Xi’an Famous Foods

Just saw an employee go through his hair multiple times with his hand then he began handling food without even washing his hands. That’s just gross.

Ok so this place has a lot of hype around it. And it somewhat lives up to it! The pulled noodles are delicious — chewy yet tender and wavy/​long. They’re cooked perfectly. But I don’t think that the spicy noodle dishes that I tried (spicy cumin lamb and spicy tingly beef) were actually all that flavorful, even though they were spicy and (too) oily. I love spicy food and especially love spicy noodles that my parents cook at home, but I think these really just weren’t all that special for the rising prices. There isn’t that much seating so it’s very very «fast» casual, and dishes cost around $ 9. A huge downside was that despite these spicy dishes, they don’t have free water! So you must spend at least an extra dollar just to have something to drink. I know this is a smart business move for them but it makes me not want to come back.
Overall I’d come here again only if a friend or family member wanted to try the place out, but not of my own volition probably!

Came here after friends’ recommendations. I’ve been on a noodles and spicy good binge recently, so this place had the perfect combo for me. We ordered the following items:
Tingly spicy beef noodles: So for those who like «Ma La» (numbing spicy) dishes from Xi’an and similar regions in China, you’d be excited to see this on the menu. I liked the dish — the noodles were thick and chewy, the beef very tender. Spice level was good– only problem was that you don’t quite taste the peppercorn for the numbing effects to come through.
The cumin lamb burger was decent, a lot spicier than the noodles. If you can’t handle spicy and don’t like the taste of cumin, be careful with this one. I thought the meat fillings were a little thin, so you end up eating spicy dough half of the time.
I was disappointed by the tiger vegetable dish though. It was essentially a celery and cilantro salad with sesame oil, sugar, and salt. They didn’t mix up the dressing well (or at all), so i would keep biting into large chunks of salt, which was extremely unpleasant.
Also, for a place that focuses on spicy food, I’m not sure I think it’s a smart business idea that they don’t serve free waster, or feel that it’s slightly evil…

Looking for fancy? go somewhere else, but when we don’t mind running the risk of getting the oil all over our clothes we come here. a trick to eating this is to cut up the noodles when you get to eating. Sometimes the people calling out the number can get impatient, but the idea of this place is to pump out orders asap. Usually the lines move fairly quickly so we don’t mind stopping by here for lunch and gambling. It’s reasonably priced eats and it breaks up the routine.

Literally Everything is good.
Extra Extra Spicy is the best.
Slurp Away

I was recommended here by a coworker and by a buzzfeed article. The top 17(?) places to eat noodles in NYC. Too bad I couldn’t try the lamb noodle one since I don’t eat lamb personally. When we arrived, the line seemed long (at 1:40pmish) but it moved fast. Though our order was #38, we got our food fast and was seated upstairs. The loud music made it a bit hard to converse with my friend but it wasn’t too bad.
Next came the food. I ordered a jasmine tea, the spinach dumplings and the spicy and tingly beef noodle soup. I figured that spicy food on a cold day would be perfect. However, I was a bit disappointed at the heat that was offered. From the bright redness that stared back at me, I thought it would be spicier. I suppose that is why they had more sauces near the utensils. Despite that, the taste was still great. I didn’t add any more hot sauce but for those who want something super spicy, I would suggest to add more on your own. Other than the taste, I think the noodle was slightly hard to eat. It came in large pieces that doesn’t allow me to slurp or stuff into my face. My friend even looked for a knife in their utensils (no they don’t have any.)
My overall experience was great and I would love to come and try the other dishes.

I’ve come to xians so many times and it never gets old. When my parents came to visit from California, I took them here. The next day, they begged to come back. And they’re Chinese — that’s how good and authentic this place is, despite being a chain!
Must gets:
Pork bun — the meat is super flavorful and moist, while the bun itself is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I always get this to share so I still have room for other stuff here.
Spicy lamb or beef noodles — signature dishes here. There is something in the sauce that makes them so addicting! Maybe it’s the cumin? Anyway, the noodles are flat, thick, and chewy. I love how they also give you a generous amount of meat.
Other dishes I’ve tried:
Spicy lamb dumplings — pretty decent, though I’ve had better dumplings for cheaper in Chinatown. Love the thick skin on these. Filling is a bit mushy and sweet for my taste.
Liang pi — like a cold and less chewy version of the noodles here. I prefer the noodles but this is also good for switching things up.
My dad says that the lamb offal soup was really good. Eating organs isn’t totally my thing, but if you’re into that then xians has that for you.
Oh and word of caution: I’m a big spicy food eater, but the extra spicy here is even too much for me. It’s incredibly numbing to the mouth, and whenever I’ve chosen extra spicy my queasy stomach makes me pay for it.

This is a delightful place to eat at if you are a big fan of trying out different cuisines and savory yet spicy noodles! There are several locations throughout the city and even Queens. This location is right by the Empire State Building which is awesome for those who work or shop around here. If I had that kind of luxury to be near here on a daily basis, I would try everything on the menu for sure.
I’ve had the spicy lamb noodles, the cold noodles, the beef noodles, and the tiger salad before. All are very good and spicy in a delicious way. I especially like the spicy cumin lamb noodles because one, I like spicy, two, I like cumin, and three, the noodles are one of a kind. They are long, long thick noodles (for longevity) that really absorb the flavor of the sauce and spices really well. The tiger salad is okay. It’s a combination of parsley and other greens that is tasty, but the parsley dominates the overall flavor. If you’re not a fan of parsley, it’s best to avoid this one and opt out for something else.
They have a seating area in the back where you go after you order your food. You don’t have to pay tip, but be aware that because it’s an open seating area like a cafeteria in some sorts, it is first come, first serve. What this means is that if you come at lunch time and are expecting a seat, you probably won’t get a seat because it’s overcrowded. Food usually comes on a styrofoam plate, which is kind of flimsy, but understandable since you are actually not being waited on.
All in all, this is a wonderful place to get your lunch at if you work around the Empire State Building, and especially so on a cold day like today, because after eating their food, you will be on fire (in a good way)!

I think we ordered half the menu to try out as many things as possible. The service was quick and we got our food in around 5 minutes. We ordered the cumin lamb noodle soup, the lamb dumplings, the veggie dumplings, the liang pi (cold mung bean noodles), the tiger salad, the lamb burger and the cucumbers.
I think our favorites were the liang pi, it was just so flavorful. I also enjoyed the cucumbers. The dumplings were all huge and there were 6 per order. We only tried one of each. They tasted hand made and there were a lot of filling. I think I preferred the veggie one more than the lamb. The noodle soup wasn’t quite as hot and numbing as I expected, even though we asked for medium hot. The noodles were very el dente, when I enjoyed. The tiger salad was probably the most disappointing of the bunch. I was expected wild veggies, but it was basically just cilantro and it was over dressed and too salty.
All in all, I enjoyed my experience, although I didn’t think it lived up to the hype. I expected more robust flavors, but maybe I was just tired from work travel and my taste buds were off. I’ll give it another try when I visit NY again.

Liked the place for a quick stopover. Had the spicy cumin lamb noodles which were awesome! Also had the minced lamb dumplings in sauce — the lamb was delish but the dumplings covering was too thick — so I’d give that a skip.

— recommend: spicy lamb cumin noodles, chrysanthemum tea
— healthy portion size for the price
— nice balance of flavors (if not a bit on the greasy side)
— noodles can be a bit hard to eat some times since they’re inconsistently torn and can be a bit large, wavy, and long

Not bad, but not great either. They only have two items on the menu that are vegan but the reason for the three stars is the cleanliness of the restaurant and the mediocre noodles. I think the neighborhood noodle shop ruined it for me.
Other than that, it’s not a bad place to stop and grab a quick bite. If you can manage to get through the line and the long wait for noodles.

A good friend of mine works around the corner and whenever we are feeling sick (or just looking for a comforting meal that warms you up from the inside!) I actually take the train from work a few stops away just to meet here for lunch.
The menu is simple, but that makes the process easy because you know exactly what you are getting. You order at the counter (usually after waiting after a brief line — it might be long but moves fast), then pop into another line and wait for your number to be called for pick-​up at the counter. You pick up at the same place even if you are ordering take-​out but the staff are visibly unhappy when you take their food to go because they believe (and they’re not wrong!) that the noodles are MUCH better eaten fresh.
To my knowledge, the vegetarian options are vegan as they use the same sauce and broth for all dishes but add them separately to the meat. When I want a big meal, I opt for either the veggie noodles on its own (N5) or in broth (Ns5), and the sweet and spicy spinach dumplings (an order is about 5 – 6 fat ones stuffed with spinach and other good stuff)
I usually reserve 5 stars for truly exceptional experiences, but that’s not what this place strives for. For a reliably delicious, nourishing meal with no frills, Xi’an’s fluorescent-​lit cafeteria style dining room gets the job done.

Xi’an Famous Foods
NY Manhattan Midtown East
6:30pm Thursday 12^th November 2015
Four Stars
This is the third location that I have been to and it’s the biggest and most clean looking one. You can see the assembly line work. I ordered a Ns2: Spicy and Tingly Beef in Soup and a B1: Lamb Burger. My friend Grant ordered the L3. He started eating it and was sort of weirded out by the lamb. I tried it and wasn’t really sure what part of the sheep it was. So we looked at the receipt and it turns out that he ordered the Lamb Face Salad.
In short, if you are Asian and bring a Caucasian friend to any quasi exotic dining establishment then order for him or check to see what he/​she orders.

I’ve been to another ½ Xi’an Famous Foods. Had the spicy cumin lamb pulled noodles as well as their special dessert (sticky rice with honey) and some Chinese sparkling apple drink that I have had before.
The cumin lamb pulled noodles was just as good as the other places. The special dessert, being warm sticky rice filled with red date (jujube) and topped with the good tasting honey was also good, not super sweet though but it is a dessert from well there. It was a bit messy as well to take back. I mean trying to casually open a leaf is a bit hard at work.
Good stuff as always, nice staff. 4.3.

I’m on a Xian craze right now, partly due to the cold weather. I love their spicy lamb noodles. The first time I ate at this location, I had the oxtail noodles. Delicious, but the portion was small, not worth however much I paid. I noticed that the lamb spicy noodles here is 75 cents more than in flushing, meat be the location. However, the portion is bigger here.
It satisfies my craving, but minus a star bc I don’t think it would be considered cheap considering the low cost in ingredients and also everything is self serve.

The Hipster Chinese food as one may call it. I had the other location bookmarked to try for the longest time, but finally crossed paths with this one! Disclaimer: My knowledge and standards for Chinese food are not up to par with others.
Just peeping over from the door during the lunch rush, I was overwhelmed by the line, but I am glad I decided to stay! Despite the long line, I managed to grab a table for 3 and get our food in a reasonable amount of time!
We ordered:
–[A1] Liang Pi Cold Skin Noodles (Spicy) $ 5.50: VERY REFRESHING on hot days. I have no better cold noodles before. And I don’t usually eat dishes without meat, but man, this was soo good during a hot afternoon. The cucumber is the key for the cool texture and refreshingness. I would order it over and over again.
–[A4] Mi Pi Cold Rice Noodles (Spicy) $ 5.50: this one was good, but nothing memorable. After every slurp of Liang Pi, I always forgot about how this one tasted like.
–[B2] Spicy Cumin Lamb Burger $ 4: I don’t know if I had too high of an expectation for this one, but this one did not wow me. However, it is delicious and totally worth the 4 bucks! GET IT. Lots of meat. Solongo approves. I wish it had a lettuce leaf or slices of fresh cucumber to balance it out a little though.
–[N1] Spicy Cumin Lamb Noodles $ 8.75: N1 and B2 tastes exactly the same. Holy oil, but I am not going to complain because I stuffed my face with this like no other! Not that spicy though. Also be careful of the oil getting on your clothes!
Overall, this place is a solid spot for lunch. The food is amazing at its price. It got plenty of seatings upstairs. So you should definitely give it a try or make it one of your lunch spots!
I will be back to try more dishes.

Amazing food for pretty amazing prices. This location is a lot bigger than the other ones — it even has upstairs seating. Food is good as always and the wait is never too long. But be mindful not everyone speaks Chinese there– seen a few tourist speaking Chinese but reverting back to English.
I tried something new today — pork Zha Jiang noodles. Damn amazing sauces and pork! As always I visit when I want some good close to authentic northern Asian food. Their tea drinks are really good too because it’s not too sweet. Total came out to be $ 10.

Anyone who knows the New York Chinese food scene knows about Xi’an Famous Foods. And yet, despite a lifetime of trips to Flushing, I had never tried it. I took the opportunity on a recent trip to the city to eat some delicious northwestern Chinese food, and overall it was great!
This was one stop on a day-​long eating tour, so we ordered light, choosing to split an order of the spicy cumin lamb hand-​ripped noodles (N1) and a stewed pork burger (B1). The stewed pork burger was tasty – think fatty, juicy braised pork stuffed inside an English-​muffin-​like bun. It was messy, but so comforting. The spicy cumin lamb hand-​ripped noodles, meanwhile, were a delicious challenge. The freshly handmade noodles were simply boiled, then doused in a spicy cumin-​laced chili oil and topped with bits of cabbage and lamb. My boyfriend and I can both handle a decent amount of spice, and this was just at the limits of our comfort level with a heat that built up steadily as we were eating. The noodles had a wonderful chew, and I enjoyed the slight gaminess of the lamb paired with the cumin. It reminded me of the way my northeastern Chinese parents prepare lamb (lots and lots of cumin). My boyfriend was less enthused by the sauce, despite really liking the noodles. He thought the flavor was reminiscent of chili in an off-​putting way and too one-​note. We both thought the noodles could do with less oil, as they were swimming in it. Still, I enjoyed the noodles overall, preferring it to the pork burger, and would eat them again. My boyfriend liked the pork burger more and wished we had ordered two of them.
Prices were very reasonable for this part of the city, with the «burger» coming in at a little over $ 3, and the noodles over $ 8. The ordering system is set up somewhat like a deli. You order and pay at the front, are handed a ticket, and then wait next to the small open kitchen for your food to be ready. I loved seeing the chefs busy at work, especially the woman who was forming our hand-​pulled noodles at a dizzying speed. Walking past the kitchen, there’s a modest seating area with utensils and napkins set out for you to help yourself. No table service here, but if you’re in a hurry or want to save money on tips, this is ideal. The restaurant theme is industrial hipster, with lots of quirky artwork and metal chairs. I would prefer more comfortable seating and a cleaner eating area, but for the price, I wasn’t especially bothered. I’m really looking forward to coming back to another location and trying more of the menu.