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

This is an example of a place where the quality decreases with expansion. I had high expectations for these hand pulled noodles, but was disappointed. I found the noodles themselves quite inconsistent order to order (between my friends). They only had two chefs running the kitchen and it got super packed as we ordered. As someone who’s worked in the food industry I understand the corners employees cut to - decrease wait time, pump more orders out. I had a feeling our noodles weren’t the quality they could be, or maybe are supposed to be. I would go to a lot of other places in chinatown for hand-pulled noodles and wouldn’t recommend this place.

"""RESPONSE back to owner"""""": I understand how my review could've been more positive, but the truth is, I don't appreciate the quite passive-aggressive response from the owner. It doesn't make me want to adjust my review. I hold true to my original words. I may not of known your business model, or the money you've invested prior to writing the review, but I do know that our meals were not consistent. Me and my friends all noticed this. I am familiar with xian cuisine, I grew up in SGV and have had a lot of exposure growing up. What I tasted was not on par, and we noticed the inconsistency between noodle dishes, some were noticeably thicker than others. I am sure you are a great chef and cook and can make great-hand pulled noodles, but how can you ensure that the staff you hire will always make the noodles just as you train them? If the staff is making noodles with a much larger pressure from rushes, how can you be sure they are capable of creating the original product to such a standard? While you have explained the many ways your business has invested in systems and production to prevent this, it doesn't change the fact of my experience. Maybe it is an ill-comment to assume that the quality worsens with expansion, but I have witnessed it firsthand as a food-service worker many times, so it is not coming from "myophia". I believe that you have put effort into preventing this, but restaurants are not perfect. I understand that and I also understand it is hard to manage such operations. That is why I apologize, there is always a better/nicer way of expressing my criticism. I didn't leave a 1 or 2 star review because your food isn't bad and I am not a Karen. I won't be as harsh in the future. I gave my opinion, and I still stand by it. also believe as a business owner, you have to lend an ear. My complaint is valid (with or without my comments on your business as a whole). As an owner there is a better way of responding. If you are willing to improve and fix these issues, this is not the right way...

Great food, low prices, fast service, beautiful decor

Where else in this city can you find all of these ingredients under one friendly roof? Only at Xi’an Famous Food, and at all of their locations. This is actually quite an amazing feat if you ask me. And the food portions are pretty generous. Back in the day, their restaurants did include waitstaff but the owner decided to do away with that service. Nowadays customers simply stand in a line that moves very very quickly because the cashiers are pretty damn good at their job. When your turn arrives you order from the huge menu on the wall and pay with cash or credit card. You get a receipt with a number at the top, and when your order is ready the cashier calls out this number. The wait time for the food is usually 10 to 15 minutes, even when busy. On rare occasions it sometimes takes about 20 minutes. Now let’s get to the food. By far the most popular dish, in my opinion, is NS2, a tasty beef broth with flat noodles loaded with chucks of delicious and tender beef all served in a huge bowl. The broth itself is spicy and when you order this dish you will be asked how spicy you want it from a range of mild and regular spicy to very spicy. The spicy chili oil, as it’s called contains a secret recipe of about a dozen spices. The store by the way, sells this spicy oil in packets. Other dishes include Oxtail soup, a very similar dish served in a huge bowl with flat noodles just like the beef version. Incidentally you can order either dish in a non soup version. They also have the same dish without the meat. On the menu are lamb burgers, lamb noodles in soup, pork noodles in soup, a cucumber salad and various other dishes. This is not your typical Chinese cuisine and the store bills itself as ‘Western Chinese Cuisine’ All of their locations are pretty busy as the food is incredibly tasty and the service is very fast and friendly. Besides you will have a pretty hard time finding another place with such a great menu, such great prices and be able to dine...

FOOD POISONING WARNING: Something is off with the Upper East location recently. First picture is a receipt showing me ordering on Sept 30. Felt super nauseous + multiple diarrhea the next day, no appetite whatsoever, so I went to a clinic and they gave me ondansetron (second pic) to ease my symptoms. 10 days later, I went again (lost the receipt but purchase record on the 3rd image). I had similar symptoms (nausea and diarrhea), but more severe. Diarrhea 10 times a day, felt weak and light-headed, even walking as a struggle. Went to ER, stool test results (4th image) showing E. coli and Rotavirus detected.

Additionally, owner's reply to my previous complain was to "wash your hands", respectful indeed 😅

Updating after yet another ridiculous reply from owner: "Washing your hands is always a good practice in life, so is getting a life instead of posting groundless reviews on a Saturday afternoon 😂" Jason, I presented receipt, medical prescription, payment history, stool test report, all with specific dates. What's so "groundless" about that huh? You just don't know how to respond to the solid evidence, so you start spewing gibberish like a spoiled child.

Also, the emphasis on hand-washing just blows my mind... I was using chopsticks, hands never touched the food. At this point, you may as well just say "I will deny all accusations no...