Nan Xiang Express - Princeton, NJ — Restaurant in Lawrence Township

NanXiang Express: A Promising Name with Chaotic Execution

When we heard that NanXiang Express had opened, we were eager to try it. With its established reputation in New York, expectations were naturally high. Unfortunately, our first visit left us with mixed impressions.

Upon entering, the experience was confusing from the start. There was no clear host or signage indicating whether to seat ourselves or wait to be seated. Servers lingered around the kitchen counter, leaving new arrivals unsure of what to do. Eventually, we approached someone at the cashier, who directed us to a table. Throughout our meal, we watched other guests arrive with the same puzzled expressions, scanning the room for direction.

Ordering was done through QR code menus at the table. While convenient in theory, the wait for food stretched longer than expected—20 minutes in our case, with some neighboring tables waiting even longer.

Our spread included the fried pork cutlet noodles, beef noodles, dumplings in chili oil, and the much-anticipated crab soup dumplings. Flavor-wise, the broths were satisfying and the pork cutlet was well-seasoned. But the execution fell short, particularly with the noodles and dumplings. The noodles were overcooked and lacked elasticity, clumping together at the bottom of the bowl—suggesting they had been pre-boiled and left sitting too long before serving.

As for the crab soup dumplings, they were the biggest disappointment. While the skins were thin, the filling tasted overwhelmingly of pork, with only the faintest whisper of crab. Compared to other crab soup dumplings in New Jersey and New York—which often incorporate richer crab meat or roe for depth—these were indistinguishable from a standard pork dumpling.

Service style leaned heavily toward self-service. Diners fetched their own water, cups, and utensils. This would be fine if the system were clearly communicated, but no signs or instructions were visible. The result was a chaotic atmosphere, with customers unsure whether to join a waitlist, grab a table, or hover until one opened.

To make matters worse, even basic facilities were lacking. By 6:30 p.m., one of the bathrooms had already run out of toilet paper and hand soap. When I alerted a server, I was told they had completely run out of supplies and could not replenish them. No signs were posted to warn diners, so many unknowingly used the bathroom without the ability to wash their hands properly—a concerning oversight for any restaurant, especially during dinner hours. Adequate preparation and hygiene should never be an afterthought.

NanXiang has the brand recognition and some flavorful dishes on its side, but the lack of organization, inconsistent food execution, and disregard for basic hygiene overshadow the experience. With tighter systems and greater attention to detail—especially with noodle preparation, dumpling filling, and facilities management—this location could live up to its name. For now, it feels more like a rushed expansion than the polished dining experience we...

Firstly, I would like to say not having the option of using Chinese soup spoons for SOUP dumplings is insane. Standard plastic spoons that the dumplings barely fit on? Really? Who came up with that?

When we got there, they told us to scan the QR code on the table to look at the menu and order, which is not a foreign concept as a lot of restaurants do this. But the WiFi there is so awful that we had to go to the counter and order anyway…

Unlike our first visit, the restaurant has now become self-service where you go to the counter for anything you need like napkins, small plates, utensils, water, etc. which is great for the convenience of being able to grab anything you need at any time, but this wasn’t communicated to us when we got there so we were very confused about the switch. After seeing other reviews about how horrible wait times were, it seems like this switch was their solution, however, I personally think having the appropriate amount of staff would be a better solution in order to maintain that element of customer service that should come with any dining experience. The last time it felt like we were at an actual restaurant and this time like a chipotle or place at a mall food court. Is this supposed to be fast food, or what? I’m not entirely sure.

If the review was based off the food alone, I’d definitely give a higher rating because I did enjoy the stuff I’ve tried there. However, due to how overpriced everything is on top of it now being self-service, I will definitely be sticking with other places like Ugly Dumpling whenever I’m craving...

Would only come back for the soup dumplings. We ordered the chicken soup dumplings and they were very tasty however we also ordered the chicken and rice meal combo and the spicy chicken was okay as it was flavorful and served hot. The problem lies with the hot and sour soup; the soup was so thick that it had the same consistency as a sauce. Yes, it did taste good and can be fixed at home but nonetheless it should be ready to eat. Lastly, the ordering experience was confusing. It was clear that you had to order either at the kiosk or using the QR code but upon ordering and clicking “pay in person” (via the QR code) we did not know where to pay or when. It was not clear that you had to go up to a kiosk from the table’s QR code to successfully order. This experience made it so that the food took 30+ mins to arrive. I think this is a problem that can be easily fixed if they had just written it on the website...