Terra Cotta Warrior — Restaurant in San Francisco

I'm generally skeptical of Chinese food in the Bay Area as it's usually not very authentic, so when a restaurant has a touristy name, I'm even more wary. That being said, I thought the food at Terra Cotta Warrior was very good. I would give it 4 stars but it wasn't exactly all Shaanxi cuisine, so I downgraded by one to 3 stars.

Must Haves:

Mianpi: this in my opinion is the most authentic. It's spicy but on the refreshing side, so it's a great appetizer. I like that there are little bits of bread soaked in the sauce.

Tofu skin and celery: this is a cold dish that is not spicy, but it'll save you from all the other spicy dishes. This is a very homey dish that only Chinese people know to order, so if you want an authentic experience, get this.

Spicy pork or lamb cumin sandwich: these are the two best ones, don't get the regular pork. Very flavorful but very spicy as well, so beware!

Other good dishes:

Spicy lung and tendon: this is a Sichuan dish, but one of my favorites. Very numbing spicy, so beware. But it's really good. My friend described it as a spicy bacon, so I guess that's a good thing, huh?

Spicy chicken in gravy: not sure what this is one the menu, but it's basically the most expensive dish there is (and even then it's only $21). It's humongous, so only order this if you're 4+ people. It's basically a slightly sweet and very spicy chicken dish in a gravy-ish sauce, served over hand pulled noodles. It's really good, very hearty and delicious.

Prices are very reasonable here. If you're in a group, you'll average maybe $25 here for each person, which is such a steal considering you'll pay more for less authentic Chinese...

Terracotta Warrior is a gem that must be protected at all costs! Amazing food (and many dishes that you cannot find at most Chinese restaurants), there's several recommendations I have from here:

Cumin Lamb Burger (a variation of rou jia mo 肉夹馍) Biang biang Noodles with Lamb and Cumin Qishan Spicy and Sour Pork Noodles Soup "Diced Pita Bread Soaked in Clear Lamb Soup" (羊肉泡馍): ok I know the English translation of this isn't the most appealing but give it a try! A unique Shaanxi province noodle dish, that I've only found so far at one other restaurant in SF. Not a spicy dish by the way, if you want a spicy noodle soup try the one above.

• For folks wanting to dine-in however, I recommend calling ahead to ask if they're doing actual indoor dining! I stopped by recently (April 2021) to eat indoors, which they were technically doing, but it was basically ordering takeout and being allowed to sit at the table. Literally, we ordered from an electronic screen, were given our food in the takeout containers, and had to use disposable chopsticks and plastic cutlery to eat, which felt a little silly- would've rather eaten at home if I had known that was the case. (noodle soups are especially hard to eat straight from the plastic container!) They had a nice atmosphere prior to COVID restrictions, so hopefully they'll return to their regular dining experience at some point, but as of now, seems they are just focused on...

I'm not sure why it is so difficult to find good Asian cuisine in SF. not unlike the lack of GOOD pho places in SF, the lack of Xi'an restaurants allows this place gets a pass. We shouldn't have to tolerate this. I desperately want this place to be better than it is now because I want it to succeed, hence this review; otherwise, I would not bother to spend time writing such a long review. Disclosure: I am not from Xi'an, but my wife has introduced me to good Xi'an food, so I feel like I have at least some basis for these comments. The yangrou paomo (lamb and pita bread soup) is so bland, broth tastes almost as flavorless as water, and does not even come with the traditional garlic garnish that this dish is known for. Other dishes such as the biang biang noodles and hamburgers are more flavorful, but still not as memorable as they can be. The only other Xi'an place in the Bay is Xi'an Kitchen in Milpitas (their food is excellent!). I hope that the owners take note of this and improve their food, cuz I would hate to have to drive all the way south for decent YRPM!!! On a positive note, the people are friendly, atmosphere is good, prices are good. But please-- improve...