Taste of Changan

I met the owner at a restaurant in New York. After she told me about her own restaurant, I knew I had to try it the next time I came to the Philly area. The food did not disappoint at all. I got the spicy lamb noodle soup, which was made with lamb and beef bone broth. It was perfectly seasoned with savory ingredients, including cumin, and a mild touch of numbing peppercorn. My partner got a chicken, potato and noodle dish. Both of our dishes had the meat and noodles cooked perfectly. The atmosphere is nothing special but everything is extremely clean. They provide semi-table service. I would recommend making a trip here if you want that not-too-common Xi’an style food.

The pork was really good! I was expecting better tasting noodles for all the work I had to put in to get here and order! I would have liked for the rep to visit my table every once and a while and ask if I wanted water. She did provide good service when I was ordering on the screen!

I do hope the owners bring back their original menu and start offering biang biang noodles and the pork rib noodle again. Those noodles were so fresh, authentic, and flavorful. For our family, these items were what really set this place apart from other Chinese restaurants in the area, and why we visited multiple times a week. We are anxiously waiting for the menu to update again!

Tried takeout today for the first time and everything was delicious. This is more of a takeout place since the vibe is very basic, but there are a few tables for eat-in. I had the Pork Rib noodles and it was a very large portion with fresh bok choy, nicely spiced pork, and the noodles were cooked perfectly. Also tried spring rolls and hot and sour soup (standards to see how they compare to other restaurants in the area). Spring rolls had options of chicken or chicken and shrimp, not greasy at all, and very good. Hot and sour soup was hotter than I've had elsewhere and not as thick as usual--i prefer this version. Prices were very good especially given the portion size of the noodles, easily enough for 2 meals. I will definitely be back!

Easy to dismiss from the exterior but WOW the food was outstanding. My son and I shared the walnut shrimp and the biang biang pork noodles. Portions were huge so we brought some home but not after stuffing ourselves with these delicious and beautiful dishes.

I tried this restaurant for the first time today and found it to be quite delicious! My daughter ate the whole steamed bun (baozi) before I could try any, but we also got a youtiao, which was crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and also looked picture perfect. I got the biang biang mian / biang biang noodle, and the texture of the noodles were great! There was so much variety of meat and vegetables that came with the noodles, and also had house chili oil that was fragrant but not too spicy. If it matters to you, it's self-service, but the waitress/cashier offered to get utensils for my young daughter and me, which I really appreciated! There aren't that many restaurants that sell Xi'an food in this area, so I highly recommend you try this place out!

I ordered the pork bun, noodles with pork ribs (extra chili oil) and the cumin beef. Everything was wonderful and on point. Very good experience. The hostess helped me order on the kiosk. I will be back

No service at all. Pay first. Very limited menu. You need to clean your table, no prior notice at payment. Signature noodles meat topping had fat part only. Never come back.

I've been wanting to try this new Chinese restaurant on the Main Line and never made it to the previous versions in the silver diner (love diner cars as settings for restaurants!). While were there, many Chinese-speaking people came in to eat and order out, which is always a good sign. It is a no frills, non-fancy place to eat (kiosk ordering, self serve plastic utensils). We focused mostly on the noodle dishes for this trip, and want to go back to try their other dishes (many which seem to be more geared toward the American palate, e.g, General Tsao's chicken). Deep fried dough sticks (you tiao) - 5*/5, I love these and have not found dim sum places in Chinatown that serve the light, easy to tear apart version of this anywhere and Sang Kee Asian Bistro does not offer this on their otherwise wonder dim sum menu. I am SO happy to find this and will be back again and again just for these. Along with some hot, sweetened soy milk to dip them in, this will be my special treat/snack go to item at Taste of Chang'an. Hooray! Pork & Chives dumplings - 5/5, these are very good dumplings and although I like the filling I make better, I am unwilling to make my own wrappers so I can imagine ordering these for takeout in the future as an appetizer for a party. Hot & Sour soup - 4/5, good overall but could use more hot and more sour. I appreciated how the broth was actually not broth and not as gummy as some hot and sour soups can be. Changan Biangbiang Noodles - 4/5, I appreciated the hand pulled noodles but found the ratio of pork belly pieces to the amount of noodles to be too low so after eating my way half through the bowl I had only noodles left. Flavors are good, but the next day I did not want to eat my leftovers which is a sign. Pork Ribs Noodles - 4/5, my son had this and he and I agreed the pork ribs were more flavorful than the pork belly pieces in my noodles. He also had many leftover noodles with no more meat, and did not want to eat the leftovers. Sauteed Spicy Chicken Noodle - 4/5, my husband had this and it looked more like a chicken/green pepper dish on a bed of noodles. Leftovers had a good ratio of all items in the dish and I did eat these the next day for lunch. When I go back, I'd like to try their zha jiang noodles, pork buns, scallion pancakes, and their other dishes. And I am so happy to have found somewhere on the Main Line where I can pick up fresh, hot you tiao!

An absolutely delicious and much needed cheap self-service spot. Yes you will get your own utensils and clean up for yourself, but the food is authentic, fresh, and memorable. Easy to recommend as a regular spot for lunch or dinner when you don't want to shell out $30/ person (unlike most of the other places in Ardmore). Get the ja Biang signature wide noodles, and try the dumplings with the supplied black vinegar and chili oil. Yum.

A cozy and warm spot that feels like a home away from home, serving the comfort food I dream of. Don't forget to try their homemade-style Chinese drinks--they're a must.

Good for what it is. Basically, you come here for authentic Chinese style noodles. Menu otherwise somewhat limited. From outside, looks like a diner. In addition to noodles, tried the pork with peppers and that was good. Properly velveted meat, well balanced flavors.

Just stopped in for lunch and this food was so good! Easy to order on a kiosk- perfect for the casual atmosphere in a cool historic silver diner. Very friendly service- the food was brought out from the kitchen as things were ready and each thing we ate was better than the last! Had a pork bun, fried rice cakes, salt and pepper chicken, and their signature Changan biangbiang noodle. Everything was so fresh and delicious. The noodles were a soft, chewy consistency, and the chili sauce and pork was so flavorful. In response to another reviewer- we were also very happy with the service, they provided recommendations, brought out our food, and cleared our table. Maybe you just experienced some early-opening adjustments.... So happy to have this regional cuisine as an addition to the Ardmore area. I also recommend checking their website for their hours. It seems what's posted here isn't accurate- I went on a Monday afternoon and they were open. They also have a parking lot in the back!

Beef noodle was meh; noodle itself was good, beef was like rubber with no taste, small portion. Chive dumplings were good. The cold veggie dish was forgettable. The utensils and sauces were all set up on a small cart like self-serve. At the self ordering kiosk (1 machine only) it had tip selection when we were first ordering, so I chose to tip given that it's a new establishment and I'm just being nice. The "server" was chatting the whole time with one table of customers; other than bringing the food trays to our table, she did nothing else. At the end as we were leaving, the owner lady (or whoever, since she freely roams into and out of the kitchen) who was dining there herself with her children, proceeded to order us to clean up after ourselves (there were no signage of mentioning to self clean up afterwards). So I asked "then who was I tipping for at the beginning, if we were to do all the clean up?" She had no words, then I left. I would have no problem with the establishment requiring customers to self clean up, if they had simply display such rules and not electronically allowing tips.

The setup here is meant to be like a fast fresh spot: you order at their one kiosk, pay in advance, get your food from the counter when your name is called, and clean up after yourself when you're done. The menu is limited but changes often, depending on what they have in stock. The day we went, they'd run out of the mutton pita bread soup (yang rou pao mo), which is what we'd really wanted, so instead we got the chang'an noodles and braised beef noodle soup, as well as the chives pastry and jujube cake. I really enjoyed the chewy texture of their noodles, which are clearly handmade, and the flavors were balanced, too, not too spicy or sour or salty. The chives pastry was disappointing, though--they bake it instead of frying it and it's not as crisp or tasty as the ones we're used to. I enjoyed the jujube cake, though it wasn't anything special. Overall, it's a solid spot, and again, I really love their noodle texture, but there are other places that do these dishes a bit better, and sometimes for a bit cheaper. These dishes have a more homemade feel, which some people might prefer!

The noodles are legit! Really authentic, high-quality noodles that taste like they are hand made potentially. It's the only place in the burbs we've been able to find noodles of this quality. Will come back on the regular!

I was excited to see this former restaurant spot reopen. Not the old semi-divey American Chinese spot (which I loved) but a freshly renovated spot with awesome noodles. I ordered the rice noodles with chili oil and it was a surprising, amazing surprise. Full of (to me) unusual vegetables and tons of different mushrooms in a delicious broth that got better the more I ate it. Took half of it home for dinner. The woman who served me was helpful and friendly. And the menu while less extensive than the old place seems to offer lots of complex delicious options. everything will be carefully prepared. they also have food for people with less adventurous palates.

Opening days. Uncoordinated. Loved the food , though. Cordial and tried their hardest to be accommodating. Will return. .

Short rib noodle was delicious! I am definitely going back for more. Authentic tasting, friendly service. Highly recommend!

I literally tried everything on their menu except the red bean porridge, I'm Chinese and my husband is American and we both LOVE it. This restaurant is a fresh start up and mostly appeals to Chinese taste, noddle dishes are all good, if you like thicker chewy hand made noodles this place is the ONE.

Across the street from Ardmore Toyota. Looks like an old fashioned diner from the outside. You order from a computer screen and pay at the counter, get your own water, drinks, scissors(to cut the noodle dishes), napkins, chopsticks or utensils and then someone brings over the food. The portions are much larger than expected. Really delicious. The decor is very simple and very clean. When I was there, all the customers were Chinese. I will definitely return to try these authentic style Chinese dishes! Reasonably priced for the quality and quantity!

This has to be hands down the best authentic Chinese food on the mainline. Everything was hand made and fresh to order. Service was amazing and the people were wonderfully. Very affordable and you get a good size portion with each meal. I'll definitely becoming back for the food and the service!