Xi’an Famous Foods

Hole in a freakin’ wall of deliciousness. The spicy cumin lamb noodle is springy without being too doughy and it’s spicy, savory and delicious. Service opened promptly at 11 and many repeat customers were already there. I salivated the entire time watching the cook make my noodles right in front of me, boiling for probably three minutes and then adding all the fresh ingredients. Cash only.
I think my most memorable meal in New York this December was burning my tongue on this on a nearby park bench, just clutching the bowl in my trembling hands (no seating inside whatsoever) as I meditated on these flavors. Heavenly.
It’s a little tricky to find but just outside the Golden mall/​shopping center next to the siren call that is Tai Chi Tea.

O. M. G.
The best $ 3 (and change) I’ve ever spent was here, last night.
With only $ 5 in my pocket in a cash-​only district, it’s hard to find anything decent in the area. The food gods allowed me to stumble upon this CLEAN, hole-​in-​the-​wall amazingness. Their front window is cluttered with famous celebrities (Anthony Bourdain to Bobby Flay) that have frequented this joint.
Tried the cheapest food item on their menu which was the Spicy Cumin Lamb Burger. Best choice of the day/​month. The bread tasted like a combination of Indian Naan and Chinese Pork Bun bread. The lamb wasn’t too gamey like others have said previously and not overly seasoned…
This is the type of restaurant that makes NYers want to come back to Chinatown. Literally as good as it gets in NYC.

Spicy Cumin Lab Burger… you are DA BOMB in my mouth.
Spicy, filling, delicious, cheap!
And I do mean SPICE-​AY!
This is definitely a must try.
Xi’an…you’re more than famous, you’re legendary baby!

As a white guy who once thought Panda Express was the greatest Chinese on earth (I was 13… give me a break), it’s a joy living amongst some of the greatest Asian eats anywhere in North America. As I hammer away at my keyboard on the cusp of Chinatown, I can honestly say that my favorite haunt amongst the many nondescript storefronts happens to be this here Xi’an Famous Foods.
The hand pulled noodles are the jam up in hurrr. They literally pull these things fresh in front of your face, pound them on the counter multiple times to unlock some magical, delicious wheat gnome that grabs your taste buds and takes you on a wild ride that no NYC taxi could ever replicate. Add to that your pick of veggies, chicken, beef, mystery meat, and more… and you have yourself one of the more authentic Chinatown bites that’ll leave you begging for a second stomach (why do cows get to have all the fun?).
This is a must stop when tip toeing around this slice of lower Manhattan.

There is two locations! This is the one without tables!
This one is really cramp and tiny, but i guess this is also the one where all the stars went to (Andrew Zimmermen for one) It is LITERALLY meant for 2 people to stand inside
I got the pork bun and the spicy beef noodle
The pork bun is a little bit bland to me and had a lot of fat to it — i felt like i need some kind of sauce to make it taste better… which i did by dipping it into my soup =)
The soup was blasting with flavor — spicy, a little sour, salty and just a bit tingy (as the name stated) — it is «ma la» flavor, i dont know how to explain it in english but its spicy that leave a tingly sensation on your tongue. The noodles are all different length and you actually see them make it fresh which is cool and its very smooth and chewy! The beef is DELICIOUS… heavenly! It is PACKED with all the soup and juice and sauce
pretty cheap for a filling meal — 7 bucks?
i would come back to try something else

Delicious lamb cumin hand pulled noodles. You have to like cumin and spice or you will not like this place because they use a ton of cumin and heat. Its a tiny hole in the wall, take it to go. The lamb burger is not a burger at all its like braised chopped cumin lamb on a bun they make in front of you and its pretty delicious. The noodle dish is four stars for me. Must try.

This place is really a hole in the wall. It is so small that no more than 2 – 3 people can fit in and literally your only option is take-​out. Stopped by this place during dinner to grab a quick bite before heading back home. I got the Lamb Burger and the Tiger Salad
Spicy Cumin Lamb Burger:
–Basically Cumin-​seasoned Lamb meat sauteed with Jalapenos, Onions, and Scallions stuffed into a hard, crispy-​warm bun. The appearance of this burger reminded me of Venezuelan Arepas. The lamb meat was savory and wasn’t gamey either. But it didn’t fill me up with just one.
Tiger Vegetables Salad (Cold & Spicy)
–I really liked this salad! I had the salad before biting into the burger. It sort of reminded me of those scallion/​onion banchan that Korean BBQ restaurants would serve to eat with the meat. Loved the crisp, refreshing texture of this salad packed with Jalapeño peppers, Cilantro and Scallions. Will definitely have this again! Downside of the salad is that it is more expensive than the Burger and some noodle items and will NOT fill you up.
Pros:
Tasty, Filling food
Low Prices
Fast Service
Cons:
–Staff speaks limited English
–No restrooms on site (restrooms are located on the basement of East Broadway Mall, so if you really need to go, ask the staff for the key, however be quick as one of the staffs will come chase you thinking you’re gonna steal the key… trust me I was just coming out of the restroom and I ran into them on the stairs of the mall and gave them the key lol)
Overall, I think it’s an OK place. Not really able to understand all the hype some Unilocalers are making out of this place. Rather eat Chive Dumpligns at Prosperity Dumplings and get full lol

During a recent visit to NYC I met up a great friend of mine and went on a bar hoping extravaganza, it was a great time. During a walk to our next destination he told me about this spot that we need to try out (he has been here quite a few times so he knew it was some good stuff) and I was game. We walked over to this small spot that was only standing room, no spots for seats but I was fine with that, it was a nice hole in the wall spot (you know those are always the best places to venture off to since it never disappoints). We ordered some drinks (non-​alcoholic of course) and some food. I don’t recall the the name of the dish but it was noodles, lamb, vegies and it was spicy (just the way I like it). The food was amazingly delicious and cooked right in front of us. It took less than 7 minutes from the time we ordered to the time we were already digging into it.
This place has had it’s limelight on tv and for justified reasons. If you are ever in the area or remotely close to it you need to make sure and drop in and pick up some food from this spot, you’ll be happy you made the trip out there.

Even though this spot is smaller and not as nice as the other locations of this now chain, I kinda like it more.
I like to see them make the stuff before my eyes.
Just what everyone else said is on point.
I like the spicy lamb cumin and the tingly beef noodles.

Noodle dishes are not as flavourful as I’d want. A bit disappointing since the noodles themselves are hand-​pulled and good.
It’s inexpensive, and I’d still be willing to go back to try more. Maybe it was an off day.

Quick background – as a girl who studied abroad in Shanghai over a year ago, I still dream of soupy xiaolongbaos and the abundance of street food. My favorite street snack is the rou jia mo, which is like a meat burger sandwiched between a pita-​like bread. Unfortunately West Coast Chinatowns in SF and Oakland are sorely lacking in Northern Chinese cuisine (main focus on dim sum instead), so I’ve been craving a rou jia mo FOREVER.
Lo and behold, my trek to the East Coast brought me to this little culinary haven.
FOOD
— Cumin lamb burger: since the street carts in Shanghai always had pork, I decided to mix it up a bit and try a lamb burger instead. SO. DIVINE. The cumin and chili definitely gave a major kick of flavor to this sandwich, so be warned if you are averse to spicy food! The bread was crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, absorbing all the juicy goodness leaking from the meat. Even though my street burgers/​sandwiches were only 1.5 yuan in China, forking over $ 3 USD was still a bargain in NY
ATMOSPHERE
It has the air of being a hole-​in-​the wall shop, with small tables and little benches to sit on. Don’t expect to come here with a crowd. This is more of a stop & go kinda shop. I would say come here for a quick snack and munch on your food as you explore Chinatown.
I still dream of the lamb burgers when midnight cravings hit me.

I’ve only tried the lamburger. It was smaller than what I had expected, but for $ 3 I can’t complain. The meat was tender and little ground up with LOTS of cumin. Generally I can’t really tell what spices people throw in their rub, but this burger had a lot of cumin (not a bad thing) and a kick of spicy red chili pepper.
Definitely would like to try the lamb burger again at the more popular st marks location.

All I have to say is… HOLY FREAKIN COW!!! The food here is just so awesome that everyone needs to come here!!!
My friend decided to bring me here because she’s seen this place mentioned many times on the Food Network. The location we went to was one in Chinatown. I didn’t really know what to expected because the shop was so small. I stepped in and noticed that my bedroom was probably the size of this whole shop. But size did not matter to me once I smelled the sweet aroma of the food they were cooking. My nostrils were definitely flairing up in an unlady-​like way.
My friend and I had ordered the Pork Burger and also the Spicy Lamb Noodles. Explosion of tastiness. Agh! I want to be back in that moment as I am writing this review. The burger was just juicy, and yet crunchy from the bread that was used. The noodles were delightful as well. Have you ever had anything that tasted so perfect? If you haven’t, then you need to try these BOMB noodles. I kid you not, the spice was the right amount, the taste was not overwhelming your mouth, and the noodles tasted perfect as if they were made with love.
If you are walking near the area, then you definitely need to stop by. I don’t care if you’re not hungry, just take one whiff of the food and you’ll feel like it’s your goal in life to try at least one of their dishes like there’s no tomorrow and go to town on that bad boy!

Though not quite as good as the one in Flushing, this little take out joint under the Manhattan bridge is probably the best one out of the three I’ve been to in the city. I’ve been here a couple of times now and I often pop in for a quick snack, especially if I’m in the area. Got the spicy cumin lamb burger after having dinner at Super Taste. Perfect way to finish a meal, if you ask me. The lamb was good, as always, but the bread was overly toasted making it a bit more crusty and harder than usual. There is a clear gap in food quality in each of the XFF locations and I would rate them like this:
1. Flushing — the original and the best
2. East Broadway — pretty much take out only
3. Bayard St. — something gets lost in the process of bringing the food from upstairs
4. St. Marks — watered down… for tourists or peeps who don’t like flavor
**Useful Tip: If you’re a newbie to XFF don’t try it at place #3 or #4…make the virgin journey to #1 or #2 and you’ll be a fan for life!

After seeing all of the rave reviews for both this location and their other location in Flushing I had high expectations. Those expectations only solidified after seeing the numerous publications plastered on their walls from the who’s who of the food related celebrities on TV and business.
Of course I tried the much recommended Liang Pi Cold Skin noodles and honestly it was one of the more disappointing things I’ve tried. I wasn’t a fan of the texture, the taste, or the sauce it came with. Maybe it’s just personal preference but I’m not exactly a fan of cold noodles that has texture that resembles raw squid.
The lamb burgers were still good though, even though it usually give me the trots… tmi i know lol

So rad.

Oh my. The Lamb Cumin Burger* is the bomb.
The lamb packs a heavy punch of cumin and a little kick of spicyness! Contrary to other reviewers, I LOVE the bun that it comes in. It’s a «mon tow» style bread that’s pressed on a grill for a perfectly charred outside. Like a Chinese Panini!
Now I’ve made a promise to myself to eat my way through the entire menu. Liang Pi Noodles are next!
The only thing more awesome about actually eating this burger* was seeing Interpol play at Radio City Music Hall right afterwards. BOOM.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
*Why do I still feel weird calling it a burger?

Greasy yet delightful. Hand pulled noodles not to be missed. Not a site down place by any means.
Date Rating: 5 (10 if you’re out with a foodie)
Pick up Scale: 2
Strong Suggestion: Lamb Burger & D1

Do you ever get those ridiculous cravings like White Castle, Twinkies, Crispy Creams, or Papaya King hot dogs? You know what I am taking about.
Last Friday I had to have a B2 (Savory Cumin Lamb burger $ 2.50) from Xi’an Famous.
The closest one to me at work is in Chinatown and it is the one I always go to.
Nothing is better then this hole-​in-​the-​wall to satisfy my spicy-​lamb-​burger craving then Xi’an; actually it is the only place I know of.
I marched over to Xi’an at lunch time from the Financial District because the weather was nice and my unlimited Metrocard expired; but to my disappointment, the line at Xi’an was out the door (only takes three people to create this!) and the wait time is more then 20+ minutes.
Like Napoleon after his defect in Russia, I had to march back and consoled my disappointment with some back street dumpling and fun.
I moped all afternoon at work and decide that I will not be defected because after work I marched right back to Xi’an for that B2 on the #11 Bus (an old slang used by some Chinese that referring to walking).
When I got there at 6pm there was no one there! OMG, they are closed? No, they are open… strange.
I walked right to the counter and got served by a young trainee which was happy to chat with me while the more senior lady made my B2.
She was friendly because she was only a trainee; wait until the dinner crowd gets here after 7pm!
«A drink?» She asked. «No I just need the B2 and extra napkins.» I said.
Even with no one else in the place and there was actually room to eat on the tiny counter I still stood outside like I always do and enjoy my B2 with people staring at me as I eat my delicious and messy snack.

Standing room for maybe 3 – 4 people in this shop, I find it best to get in, tell the cashier your order and then tell her that you’ll be back in 15 minutes. It really does take a long time here, but it’s because they make everything on the spot.
Order the noodles here especially the liang pi and I’m partial to the jiang jian mein (although it’s not the thick black bean style that I grew up with). Haven’t tried the lamb burgers but seems like the Unilocalers like it. Worth checking out at least once, this is pretty authentic stuff they serve at Xi’an Famous Foods.