Meet Xi An — Restaurant in Cary

I don't like to leave negative reviews. If you could read my former reviews you would see that most are very positive. My friend and I were eager to try Meet Xi An. Saying it was disappointing is an understatement. To be fair, my friend and I are 72 year old American born women and we are used to typical Chinese restaurants which, I'm sure, cater more toward our palettes. This restaurant had one English speaking employee. The dishes appeared to lean toward a more authentic style of Chinese food. I'm sure those who have eaten and enjoy authentic Chinese, or those who have never eaten American Chinese, might enjoy it. Not us. We found the cold sesame noodles served with a very watered down sauce to be tasteless except for a sour taste. We left the entire bowl. The braised beef, likewise, had little taste and it, too, was left mostly untouched. I was really looking forward to the scallion pancakes and bbq pork bun. The scallion pancakes were absolutely tasteless and weren’t served with any dipping sauce. The pork inside the buns was ok, but the dough had absolutely NO flavor, not even salt. Again, no condiments were offered. The spring rolls were the only items we enjoyed. The one English speaking woman saw we had left the ENTIRE braised beef and noodles and cold noodle dishes and told us how much everyone loved them and did not offer to refund or money like most restaurants do. In fact, be prepared to pay by credit card because you put your order in via a computer and then pay with your card when you complete your order. I don't know if they even accept currency. The server was pleasant, even if she didn't understand me. For example, I asked her to take the untouched food away and put it in the garbage. My pantomime skills must be as underwhelming as the food, because she came back with a take-out bowl.

*NOTE: I have eaten in two other authentic Chinese restaurants, so I'm not a novice. They were very good in comparison. I do not recommend this restaurant if you are used to American...

I'm bummed about my experience at Meet Xi'an. As someone who lived in Xi'an and surrounding areas for 3 years and am married to someone who was born and raised there, we had admittedly high expectations.

Meet Xi'an is for you if you: don't mind the differences in authenticity (I understand needing to switch things up to be different or adapt to the local market) or are willing to eat in the restaurant itself.

Meet Xi'an might not be for you: if you get takeout or delivery (the extra cost per item for delivery is insane), or are looking for the same food you'd get at restaurants or food stalls in Xi'an.

Pros: The roujiamo ("Chinese hamburger") was good, though not really what you'd get in most of Xi'an (more on that below). The youpomian ("Hot oil noodles") had a lot of pepper when most places wouldn't make it spicy enough. Local and not a chain. Bringing an underserved style of Chinese food to the market (most people know Sichuan or Guangdong/Cantonese style of food, but not Shaanxi).

Cons: There were no employees present when we came in; one person came out from the kitchen, didn't look at us while we stood at the counter, and went down the back hallway. We took our food and left without anyone acknowledging us. The youpomian was congealed and impossible to mix when we got home; there was enough garlic to combat a dozen vampires. And look, I love garlic. But between both issues, it was inedible. Xi'an roujiamo usually has a soft "bun" with just meat inside; no vegetables. Their roujiamo is crispy with vegetables -- more like Henan style. That said, it was the best part of our meal. Their cold noodles are not Xi'an liangpi, but liangmian - which isn't local to Xi'an in the way liangpi is. That's more of a personal pet peeve to me, and not necessarily a knock on the quality of food. Missing some key staples, like paomo.

I have hopes that they will improve, but we likely won't be returning...

Update:

I recently tried their Pork Zha Jiang Noodles and Red Bean Bun, and both were delicious! I usually can’t handle spicy food, but these noodles had just the right balance of flavor without being real spicy. The owner mentioned that she makes the sauce herself, which adds a nice homemade touch. The Red Bean Bun was also spot-on—none of that overly sweet, artificial-tasting filling. Instead, it had a rich, homemade flavor that really stood out. You can tell they put a lot of care into their food!

Original review:

We’ve visited this newly opened Chinese restaurant multiple times and have tried a variety of dishes—everything has been excellent!

The first time we went, they had just started operations, and the wait time was too long, so we had to cancel our order. However, when we returned a few days later, the experience was completely different. The service had improved dramatically, and from placing our order to receiving our food took less than ten minutes. Considering everything here is freshly handmade, that’s an impressive turnaround time!

Our absolute favorite is their Roujiamo (Chinese-style meat sandwich), which comes in pork and beef options. The pork filling is the classic version, just as delicious as what I’ve had in China. I originally thought the beef might not be as good, but to my surprise, it was just as flavorful! As a long-time foodie in North Carolina, I can confidently say that their Roujiamo and chive pockets are the best I’ve had in this area in the past 20 years—no competition.

We’ve also tried their beef noodle soup, steamed buns, dumplings, egg pancakes and tofu pudding, all of which were fantastic. Don’t forget to try their soy milk—it’s an authentic taste of China.

Highly recommend this place for anyone craving real, handmade...