Shann Xi Magic Kitchen

After grocery shopping at 99 Ranch Market on Balboa Street, we stopped by the food court and decided to eat at Shann Xi Magic Kitchen. The employee at the cash register was very helpful and gave us a run down on what’s popular and made a few suggestions. The employee running the cash register has good sales skill and we were sold . We decided to have their most popular dish, beef noodles (large sized hand pulled noodles). We were told by the employee that he would bring the food to us. The bowl of beef noodles was piping hot when delivered. The portion was good for lunch with the right balance of beef and noodles. We were delighted that the beef shank was very tender with no excess fat, chewy noodle texture and the soup was flavorful but a little greasy due to the chili oil. Overall, we liked our beef noodle soup especially on a cool Spring day. Will come back if we are in the area.

My friend and I really enjoyed this restaurant. Both of us ordered the pulled noodles, which a good amount of raw garlic (good for your health!). I personally did not like the food as much as my friend, who vouched it was better than other places. Nevertheless I thought it was all worth it and would recommend it, as they have a style that feels home-made.

This restaurant mainly made Chinese pancake and noodle but their signature Chinese pork and lamb burgers tasted disappointing. Their Chinese pancake was great, but the meat was not juicy without any vegetable. Their cold noodle was also not authentic by adding much vinegar and less sugar. The only thing that we ordered and tasted better than what I expected was the spicy minced pork noodle. The noodle was flavorful with great hot soup and a variety of toppings.

I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this place yet. I came here a lot of times. Usually I’ll have a lunch here and then go to 99 ranch for grocery shopping. I have tried their lamb burger, hand pulled noodles, lamb intestine soup, dumplings, spicy & sour soup…. They are all good, pretty authentic and well made. As a real Chinese, I’m happy to have this place in San Diego. And definitely I’ll come back regularly for my Chinese food desires.

Ordered a fried cold skin with beef. The amount of beef is is not that much and I believe they are shaved beef rather than actual pieces. Beef is thin and dry. Onion is very raw. Overall, taste average. And do note that take away will cost you 50 cents extra.

A no frills food court version of the magic kitchen that serves a smaller more focused menu. The quality of the food remains solid. Everything is made to order and I believe, even here, they hand pull their noodles on site. Today, I went for the lamb sandwich and Liang pi cold noodles, which was a bit ambitious for a solo lunch, but I just couldn’t decide between the two. Shan xi seems to be the most popular option at this food court located inside the 99 ranch market, and for a good reason — definitely a nice lunch spot.

This place is conveniently located in the ranch 99 food court. We tried this place before grocery shopping. We got the noodle soup with beef. Their noodles are handmade and you can definitely tell. The noodles were of various length and there was one so thick it was basically a clump of dough. The noodles were a bit disappointing but the broth was pretty decent. It was a bit oily but it had good flavor. The beef was also nice and soft. Overall it was a convenient place to grab a quick bite while running errands but we wouldn't specifically come here for the food.

I greatly prefer this location to the Convoy outpost called "Shan Xi Magic Kitchen" (same ownership, one less 'n'). For one, the experience is more pleasant without the negative attitude that sometimes emanates from the hostess and service staff at the Convoy location. Also, I think this type of quick-heat/quick-eat food doesn't require table service. The quality, to my taste, seems to be very similar. Thick hand-ripped noodles combined with spicy oil and stewed meat is what most of these dishes are comprised of. Some with broth, some without. Some with vegetables. Some spicier than others. All of it delicious and highly recommended.

Love the food here, convenient due to location, and ample parking. Sadly, they permanently closed this location as of june 15th 2025. Their sit down restaurant is still open...just hard to get parking and line is long. Great food too, we order togo at the convoy location to bypass the line...but circling the parking lot is still a pain...Def go with an extra person, so they can get the food, while the other person sits or looks for a spot. Happy eating!

04-26-2025 The food took a long time to come out. Worse part, they brought out our rice 7 min before bringing out our food. A rule of thump, food and rice need to be served at the same time, food taste better coupled with hot rice. Overall, I enjoyed my meal. Ordered: see pic I especially liked the Fried Pork Intestine. Crispy and tasty! Enjoy your meal y'all!

Happy to be here, I heard of the place before, but now they have a pop up food court version from their restaurant down on Convoy street. Wanted to try their biang biang noodles, but ended up getting the beef noodles but also used the same biang biang noodles type, so win win for me, definitely cheaper than Ma Ma Lin, even cheaper when the employee gave me a discount since I paid cash, it was $16 even instead of $17 something after taxes. The noodles texture are different because it's from Shann Xi, I love it, and will return here if I shop inside 99 Ranch again.

The menu is fantastic. And j love how some dishes are so authentic and have bordering India flavors. We ordered from here for delivery. So I'm unsure how the service is. The food however was so good flavor wise.... But it was a bit dry. I tried a couple of the dishes and I felt the same about all of them. Maybe if they had sauces on the side, it would be better. Or make the batches smaller so it isn't so dry. I'll still try again. Next time I will try the pot stickers. Those looked really good!

My brother's family and I love to come here for hand pulled noodles. The quality is great and the portions are pretty big. My favorite is the biang biang noodles (large sized hand pulled noodles in a hot chili oil sauce). Careful, it's super spicy! The braised beef noodles soup are delish too! The beef is super tender and the broth tastes like it has been stewed overnight. The stir fried noodles are good, but they're also very greasy. If you don't mind the grease, they're really flavorful! Service is always very fast and friendly! They are located inside the Ranch 99 Market food court on Balboa Avenue. There's a clean and spacious area for dining in. They're also great for take-out!

Great. Cheap. Inside ranch 99 food court, sometimes they have specials and discounts.

This the best food court meal I've eaten in a long time. The man working the counter was so friendly and helpful. He has the biggest smile on his face. It was very refreshing . They have a large menu, and the items we tried were fabulous . I highly recommend the pan fried pork buns. This appetizer is off the charts good.

Shan Xi Magic kitchen Inside the 99ranch grocery store is more like the take out version of the main restaurant. Just like the other comments, if you prefer the sit down with ambiance then the other location is right in the Convoy street which isn't that far. I preferred this spot because it's convenient for those who are going/came from grocery shopping. And since it's a food court area expect it to be a communal spot with the other restaurants. Came here in the evening and just wanted to take a look at what was good to order. The Chinese burger has been something I've been wanting to try and I'm so glad it was served here...then I decided to order the bao's which was so fluffy on the top, juicy pork in the inside, and crispy on the bottom. One of my favorite baos for sure. I've tried other spots that serve similar baos but sometimes they lack flavor in the inside. Also the guy at the counter was really good at trying to sell me the other food off the menu. There's just so much to order from but these two were something I was really craving for. I'll def. Come back for when I'm around the area. Only because it's convenient with parking too and right next to Target as well.

Looking for delicious hand made noodles and dumplings? This place has you covered! I love the Biang Biang noodles with it without meat. Green beans, eggplant and everything loaded with garlic! Pork, shrimp and leek dumplings are pretty fabulous. Service is minimal, your order and pay with the QR code. It's a small, cozy place with only 20 or so tables. It's pretty nice for lunch, can get noisy for dinner. My only real complaint y is the strong smell of the disinfectant they use on every surface. Kinda kills my nose snd the vibe.

Flagged me down in the food court and they were very nice! The items we got were very good and I really appreciate the stranger that paid for us! We will be coming back for sure!

This place is honestly excellent. I only tried the 10pc $10.99 pork and Chinese cabbage dumplings. They were so fresh, didn't taste frozen or processed. They had the perfect amount of fat and weren't too salty. I think they have MSG though. The skin isn't too thick, which reminds me of homemade dumplings. The service was good, and the ambiance is fine, since this place is inside ranch 99.

Went here for weekday diner. Party of 6, gratuity included. Service was a little slow; had to ask for water refills, napkins, and utensils. Food was good but all guests agreed it was salty. Decent atmosphere.

I've ordered takeout from here several times, but never went in person. I've also been to shan xi magic kitchen on convoy. I like this one a lot. The gentleman running the front has some charisma and sales skills going on too. I've loved the noodles here and the cumin lamb. Today I went with the cumin lamb burger and it was excellent. Well spiced, heavily seasoned, tender lamb on a bun. would come back.

Got the fish fillet with chili oil and hand pulled noodles. This dish was delicious and the noodles had the perfect amount of chewiness!

I've only been to the location that's the actual sit down dine in one and always been hesitant to try this one since it's in a food court. However, we ordered from this one accidentally and I'd definitely do it again because I was pleasantly surprised! We ordered through UberEats so this review will be based solely on the food. We made sure to put a note to put less salt on all the items we ordered and I was super anxious that the note might be missed but it was not! All of our food came out perfect!!! We ordered 2 Biang Biang Noodles and 1 Liangpi Cold Skin Noodles. All were so so so good!! Tasted just like the restaurant one, super addicting!!! Overall, I wouldn't mind coming here again. I'm not sure why all the negative reviews and low star rating but I will say, I had a pleasant experience and I highly recommend it!

Shann Xi Magic Kitchen makes some of the best hand pulled noodles and Muslim Chinese food. The Balboa location is in the 99 Ranch food court and the food is excellent but the ambiance is what you would expect from a restaurant inside a grocery store. When I have the time I prefer the convoy location but if you want awesome noodles fast with no ambiance then this is the place. When you order you get a pager and the food arrived in less than 10 minutes. I got the Shann Xi Biamf- biang noodles which are hand pulled thick noodles with a spicy chili sauce (5/5). I give the Balboa location a 4/5 for the lack of ambiance and fast food vibes but the food is outstanding.

#16 is the best Handmade noodles. Chew is just right, broth is tasty, meat was a good choice meat with no gristle or excess fat. Friendly service helped me decide and I an glad he knew his foods. I've also had their Mapo Tofu which is very flavorful. The portions are enough for a very hungry and good eating adult. Would recommend!

This place consistently has the best food on convoy. We get takeout from here at least every other week. Don't pass it up.

Yummy! The larhe noodles and deep flavor of the lamb bowl is amazing. A bit on the spicy side, so have water ready.

Great value, hot, delicious food, and very friendly service. Highly recommended! It's at least as good if not better than the convoy location

I accidentally went to this location which was in the food court, I am a big fan on this restuarant on Convoy Street, The food was very comparable to what we get at Convoy street but the order came very quick so I felt like this is the fast food version of Convoy Street! Since it is in food court you might miss the ambiance! I would go to this place if I don't have lots of time.

This is a food court location in the 99 Ranch on Balboa, not to be confused with the restaurant location on Convoy Street. Basically you get almost the same food, no ambience, and no crowds at this food court. They seem to do a lot of delivery business from this location. I would expect the food to be pretty fresh, but the noodles we had seemed a bit not too fresh. Nonetheless, the food was very flavorful and still pretty good.

Whenever I need a pick me up, want to celebrate, or simply crave noodles, I order takeout from here. It's gotten to the point that if I even mention noodles, every single one of my roommates knows that I am referring to this location. I have tried a variety of their options and they have that incredible chewy texture on their hand-pulled noodles that I have not been able to find in any other location in San Diego. The flavors are always turned up to the maximum adding exactly the salty, spicy goodness you want with your carbohydrate overload. Triple Combo Noodles (5/5): The triple combo refers to the combination of stewed pork, veggies, and egg tomato sauce. The egg tomato sauce adds a tangy sweetness to the savoriness of the pork and veggies. Every bite is jam packed with the whole range of flavors and the bite from the flat noodles is so unmatched. Honestly, any of the options from their menu with the flat noodles, you cannot go wrong. Liang Pi (5/5): They do the starch water style of liang pi here as opposed to the mung bean based version, but that is absolutely not a complaint. When you order takeout you receive chili oil, peanut sauce, and some tangy, garlicky soy sauce that combined with the slippery noodles and fresh, crunchy vegetables is pure deliciousness. Tip: these also hold up very well in the fridge!

This place was a pleasant surprise inside the 99 ranch market. The hand ripped noodles are thick and chewy in texture. Definitely something you look for in hand ripped noodles. The soup or hot oil was savory and spicy. But be weary the sichuan peppers are a prominent flavor and experience with this dish. The numbing effect it has on your mouth takes this dish to a whole new level. If you are not familiar with it or do not like it be sure to let them know not to garnish your dish with it. They are very accommodating to that request. Check it out next time you are grocery shopping. You will be deliciously surprised!

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of its beef noodles, pickled vegetables noodle and pan fried buns. After the first visit, I acutely went for a return visit. Very authentic Chinese food.

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet. I came here a lot of times. Usually I'll have a lunch here and then go to 99 ranch for grocery shopping. I have tried their lamb burger, hand pulled noodles, lamb intestine soup, dumplings, spicy & sour soup.... They are all good, pretty authentic and well made. As a real Chinese, I'm happy to have this place in San Diego. And definitely I'll come back regularly for my Chinese food desires.

Shann xi is the same restaurant as Shan Xi but in a more casual fast food type setting. The menu is streamlined and much smaller but i assume it has all the favorites and most popular dishes. I decided on the Hand made (biang-biang) noodle soup with beef shank/flank. The noodles were perfectly chewy and still tender, something you just cant find with a machine made noodles. The hand pulling and repeated stretching brings out more gluten and makes it more chewy and delicious. The beef shank was very tender and had a lot of deep developed flavor from the bones and meat being braised for a long time. I also ordered it spicy so they added a bunch of chili oil on top, it makes it a bit oily but if you like it spicy then it's the way to go. Over all i really like this place, the food is really good and authentic, they also offer 10% off if you pay in cash so its basically tax free if you look at it like that. My only complaint is that there is a lot of broth so the noodles and stuff kind of get lost in there but i guess if you're drinking the soup then you'd want more soup. Maybe if i hadn't ordered it spicy I'd probably drink all the soup; So next time i'll order it regular and drink it all. The Shan Xi restaurant on convoy can be crowded so this is a nice alternative with out any wait or worry about parking.

Decided to grab lunch here after doing some shopping at 99 Ranch Market. It was really good! The young man who took our order was very helpful in helping us choose items that would be good. Very friendly and the food was fantastic!

The hand pulled noodles are the most amazing noodles I have ever had!!! So freaking good. Feels very authentic to what I had in China.

It's a spin-off of the popular restaurant on Convoy. This one is in the Ranch 99. I ordered the fried rice and the Biang biang noodles. The fried rice was of the dry oily and shrimp type. It was good, if that's what you're going for (and that was what we were expecting). Also just a bit spicy. The biang biang has no meat. I didn't mind. You've got to make sure you mix thoroughly to enjoy. Food was delivered to the table. A treat for a food court atmosphere. They have a sign that says they charge for to-go containers, but they only charge for plastic containers. The styrofoam containers are free. You'll need a to go container of some sort because the portions are massive. Definitely made to share.

noodle texture is great but the sauce is pretty salty. i do admit the prices here can get expensive but i think the portion size is worth it.

This location is located inside the 99 ranch plaza; the menu is smaller than the restaurant on Convoy but I would say the taste of the food is the same. Heads up that they charge an extra fifty cents (for plastic containers) for each to-go item you get. There's also a ten percent discount if you pay in cash. 1. Stewed Pork Burger 5/5 Outer shell is hard and crunchy but inside is very soft. The stewed pork "marinates" the bun perfectly and is the perfect texture for the bun. The pork is a little bit on the salty side. 2. Liang Pi (spicy) 5/5 I like that they don't combine the liang pi ingredients for you so that the noodles don't get "soggy" if you choose not to eat it right away. Great noodle texture although I feel like they don't give you a lot in those to go boxes. 3. Biang Biang noodle 5/5 Love this dish! Like the original restaurant, you can customize the level of spice for the Biang Biang noodle. You'll notice that they give very little vegetable compared to the noodle amount. Unlike the liang pi, the biang biang ingredients are combined, however, which meant the noodles were not mixed evenly by the time I got home (the black vinegar sauce drenched the bottom of the noodles.) I'd recommend eating it at the food court if you have the choice...

Check your destination twice before heading down! I intended to go to "Shan Xi Magic Kitchen" the restaurant but accidentally ended up the the location in the food court, which shows up as "Shann Xi Magic Kitchen" on Yelp. I had the #12 Shananxi Style Biang Biang Noodle. The flavor was decent and the noodles were a OK by texture. Maybe I'm a tougher criticism as I have had authentic Biang Biang noodles when I was in Shaanxi China. I wouldn't come get this again ad I find it hard to justify $12 for noodles with vinegar, chili oil and a few strands for bean sprouts.

This place is conveniently located in the ranch 99 food court. We tried this place before grocery shopping. We got the noodle soup with beef. Their noodles are handmade and you can definitely tell. The noodles were of various length and there was one so thick it was basically a clump of dough. The noodles were a bit disappointing but the broth was pretty decent. It was a bit oily but it had good flavor. The beef was also nice and soft. Overall it was a convenient place to grab a quick bite while running errands but we wouldn't specifically come here for the food.

Biang Biang noodles! I was excited to see that there was a place that sold food from the Shaanxi Province. I believe this is their satellite location and the other restaurant they have is more of a sit down type establishment. This shop is inside the 99 Ranch Market food court and offers an abridged version of the sit down restaurant's menu. I asked a few questions about the menu and what variations I could get for the biang biang noodles but the person taking my order wasn't very helpful. I ultimately decided to just get the biang biang noodles as they were advertised (#4). I also had a few bites of the #12 stewed pork hand ripped noodles. When the orders came out my first thought was WOW... The bowls were huge! Our meals were piping hot, with delicious aromas and that lovely wisp of steam escaping from a freshly cooked bowl. The biang biang noodles were long, wide sheets. They had a nice bite to them, perfectly chewy. The sauce they were in was a bold punch of spicy, savory flavors. The only accompaniment to the noodles other than the sauce was some bean sprouts and chopped green onion. The stewed pork with noodles had hearty chunks of pork, baby bok choy, with wide flat noodles. I liked the added extra ingredients but the soup it was in was a bit bland compared to the biang biang noodles. If you're in 99 Ranch Market this is a great choice for a filling meal. After my experience here I want to try out their sit down restaurant.

I was really surprised how good my hand pulled noodles soup with minced pork was. It was dayam delicious. Seriously. Broth was flavorful and noodles was awesome. There was a lot of food coloring and oil though so I'll probably pick something else next time to be health conscious. The minced pork still had the fatty part to it, so if you dont like that, pick something else. It's located in Ranch 99 so grab a bite and other necessities in a trip.

This dinner experience was very underwhelming. My first experience of that kind in the Kearney Mesa area. We stopped in mid-week for dinner and just picked Shann Xi Magic Kitchen on the fly. We eat fairly early, so we arrived around 5pm, at a very slow time. All the servers hung in one area of the restaurant near the back, and just chatted amongst themselves, ignoring us most of our time there. Once we could get their attention, we were able to order a beer and dumplings to share. The dumplings were mediocre in flavor. The spice mix on the table added a little something but not as much as I'd hoped. I went with the biang biang hand ripped noodles for my entree. The server told me they are a favorite. Although fine, nothing wowed me. They are large noodles so fairly complicated to eat. The flavor was pretty boring as well. I surrendered half way through. Again, it took awhile to get our check as the servers, not busy, chatted back near the kitchen. All around underwhelming visit.

Disgusting! Rude service. If I could give zero stars, I would. SALTY. OILY. NOT WORTH MONEY. When I went to order, the lady was so rude. She didn't even care to pay attention to me. I had to tell her 2x I was ready to order. She was busy on her phone. She seemed mad I was interrupting her. They do not care about food safety. I got the biang biang noodles and it tasted really funny. I've had this dish plenty of times before and this was my first time noticing how weird it tasted. It was really hard and didn't seem to be cooked properly. Fast forward, I got really sick! Food poisoning! Stay away!!!

The first time we discovered this place, we ordered takeout here three times in a row. It's that good :) I usually get: the stewed pork hand-ripped noodle with chili oil. So, so good-- comfort food at its best. They are generous with the pork, the flat noodles are chewy and immersed in a salty, oily, garlicky sauce that is made just right, and I can typically get about two portions out of this. My SO usually gets their stir fried hand pulled noodles with spicy cumin beef. This dish is especially flavorful, especially if you're a fan of cumin. I also love their biang-biang noodles and their liang-pi. Their steamed chive and pork dumplings are also out of this world-- much better than Jasmine or Tasty Noodle, which I previously considered some of the best on Convoy. This is a place with no pretentions-- just order what you think you will like, and it's guaranteed to be good.

I only ordered 3 dishes around 5pm for to go order. And it took them more than 1 hours to get my order ready. It was not that busy at all. Do they make my noodles from Kneading the dough? I'll never come back and never recommend this place to anyone!!!

I ordered the 14 there was supposed to have beef but unfortunately there was hardly any meat or vegetables,the noodles was ok n the dishes was very oilerly. Will not b eating here again $ 12.00 dollars rip off.

Ate there last night and not feeling well today. Food was bland . They were rude especially the lady. Place was quite and dark. I got the seafood noodles. The seafood was not fresh.. pretty sure thats the dish I'm throwing up now. . My friend ordered the egg rolls cause she wasn't that hungry but there were hairs.. yes! Multiple! Told rude lady and she still charged us. We only paid half of our check. Since the egg rolls wasn't eaten.. never go there

Famous "hand ripped" noodles are available now at an alternate less congested location! Menu and tastes are exactly the same as the fancier Convoy Kearny Mesa restaurant. The hand ripped noodles with beef or pork dishes are flavorful and fun to eat!! The broth here is not over powered by 5 spice and anise - seasoned just right. It's especially wonderful coming out of the chilly winter evenings! Must try for the noodle house enthusiasts!! Minus 1 star for the small spoon vs fat noodle dilemma :( I really am being picky here though.

Order the beef noodle soup at its counter. 刀削面- Daoxiao Noodle. Which is known for Shanxi region. Tasty, but there is such a small quantity of it. Yet there was an abundant of its beef chunk of meat with a large bowl filled with its beef soup base. The beef chunks - majority wasn't flavorful; considered to its chef- either cuts the beef into stripes or smaller chunks to absorbed savory aroma of the beef soup. Despite its flaws, the serving size is big which are filled most of the beef stew soup. Definitely lacks a sweetness of a basic beef noodle soup quality that I am used to. Perhaps this is just the way Shanxi makes of it.

After being impressed by the original Shan Xi Magic Kitchen, I had nothing but high hopes for this location. The trimmed down menu offers the best of the best of the magic. I went with the stewed pork handmade noodles. It came out quickly and the chewy noodles with spicy broth warmed my belly on a cold evening. I think the noodles must have ballooned in my stomach, because I felt like I could barely finish half of the bowl. Be sure to bring a friend to help you consume the deliciousness!

Went to the front to order and lady was rude as hell and right when I was about to order the chef came out picking his nose and grab his nuts and I was shocked and left and ask my co worker where you get the food from and he told me here and I had to break the bad news to him Never am I going to this place

Made an account just for this place Old lady at the front was extremely rude Over price low portion Dish was dirty when I got it Food was extremely salty and oily And found a small white hair halfway through Will never be coming and don't recommend this place to anybody

The original Shan Xi Magic Kitchen on Convoy has been one of my favorite restaurants in SD for years. Be careful NOT to confuse this location with the original. This particular location is a small restaurant in the 99 Ranch food court. Compared to the original Convoy location, this location has a smaller menu and the food doesn't seem as fresh to me (granted, it's still good). While I would not go out of my way to eat at this particular location, it's a perfect stop that still hits the spot if you happen to be shopping at 99 Ranch.

I first heard about Shann Xi Magic Kitchen was from my family who visited this place and loved their noodles! I came here soon after and thought it was so-so. I had their beef noodle soup and Lamb Pao Mo Soup. I thought the dishes were too greasy and didn't have the flavors that I expected. One day, I really wanted some beef noodle soup and this place came to my mind. I decided to give a second try. I ordered their spicy beef brisket with hand-ripped noodles. This time was great! I wanted mildly spicy and it was perfect for me. It was still spicy but I could still enjoy the delicious beef broth. I loved the hand-made noodles!!! Not many places offer freshly made noodles anymore! The beef brisket was tender and juicy. That beef noodle soup really hit the spot! Now I have changed my view about this place, I want to come back and try more of their noodle dishes!