Xi'an Famous Foods 西安名吃 | Chelsea — Restaurant in New York

I got the spicy cumin lamb. Loved the spices. The lamb itself was okay. The meat and noodles were in big pieces so I used two forks to split them into bite sized pieces, which was a good idea. Way more noodles than healthy, so I didn't eat them all. Kind of loud music but some cute prints on the wall. Probably would get the same thing again next time because it seemed like one of the most flavorful options with all the spices. Would've been five stars except it was a little too hot for me to taste the flavor (but still tasted some flavor, which I enjoyed). I got regular spicy level.

I came back and had the sweet and sour pork soup. I didn't like it. I couldn't taste the flavors of the spices at all on the noodles. I could taste the meat spices a little. I think the reason I couldn't taste the noodle spices maybe had to do with there being a lot of liquid in the soup, so I probably won't get the soups anymore (I could also confirm this theory by trying the sweet and sour pork without the soup and just noodles and see how that is, whether I can taste the flavor of the spices at all).

Talked with the employee here and he said the meats are made elsewhere and they have some different spices, but the sauce they use for most the noodles and soups is the same. So, like, the bigger question is which meat you want, as the sauces are mostly the same. However he also said the dumplings and cucumber salad have different sauces than the noodles, so for those you'd have to try each to know if you like it.

Also had the chrysanthemum and the haw teas. The haw tea is almost like soda. Tastes good but I'm guessing has a lot of sugar. The chrysanthemum tea is much milder and I like it more. It's an interesting nice taste. Not a soda though so don't expect that, although it does contain sugar.

So I had the shredded pork noodles and the shredded pork was delicious. The noodles weren't as flavorful as I remember the noodles being for the spicy cumin lamb. Maybe it had to do with a little water being in the shredded pork noodles meal, which diluted the flavor, but I think a more likely explanation is that I got it with a mild spice whereas I got the spicy cumin lamb with regular spice level. (I could test this theory though.) My main reason for getting milder spicy level is so that I could taste the other flavors more, but it seems like when I do that then they just tone down all the flavors (maybe put less sauce or seasoning on it, which includes the spicy flavor but everything else foo) so my plan to get mild spicy probably backfired (again I could confirm this by trying a mild and a regular spicy dish side by side, but I'm pretty sure this is why this dish wasn't as flavorful). But yeah, the shredded pork meat...

This is one of the many Xi’an Famous Foods locations that has got the three most important ingredients right: food, service and decor. The restaurant has AMPLE SPACE to accommodate a very busy lunch or dinner crowd and the most important factor is that on one side of the restaurant there are PLENTY of seats to accommodate those wanting to sit by themselves and on the other side there are also plenty of tables that can seat larger groups of guests especially families that want to dine together. The food is really delicious (Xi’an is well known for their famous chiii oil. They even sell it in jars). The NS2 is a large bowl of tender beef in Xian’s signature noodles with a soup broth that has the famous chili oil. For those that want it extra spicy just ask at the counter when you order. The same dish is available in a non soup version. A popular lunch item is the lamb burger, especially if you’re in a rush and want something to go. Lamb dumplings and spinach dumplings are very popular too. The restaurant is equipped with restrooms. The first thing I noticed was that they were spotlessly clean when I used them. The atmosphere is very lively with a young crowd and also several families who seem to be regulars. The restaurant is located in Chelsea so expect some very nice shops in the area too, with the subway being very close by too. Service, as usually is VERY efficient. You place your order at the counter, you get a receipt with your order number, they call your order quickly and you grab a table. Everything here is very simple and geared toward customer satisfaction. Many of the people that dine here are long time Xi’an customers. Prices are very reasonable. Look at it this way: you get a really delicious meal at a reasonable price and you get to eat it in a really...

I've been coming to Xi'an Famous Foods since 2013 when I moved to New York. They have always had consistent and phenomenal food. Today was kind of a negative experience but I gave two stars for the food being okay overall.

Though, the noodles were kind of gummy and harder than usual, not in a pleasant way. Since the spicy cumin lamb noodles are a noodle dish, this is a big deal to me. I asked for regular spicy, but the fiery pit of hell in a bowl I was given went way beyond regular spicy. There should have been more cilantro in my soup, the amount they put was very miniscule. Lastly, there was a wooden shard in my food lol. Still ate it all as I had no time to wait for anything to be made again and needed sustenance. But if I had known the dish would be like all that I would have just gotten the burger and a tea to avoid all the issues I had and still get to have the flavors.

The last bit did affect my eating experience here in a big way, so I'm adding it; no bathroom. I traveled to eat here from north jersey and I'm on my period. Getting food here is kind of a nightmare because I don't know what to do now about my situation. You always say the noodles are best enjoyed in house, not to go, but how can you say that and not offer a bathroom to customers? The cashier told me to go to...