Xi'an Food Bar — Restaurant in Albert-Eden

• Detailed review I wish I read before eating here - -

I had a craving for chewy hand-pulled noodles.

I went here based on a podcast “Off Menu” where comedian Sam Campbell said his favourite main was Xi’an hand-made biang biang noodles with chili oil & garlic. Albeit at a place in London, but this seemed to be the closest thing in Auckland. And anyway Auckland has better Chinese food than London anyway - no contest!

I also watched a few YouTube videos from Albert Cho from Eat Lit food where he said this was his favourite noodles in Auckland, specifically the lamb cumin and chili oil with veges.

Now onto the review: Noodles: 5/5 for meeting my chewiness craving Taste/flavour: 4/5

Rounded up to 5 stars because I like the noodles being handmade.

Best dishes: We came in a big group of 5 so I got to try quite a few things, I tried both hand pulled and stretched noodles and the cucumber salad.

Hand pulled vs stretched: Hand pulled are flat and thick and chewier. Stretch and round and thin and slightly less chewy as they are thinner. Both are good, I’d go for hand-pulled for more chewiness. Stretched seems to cost $1 more. Get both if there’s two of you to compare.

Cucumber salad: 5/5 - very crunchy, awesome flavour, would order again. A bit pricy at $11 for a small quantity. We ordered the large to share, goes well with the noodles. Sauce is tasty but oily.

Serving sizes: Noodle serving sizes are very large, the standard size is plenty for 1 person. Pricing is good for the quantity.

Noodle dishes, ranked:

No 37 Hand pulled noodles with Xi’an style braised pork. 5/5. $15. This was my favourite, rich flavour and chewy noodles. Not that spicy but the chili oil on the table is awesome.

No 87 Hand pulled noodles with cumin lamb. 4/5. $15. Noodles are awesome. Lamb is good, VERY VERY spicy compared to all other dishes which say they are spicy (ie have a 🌶️ next to the item in the menu, which was everything else we ordered). And I can handle spice well however this was missing the depth of flavour the braised pork had. Maybe need to add some vinegar in yourself to cut the chili. Tasted better with the chili oil provided on the table, which is YUM.

The two meat dishes were not oily which I appreciated.

No 49 Stretch noodles with Chili oil and veges: 3/5. It’s basically noodles with chili oil and that pre-minced garlic. Confusingly priced the same as the meat dishes when it’s just noodles. The only “veges” are a handful of cooked bean sprouts, couple of bits of cabbage and spring onion. VERY oily. Not that spicy given it’s a chili dish. I took half home but it didn’t reheat as well the next day, lost its chewiness.

Cumin lamb burger: 4/5. Lots of meat, same filling as the lamb noodles.

Other stuff: Table has a QR code for making orders.

The lady at the counter was nice and friendly.

Dishes came out randomly, like I ordered 10 minutes before the rest of the group and my chili oil noodles came out 5 minutes after they got served.

Service and atmosphere are standard for Dominion rd/asian places in Auckland so I don’t get why the other reviewers complained. You’re here for cheap, good food not the ambience.

Kid friendly: Took my toddler along and he loved the noodles. They have...

This restaurant is a great place for affordable and varied Chinese dishes, especially noodles.

My partner and I had dinner here, and we followed other diners' advice to try the cucumber salad, the hand-pulled noodle with cumin lamb (No. 87), and the hand-pulled noodle with Xi'an style braised pork (No. 37).

All tables had QR codes for making orders. After completing the order, the bell at the counter rang. Then a staff member kindly asked me to pay the bill for the orders. This was interesting and convenient.

The noodles were cheap at $15 range, and the portion was generous. Handmade and served cold, the noodles varied in size and length, creating a good mix of textures and flavours when combined with the sauces and spices. The cucumber salad was the perfect complement to the rich, slightly oily noodles. We left satisfied without spending much. The simple decor of the place meant our photos didn't turn out great, but if you are after delicious, handcrafted Chinese noodles at a good price, this is...

Food here was lovely, reaonably priced and great portion sizes. The pork i had in my 2 chinese burgers was flavourful if a little dry. But with a good firey kick of chilli to add that spice in there. We got some free mooncake with our meal which ive never had before. It was good but i dont think id order it myself. Not a huge fan as it turns out, but the food was non the less great value for the price. The food was hot and came out quick and there was practically no one else eating there until just after 12:30 so me and the person i was eating with basically had the place to ourselves. rlWould happily go back again and...