Bites Of Xian

I was having a dumpling crazing so I stopped In. I was a little skeptical at first of the meal would be good, but these dumplings had really good flavor and really soft dough around. I got the pork and chive dumpling which comes out green which I was surprised about but after adding the chili oil and vinegar it was so tasty. The price is around $10 for $10Dumplings, but it's midtown, so it's pretty expected.This is just a counter and seats so no table service.

Never disappointed when craving for spicy and sour flavors. The chili spicy ice cream tastes fun too

8:30pm on a Wed night. It's mostly empty. Ordered at the counter and the food came very, very quickly. The beef noodle had a solid soup, tastes like bone broth, star anise and a slight heavy hand in a numbing spice (is it Szechuan peppercorn?) that can make your tongue feel a tad sour somehow. The beef was braised to perfection and melts in your mouth. The noodles were thick and pretty good, but i prefer a tad more al dente chewy/toothsomeness. For these reasons I favor Xi'an Famous Foods that has pretty much the same menu.

Came here with a friend for a quick casual "dinner" at 5:30pm on a weekday. I had a hard time with the menu for some reason it took me a long time to make a decision. I ended up getting the boiled / steamed dumplings with pork and shrimp filling. It was about $10 and I also got a drink. The dumplings were decent but the sauce was super lame. The sauce was a strong vinegar but nothing in between to cut it. A bit of sodium a bit of citrus or something would have been helpful. MThe lady in the kitchen was super nice to me and was trying to help me but I was a bit intimidated because I didn't speak mandarin well. The cashier was completely unhelpful. I asked if he could recommend a dish to me and he said it just depends on what you're looking for. But overall it's not bad and it's not amazing. And there were mixed experiences with the staff. I would come back to try other things when I have more time.

Fell very short of expectations.Came here thinking maybe they're related to Xi'an Famous Foods? There's no way though, the quality of food is night and day.I ordered a lamb pancake and the lamb noodles. The meat was the same in both - seemed like pre-prepared mixture of small shreds of lamb and TONS of bean sprouts. I hate bean sprouts so I picked them all out. You can see in the pics how much they use, that I think is meant to reduce the amount of meat. Asked for no scallions or onions, they put scallions on top. The meat didn't really have much flavor, it tasted like bland mall food.The hand pulled noodles were decent, nothing really wrong with them.Pancake itself was a nice flaky texture. Other than that, woof I ain't coming back.

The N1 was pretty good - delicious, melt in your mouth beef and tasty broth. The noodles were...okay. The Xi'an Famous Foods ones really spoil you.

I have been curious to try this place out, so I finally did.Shrimp dumplings: nasty, barely any shrimp and meat has texture of dog food.Pan fried dumplings: very thick skin. Decent crust. Meat was only ok.Noodles with cumin lamb: it was only ok, pretty dry, good spicyness, noodles are eh.Overall: Puts the bites in bites of xian. Not gonna bother with again.

Very very yummy Chinese bites. The portions are MORE than enough and their hand pulled noodles are something special. Love each flavor packed bite and the spice in their beef broth is just right. Service was very fast , friendly and the atmosphere is clean and chill. It's giving local go to for Xi'an style noodles in this area.

Time: August 2023Place: Ample seating inside and right by Koreatown with lots of dessert options afterwards! Location is pretty central in Manhattan and the store front was relatively clean to eat at. I only did take out from here but service was quick and friendly!Food: Would definitely recommend dining in for the best experience, as the condensation from the take out containers can affect the texture of the rou jia mo bun and noodle chewiness. ⁃ Rou Jia Mo: I got the standard pork filling one, and it was delicious! The bun was light and crispy, with a nice flake on the outside. The pork was fatty, juicy and tender-- exactly how a good Rou Jia Mo should be! It does get really filling because of the fat, so I can only eat half before it feels like it's too much. The taste is savory and brothy, with a light bun to help offset the weight of the flavorful meat. ⁃ Qi Shan Sao Zi Mian: Delicious with generous topping portions! The noodles are so satisfying texture-wise to eat! Thick and flat, but thin enough to slurp, it soaks in the sauce well to offer a burst of spicy and sour flavor alongside the minced pork that is drenched in the sauce too. The entire ensemble is balanced out with refreshing chunks of diced and crunchy carrots, celery, and potatoes. Overall, I love Xi'an foods and this place is a great option that is affordable ($20 total!), has great portions, and delicious taste. I would definitely come here again when I crave Xi'an cuisine.

This place is inevitably going to inspire comparisons to Xi'an Famous Foods (whose once prolific empire seems to be on the decline). Given that I've always found XFF to be wildly variable in quality, I don't think I can go there. But against a mental metric established by numerous meals at humble restaurants and food stands in Shanghai and Beijing: The shredded potato salad -- which I truly adore in authentic form -- was a bit meh on my recent visit. It probably isn't the restaurant's fault since the varietals of potatoes available in the US are so different from what is available in China. The potatoes used in this salad ought to be crisp and sweet, almost apple or jicama-like. I don't think I've ever had truly lovely raw / blanched shredded potatoes in the states. That said, the mala-laced dressing was spot on in terms of heat. I personally enjoy a touch more acid in this dish but understand that's a matter of preference. Beef noodle soup with pulled noodles were quite legit with tender, braised chunks of beef, streaked through with a touch of tendon, but no fat; baby bok choy; and springy, hand ripped noodles. (For those not familiar with the cuisine, hand ripped noodles are thick and almost gnocchi like in consistency.) These noodles were a bit thicker than I personally prefer, but I'm sure there are those who prefer this homestyle preparation. The broth was delicious, but probably laden with a good amount of MSG and/or sodium. I had to drink about two gallons of water after eating it. For those unaccustomed to the cuisine, mala chili oil will form an orange film on any dish where it is added. This isn't bad oil (unless it gets on your white clothing); it's good flavor. I personally loved the amount of authentic mala numbing heat in the dishes I tried, which was a touch less than what one might find in a Xi'an restaurant in Shanghai -- which might in turn be a touch less than one might find at a restaurant in Xi'an. If spicing were a level 10 in Western China, major eastern cities might serve it at level 8 and Bite of Xi'an at a level 6. I have a high tolerance for spice, but if I'm going to eat this in the middle of a work day, a 6 is good. It's probably better if I don't conduct a post lunch meeting sweating chili oil from my pores. Note for vegetarians: Please double check, but the vegetable noodle soup, liang pi, Xi'an cold noodles, garlic cucumber, and shredded potato salad on the menu appear to be vegetarian. Sadly, there is no wood ear fungus as there is at many Xi'an restaurants. The egg and tomato noodles dish may be doable for lacto ovo vegetarians, as well. Can't wait to return for the "burgers" (aka rou jia mou, which are remarkably similar to Venezuelan arepas, the crisp-tender carbohydrate shell bursting at the seams with moist, juicy meat) and liang pi noodles.