XiBei Cuisine — Restaurant in Princeton

The food is great, that's why we've visited XiBei Cuisine 4 times since they opened 3 months ago. But this is not the reason why I am writing this review, this review is about the service.

Today we ate at XiBei Cuisine for dinner and the service was one of the worst I've ever experienced. I notice that today the group of staff on duty is different from who we normally see. The lady serving us, who looked like the shift leader, was very unprofessional and rude.

We arrived around 5:40pm, before the place got busy. There was clearly no shortage of hand, yet we were constantly neglected. We were not given the menu till we asked, and we had to signal at idle staff twice to get their attention to order, even though their counter is right behind us. And we weren't served water or being asked about drinks until 20 minutes into the dinner, again only when asked. We were not given condiments (e.g. chilly old and vinegar for clear broth beef noodles), even though the next empty table has them. At this point, I was so tired to ask.

We had a 1 year old with us, but we were not given kids utensils or straw, which a place with good service often offers. Well, the last part is optional, nice to have, and I won't hold anybody to it.

What prompted me to write this review is what happened in the end when we were getting the check. We asked for a to-go box after paying the bill, and the person helping us at that time (the owner herself actually, who happened to be at the shop today) asked the staff behind the counter to get us one. However, after a few minutes, that person didn't fetch us the box even after helping with other tables, clearly forgetting us. At this point, I noticed that the lady who I mentioned earlier (the same lady who ushered us in and treated us with zero respect) were standing behind the counter texting on phone, so I beckoned to her and ask if she could fetch us a to-go box. Hands still on her phone, she barely lifted her eyes, then immediately rejected me and said that the other waiter, who had clearly forgotten about us, will take care of that, before returning to her phone.

This is ridiculous because she was clearly not busy (or at least not busy working), an arm's reach from us, and had the to-go boxes right next to her. Decided not to deal with her and to leave as soon as I can, I waited for the other waiter to come back, asked again for the to-go box, packed an left hurriedly.

On my way out, I walked pass by her, and said "thank you and good bye", simply due curiosity why she had treated us like this. Maybe I also hoped that well intentioned good bye could spur a kind response and smile, and I could convince myself that this is only a misunderstanding. Again, I was ignored.

Albeit the bad experience today, I still consider XiBei Cuisine a nice restaurant for their food. The photo here is from my first visit 3 months ago when they first opened. That was a very busy day with a different group of servers, and my daughter barely started to eat adult food, and it was an extremely pleasant experience. But today, I feel...

XiBei Cuisine is hands down the best Chinese restaurant in downtown Princeton. Specializing in Northwestern Chinese cuisine, it’s a refreshing change from the overly sweet and salty Americanized Chinese food you often find elsewhere. While it's not 100% traditional, it’s impressively close, and that’s coming from someone who grew up with real Chinese flavors and who is a picky eater.

The braised beef noodles with peeled noodles were absolutely fantastic. (Interestingly, they translated it as "peeled"... It's more like a knife cut or knife shaved noodles) The noodles were perfectly cooked—chewy and full of texture—and I’d definitely recommend the peeled noodles over the straight ones for the best experience.

I also tried the flatbread soaked in lamb soup, which could’ve used a touch more flavor to suit my personal taste, but I appreciated that they serve the chili paste on the side so you can adjust the seasoning exactly how you like it.

And let’s talk about the crispy lamb chops. Wow~ super garlicky, a touch of sweetness from bell peppers, beautifully crunchy on the outside, yet tender inside. Easily one of the standout dishes.

Some people might find certain items less salty than they’re used to, but honestly, that’s a plus in my book. XiBei keeps things flavorful without going overboard on salt or sugar, which makes it a healthier and more...

This place is terrible, and I will never go back there…

The food tastes horrible. I ordered XiBei beef noodles, and it tastes like the cheapest noodles you can get from Asian food market. They advertised that they hand-pull the noodles; well, that’s a lie. Not only that, the broth tastes like water mixed with seasoning packets. Lastly, for $16.95, they gave you 4 pieces of thinly sliced beef that are basically tasteless whereas you go to other places, you get more portion and more meat for less.

Services were OK, but they don’t bring food to the table at the same time. Our party was 3, and 2 of us got the food where the 3rd person didn’t get his food until the first 2 finished their food. So, well.

Their charging practice is highly unethical. 1). The first receipt did not show you the credit card surcharge, but they do charge 2-3% (or more) credit card surcharge in the 2nd receipt (the one includes the tips). Also, the suggested tip amount is inclusive of tips…. Sorry, but I don’t...