Xi'an Impression London

"A brief genealogy of Xi’an noodles in London: before there was Noodle Inn, there was Master Wei, and before Master Wei, there was its modern classic BYOB sibling, Xi’an Impression. Smack bang opposite Arsenal’s football stadium in Highbury, this white-walled shoebox restaurant serves what we like to call conversation-cancelling food. Think chicken in gluggable ginger sauce, obsession-worthy liangpi cold noodles, and of course, hand-pulled biang biang that might be the very reason chewing was invented. The bounce, the beef, the seemingly mile-length of those belt noodles all mean that you might have to queue to get in but the wait is entirely worth it." - heidi lauth beasley

"Xi’an is the undisputed champion of the casual but cool meal that will have the other person saying ‘I can’t believe I’ve never been here before’. This is probably the best northern Chinese food in London, and it’s cheap as chips. Make sure you get the cold noodles, and the chicken in ginger sauce, and biang biang noodles. Basically get lots, and reap the compliments. N.b. there are no chips here." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing

"You’ve probably heard of Arsenal. It’s a football team of marginally less importance in comparison to this tiny little Xi’anese restaurant located opposite the Emirates Stadium. Your order should be follows: the cold liangpi noodles, the hot beef biang biang noodles in chilli sauce, the boneless chicken in ginger sauce, a pork burger, and another pork burger for whichever poor soul is about to watch you get all ‘this is living’ over the sensational spice factor of those cold noodles. " - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, rianne shlebak, daisy meager

"Wherever your loyalties lie football-wise, a meal at Xi’an Impression is essential. The tiny Xi’anese spot is directly opposite Arsenal’s stadium and while this may (correctly) encourage some and (incorrectly) put off others, one bite of their bouncy hand-pulled biang biang noodles is likely to convince anyone otherwise. The functional, box-sized, BYOB space is both a neighbourhood favourite and a destination, and it’s no wonder given the quality of its food. A bowl of biang biang is the classic, while the liangi cold noodles (or rather, room temperature) are arguably the star of the show. But delve deeper into the menu and you’ll find that Xi'an Impression’s standards are consistently high. The sweet and sour chicken is some of the best around." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna

"There aren’t many things we want (and have had) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in one day. But the liangpi noodles at Xi’an Impression are one of them. But that’s not all. This little Chinese restaurant is smack bang opposite Arsenal’s football stadium, and their beef bun with special sauce is the pre/mid/post-match burger you need." - Team Infatuation