The variety and quality of the Chinese food at Sijie is unmatched in Austin - Review - Austin - The Infatuation
"Sijie is a mini-chain with a few locations in Northern California, and hopefully it’s just a matter of time until their soup dumplings pepper Central Texas, too. It’s located in a strip mall in Northwest Austin with a large dining room blasting soft-rock ballads where tiny robots on wheels deliver plates of food to tables that already have too many dishes on them. photo credit: Richard Casteel photo credit: Richard Casteel photo credit: Richard Casteel photo credit: Richard Casteel In a city full of great Chinese food, Sijie offers a combination of variety and quality that you won’t find anywhere else in Austin. It’s hard to narrow down your order from a menu with nearly 200 items, but start with pan-fried soup buns and grilled lamb kebabs, and finish off with thick and chewy housemade noodles with sweet garlic pork. Show up with a group and make an even bigger dent in the menu, then head to Pinballz next door to burn off some of those calories with a round of laser tag. Food Rundown photo credit: Richard Casteel Soup Pan-Fried Buns These fall somewhere between a soup dumpling and a pan-fried bao. The base is thick and crispy enough to prevent them from getting soggy, but the tops are thin enough to puncture and release some heat. They’re a little tricky to eat thanks to their size and density, but once you crack the code, you’ll find a tasty center of ground pork and soup that’s hotter than the sun. photo credit: Richard Casteel Soup Dumplings The chance to pick from multiple fillings—ground pork, chicken, beef, or shrimp—already makes Sijie the most accommodating spot for soup dumplings in Austin. They’re a little sweeter than other options in town, but the texture of the meat and skins is excellent. photo credit: Richard Casteel Lamb Kebab You can choose from nearly two dozen cuts and pieces of meat available in kebab form, but the lamb is our favorite. The meat is juicy and tender, with slightly charred edges, and it’s seasoned generously with chili powder and cumin. photo credit: Richard Casteel Grilled Chives These are lightly grilled to soften them up. They’re coated with a bit of chili powder and garlic, then sliced so that they’re easy to eat. Get these, since you probably haven’t had enough vegetables today. photo credit: Richard Casteel Grilled Eggplant This is extremely garlicky, and as long as you’re OK with that then you’ll love it. photo credit: Richard Casteel House Special Noodle with Sweet Garlic Pork You can’t show up to a place with “special noodle” in the name and not find out what makes them special. In this case, it’s the thick and chewy texture. You can get them topped with sweet garlic pork, braised pork belly, or about two dozen other options. Pick whichever one sounds good to you—the noodles are the main attraction." - Nicolai McCrary
