A single location in the basement of a Flushing mall launched the Xi’an Famous Foods empire, which now has locations in Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn. Taste the flavors of Xi’an, the northwestern Chinese province of Shaanxi’s capital city, in signature dishes like Cold-Skin Noodles, Spicy Cucumber Salad, Spicy & Sour Spinach Dumplings, and Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles in Soup, many of which are favorites among New Yorkers of all appetites. is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn.

This Flushing-born Chinese chainlet carries the cuisine of Xi'an, an ancient city in north-central China that was once a vital part of the Silk Road trade routes. Lamb is a menu focus, as seen in the dumplings stuffed with ground lamb meat, served in a spicy-sour sauce and topped with fragrant fresh cilantro. Try this: You can also find the same exact lamb dumplings served soup-style, bobbing in a zippy lamb broth.

Do not let this counter-serve restaurant fool you; what it lacks in high-end atmosphere, it makes up for with bold flavor. Xi’an Famous Foods offers chain-style Xi’an fare, so be sure to stop in if you’re looking for a fix of cold noodles, hand-pulled noodles, soups and more. Cost may vary depending on location, but salads and burgers can be had for under $5.

Established in late 2005, Xi’an is a family-owned business with several locations around NYC. Signature dishes include liangpi, or ‘cold skin’ noodles, lamb pao mo soup, and wide, flat ‘biangbiang’ noodles. Xi’an understands the busy life of a New Yorker, so it has implemented a real-time store traffic meter.

With several locations across New York, this chain of family-run restaurants specializes in authentic western Chinese food. The company's CEO was born in Xi'an, one of China's oldest cities. Fun fact: Its dishes were a favorite of Anthony Bourdain's.

While we’d usually steer you away from chains, on our quest for delicious yet cheap restaurants in NYC we’d be remiss not to include the well-established Xi’an Famous Foods, known for their incredible Chinese cuisine and legendary chili oil/crisp combination. We recommend trying the Spicy and Sour Pork Dumplings, Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad, and Spicy, Sour Spinach Dumplings, and Spicy Hot-Oil Seared Hand Ripped Noodles. A meal at Xi’an is the kind you won’t soon forget on your journey for delicious cheap food in NYC.

DINNER: The Halal Guys food cart or Xi’An Famous Foods The Halal Guys is a classic New York success story. What began in 1990 as a hot dog cart transformed into filling a void in the Halal food market – and now they have more than 200 franchised locations. However, the original cart at West 53rd and 6th Avenue still operates, cranking out platters and sandwiches of chicken or gyro (or mix) topped with their secret ‘white’ or ‘red’ sauce for as little as $6.TripAdvisor Reviews for The Halal Guys.

Xi’an Famous Foods is, hands down, one of my favorite places to eat in New York and I never miss a chance to devour their (indeed) famous hand-pulled noodles when I visit. The restaurant was launched by Jason Wang and his father David, Chinese immigrants from the city of Xi’an, back in 2015 and has grown into a chain of 14 locations all over New York. As the business grew, the high quality stayed the same: they still make their own chili oil and hand-pull noodles to order.

This restaurant’s inspiration comes straight from the source: Xi’an, the capital of China’s Shaanxi province. Having already made a name for themselves because of their delicious noodles, the trendy locale has popped up on many “Top 5 restaurant” lists in all of NYC and recently opened up a new spot for an entirely new kind of noodle: Biang, which is made with spicy lamb or beef. Head over there to try their special “Three Treasure Tea” that is very popular in Xi’an.

If you’re poor like the rest of us, check out this guide to some of New York’s best cheap eats (psst- this is a great time to visit a branch of Xi’An Famous Foods — there’s one on 45th Street!) Cap off your night with a 2 hour night lights harbor cruise (better for kids) or a romantic champagne sailing cruise (better for couples) to see some gorgeous skyline views of New York. Keep in mind food and beverages are not included so plan accordingly.

Once a solitary Flushing favorite, Xi'an Famous Foods exploded into Manhattan after appearing on a 2008 episode of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" travel show. With 16 locations in New York, the father-son restaurant chain deals exclusively in the spicy, lip-numbing cuisine of Xi'an. The city in China's Shaanxi province is famous for its hand-stretched noodles and Muslim-influenced cuisine — think cumin-spiced lamb noodles and burgers.

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.

What started out as a bubble tea shop is now a New York institution known for its hand pulled noodles and 30+ ingredient chili oil. According to Forbes, Xi’An Famous Foods appeals to locals, tourists of Chinese descent, and people who have “absolutely no Chinese heritage.” In other words, these noodles are a hit with everyone. With five locations in Queens – all of which are open for lunch every day – spicy noodles are never far away.

Xi'an Famous Foods opened its first location in Flushing, Queens in 2005. It claims to be the first restaurant to introduce the U.S. to the cuisine of Xi'an, a city in the Shaanxi province of northwestern China known for its unique blend of Chinese and Middle Eastern influences. The first Chinatown location of the restaurant opened in 2011, and today, the Xi'an Famous Foods empire is 13 outposts strong.

With multiple locations around New York City, Xi’an Famous Foods specializes in serving flavors from Xi’an, a city located in the northwestern part of China. Unlike Chinese Cantonese food, Chinese food from Xi’an is more heavy on spices, namely cumin, chilies (and plenty of chili oil), and Sichuan pepper. When it comes to restaurants in NYC, Xi’an Famous Foods is one of my personal favorites.

trendy grab-and-go (or stay, if you don’t want to risk messing up your noodles, as a sign at every register warns) eateries, Xi’An specializes in hand-pulled noodles from Western China served stir-fried, in soups and cold. All three iterations are fantastic—chewy, savory, sour, spicy and hugely comforting. Those sensitive to spice should start out “mild” and work their way up the heat scale.

5 | Xi’an Famous Foods | You can find tasty burgers anywhere in the world, but not noodles that are fresh and handmade. That is what draws the city to Chinese gem, Xi’an Famous Foods. Starting from a hole-in-a-wall at a basement in a shopping mall, the fiery noodles of Xi’an leaped across the river and landed to the Chinatown of Manhattan and then engulfed, yes, the entire New York City.

With over a dozen locations scattered across Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn, Xi’an Famous Foods is the go-to place for many NYC foodies looking to satisfy a dumpling craving. Sure, their hand pulled noodles are what put them on the map, but many New Yorkers swear by their irresistible lamb dumplings, which are served in a pool of tangy spicy & sour sauce. View this post on Instagram

Xi’an Famous Foods is named after the easternmost city in China (and the last stop on the Silk Road). The restaurant specializes in traditional Xi’an street foods like hand-pulled noodles and large dumplings swimming in glorious spicy-sour sauce. Full of fiery spices and aromatic seasonings, the menu doesn’t pander to amateur palates (the motto says it all “not spicy = not as good”).

Xi’an Famous Foods began as a 200 square foot basement stall in the Golden Shopping Mall in Flushing in late 2005, bringing the then little-known cuisine of Xi’an to the United States, with signature hand-ripped noodles, secret spice mixes, and Xi’an “burgers” with house-made flatbread. Since then, they’ve expanded to nine locations in Manhattan, one in Brooklyn and two in Queens.

Another hot spot for New York food lovers, Xi’an Famous Foods is a Western Chinese chain serving everything from lamb burgers to cold noodles and oxtail soup. “It’s a noodle spot and that’s what they’re known for,” Fedner says, "but these spicy and sour lamb dumplings are next level. They are tangy. They are spicy. They’re super aromatic, and they’re some of my favorites.

Xi’an Famous Foods is one of the best restaurants in NYC if you’ve got a hankering for Chinese noodles. Once just a small stall in Flushing, Xi’an Famous Foods now has 14 locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Their menu offers a robust selection geared toward the flavors of Northwest China, but they’re known for their fresh, hand-ripped biang biang noodles.

Xi’an Famous Foods is a chain of Asian restaurants across New York that are popular with both locals and tourists. They serve mainly Western style Chinese food, like dumplings and noodles. Some of the most popular menu items are the award-winning spicy cumin lamb noodles, and the spicy pork dumplings or spicy lamb dumplings served with or without broth.

Armed with a list of affordable places to eat in NYC saved to my Google Maps, on our first night, we swung by one of the branches of Xi’an Famous Foods. The menu is focused around their hand pulled noodles, a world away from what you’d usually find at your local takeaway. I chose the spicy and tingly beef option in soup (you can have them dry or wet).

Another mini chain that gets it is Xi’an Famous Foods, where the menu includes a few cheap, spicy vegan options full of enough real heat to burn away your omnivorous habits. Follow the restaurant’s recommendations and get it to stay, get it spicy and get it soon. I recommend the A2: stir-fried liang pi cold-skin noodles, packed with meaty seitan.

Xi’an Famous Foods is a New York City chain of Western Chinese-style noodle and dumpling bars. These small and bustling establishments are wildly popular, as the dumplings and noodles here are so, so good. (An Asian friend who now lives in Hong Kong goes to Xi’an Famous Foods first thing whenever she comes back to NYC, if that’s any indication.)

Xi’an Famous Foods is a fantastic eatery specializing in authentic Western Chinese cuisine, and they do it right. From their savory hand-pulled noodles to their juicy handmade dumplings, everything on the menu packs a flavor punch. One word of warning though – the Midtown locations can get pretty crowded, so be prepared to wait in line.

The absolute spiciest hand-ripped Chinese noodles you'll find in New York, Xi’an Famous Foods sets the standard for Chinese fast food joints. These puppies are traditional, cheap, and oh-so-satisfying!. If you can't handle the heat you can request your noodles not spicy—but really, there's no gain without a little pain right?

Xi’an Famous Foods fully embraces the traditional cuisine of Xi’an and has multiple locations across Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. The eatery might be best known for its hand-pulled noodles, but its lamb dumplings deserve just as much of the spotlight. The lamb dumplings at Xi’an's aren’t your average dim sum plate.

In a city with plenty of places to try delicious Chinese food, Xi’an Famous Foods is a great option. Started in 2005 by a Chinese immigrant that missed his hometown food, Xi’an Famous Foods quickly grew to 15 locations through Manhattan, Brooklyn and Long Island. Don’t live near a Xi’an Famous Foods?

These savory pancakes are more like a supremely chewy flatbread with bits of scallion and sesame oil mixed throughout the dough. They’re served as street foods in restaurants and fresh or frozen in supermarkets, and since they’re pan-fried, they are an ideal balance of crispy edges and soft insides.

If this restaurant were a laboratory—and it looks very much like one, with its sterile white-tiled walls and stools for chairs (casually pulled up to counters built into the wall)—the scientists working here would be studying just how much spice the human tongue can take before it…

There’s a case to be made that Xi’an Famous Foods is the best restaurant in New York because of its combination of consistency, convenience, price point, deliciousness, and various signs of admonishment on how to eat the noodles. My only note: Bring back the Tiger Vegetable Salad!

- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (302 reviews)- Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (3.5/5), Value (4.5/5), Atmosphere (3.0/5)- Type of cuisine: Quick Bites, Chinese- Price: $- Address: 2675 Broadway, New York City, NY 10025-5025- Read more on Tripadvisor

With quick, cafeteria-style dining and a variety of locations to choose from, Xi’an Famous Foods is an obvious choice for swift, delicious Chinese comfort food. The wait-lines can get long, so be sure to get there in time to get your fix!

Xi’an Famous Foods (313 Sixth Ave) – New Yorkers love this small chain of Chinese restaurants, with 12 locations around town. Grab some hand-ripped noodles with beef to go, and it’ll only cost you about $8.

Xi’an Famous Foods offers a variety of noodle dishes, many of which are under $10. Their Spicy Lamb Noodles are a must-try, offering a unique blend of Chinese and Middle Eastern flavours.

Xi’an Famous Foods began as a 200-square-foot stall in the basement of the Golden Shopping Mall in Flushing, Queens (NYC’s largest Chinatown) in 2005.

Yes, for real flavors, go to Xi’an Famous Foods for dishes from Western China. Or try Tim Ho Wan for dim sum from Hong Kong.