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.