Zhi Wei Cafe — Restaurant in Boston

Very good affordable Chinese noodle rice shop on the outer edge of Chinatown. More spacious seating then the average Chinatown shop. The waitstaff was very attentive. The water glasses should be bigger but they did refill us many times. Regarding the menu, on 1 side is the list of Lanzhou noodles stir fry and soup versions and rice with a varieties of protein options (beef, chicken, shrimp, lamb, vegetable, etc.) and on the other side is a large list of 31 appetizers. We ordered A14 Barbecue Chicken Gizzard Skewers 2 pcs, A15 Barbecue Chicken Heart Skewer 2 pcs, A16 Homemade Soup Dumplings 4 pcs, A17 Handmade Pan Fried Bun 4 pcs, A18 Pork & Chives Dumplings 6 pcs, A22 Shanghai Bok Choy with Oyster Sauce, A23 Edamame, A28 Crispy Tofu, A30 Chinese Fried Dough Sticks, L2 Beef Noodle Soup, L8 Stir Fried Beef Noodle, R1 Mala Beef with Rice. If it sounds like we ordered a lot, we did and we managed to eat almost all of it! We would definitely order again: soup dumplings pork & chive dumplings, edamame, boy choy, fried dough sticks, the beef noodle soup and the stir fry beef noodle. The soup dumplings were classic and required soup spoons to help eat them so the delicate soup isn’t lost. Edamame and boy choy are always our favorites especially the latter with extra oyster sauce. We ended up ordering a 2nd order of the fried dough sticks but it’s more of a dessert than appetizer. The beef noodle soup and beef stir fry were filling. The Mala Beef with Rice was a mixed bag – one in our group did not like it but another did. The skewers were good but we’d probably skip them next time. The pan fried buns were too big and just ok. The tofu was plentiful but the orange mayo sauce might have made the dish look nicer but it made it a lot less tasty to us and we didn’t finish it. The food here is not earth shattering high cuisine but affordable and good with a really wonderful staff. This is a great Chinese comfort food place and we will...

I randomly found Zhi Wei while looking through places to eat in Chinatown on Yelp a couple of months ago and thought I'd give it a try. I'm glad I did! The restaurant is spacious and clean with a cozy lofted level. Overall, I like their Lanzhou beef noodle soup but haven't tried anything else I've liked.

The Lanzhou beef noodle soup (a spicy version of the beef noodle soup) has a delicious, savory broth. The noodles were well-cooked and the beef seemed to be a thinly-shaved beef shank, which I've never seen before in this kind of soup (I'm used to thicker cuts). I really enjoyed this dish and all of its components. I would definitely get this again.

I also tried the soup dumplings which I didn't think were that great. They are very big but the skins are pretty thick.

On my second visit, I tried the fish fillet with green pepper noodle soup and I would not recommend this at all. The fish tasted weird and turned me off of the whole dish. The broth was pretty good at first but at some point the fish flavor permeated it strongly and I couldn't eat it anymore.

It seems like the restaurant is pretty popular on takeout delivery apps so it took us a while to get our food the first time, but overall I think their Lanzhou beef noodle soup is worth the visit. Hopefully I can find some other gems on the...

Found this lovely spot through Yelp as it was in walking distance from our hotel and we wanted to explore Chinatown. While not right in the center of Chinatown, it's close enough to the outskirts - not far from a big transportation terminal. Came a bit late in the evening but the restaurant still had several other tables filled and take out orders being picked up. Inside was nice, quiet, simple, modern. The back wall has a neat history of the Lanzhou beef noodles and certain criteria it must meet. Staff was friendly and helpful in items to try and how to use the tablet to order.

Food came out in a couple stages and all was delish. The soup dumplings were solid but skin was a little thicker than I prefer. The lamb pancake was unique and tasty and honestly pretty filling. The Mala beef with rice was tasty and flavorful but probably the one thing we could have done without ordering (we ordered too much food!!). The Lanzhou beef noodles did not disappoint and the bowl was bigger than my head! The BBQ lamb skewers were tasty and you can't go wrong with meat on a stick. Definitely a hidden gem just outside the main Chinatown area that you should put...