, I ordered N2 (Spicy and Tingly Beef Hand-ripped Noddles) and F6 (Spicy & Sour Spinach Dumplings). I didn't mind the handpulled noodles by itself but the sauce made the dish unpleasantly sour and salty. The dumplings were even worse. The skin was thick and doughy whereas the filling was completely mushy and lacked the meaty texture that I like. Never have I struggled to finish a dumpling like I did with my order at Xi'an Famous Foods. It was really disappointing especially since the dumplings were quite big.
Would I come back? Maybe… if I really can't decide on a place to eat at. Otherwise, Chinatown definitely has better options.
Hmm.. 3 years later and I still stand by my 3 star review. I think for what they do here, they churn it out extremely efficiently and well.
But as to the hype of this place? Not worth it in my book. You are in chinatown and there are a million noodle joints that offer better quality meat and more varieties of noodles.
For what they are selling, it is pretty overpriced and every dish is exactly the same in flavor and texture – except for the choice of meat – stewed pork, minced pork, minced lamb, and oxtail. You can get it hot or cold. You can get it spicy or mild.
They are selling you on the noodles, which in my opinion is decent, but I'm not crazy about how thick and rough cut they are, how they clump together, and how hard they are to eat given that they are also really long and uncut and all you have in your arsenal is a flimsy pair of chopsticks and nary a spoon. All I'm saying is that the experience could be better!
They have two types of dumplings on the menu – one is with lamb and one is with spinach, both are extremely spicy and sour ( not recommended if you don't like strong flavors or spice…because it will punch you in the face), both are $7.50. (Really? One is made of spinach!?)
To be fair, this time I went I did discover something I really liked and will probably come back again just to eat – I believe it's called a Tiger Vegetable Salad, which is essentially, cilantro, celery, green onions, and peppers dressed with sesame oil and white vinegar. It didn't look like much, and I had never had a cilantro salad before, but it was just so refreshing and light. A perfect complement to the hot soup that I was eating.
The place smells like spicy. The special sauce tastes like spicy. The calling card of the damn establishment is spicy… they even have the special spicy oil available at the seating area if they weren't as heavy-handed with the spicy as you would prefer; hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they polish the furniture with the spicy sauce (although OSHA would probably have a lot of fun with this place, if that were the case).
Although Szechuan isn't my first choice, with respect to regional Chinese cuisine, it certainly is a deliciously viable food option that this particular writer craves (from time to time). During such times, Xi'an is as good a place as any to get a quick and cheap fix of lamb, noodles, cumin, red peppers, and spicy oils.
This particular location is quite diminutive, as far as square footage is concerned… that being said, it really makes the most of the real estate available to it; I'd venture a guess that the place could fit 20 people, at the least.
A safe and non-bank-breaking lunch option would be a choice of one of the cold noodle items (cold in temperature, not in spiciness), and one of the "burgers." I've had a cumin lamb in days long since past, but my most recent visit warranted a try of the stewed pork. The latter was moist and tasty, with the spiciness not masking the great flavor of the pork.
All in all, if you want a little kick in the @ss from your lunch, this spot right on the southern outskirts of Chinatown might just do the trick.
Dubbed an exotic food restaurant, I just thought it was a normal Asian restaurant haha sure there was some odd types of meat in there, but I guess I'm just used to seeing these around the Bay Area. This place is also super popular because Anthony Bourdain recommended it! We had the spicy cumin lamb noodle and spicy beef noodles. I think I preferred the spicy beef noodles more (reminded me on bun bo hue), but both were really good. Caution, it's pretty darn spicy! The meat was really soft and the noodles were made in house. The place small and there wasn't much space to sit. The set up is very minimalistic: a stand to order, some seats, and a trash can. Other than that, the place is really good and a destination restaurant for sure!