Xi'an Sizzling Woks

I've been to this place back when I was a child and honestly, it still holds up to back then. The service was amazing: the waiters was really kind and the food was served fast. Speaking of food, it was great for University City. I usually never see any authentic Chinese restaurants so this definitely stands out. I suggest getting the Chinese hamburger: the meats are so juicy, tender, and compliment the bread well. The prices are also fairly reasonable so overall, I'll definitely order from this place again. Try dining in: the atmosphere was genuinely amazing to eat in! 9.5/10

Very nice waitress. We were there early so it wasn't crowded. The shrimp and scallop with shiitake mushrooms was good. Scallops are cut into thin strips so probably two large ones total. Three large shrimp. Comes with rice. The special had everything from meatballs, chicken, shrimp to bok choy, noodles and more. Very large portion!

Delicious food. May ranges from classic American Chinese food to traditional Xi’an noodles hand pulled by a chef actually from Xian. My Chinese friends all find it authentic. Waitress is incredibly nice and attentive, and very friendly. Beautiful decor on the inside, and usually not too busy. Plenty of seating in a vary specious interior- much larger than it looks from the outside. Great place for a quick meal or dinner conversation with a group. Cannot recommend highly enough.

If you are going to a Xi’an Style restaurant, you should order Xi’an style food. They have really great Biang Biang Noodles and cumin flavored dishes. I feel bad for the negative reviews about their “shrimp lo mein” being sub par. China is a large country with diverse food, all Chinese food is not the same.

great food, great service. i often do takeouts here and they tailor them to my preferences. the food itself is authentic and great taste and pretty fresh. atmosphere can be livened up with some background music

The food is just okay, I can’t say great because I have tried the same dishes from couple of other Chinese restaurant’s as well, some where super delicious. As you can see more than half of the ‘shredded chicken with garlic sauce’ was broccolis. I find that a bit weird. The Dan Dan noodles, I felt excess seasoning, the taste of a single spice felt more than needed. Anyway, of course you can try these dishes because they are still okay and not bad.

I found the dine-in experience to be very pleasant and friendly and comforting. The waitress was very helpful and responsive to everything that we wanted. We got strawberry smoothies, mapo tofu, dumplings in chili oil, veggie fried rice, wonton soup and biang biang noodles plus a couple other drinks. (About $75 before tip.) Everything was pretty good. It has a comfort food feeling and everything has a good flavor. The handmade noodles are a perfect texture. The brown sauce on the dumplings tasted sort of like jerk chicken sauce, which was fine, but not the flavors we were thinking of when ordering. We’ve ordered take out and delivery before and it was always good, but I definitely prefer the dine-in experience. (FYI, Food wasn’t as flavorful leftover as it was fresh.)

Walked in for dine in but felt like a sauna so did take out instead. Chinese hamburger was not as good as the one I had back in Xian, China, but that’s to be expected. Other dishes were acceptable but nothing too impressive.

I had a wonderful experience at xi'an sizzling woks. I was in the area for work and I love hand pulled noodles noodles. I arrived at just the right time because after I sat at least five more tables sat behind me. It looks like lunchtime is a busy time. The server was nice and asked my preference of chopsticks or silverware. I reviewed the menu and decided I guess some chili oil wontons and biang biang noodles. I would say there was a little bit of a weight between my order and receiving food, but I am OK with that when the noodles are being made by hand When they arrived, they were nice and chewy and delicious. They weren't too spicy, but gave a nice lingering heat that wasn't overwhelming. It was a great little lunch for one and I'd love to go back to us for the menu some more There aren't a lot of bells and whistles to the place. It's a very straightforward restaurant. The decor is very minimal. I've seen some reviews say that it was too hot inside and I would agree. It's a little bit warm, but that's because they're not blasting the air conditioning. I do prefer a little warmth over being too cold.

My favorite restaurant in university city. Love the hock! Feel sad that I need to move away.

We were looking around for authentic szechuan hand pulled spicy noodles and this place didn't impress. But my biggest issue was how the woman was pressuring us to choose, she said yes to everything and wasn't listening. At some point my husband had to speak Chinese, just to get her to slow down. She was so eager to make a sale and it turned us off before we could enjoy the meal. She convinced me not to add extra spice because it was spicy, it wasn't spicy at all. I ended up adding more soy and my own chilli oil. The heat level for the scallion and chilli oil hand pulled noodles were at a 1. The lamb skewers were tasty and the cumin burger was good, but lacked flavor. My husband lived in China for years and he said his beef soup didn't have an authentic taste, we also added spices to his. I think you could find better options in the area considering the price. We won't be back.

We came here on a Friday night around 8:30pm because other restaurants in the area were closing soon and this place stayed opened later. Five of us dined in and ordered dry sautéed string beans, sliced beef & tripe with tendon in spicy-hot sauce, BBQ lamb w/ cumin flavor, cumin hamburgers (lamb), Xi'an Liang Pi and braised dongpo pork hock with brown sauce. The string beans looked and tasted like they weren't cooked on a wok, or at least a hot wok. Flavor-wise, it was decent. The sliced beef & tripe was ok at best, I wouldn't order it again here. The Xi'an Liang Pi lacked flavor. The BBQ lamb was small and ok. The braised dongpo pork hock was ok. The cumin hamburgers had more peppers than lamb and also ok. Service was good, and food came out at reasonable times. There is a processing fee if you pay with a card.

I feel like many of the negative reviews for this place are from folks who might've ordered the wrong things (which, fair, if a restaurant has food on their menu, they should do it well!). But then, here's what you should do. 1) Order the Xi'an specialties, not the Americanized stuff. And 2) Get the pita bread soaked with beef or lamb soup. My husband is originally from Xi'an and he says this is the most legit version of it he's tasted, and it's so good. Comes with cilantro, red chili paste, and pickled garlic on the side, and when you dump all those flavor bombs in, the tranquil broth becomes addictive. Those pickled garlic bits--ugh, so good! The only thing that's not so great about it is that the pita is pre-chopped and thrown in already, and a bit chewy. My husband says you're supposed to just get a thing of bread to rip up and toss in yourself. Still, so glad we've got a place like this nearby! Will definitely be back, and will go to the Chinatown location, too! The biang biang noodles with ginger and scallion were pretty good, but it got boring kinda fast. Wish there was a bit more going on in there. The Xi'an pancake was like a crepe filled with sour julienned potato and jalapeno. I really enjoyed it! The cumin burger was very cuminy, and the bbq lamb with cumin flavor skewers were pretty good to me, but my husband LOVED THEM. Will have to come back to try more stuff! Service was a tiny bit slow. There's one waiter and she was on her phone a lot. And the interior is not the nicest--yellow walls and old-ish furniture. But do I care about any of that? Not really. The food is where it's at.

Amazing food! I've enjoyed every single thing I've ordered here. Some favorites: pork noodle soup (savory broth with pork and tangy preserved vegetables), twice cooked pork (salty strips of pork with both mellow and spicy vegetables mixed in), and string bean (savory preparation of perfectly-cooked green beans). Huge menu and it's hard to go wrong!

Food was very good. We had an issue that we couldn't pick up and we were able to change to delivery. Very helpful. Had General Tso, sweet and sour chicken and pork fried rice. All were very good. We will definitely be ordering again.

Shockingly, when we walked in on a Saturday night we were the only diners in the whole restaurant. I admit, this made me nervous and I wasn't sure if we should stay - but I'm glad we did. We split the spicy cucumber app and the lamb skewer app. Both were awesome and I would order them again in a heartbeat. I ordered the biang biang noodle soup with lamb and beef. I found the meat to be too tough but the noodles and broth were awesome. The soup was huge too and it was enough to bring some home and finish the next day. My friend ordered a lamb dish with rice noodles. (sorry I forget which one). It was not listed as a soup but it came out in a wonderful broth. Plus with a side of rice. The entire time we were there we were the only diners . But tons of people came in for take out so I guess that is the bulk of their business. I would not hesitate to come back here to eat again!

For a sit-down Chinese restaurant, I was happy with the flavor, portions, and variety I was able to experience here. Only reason for knocking it down from 4 to 3 is because even though we were at quite literally the only table being occupied, the two employees were on there phones and sleepy while we were there, so getting their attention was hard a few times. I wasn't in a rush, so that wasn't a problem. The pictures on the menu don't exactly match up with what you get, but still, ordering the multiple soups was still a great idea. Each one was unique with differences in flavors and consistencies, and the sauces at the table worked well with changing up the tastes. The lamb hamburger was very spiced up, the egg roll was perfectly crisped, and the beef soup was very spicy and satisfying.

Philly is where I've experienced some of the best Chinese food I've ever had, so I thought that I would experience no different from Xi'an Sizzling Woks. While the service was exceptional, the food was just satisfactory to me. My friend and I ordered Dan Dan noodles, General Tso's chicken, spring rolls, and a Chinese hamburger to share. In my humble opinion, I feel like the Dan Dan noodles and General Tso's were lacking spice and seasoning. They weren't bad by any means, I'm just used to a lot more flavor. It should be noted that my friend loved the taste of the food, so it's a matter of personal preference I suppose. Overall, I would eat here again, it just wouldn't be my first choice for Chinese food the next time I'm in Philly.

I love it here. While the decor may seem simple, the dishes are anything but that. I've been here for both dine in and takeout and had great experiences. Every dish I've tried was delicious and the portion sizes are large for the price. My favorites are Xian Lian Pi and Pickled Pepper Woodear. The Xian Lian Pi is such a large serving for a great price and always fills me up. The Woodear is a cold dish that perfectly complements the Lian Pi. For a larger meal, the Fish Fillet with Tofu is amazing and I highly recommend.

Every time I come here I basically order the same thing, so this review is based on this dish I love, aka the Xian Liang Pi (cold noodles)! I always order this and it's a big portion for ~$7, and is soooo tasty. Perfect balance of vinegar and salty/sweet! Other than that I haven't tried many dishes or dined in but they're decent for the lower price range, so it's good for a quick and cheap meal.

Fantastic food and service, great everything. My only know is that it is a little pricy for many of the entrees. However, if on a budget, get the soup which is more than enough

They fucking suck. They refused to accept my 50 dollars bill just because it's ripped a little bit on the corner. Are you kidding me tho, you can still use it tho so I really don't understand this. They refused to gimme the food because of this and I don't have any other cash. Fuck this business and I hope it shuts down. The waitress is a bitch

Everything at Xian is consistently good, though not necessarily exceptional. I'm updating my review with more dishes I've tried since I've been to the restaurant a few times since. Food Summary (I use ^ to indicate a half-star and * for a full star. So, ***^ means 3.5 stars): APPETIZERS ***^ Cumin lamb skewer: There's a good cook on these tender pieces of lamb, but there's very little flavour & little spice **** Biang biang noodles with ginger scallion sauce are pretty good in the restaurant, but only **^ if delivered (2.5 stars), since it doesn't travel well **** Xian liang pi: tasty with spicy, sour, nice textures ***^ Shanghai bok choy with soy beans: solid ***^ Golden mushroom with sesame oil sauce: enjoyable ***^ Xi'an Tender tofu: nice and simple *** Spicy Pork kidney appetizer: Was ****delicious a couple times, but has not been quite as good lately *** Liang pi in sesame sauce: there was not enough sauce to spread around to make it all tasty *** Pickled pepper wood ear fungus: was a bit too chewy, seemed undercooked *** Chinese chives pie: okay **^ Chinese hamburger with beef: beef was chewy, with some inedible bits, flavour otherwise fine **^ Chinese hamburger with braised pork: not flavourful, but it was edible ANIMAL DISHES **** Spicy pot fish fillet: Good, tasty, has bamboo & tofu skin. Fish not super tender. ****^ Special ma-la hot with fish fillet: this dish is great. The fish is tender & the red, spicy soup is salty & tasty. **** Fish fillet with tofu and hot sauce: very nice ***^ Special Ma-La Hot: this had a mixture of proteins, including chicken, fish, pork in a spicy soup *** Double cooked pork: okay, but not as tasty as pretty much every other version I've had of this dish elsewhere in Philly ***^ Dry Pot Pork intestine: tasty, tender (I forget if this was called "dry pot" or something else, but it is a dry pot, not soupy, in a spicy preparation) ** Shredded pork with Sichuan pickled vegetables: Pork was rather tough. I wouldn't want this again. ***^ Hot sauce boiled fish VEGETABLE DISHES **** Spicy sauteed Cabbage is good ***^ Sauteed vegetable greens are solid ***^ Homemade bean curd (with bok choy & fungus): solid, with good textures & flavours ***^ Tofu with mixed vegetables (mostly broccoli): solid, with good textures & flavours ***^ Dry sautéed string beans ***^ Eggplant and garlic sauce *** Cabbage and tomato: Napa cabbage is comforting, tomato is in overly huge chunks lately, but the dish was best when tomato is diced smaller *** General tso's tofu *** Tomato with eggs NOODLES **** Ho fun noodles with vegetable: good texture in the ho fun noodles **** Ho fun noodles with shrimp: tasty, good texture in the ho fun noodles *** Ho fun noodles with pork: tasty, pork wasn't overcooked, but too oily **^ Ho fun noodles with beef: noodles were fine, but beef was too tough **** or **^ Biang biang noodles with ginger scallion sauce are **** pretty good (4 stars) in the restaurant, but only **^ if delivered (2.5 stars), since it doesn't travel well The food at Xian Sizzling Woks is good. The restaurant is fairly comfortable to sit in & has free wifi. I'd definitely want to return.

Didn't have the best first impression. We had our one year old in a stroller and they kept wanting to put her in the stroller across the table from us. We wouldn't be able to feeD or reach her. The staff was closer to rude than they were friendly. It was very quiet maybe 3 other tables throughout our hour or so we spent there. The kitchen was a bit slow but worth the wait. The food was actually (surprisingly) very good! The menu is a bit confusing, it does not list what comes with the meal. It is very clean and mostly organized Will probably eat there again but have it delivered as to avoid the staff.

Got delivery from here, the food was extremely delicious. However, the wonton in chili oil was not as spicy as I was told about. The Sichuan dan dan noodles and spicy minced pork Chinese burger was extremely spicy. The burger had tons of flavor and very juice. The Xi'an liang pi noodles and the spicy cold cucumber slices were very refreshing. Overall, my partner and I enjoyed everything!

I love Xi'an Sizzling Woks, especially their noodles, Sichuan appetizers, and dishes such as twice cooked pork. I used to live close, and it was a go-to of mine. The food is very tasty and cheap, and although the atmosphere is basic, the staff are generally friendly. This restaurant is actually where I had my first date with my now husband, so it has a dear spot in my heart. I guess you could say it's a good luck spot!

Always seemed to pass this restaurant whenever getting off the train and decided to try it for once. I ordered the House Special Noodle Soup and Dumplings in Chili Oil. My impression: not really impressed. I expected some flavorful Chinese food, however the dishes I ate fell short. My noodle soup was bland; no amount of soy sauce and chili oil could remedy it. There were also so many ingredients in it, some I couldn't even distinguish. That's worrisome to me. I couldn't tell if I was eating chicken, beef, or something entirely different. The dumpling were heavy and had a sour(?) aftertaste. At least the spice level was good. Maybe I didn't order the right dish, but nevertheless I'm disappointed and think the food is not really worth the prices either.

Nice flavor but Chinese burgers lacking meat. Bread is only half filled on one side. Please cut fully open and add An adequate amount of filling. You don't buy these just a taste bread and we bought over a 1/2 dozen everyone was the same

Stopped in for an early lunch today at Xi'an Sizzling Woks, one of the three XSW sister shops in Philly. They are known for this Biang Biang noodles and semi-spicy dishes. Their sauces are excellent for sticking to the mein, and when you get the hand drawn pasta from their kitchen, you are in for a good time. Two of us ordered the same thing (unusual for us); the cumin beef with noodles. This was a single serving in a medium bowl. It arrived with unseen noodles at the bottom of a pile of small strips of braised beef, green pepper and onion in a cumin based light sauce on top. Gentle mixing was required. The noodles were not handmade, but a decent store bought variety. The beef was tender with ample cumin powder and a little crushed cumin flakes, making for good flavor and a filling meal. The third dish was a pita soaked lamb noodle soup, which I am told is a extra specialty of Shaanxi Province. At $16 it should have been, but my spoonful did not impress my palette, despite the dent in the wallet. However, the one who ordered it seemed very pleased, so what do I know?! Service was friendly and water/tea refills prompt. It always helps to have Mandarin speakers in the party to get a little extra TLC from staff. I'm not above taking advantage of that benefit. This house is much larger than the shop on Race Street, but it also lacks the forced intimacy of sitting at tables placed on top of each other. To each his own, but I remember Chinatown's version being somewhat better in kitchen quality and cultural (crowded) authenticity.

Ordered the Ma Po Tofu and Double Cooked Pork & Noodle; wait times were quite long (~30-40 min) but the food itself was not bad. Wouldn't say it was the most amazing, but I'd say I'd get it again out of convenience for some decent Chinese takeout.

Best food on campus. Don't know how the rating isn't higher. I loved the spicy cabbage and biang biang noodles. Will return every time I'm in the area!

This is easily my favourite restaurant on Penn's campus. I have been coming here more than once a week since the day the restaurant has been open, and I have never been disappointed. Whether grabbing a quick meal or eating with a group of friends, Xi'an Sizzling Woks is a great choice. This is one of the only places that you can get authentic Shaanxi/Northwestern Chinese food in the area. I especially recommend their "Big Plate Chicken" (大盘鸡), which is made fantastically. They also serve a range of Sichuanese dishes and noodles. The restaurant's food may be a little overpriced when comparing to Chinatown, but it is better than most other restaurants in University City. The restaurant is BYOB, and also serves complementary fruit at the end of your meal. Service can be slow when the restaurant is packed but is otherwise very good. Highly recommend.

I'm a fan of their Chinatown location, and I was very apprehensive and hesitated to order for many weeks due to the many negative reviews. Also the Pho place that used to be here was terrible. But I'm so glad yesterday, i decided to give them a shot! First off -- for those unaware -- this is not your run of the mill Americanized restaurant. The food they service is Xi'an, a city in the Shaanxi province of China. It will seem more " overpriced" than your regular general tsos or what have you but their tradiional dishes are worth it -- plus for the most part I'd think you'd have many leftovers or easily serve a family of 4 with an order of appx $30 as we did last night. We ordered the Chinese Chive pies, the Biang Biang garlic noodles and the FIsh fillet with Tofu in hot sauce. Everything was delicious. The Chinese Chive pies were good -- they weren't perfect they could have been crispier, but I was pleased. The biang biang noodles were the same as their location in Chinatown, chewy long handmade noodles in a simple garlic scallion sauce with a few bok choy. That fish and tofu dish is my new favorite -- served over white rice it's seasoned deliciously and the fish is nice and flakey, my favorite kind of Chinese fish. Delivery was very friendly, and faster than anticipated! Based on my experience last night i would not hesitate to order again - or even dine in. Great addition to UCity!

It's my second time here. First time, food was decent as I was craving home food and this place offers entree over rice. The rice texture and taste was similar to what I would cook at home, so 4/5 stars for the rice. I came back today. I walked in, thumbed through the menu and waited for service. A couple came behind me and they were seated and provided menu first by the sever. The server saw me, but another patron asked her for bowls in Mandarin and she attended to him first. I dismissed this . What got me was that after I placed my order and paid, I sat next to the cash register to separate myself from the rest of the patrons and waited for my food. Another couple walked in, the woman saw me and decided she wanted to sit at the table next to me. She made the server ask me to move and wait at another table by the entry way. Rude! There are so many tables available and this lady wanted the seat behind me? Well, I moved because I don't want spits in my food. Last time here. Only come here if you speak Mandrin or Cantonese. Service is night and day. Service for me was 0/5. Never coming back here again!

I was told this is the third restaurant ran by the same owner/group. The other two are Xi'an Sizzling Woks in Chinatown and Xi'an Cuisine in Old City. I've been to this location twice because it's close to where I live. It's an okay place to go when I feel like to have some Xi'an specialties, such as Chinese hamburgers, biang biang noodles, spicy chicken & noodles, and liang pi. The food is consistent with the other two locations, probably the best Xi'an specialties in Philadelphia. However, the ambiance and management of this new location fall short. First, they took over the space from Saigon but made little renovation, which means it looks cheap. The tables & chairs are placed too close to one another, and we were not able to seat comfortably both times. They are busy with take-out orders, but there are simply not enough waiters or waitress for dine-in customers.

Lamb skewers are a must!! Very tender and flavorful. The biang biang noodles are also authentic and chewy.

The Chinese restaurant is located in Chestnut St. and 40th. St. Close to the free library. My friend and I were from City Hall to come here. It's lunch time, so we chose the restaurant. We ordered some buns and Liang Pi in sesame sauce. The food is delicious, especially BBQ lamb. Highly recommended!

While most people go out for a classy dinner on Valentine's Day, my wife and I often devolve into the following: A) I make a reservation somewhere nice in Center City or adjacent. B) Let's go somewhere closer to home? C) Are you really sure you wanna go there? D) What about this place (that at least one of us isn't into) E) Takeout? This always happens - we've spent our entire fall/winter going from our Birthdays to our wedding anniversary to the Holidays to the anniversary of our first date to...Valentine's day. For us, it's the end of a long run of Holidays and is the least special. So, inevitable and for like 8 years now, we get takeout. Enter Xi'an Sizzling Woks, which was conveniently on our way home from some earlier day errands. As a result, this is a takeout only review, but given Xi'an's proximity to college students, should be useful. Xi'an is a slightly modern, fairly Americanized spin on traditional Szechuan cuisine in the US. I've read on Phillymag that Xi'an features a lot of Shaanxi specialities, which "shares a border--and occasional outbursts of chili heat--with Szechuan its southern neighbor, but westward influences loom large in its cooking." (https://www.phillymag.com/articles/2013/10/25/philadelphia-restaurant-review-xian-sizzling-woks/#XMqZbRofStTM52l5.99). While I found the heat slightly lacking, it still had a little more spice than maybe some are used to and I'm sure you could ask them to turn up the heat (I will next time). Pros: Service and the niceness of the staff were great. They were ready when we got there some 20 minute after ordering. Friendly and easy to get in and out The restaurant itself was nice. For a place the probably resides between the relative niceness of Han Dynasty and your local Chinese joint, Xi'an is a place that feels a step above fast casual and is a little cozy. I believe we would eat here in the future. Our food ranged from Average to great. (See some cons below) The Duck and Pork buns were leaders of the pack, which deliciously soft bao puns on some well-seasons and slightly sweet duck or pork. Both were our favorites! My wife and I tried the Sauteed Spicy Chicken and Noodle and Pan Fried Spicy Pork for dinner. The chicken was the star with enjoyable potatoes lumped in - it was well-seasons and a little bit of heat, but a saucy favorite when mixed with the noodles. The Pork isn't something I'd re-do (with so many great options to try), but we liked it none-the-less. It lacked the heat of it's compatriot, but was filling and enjoyable. We still have plenty of leftovers (did we over-order?!), but no matter, chinese leftovers are our favs! Cons: The price is arguably slightly higher, but for a comparable Szechuan menu to Han Dynasty, I found the prices on point. Our Shanghai Bokchoy with Green Soy Bean was fine, if mostly a steamed mixture of the two - nothing special. Our Won Ton soup was enjoyable but typical - it features a lighter wonton than less quality establishment that my wife gave a thumbs up. The Dan Dan noodles were acceptable, if slightly less spicy and saucy than other places we've had. Conclusion: If you're looking for a slightly different spin on typical Chinese-American takeout, you could do much worse than Xi'an Sizzling Woks. With prices comparable to other less-quality Chinese joints in the area and food which far-outstrips them, Xi'an has typical Chinese-American fare (we spotted Sesame Chicken and boneless spare ribs on the menu, among others) and some more traditional fare which my wife and I have grown to enjoy since becoming more adventurous. And also the Buns - this side of a proper Center City and/or Chinatown place, you can't do much better!

Let me first say.. I was extremely skeptical of this place for numerous reasons... The "branding" of the store outside looks very unimpressive, poorly crafted, and not extravagant. The place replaced Saigon which was ALREADY a dead restaurant to begin with. Then we walked in, and everything changed.. (easily one of my FAVORITE Chinese restaurants next to authentic Sichuanese places to eat). I rarely comprehensively talk about food in great detail but I feel like this place needs justice done -- Environment: Again, nothing impressive as I was expecting but it was most certainly quiet. It seems as if most of the people who eat here are Penn international students who come from China (this was my first eyebrow raised.. wondered if the locals really enjoyed it.) Service: It took a while for the food to come out. We ordered and despite not having many people in the restaurant, my friend who ordered one of the lunch specials got his food in 5 min, and took my food (look under food section) and it took 15 minutes. Despite the lack of service, this place REALLY DESERVED its 5 stars from the food and price ALONE. Food: This was incredible. I feel like I don't even want to say anymore. If you want the full Northern Chinese experience, please please please get some of their special items.. I personally tried the cumin beef which was DELECTABLE. No joke: it was salty, aromatic, and oddly enough BROUGHT ME BACK down memory lane. I did indeed visit Southern China, and I KNOW this place is a NORTHERN Chinese delight; however, the food replicates EXACTLY the same one the people in China would use. Even the same exact salty meat with it's bland hand-drawn noodles were interestingly an amazing combo that I would never trade away. The dumplings weren't anything significant but much much better than the standard ones' in Philly (great texture lightly doused in hot oil). Most of their dishes comes with their cabbage and I can see exactly why this could be a turn-off. It was extremely sour and pickled. But I can tell you now, this is as accurate as it gets. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, give this a try and a chance if you expect A QUALITY AUTHENTIC NORTHERN CHINESE CUISINE EXPERIENCE. Everything from the food to the tea is on-point. I can see why people don't like it.. it definitely does not fit the Western palate.. Price: To eat at a comfortable amount, my dish alone was around $9 while sharing dumplings for a grand total of $13.50 after tax and tip per person. This was an easy busy considering the quality of food I got (see above in food section). Can't wait to try the one in Chinatown next.

Didn't want to try this place due to low reviews but now that I've tried it, I really like it. I mean it can be pretty quiet inside and a lot of older people which I think shows it's pretty authentic. Can't speak for takeout, but dining in was a great experience. Got the liang'pi and double cooked pork belly. It was two of us and we couldn't finish it all. Huge quantities. The double cooked pork belly had cabbage and green pepper in it which was actually really good. Overall I wish I had come to this place sooner before graduating.

I ordered delivery for two on a Friday night. The food came in less than 30 minutes, which was much appreciated. We ordered the chicken and broccoli with white rice, beef lo mien, steamed dumplings with chili oil, and two egg rolls. Everything was good, but the only thing that was really good was the chicken and broccoli. Everything else was just OK. The flavors on the lo mien were sort of bland. The egg rolls were not crunchy. The dumplings were missing something as well. If you're looking for a quick delivery of OK Chinese food, this is your place. I will say that with the exception of the egg roll, everything seemed freshly cooked.

I originally wrote this review for Xi An Sizzling Woks on 4000 Chestnut. Somehow the page of this has been changed to Asian Cafe- which I have never been to- but continues to use the reviews and ratings for Xi An Sizzling Woks. I'll update my review back to the original 5 star when the page changes back or move it to the new accurate yelp page if one is created. --- One of our consistent Chinese restaurants in rotation. I love Xi An food, and this place satisfies my craving 100%. Between this location and the Chinatown one, I can always count on delicious food. Our favorites are definitely the Chinese hamburger and the "Da Pan Ji" , which, I believe on their menu is the spicy chicken and noodles platter. If you aren't sure what to get-- get that! We get it almost every single time. It's soft flat noodles with potato in a spicy sauce. The platter is more than enough for 2 people and it is SOO good. The Chinese hamburger as well. It is only $3.50 but so packed with flavor. Plus the staff here are so sweet. They are extremely kind and for our most recent visit, ended our meal with a free soup that was warm and soothing. One of my absolute favorites!

Minute rice and a Costco microwavable meal are better than this. I was skeptical of the rather mixed reviews and decided to order take-out with my family, and I can say it was objectively awful. The Chicken with Eggplant in Garlic Sauce essentially tasted like straight soy sauce, it was saltier than the Dead Sea. I couldn't taste any chicken, eggplant, or garlic. The Sweet and Sour Chicken was small pieces of soggy chicken with no sauce. The sauce was effectively sugar-water on the side. The Vegetarian Fried Vermicelli was apparently decent. To add insult to injury, when I was handed my final receipt (AFTER I had paid), I noticed I was charged a credit card processing fee which was not included on the website (I asked them to confirm this) and was not listed on the initial receipt. Furthermore, I found out that if you place an order over the phone, some items will come with rice for free, but this is not the case if an order is placed through the website. Between the mediocre food and the annoying price "games," I strongly recommend to obtain your daily nutrition elsewhere.

Pretty solid place to go to for take out. Food is well priced especially during lunch hour. I got take out that included: beef lo mein, beef and shrimp lo mein, and shrimp with broccoli. Although beef and shrimp lo mein was not on the menu, they kindly created the dish for me, which was very nice of them. I asked for my beef lo mein to be very spicy, and they did a great job with that. The feel doesn't go away a day later lol. Although, its not very "pretty" or well decorated place inside, you should definitely go here just for food. Don't have very high expectations, but it will do the job.

Ordered takeout. Took them over 30 minutes to make pork potstickers?? Everything was VERY overpriced. Lamb skewers were over $10 for six small skewers with barely any meet on each. Chinese chives pie was SO SO SO bland, absolutely flavorless. They were also poorly made and were falling apart. The pork potstickers were pretty good. However, definitely not worth the 30 minute wait after all other items were ready.

First off, pour one out for the dead homie Saigon that this place is replacing because while the two restaurants share superficial similarities, they're pretty different. Saigon was warm and comforting budget food while this place is... not. It's spicy and slightly pricy and the food is super in your face. So far every other review either loves this place or hates it. I'm pretty sure the 5 star reviews are all paid reviews, but that's not the point. The service is classic Chinese restaurant service in that they expect you to flag them down whenever you want anything, which is kind of weird because the other Xi'an Sizzling Woks is almost overeager with their service. Whatever, it's not the norm, but I can deal. I've had the beef hamburger, the spicy and sour pork soup, and the beef noodle soup so far. The beef hamburger is pretty good, a nice flavorful mix of onions and beef with some kick to it. The bread is a bit less soft than it could be. The spicy and sour pork soup was... ambitious? I get where they were going with it, but the tomatoes just didn't fit in, in my opinion, and there wasn't really enough substance to the soup to justify it for me. The beef noodle soup was better, a pretty fiery soup base with some solid, thick noodles, albeit with a disappointingly small amount of vegetables. Seriously, bok choy is dirt cheap, throw more than two pieces on there. All 3 of those dishes are like $4.50 - 9, and the rest of their menu is dramatically more expensive. Lunch is like $10-12 a dish, but the rest of the time their meat dishes will cost you $16 which was a bit hard to justify for me. It's hard for me to rate this place because there's no better Xi'an food in Philadelphia. If you're looking for this particular mix of spicy and sour, you're going to be shelling out cash because this is the only place for 50 miles that will fix your cravings. It is BYO, which is nice, but I'm not sure if it's BYO in the sense that they let you drink here or if the staff just doesn't care enough to stop you from drinking. Having said that though, Xi'an Famous Foods in NYC blows this place out of the water and I'm pretty sure it's cheaper as well. 3/5 for being as good as you do for Xi'an food in Philly, but your money is probably better spent at other Chinese restaurants.

I used to like this place. I had lunch there yesterday and haven't eaten other meals for the next two days due to severe stomach cramp, vomiting and dizziness. I suspect the food ingredients at this place is not fresh resulting in food poisoning. Be ware.

Great sesame chicken, perfectly crunchy and breaded. However, felt the food got cold quicker than usual

Got take out on a snowy day about 2 months ago (comforting wonton soup etc)- the biggest disappointment- the wonton soup broth was filled with mushrooms- I have never seen that before. While I love mushrooms- my child is highly allergic to them (and I ordered the soup for him). The food was mushy and not good. Wouldn't order again.

The food is okay and the location is convenient. Price is over bit overpriced than Chinatown but it is fair by its location.

STAY AWAY!!! If you value your health and your taste buds you will dine elsewhere. And if this is the same owners as Xi-an Cuisine, be forewarned!! Last night we went there for dinner, no less than 10 staff were working in fancy uniforms that were more presentable than the food. We were one of only three tables and two takeout orders in our time there. Dan Dan noodles were the worst I ever tasted. Biang Biang noodles were one long 2 foot noodle served in a bland sauce and without a way to cut the noodle to be able to eat it. Several dishes were presented without a serving utensil. Water was room temperature and never refilled. Hot and Sour soup was neither spicy nor sour; it was sweet and warm. Mustard came out in plastic take out packets. They seemed confused when we asked for rice to go along with our entree. Around 9:45 the entire staff came out and sat in tables all around the restaurant to eat family meal; yelling across the dining are at each other. At 10:15 a staff person started mopping the floor. Funny the place said they close at 11:00. And to top it off, I am not having a very good digestive day today. In a city with so many excellent Chinese restaurants offering differing cuisines and top notch food, my advice is to stay away, save your money and be kind to your digestive tract. This is a disgrace. Find the sizzle elsewhere.

Only dined here twice and had diarrhea both times!Plus extremely unprofessional service -- the waiters sat on table next to us and chatted very loudly and the kids (of the owners?) played iPad extremely noisy which was very disturbing after a full days work. Will not go any more.

This place serves authentic Xi'an food, just like the ones in Chinatown and old city. There was a documentary made about the family who opened these restaurants but I didn't get to see it. The reason there are a plethora of Sichuan items on the menu is because the owner is a trained Chuan-cuisine chef. But he is from Xi'an. And of course, don't forget to add some standard American-Chinese items to satisfy the taste buds of average Americans and what they expect to find in a Chinese restaurant, which I'm okay with unless when the restaurant is packed. My only complaint is that the meat in the Chinese burger is a little too lean. That's not authentic enough for me, but maybe it's intentional to make it healthier.

Really really bad service. 2 of 3 Waiters have trouble understanding english, and the third got our order wrong anyway. Noodle soup was really bland.

Lovely setting that has a good history. Much nicer than the Chinatown original. For me Xi'an cuisine is the most interesting of the not-typically-American Chinese cuisines. Even more interesting than those like Sichuan which feature heat and spices. This cuisine feature subtle vinegars and sauces and dishes we don't think of as Chinese. A real mixture of all kinds of tastes and textures. Lunch here, featuring a "lunch" menu and offering the complete menu too is relaxed and the servers attentive, if a little English-challenged. The food seemed even a little better than the Chinatown original. That place caters to a largely Asian clientele who are better able to communicate with the servers. The pancakes and flat vegetarian pastries are top flight, as was the cumin-beef "hamburger". My favorite dish is the signature dish but I never remember its name. It is flat noodles served cool with a chilli-vinegar sauce and pieces of gluten to soak up the beguiling sauce. I think it's called xi'an liang pi?? Although I did not have it at this branch, in the past I have had the spicy chicken, made with potatoes. At the original one Saturday on a cold winter day some years ago, it seemed that at least half the Asian clientele were being served that dish, one of the house specialties. A dish meant to be shared. I will certainly be back, and look forward to bringing my own wine or beer to go with this varied cuisine. Unlike other authentic cuisines we see, I think this one might go better with wine!! A great addition to the Penn neighborhood and its myriad choices.

Fantastic cumin lamb skewers and mapo tofu--the skewers are a specialty from Xi'an so definitely one of the better bets on the menu. Service was good, environment is clean and more spacious than it looks from the outside. Really glad they've moved into the area--I'll be back!

The food was very good (some of the best lo mein I have ever had), but the customer service did not meet expectations. It was very pricey as well (General Tso Chicken was $14)..