Xi’an Famous Foods
“The lamb burger, hand made spicy noodle, cold noodle…all so authentic and so freaking good!”
“The hand-pulled noodles are perfect, and the little chunks of tofu "skin" in the liang pi noodles were tasty too.”
“My favorite dishes are N2 (Spicy and Tingly Beef Noodles) or the cold A1 (Liang Pi – cold skin noodles).”
Xi’an Famous Foods
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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This place is just okay to me.
Ordered the Lamb Noodles. When it comes to handmade Xi'an noodles, texture is most important to me, and I believe the noodles could be even chewier for my liking (what Chinese people call "QQ"). I also don't think the food here is that cheap as people say it is.
I was visiting from LA, and all my Chinese friends I grew up with back home now living in NYC, say that the Chinese food in NYC doesn't live up to what they had in the West Coast. After trying a place as well-known as Xi'an Famous Foods, I realized my friends were probably right.
Amazing! This was my last meal before I left from New York, and I'm glad I picked this place to be the last. I ordered the spicy beef noodle and I shared the lamb dumpling with my friends. I also tried my friend's cumin lamb, and I actually liked that one more for flavor. The dumplings were good (though expensive, each order had 6 and it was $7 pre-tax). The skin was very chewy and the meat inside was flavorful. Both noodle dishes were really tasty and flavorful too, I really enjoyed this place and highly recommend it! Slightly pricey though for the amount of food you get, but I guess that's just how New York is.
I've been trying to get my butt here forever, and when I finally did it was like 100 degrees outside, and all their cold noodle dishes were sold out. But I was determined. I can survive a little overheating for some delicious food.
I dragged the boy across town to get what has been mentioned to me as the best spicy food in New York. It seemed like the perfect lunch date. We love spicy. We love lamb. We love weird.
Hence this was our order:
Lamb Offal Soup
Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand Pulled Noodles
Spicy and Sour Lamb Dumplings
I'm only now just realizing I did all the ordering and I ordered all lamb. Ugh, I guess I'll just have to go back for stuff like oxtail and pork tidbits.
Here's the thing. It was mostly DELICIOUS. I could have drank the spicy sour lamb dumplings. (In fact we did). The cumin noodles had great texture and the lamb was tender. I liked the offal but not its soup. BUT: people lied. It's not that spicy. I asked for it spicy. I didn't even need water till the boy and I splattered ourselves with noodle sauce.
FYI they don't give out free water.
I SHALL RETURN to this tiny cramped little space for more deliciousness.
Xi'an Famous Foods has made it to the top of so many food lists, so I knew I had to give this place a shot when I visited New York.
The East Village location had absolutely no line during dinner time, and there was enough seating available. After perusing the menu on the wall, I ordered the Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles in Soup. Overall, I was pretty satisfied with the dish, though I did think the spicy soup was a bit overpowering. I really liked the flatter/thinner noodles – they were a lot easier to chew than the thicker ones, and they absorbed more flavor too. I also wished there were more lamb slices in the dish, but oh well 😛
Xi'an Famous Foods is perhaps a bit over-hyped, but I could see myself coming back for lunch or dinner. The food here is comforting and familiar, and I'm glad I had the chance to try it out!
Xi'an Famous Foods is one of the best cheap, authentic, tasty, and fast places to eat in the city. Love it.
First off, the noodles are great. They make them fresh in house and you can watch them slap them up and down in the back. The tender chew and slickness allow you to appreciate the freshness.
Second, the flavors are really authentic here. They've got the chinese celery, red chili oil, black vinegar. This is not half-assed Chinese American food. When I walk into the story, the smell makes my mouth instantly salivate.
My top items: both of the "burgers" – the lamb one is a bit more interesting flavorwise but the pork is juicier thanks to fat. N10 and N2 (oxtail, beef) are both great but really, you can't go wrong here. The noodles are always fresh and the meats are stewed well to make them tender and flavorful
Loved it. Just as good as the location in Chinatown.
Cold pulled noodles are always a must order. I also ordered the tiger vegetable salad. It's a must try! The cilantro and spicy dressing made it pop.
As always, I leave Xi'an feeling light and satiated, no carb coma, nada. Even though the noodles are doused in spicy oil. It's got to be due to the quality and freshness of their ingredients.
I love this company, and this location is great. High-quality, highly consistent. Amazing noodles and sauces. However, it took me a few years to come to this location (even though I used to go all the way to the Flushing basement location twice a day, and the East Broadway location twice a week), it had nothing to do with the distance from my apartment (this one was the closest to me for a long time), but because of my aversion to all the funky funk which is St. Marks Place, eek.
I found so much comfort in the noodles at Xi'an Famous Foods. Xi'an Famous Foods is a small shop with very limited seating. However, when we showed up at dinner time, we had no trouble getting a seat.
After ordering at the counter, we sat at the wall "tables" or bars, as there are no real tables in the restaurant. My sister ordered the pork "Zha Jiang" noodles, while I ordered the "spicy and tingly" beef noodle soup. They overcharge for water and cold tea (clever marketing ploy, given the spicy and tingly soup), so we decided to skip out.
The Zha Jiang noodles were delicious. She ordered them mild and they were a tasty savory delight. There was quite a bit of veggies, which is disappointing because who likes this much green in their spaghetti and meat sauce?
The Beef Noodle Soup was definitely spicy and tingly, but my nose was barely runny. Still, it was a nice treat for a chilly evening. The meat was tender and the soup was nice and tingly, although not as spicy as I expected a super spicy beef noodle soup to be. I'm glad I could still feel my tongue and inside of my mouth after finishing my meal, though.
Overall, it was a solid effort. Service leaves something to be desired, but I wasn't expecting much from this tiny shop in that area. I'm definitely appreciative of this cheap noodle meal.