XI XIA Chinese Cuisine（pickerington） — Restaurant in Violet Township

⭐️⭐️⭐️½ | First Visit XIXIA Chinese Cuisine – Columbus, OH Price per person: $15–25 Wait time: 0–5 minutes (weekday, early afternoon) Noise level: Quiet to moderate — peaceful vibe Seating: Booths, tables, and 2-person setups with solid spacing Vegetarian options: Available Dietary accommodations: Tablet allows ingredient customization; ask staff Parking: Shared strip mall lot with plenty of free parking Kid-friendliness: Yes, calm enough for families Wheelchair accessible: Yes

This wasn’t a planned visit — more like a craving that crossed paths with convenience. XIXIA had been tucked in my Yelp bookmarks for a while. Not a top priority, just one of those “maybe if I’m nearby” spots. Between the kid’s salon and Cold Stone, the strip mall exterior didn’t raise expectations. But I was close. I was hungry. I gave it a shot.

From the moment I stepped inside, it felt different. Think: mom-and-pop soul in strip mall drag. Warm wood tones, dim lighting, and the quiet trickle of water near the entrance — no loud branding, no influencer bait. Just a calm, intentional space. The kind that makes you sit up straighter without realizing why.

The staff was welcoming and smooth. A full glass of ice-cold water hit the table immediately (yes, with actual ice cubes), and the digital ordering system was explained clearly without pressure. A printed menu might help some folks, but the tablet made exploring easy — with clear photos and customization options.

🍜 Yibin Fire Noodles (+ Fried Egg) Flavor fire — and I mean that in the best way. It had that slow-creeping heat: smoky, garlicky, and deeply seasoned with preserved veggies, ground meat, and chili oil. Textured and balanced, not gimmicky. The $2 egg add-on? Fully cooked, not runny, and unseasoned — I had to ask for salt and pepper. Not a dealbreaker, but next time I’ll ask for a soft egg. Still worth ordering.

🍗 Salt & Pepper Chicken The star. Hot, juicy, likely thigh meat, and seasoned beautifully. The breading held its own — not too thick, not greasy. It came with a sweet & sour sauce in a surprisingly fancy little silicone-topped container (yes, I Googled it later). I would’ve loved a second, spicier dipping option, but this still held up.

Final Thoughts: XIXIA isn’t loud — and maybe that’s the point. It’s not chasing TikTok clout. It’s just solid, flavorful food in a calm space, with kind service and a few surprises if you’re paying attention. This was a 3.5-star experience on visit one, but I’d come back. I left thinking about what I’d order next — and that...

My family are huge fans of Xia Xia and never had any problems dining in at the Kenny Center location. In our opinion it's one of the best Chinese spots in town. Daniel is the best ever along with the lady that works at Kenny Center location! But today we decided to go dine in at the Pickerington location in hopes to see Daniel and support their new location. But unfortunately we had a different server. From there on, it was mess! He didn't give us spoons (we ordered 4 Noodle Soup with Ribs). My husband had to stand at the front counter and waited from him to come out to ask for spoons. This server was constantly disappearing to the back kitchen. Granted we were ONLY customers at the restaurant at that time. As the only server there today he should try his best to be present and be available if customers who are dining in may need anything. The soup was great BUT two orders of ours didn't have the soy eggs like we opt in to have. Again he was not around so we had to wait again until he showed up so we can tell him there was a problem with our order. So we had to wait again until he had to bring out the soy eggs seperately. And lastly, when we received our bill we noticed he automatically charged us a gratuity tip without us even knowing about it. Why? Our total was just under $80 and it was just 2 adults and 2 children. I can understand we had a party of 6 or more and our bill was extraodinary, but it wasn't so why charge an automatic tip. I have no problem in tipping. I have family members that works in the restaurant business so I know how tip is very important to servers. But there was no warning or notes to customers on the menu or anywhere else at the restaurant that states a gratuity of party of 4 will be automatically charged. I don't agree with this. And especially if the service was not at its finest today. Please if there is a gratuity for a party of 4 or more please put that on the menu so customers can know ahead of time. Next time I hope when we go again Daniel...

First impression BEFORE coming in: Looks like another Chinese food place is moving into that lot. Then I looked at their menu online and noticed they serve Noodles. Very different from what I'd expect from a chain. Then saw it's only their second location, and they're a growing business. Interest peaked, I decided to go in one day... Only to see they were closed on that day... So I went another day! This time after work on a day they were open!

Unfortunately didn't take a picture, but I did order the Spicy Beef Stew Noodle. Asked the guy seating me some questions, as I'm unfamiliar with Chinese noodles (mostly acquainted with japanese ramen/udon and pho [loosely]). He answered much of what I looked to know and showed me how the ordering process worked.

Sat down, waited for a short bit as my noodles came in. The levels of spicy were at a pretty good level so that it wouldn't be overbearing, which I appreciated. Plenty of flavor within' the broth rather than leaning on the spice. The noodles had a good firmness to them that kicked in briefly after biting in, and the bok choy (first time having tried it) tasted fresh. The bits of beef strewn throughout was enough for me. Very little of it was too chewy to eat. The only thing that could've made the dish better for me would've been a softboiled egg but alas, it's not an option (as far as I'm aware) ;_;

Water tasted good, and considered ordering some of their hot tea options or rice, but wanted to gauge how full the noodles alone would leave me on my first visit.

Glad to have another place to add to my list of nearby places to eat from, especially one that specializes in noodles. Don't have to drive 30min away...