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Photo courtesy of Xi'an Famous Foods
Photo courtesy of Xi'an Famous Foods
Photo courtesy of Xi'an Famous Foods

Xi'an Famous Foods

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Price: $

10Best Says

Slink down a staircase into an unkempt basement and enter the family-run dungeon of Xi'an cuisine, Xi'an Famous. This 200-square-foot basement stall in Flushing is the original location of this recognized mini-chain, and was one of the first New York restaurants to serve food from the Xi'an region of China. Specialties include spicy & tingly beef and "burgers" on flatbread, though regulars swear by the hand-pulled noodles with cumin lamb. While purists argue that Xi'an lacks a certain level of authenticity, culinary royalty and media (including Anthony Bourdain and Zagat) have crowned Xi'an a shining star in New York's Chinese food scene.

Address:

41-28 Main Street
Flushing, NY 11355

Website:

xianfoods.com

EXPERT TIPS BY: Andrea Wien
New York Local Expert

Chinese, Asian: "This is not the place for romance, so don't try impressing a first date here."

Best for Chinese, Asian Because: Xi'an Famous was one of the first to bring Xi'an cuisine to New York City.

Main Menu
- Cold Noodles
  
  Liang Pi Cold-Skin Noodles
  
  Chewy wheat flour noodles, tossed with vegetables and cubes of spongy gluten, in all our proprietary sauces ($4.50)
  
  Stir-Fried Cold-Skin Noodles
  
  Wheat flour noodles, cucumbers, and spongy gluten cubes quickly stir-fried and topped with cilantro ($6.25)
  
  Buckwheat Cold Noodles
  
  Thin buckwheat noodles, dressed with our secret spices, cilantro, and cucumbers. A delicious, healthy cold dish! ($5.00)
- Burgers
  
  Stewed Pork Burger
  
  Succulent pork, stewed and diced into small pieces, packed into a warm and crispy flatbread-like bun ($2.75)
  
  Spicy Cumin Lamb Burger
  
  Diced lamb sautéed with jalapeños, red onions, and scallions, stuffed into our crispy flatbread-like bun. Made famous by Anthony Bourdain ($3.25)
- Soups
  
  Lamb Meat Soup
  
  Sliced lamb meat, mung-bean noodles, and cilantro, floating in a rich broth made from lamb meat and bones ($4.75)
  
  Lamb Offal Soup
  
  Our rich lamb-bone broth, topped with lamb offal (liver, stomach, heart, and lungs), mung-bean noodles, and cilantro ($4.75)
  
  Lamb Pao-Mo Soup
  
  Our housemade leavened bread soaked in lamb soup and topped with scallions, cilantro, and sliced lamb ($7.25)
- Hand-Pulled Noodles
  
  Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles
  
  Lamb sautéed with onions, garlic, and scallions in Xi'an Famous Food's secret spices, mixed with our original hand-ripped wide biangbiang noodles ($7.25)
  
  Spicy & Tingly Beef Hand-Ripped Noodles
  
  Lean beef and cabbage sautéed in our house hot sauce, Chinese pepper powder, and scallions, mixed with our biangbiang noodles ($6.50)
  
  Mount Qi Pork Hand-Ripped Noodles
  
  Pork belly sautéed in a sour and spicy sauce, tossed with our house chili oil and Sichuan peppercorns and mixed with biangbiang noodles ($6.00)
  
  Stewed Pork Hand-Ripped Noodles
  
  Stewed pork mixed with our biangbiang noodles and flavored with its pork broth, mild in heat but rich in flavor ($6.00)
  
  Mount Qi Vegetables Hand-Ripped Noodles
  
  Carrots, potatoes, wood ear mushrooms, bell peppers, and seitan stewed in a spicy and sour sauce from the Mount Qi region in China, tossed with cabbage and our biangbiang noodles ($6.00)
  
  Concubine's Chicken Hand-Ripped Noodles
  
  Our biangbiang noodles mixed with pieces of bone-in dark chicken meat, sauteed, stewed, and mixed with our secret house sauce ($6.00)
  
  Spicy Hot Oil Seared Hand-Ripped Noodles
  
  Biangbiang noodles topped with our house spices, flash-seared with boiling oil for a fresh, hot chili oil ($6.25)
  
  Pork "Zha Jiang" Hand-Ripped Noodles
  
  A savory-sweet pork stew, tossed with biangbiang noodles and a generous portion of cucumbers, scallions, celery, and chives ($6.00)
  
  Stewed Oxtail Hand-Ripped Noodles
  
  Oxtail in a vinegar and soy sauce stew, mixed with our housemade biangbiang noodles ($7.75)
- Hand-Pulled Noodles in Soup
  
  Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles in Soup
  
  Our famous biangbiang noodles mixed with spicy cumin-scented lamb meat, all mixed into a steaming bowl of lamb broth ($7.75)
  
  Spicy & Tingly Beef Hand-Ripped Noodles in Soup
  
  Lean beef, topped with our house hot sauce and spicy and tingly Sichuan peppercorns, mixed with our house biangbiang noodles in a bowl of hot lamb soup ($7.00)
  
  Mount Qi Pork Hand-Ripped Noodles in Soup
  
  Diced pork belly served in a spicy, sour, and tingly broth, a signature of the Mount Qi region, mixed with hand-ripped noodles ($6.50)
  
  Stewed Pork Hand-Ripped Noodles in Soup
  
  Our stewed pork mixed with hand-ripped noodles in broth, served either mild or spicy upon request ($6.50)
  
  Mount Qi Vegetables Hand-Ripped Noodles in Soup
  
  Our signature biangbiang noodles topped with carrots, potatoes, wood ear mushrooms, bell peppers, and other vegetables served in a spicy and sour stew from the Mount Qi region in China ($6.50)
  
  Sliced Boiled Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles in Soup
  
  Biangbiang noodles topped with sliced lamb meat, served in our housemade lamb broth ($7.75)
  
  Stewed Oxtail Hand-Ripped Noodles in Soup
  
  Stewed oxtail, hand-pulled wide noodles, and our secret house sauce, topped with lamb bone and oxtail broth ($8.25)
- Cold Dishes
  
  Tiger Vegetable Salad
  
  Cilantro, green peppers, green onions, celery, and jalapeño peppers, dressed in a sesame vinaigrette ($4.75)
  
  Spicy Cucumber Salad
  
  Asian cucumbers cut and smashed, tossed in vinegar, garlic, and house chili oil ($4.75)
  
  Spicy & Tingly Lamb Face Salad
  
  Our signature lamb face salad, with lamb face meat, muscles, and tendons, mixed with cucumbers, scallions, cilantro, and our spicy house sauce ($10.00)
  
  Spicy & Tingly Lamb Leg Salad
  
  The milder version of our lamb face salad: sliced lamb leg tossed with cucumbers, scallions, cilantro, and our spicy house sauce ($10.00)
- Other Specialties
  
  Chang-An Spicy Tofu
  
  Housemade tofu smothered in our secret sauce, chili oil, and fresh cilantro ($2.00)
  
  Stewed Oxtail
  
  Prime oxtail pieces, stewed and simmered with our secret spices ($10.00)
  
  Spicy Cumin Lamb Plate
  
  Our signature lamb, sautéed with cumin, red onions, peppers, and our house spices ($10.00)
  
  Spicy & Sour Lamb Dumplings
  
  Classic boiled dumplings stuffed with lamb meat, smothered in our signature spicy and sour sauce. Named best dumplings in New York Magazine's Best of New York 2013 issue. Not available in Flushing and Midtown Xi'an Famous Foods locations ($7.00)
  
  Spicy & Sour Lamb Dumplings in Broth
  
  Classic dumplings, stuffed with lamb and served in a sour and spicy broth. Named New York's best dumplings by New York Magazine. Not available at Flushing and Midtown Xi'an Famous Foods locations ($7.50)
  
  Spicy & Sour Spinach Dumplings
  
  Dumplings stuffed with spinach and mung bean vermicelli, served with a spicy and sour sauce. Contains eggs. Not available at Flushing and Midtown Xi'an Famous Foods locations ($6.50)
  
  Spicy & Sour Spinach Dumplings in Broth
  
  Spinach and mung bean vermicelli dumplings served in a spicy and sour vegetarian broth. Vegetarian friendly, contains eggs. Not available at Flushing and Midtown Xi'an Famous Foods locations ($7.00)

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