Bites of Xian 38 西府小吃 — Restaurant in New York

So I came here for three different occasions and a different experience each time.

1st visit. The Krispy burgers were alright. Came for a light lunch before going back to work. Place looked nice enough for a dine in place in New York.

2nd visit. Got a bit more this time. Staff and place were nice. Took the third Krispy burger with the lamb and cumin seasoning, fried chicken, and vegetables rolls. Lamb burgers too spicy and too much peppers. Throat hurts. Fried chicken and rolls were okay.

3rd visit. Decided to change it up. Got the dry cold noodles and chicken in spicy sauce. Staff were quiet and polite, even if the guy looked tired from the day's work. Food... was not so great. I know the noodles were suppose to be cold, but they were ice cold and so was the chicken in sauce. I felt sick afterward.

Granted I took all three orders to go and it only takes 5 minutes of walking to my home and the place. But the cold noodles were not only ice cold but they put in some juices in there that made a semi cold soup.

I'll go back. But only for the burgers and fried chicken. I've yet to try...

Oh honey, let’s talk about Bites of Xi’an—the noodle-forward diva of the block 🍜💅

This place is basically a carb catwalk. The menu? Mostly dry noodles strutting their stuff like they own the runway. Soup options are few, but when that stewed beef noodle soup enters the chat? Whew. It’s giving drama, depth, and daddy issues. Po Panda would absolutely ghost his father and change his last name for that broth. It’s that good.

Now, the fried chicken? Bless its heart. It showed up to the party but forgot to bring flavor. Someone please send it a spice rack and a prayer. As for the pork and shrimp dumplings—they’re fine. Not offensive, not iconic. Just... there. Like the coworker who always joins the group chat but never contributes.

💸 Price-wise? For Manhattan, it’s surprisingly chill. You won’t need to sell a kidney or start a GoFundMe...

Count me a fan! We got a bowl full of 12 generous dumplings, and 2 giant noodle bowls (in real ceramic bowls!) - all for a very reasonable $40 after tax. Order and pickup food yourself at counter with chopsticks and plastic utensils available. The inside is very clean and plenty of tables and chairs. Really appreciated that there was no loud music at all, actually incredibly quiet. The staff were friendly, food was ready in minutes, and most importantly it all tasted great! Only small company is that they don't have a menu on the front window so you have to walk far inside to see the options (many) and prices (very reasonable). We'll...