Xi'an Famous Foods 西安名吃
648 Manhattan Ave
Xi'an Famous Foods... at this point it's as New York as Nathan's. However, unlike many living in New York, my introduction to the intensely aromatic and wheat-heavy cuisine of Shaanxi province was not this famed local chain. During the summer of 2018, while I was working as an IT help desk tech at my university, a Xi'an-style restaurant opened in the college town. I didn't eat at restaurants much back then, though this was an exception. The biang biang noodles, liang pi, and tomato egg soup all blew my mind. Liang pi remains one of my favorite things to eat in the summer. Regarding this restaurant, I remember one of my older coworkers saying "It's Xi'an food! They don't even have that in Manhattan; you've got to go to Queens for that!". Well...
That statement was provably false, because later that summer (or maybe the next one...), I was visiting a friend in Manhattan, and we decided to eat at XFF. It was definitely my suggestion, though I'm honestly not sure how I had heard about the place. I suppose it's famous or something. I tried to show him the joys of liang pi, but they were sold out, and we got the biang biang noodles instead. If I wasn't a vegetarian at the time, I might've noticed that the cumin lamb topping for the noodles is something that my college town's restaurant lacked. From what I've heard, the cumin lamb thing is pretty unique to NYC restaurants, with XFF starting the trend and its many copycats following suit.
I should probably introduce this place, though it needs little introduction. Xi'an Famous Foods is a chain of restaurants in NYC (now in Boston and Northern Virginia, too) that makes, according to the website, the founder's "family versions of Xi'an classics". Their menu is concise; the star of the show are the hand pulled "biang biang" noodles with various toppings, served either dry or in soup, the roujiamo sandwich, with either pulled pork or lamb, and liang pi, cold, almost gelatinous noodles made of starch and topped with vinegar, chili, bean sprouts and cabbage. There are also some sides: smashed cucumber, douhua (tofu pudding), and dumplings.
Due to the chain's ubiquity in the city, I've had most everything on the menu by now, but it had been quite some time since I had ordered their biang biang noodles, and a Friday with no groceries in the fridge is a time good as any to try them again. As we were ordering we were sort of shocked by the calorie count shown next to an order of noodles on the kiosk. 1200 calories??? Ordering on a kiosk and thinking about how many calories I was about to consume really made me feel like I was in McDonald's or something...
Anyway we decided not to split the meal as one of us was sick, and resolved to get the rest of our day's calories in all at once. I went with the N4, noodles with stewed pork, while They went with the NS4, noodles with stewed pork in soup. The current price pre-tax for my order was $12.25, while Theirs was 12.95. With a hawberry tea (a must for Them at XFF) and tax, the total came to a little over $28.
So what can I say? It was delicious and filling. The noodles are so thick and luscious, and the oily sauce clings to them perfectly. The topping is super aromatic from not just scallions and garlic, but also the dried spice blend that makes XFF stand out. The verdict? I'm glad there's a location in my neighborhood -- the price is fair and the food is delicious. Personally, I usually go for the liang pi, which costs around 8 dollars, and is a wonderful lunch on a hot day.
Is there anything interesting about the Greenpoint location? Not particularly. I believe it was the first location in Brooklyn, having opened in 2014. Before that, according to Google Maps, the address was home to a Polish bookstore. You know what -- I'm going to keep a running count of how many of these restaurants immediately replaced Polish businesses. According to my calculations... there are three: XFF, Mala Project, and Four Season Joyful.
Oh one last thing, I guess these dudes who would drink beers and tan on top of the store became a meme in 2022? Here's the story from Greenpointers.
Greenpoint Chinese Lunch Current Standings:
- Chiko
- Four Season Joyful
- Xi'an Famous Foods
- Peking Express
- Breeze
- Mala Project