Xin Jiang Restaurant/Halal西域食府.清真

All I can say is YUM YUM YUM. Very nice staff and such quick service! Prices were really affordable too and they give such large portions. You can ask for the chili crisp which goes amazing with everything on their menu. They do have lunch deals so it’s better to go before 4pm to take part of that. Make sure to come with an empty belly unless you are okay with taking your left overs to go 😝

If you love lamb, this is the place to spoil yourself. Every dish was just perfect. The quality of the meat they serve is worth the price they charge. You can also find chicken and beef dishes on the menu, but lamb is the best. I made a membership card because I enjoyed my meal so much. Membership will entitle me to cheaper member price on the menu.

We are always impressed with the food here. However, the service can be disappointing at times. We had to request tea multiple times before it was finally served. Even getting takeout boxes is a hassle—they’re extremely stingy with them. Instead of providing enough from the start, they bring half a box, then make you ask again for another. It’s frustrating, especially considering how much money we’re spending. Expecting us to fit a beef burger and skewers into the same box is just unreasonable. On top of that, our dumplings never arrived. We finished all our food, yet they still hadn’t been served. When we asked the waitress, she insisted they were coming, but it was clear from her reaction that they had been forgotten. Overall, while the food is fantastic, the service leaves a lot to be desired.

If you are someone looking for Halal Chinese cuisine, this is the perfect place for you. If you are not sure what to order, just order the items that I ordered and thank me later; but yes I like spicy food so be mindful of that. Each and every item were super flavourful plus perfectly cooked; exactly the way I like it. Whenever I visit GTA, I make sure to visit this restaurant. If you like spicy food, then must try the chicken cartilage; if you like fat, then must try lamb ribs; if you like juicy meat, then must try lamb skewers and beef tendons. I can literally write poetry expressing my feelings about eating their foods 😝.

Very disappointed with the Halal BBQ Lamb Ribs** I ordered BBQ Halal Lamb Ribs via Uber Eats today. First, this dish was deep‑fried, not grilled or roasted as expected from a BBQ item. The meat was mostly fat, while the lean portions were dry and tough, completely lacking juiciness, and it even had an off‑smell suggesting the meat was not fresh. The seasoning was wildly inconsistent: the dry spices on the exterior were overly salty, while some bites had no flavor at all, and there was an odd sour note. In short, what arrived bore no resemblance to how it was described in the menu, and the overall quality was extremely poor. Combined with other customer reports of slow service or chaotic order timing, it appears the restaurant lacks reliable quality control and consistent cooking standards. As a Halal Chinese restaurant, one expects at least fresh ingredients, proper BBQ preparation, and even seasoning—none of which were met. Completely let down; I won’t be ordering again.

Came back to this place after a strong recommendation from a friend. Xinjiang cuisine turned out to be greasier than I expected, and most dishes had the same mix of onions and bell peppers—whether it was the stir-fried lamb tripe, mushroom dry pot, or the lamb meat wrap. The lamb skewers were a bit tough to chew and had too much fat, so I wouldn’t recommend them. We ended up getting a membership card because of the discount, but it was quite inconvenient—the discount is only applied if you physically bring the card. Simply providing the phone number or a photo of the card doesn’t work, which makes things unnecessarily complicated. Aside from the food and the membership issue, the service was pretty good overall.

For over seven months, we’ve been regular patrons of Xin Jiang Restaurant, dining there at least once every two weeks. Each visit reaffirms our appreciation for both the exceptional cuisine and the outstanding service. Michelle, in particular, has consistently enhanced our dining experiences. Despite our non-Chinese background, she has always been exceptionally friendly and polite, treating us with the utmost respect. Her efforts to guide us through the menu have been invaluable, ensuring we make selections that suit our preferences. Our go-to dishes include the beef squares, lava squares, hot stir-fried potato, and cold stir-fried potato. Each is uniquely flavorful, with the meats always fresh and tender. The consistent quality of these dishes keeps us coming back. Overall, our experiences at Xin Jiang Restaurant have been outstanding. We’ve recommended it to many friends, who have also come to love it. For those seeking delicious halal Chinese cuisine paired with exemplary service, this restaurant is a must-visit.

Authentic halal Uyghur Xinjiang cuisine. We had their beef laghman, kung pao chicken and fried rice. It was delicious and the servers were very helpful. Recommend making a reservation in advance as it can get busy.

Clean, happy environment. Many customers enjoying their food. Loved eating here. The variety is huge with many unique dishes. The staff are extremely helpful with assisting you with making the right food selections. We had a party of 10 and ordered a lot of food. So this is a general review for the restaurant. I highly recommend.

Park of my Markham / Northern food crawl and my first time having Uigyhur cuisine. I didn't take any pictures but had lots of delicious food. We tried the skewers of Lamb, the grilled cabbage and Noodles with Beef. All were delicious. I need to go with more people so I can try all the other things on the menu! Delicious

The service was warm and welcoming, and the staff clearly care about what they serve. We tried a few different dishes, and not one disappointed. Fresh ingredients, perfect seasoning, and portions that left us happily full. Highly recommend!

This is an authentic Xinjiang cuisine place that serves great halal food with generous portions. The Xinjiang Style BBQ Lamb Kebab was amazing. Very Xinjiang style, the meat flavor was brought out by the lamb oil and got further elevated by the smokiness from the griller, with the chili powder drizzled on top... A must-try. And not exaggerating, you'll see in this place almost every table has ordered this same dish. The BBQ Chicken Wings were yummy too. Braised Bone-In Lamb Served Over Naan - A different way of cooking lamb but very flavorful. Highly recommend letting the naan pieces fully soak into the gravy. The place was clean and spacious, and the service was great. The staff was friendly and efficient. Will definitely revisit. Food (quality, creativity, consistency) - 5/5 Drinks (quality, variety) - NA/5 Ambience (interior design, cleanliness) - 4.5/5 Service (courtesy, knowledge, timeliness) - 5/5 Value (quality vs. price) - 5/5

Wish I could give a 4.5 rating. The only negative is that this restaurant doesn't have a large "regular" dining room. It is rather small and minimalist, so the echos were loud. The wait for a table was long. Word has apparently gotten out how great this place is. All else is fantastic. My party of 4 were all "lamb" people. There are MANY lamb dishes on the menu in addition to the usual beef, chicken, shrimp & tofu. We ordered the onion pancake (aka deep fried naan) and thoroughly enjoyed it. The BBQ lamb kabab was lovely. Two of us ordered the stir fried lamb with green onion (C33). This dish had lamb in a light buttery gravy. It was savory, tasty and had no "hot" spice. One person ordered the lamb with garlic scapes (R07). It was served on rice and was VERY garlicky. Yum! The 4th person in our party ordered minced lamb with pancakes (C13), but she ordered it with no spice. It arrived seasoned with cumin, but wasn't "hot"spicy - just as she requested. Unfortunately, it was therefore bland. And no one there heard of moo shoo sauce. They had no sauces other than soy to enhance it. So, she wasn't too happy. But we all agreed that the food quality and quantity was superb and that we would return. The wait staff were helpful with our order. Otherwise the service was just fine. We had to flag someone down if we needed anything - including the bill. No dishes were cleared from the table until we left.

This spot has really great Xin Jiang cuisine and a large menu with many options and is Halal. We had our sights on the skewers and got a bunch to try. We got the lamb, beef, chicken gizzards, beef tendon and chicken cartilage to try. Also had the cabbage and potato skewers. All the meat was fresh and seasoned well, we got a medium spice but we'll definitely kick it up a notch next time since it wasn't spicy for us. don't sleep on the cabbage and potato skewers either. it looks simple which it is, but it brings a natural flavour and satisfying crunch. We also tried the Liang Pi which was pretty good, as well as the stir fried diced noodles with lamb. it tasted slightly sweet and the texture of diced noodles was chewy and made for a unique dish. it gets quite busy so you might have to wait. service is attentive and efficient. you can buy a membership card here (I think for $20?) and get member pricing on their menu which is really worth. we saved $23 already in this dinner with a group of 5 and the membership lasts 2 years. Highly recommend!

This is one of my new favorite places to eat. The food is the bomb! They have this salted egg pumpkin that is a must try. They have a great selection of food that everyone can enjoy and the staff is great! Definitely coming back to try the rest of the menu :)

Food was good. Dumplings were juicy and tasty. Overall, decent and typical. Service is typical chinese restaurant.

We stumbled across this restaurant while window shopping the restaurants at Metro Square. This restaurant caught our eyes with large stews, bbq skewers, mini wok stir fried. We decided to take a chance and try it out. The restaurant is located on Steeles Ave E just west of Warden Ave. We ordered the following: 1. Stir fried bone-in chicken with hand pulled noodles $28.99 2. Stir fried lamb pluck $22.99 3. Pan fried beef and chives pancake $8.99 This restaurant tries to sell you on lower prices if you purchase a membership for $20 which gives you access to members' only pricing. We wanted to try the food first before we decide. Overall the food was really good. The chicken stir-fry had a delicious broth which compliments the noodles. The lamb stir fry was also really good. The server asked us our tolerance for heat/spiciness. We went for mild because we didn't want to burn out our stomach. We made the right choice. The beef chive pancake had vermicelli and egg stuffed in a flaky pan fried pancake. I would definitely order this again. Service was very good for chinese restaurant the orders were brought out fast and hot. If you want to try something different I would recommend coming here and try their specialty dishes. The restaurant is also serving Halal dishes only. Follow me on @whenhungerstrikes17

Always love the food here.. especially the lamb skewers.. definitely get the membership- it's worth it even if u visit twice! Bonus points since it is halal as well

It's our second time visiting this venue, this time in a group of 9. This is a super busy restaurant, reservation is only allowed for 6 or more guests. The restaurant was completely full but we got seated almost immediately on arrival and were served with warm tea and menu. Despite being so busy, servers were prompt, attentive and polite, and the wait time for food was reasonable. Xin Jiang food is exotic to us, there are many delicious skewers, lamb and beef dishes. We ordered a whole table of food and thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Due to mostly BBQ or roasted nature of food, it's a bit stuffy inside so it'll be good if ventilation could be improved. Overall, the ambience was good and we'll hope to try its other branches shortly.

Located in the Metro Square plaza on Steeles and Warden, Xin Jiang is a halal Chinese restaurant known for their lamb skewers. Parking is average - it can get busy during peak hours, especially on weekends, as it does share the lot with several other restaurants. The restaurant itself can get very busy. I think it's one of the busiest restaurants in the entire plaza. Be ready to wait for upwards to 45 minutes on weekend dinner times. I strongly recommend calling in for a reservation. Beware that all the staff speak Mandarin and minimal English, so be sure to speak up and point to things if you're not fluent! The skewers were not too chewy and not dry at all. If you have their membership ($20 a year, which is easily recuperated within a handful of visits throughout the year), it's $2.79 per lamb skewer - very good value. Normally I get lamb skewers at night markets, which are much smaller and not as tasty, for $2 each (5 for $10 usually). We also ordered some spicy lamb with Chinese pancakes and it was super yummy. They also have this vegetable noodles and it was a little oily but great nonetheless. Their tea is also delicious and pairs well with the food! But, I would still say that some of their pricing is a bit on the expensive side. We ordered some mackerel skewers which were $8 for two small ones. Definitely still my go-to for lamb skewers!

One thing I appreciate about this place is the staff are very humble, we ordered hand pulled beef noodle spicy, spicy beef, chicken fried rice, stuffed beef pankcake, hot and sour soup shrimp, the service was excellent the staff were fast and efficient, a lot of people will like this because it's halal as well, when we were there the place was getting packed, the hand pulled noodle was really good, perfect texture on the noodle, and a spicy sweet sour taste, portion size was quite big too and a bit expensive, the fried rice was really good had a smoky taste, I loved the stuff beef pancake, I know these are really popular in Malaysian food as well, the soup was really tasty perfect balance of sour and spicy and sweet, the ambiance was really nice and clean, very humble owner, this is what I like the food can taste good but if there is good customer service that's what makes the experience unforgettable

I used to be a fan of this place, but didn't go again until very recently because of the pandemic. It is very disappointing experience nowdays. The food is super expensive. At $40-50 per person, you don't get much portion. We ordered the pan fried lamb with onion, which should be called onion with lamb crumbs. We literally had to do a serious search of the very few pieces of lamb embedded in the whole plate of onion. The other dishes were also salty and oily, with little portion. I would never revisit.

I wanted to update my 2019 review for some time now, since Xin Jiang's become one of my favourites. Between then and now, a pandemic's been raging, and we've ordered takeout from the restaurant from time to time. We're glad to see it doing well despite the circumstances, and managed to finally dine here after a while. The restaurant is fully operated by staff speaking predominantly in Mandarin. You can communicate in English, but be sure to speak clearly. In a similar vein to other large Chinese restaurants, they have a membership card for $20 that gives decent discounts on dishes for two years. It pays for itself within two visits. This location's done a great job at modernizing its decor. It's nice, bright, and spacious, and has great air conditioning for those hot summer days. It plays into the northwest Chinese (Xinjiang) motif and has a display of culturally-apt artifacts that are worth a look. The highlight's the food, as always. Everyone's talking about the skewers and for good reason. There's a variety to choose from (I'll always recommend lamb) and a winning combination of spices (predominantly cumin, turmeric, and chili). You can also go for a milder option. There are plenty of other dishes to choose from, but something that complements their intense heat would be some cold noodles. We'll be back for more.

Good food. They don't try to hide bad meat with over abundant amount of spice. You know that the meat is fresh. Definitely get the BBQ skewers! Comfortable enough seating. Spacious, clean and not to loud. Price is fair, if you buy the membership card. Without the card it is pricey. The membership card is $20 valid for 3 years, I believe. Would definitely return.

BOTTOM LINE: Lamb skewers FTW! Also, pro tip, that membership is defo worth it, with cross use with their two downtown locations! Being a total n00b to North Western Chinese cuisine, I was very pleasantly surprised about the similarities but also the very large differences between this and typical Southern Chinese cuisine in the GTA. The first thing you'll notice is that their meats are Halal and their teapots are more akin to ones you'll find in Middle Eastern cultures. Their menu is also split, where half are barbecue skewers/offerings, and the other half are dishes/hot pots. The second thing you'll notice is that lamb is their main meat used in their dishes. As other reviewers have mentioned++, those LAMB SKEWERS are soooo good, properly barbecued and rich in flavour. With the membership card, they're a whole dollar off, which is kinda nuts! I tried a few of their LUNCH SPECIALS, including the one with the rice and lamb served in a wooden bowl (highly recommended!), and one of their lamb noodle soups (also highly recommended!). As a litmus test, any place that offers a BEEF NOODLE SOUP, I feel obliged to order it. Here, I found it....just okay. It wasn't bad, but it just felt a bit plain with respect to the richness of the broth, the tenderness of the beef, and the garnishes. Finally, I tried their BARBECUE SQUID, and I'm not sure I can recommend it, unless you really, really love things over-spiced with cumin. They have two sister restaurants downtown, which I have yet to try, but since their membership card works there as well, you can be sure I'll be dropping by soon.

2019-12-28. Xin Jiang Restaurant-Halal. Markham, ON. Xinjiang was originally a province in northwest China after the civil war. It was established to strengthen the Russia China border and promote the local economy. It was China's largest province, but shortly afterwards, it was officially recognized as an autonomous region in northwest China. The region borders 8 countries from India in the southwest to Mongolia in the northeast. In between you have Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Russia. Naturally with wars comes heavy migration of people so Xinjiang itself became a huge melting pot of middle-east-asians. With the majority being Muslims, it's no shock that all dishes are prepared with Halal meats. In the last few years, the latest food trend in the GTA seems to be Northern Chinese Cuisine, spicy flavours that warm your soul. Unlike northeastern Chinese cuisine, northwestern Chinese cuisine has lots of middle-east influence. Cumin, turmeric, sumac, cardamom, nutmeg, paprika, saffron, and a slew of other now join the arsenal in attacking your tastebuds. Lamb replaces beef in the protein arena, and bread sits abreast rice in the starch department. But enough with the preface, let's get back to Xin Jiang the Restaurant. Xin Jiang hosts VIP pricing similar to a few other restaurants in the GTA. While not popular, they seem to be able to command the inexpensive membership from their loyal customers. If you're not familiar with VIP pricing, the restaurant essentially gives a discount to those that hold a VIP card. The cost of becoming a member is typically nominal, and here it's $20/year. VIP pricing gives you approximately 20% off, so a couple of visits and you're in the black. The restaurant is located on the back side of Metro Square with free parking on the property. Inside, the decor is modern and bright. Both booths and tables are available and seating capacity is about 80. The menu is pretty extensive, typical of Chinese restaurants. But we knew what we wanted. Xinjiang (China) is known for their Kabobs, so we had to try those for sure. In addition to that we ordered stir fried beef with onions, some fresh buns, mini lamb skewers, and kungbao chicken. For veggies, stir fried A-choi with black beans. B1. BBQ Lamb Kabob. At $2.79 apiece I expected them to be bigger, but they were pretty close to what you see in the menu. Grilled cuts of Lamb seasoned with cumin. Pretty juicy but not as tender as the Turkish make them. 3,5 stars. H06. Stir fried Beef with Onion and Lotus Leaf Shaped Buns. Wow! I don't know what to say about this dish... it's fantastic! Kinda reminds me of the Taiwanese mini bun sandwiches, but with a Northern China taste. A simple, yet excellent dish! 5 stars. H37. Mini BBQ Lamb Skewers. Essentially a plate of lamb slices seasoned the same way as the Kabob. These were much more tender probably due to the cut and was that much more satisfying. 4 stars. H40. KungBao Chicken. In Xinjiang, one of their most famous dishes is known as "A Big Plate of Chicken" I had either overlooked it on the menu or they don't make it here, so we narrowed it down to the H42. Xinjiang No.1 Chicken or this. I wanted the H42, but lost out because that dish was made with bone-in chicken while this one did not. This did turn out to be my least favourite dish, but not because I didn't get my H42... well maybe... 2,5 stars. Overall, I'd say the meal was a good one. Prices are on the high end, but more on par if you purchase a VIP card. If you're into this type of cuisine, I'd definitely recommend the place. 4 stars. The next time I return I will most likely try their small plates (R27, R31), their hand pulled noodles (R12, R13, or R14), and their desserts. From their main menu I'd like to try the Xinjiang Style Fried Rice (R04), Roasted Lamb Ribs (H33), Deep Fried Veal (H47), and the Deep Fried Jumbo Shrimps with Salty Egg Yolk Sauce (H50). There were two Xinjiang dishes I was hoping to try but they didn't have, the first was Rou Naan (lamb stuffed Naan pan fried to a crisp). The other was Samsa (Baked Mini lamb stuffed buns). If You would like to experience more, come dine-with-me.yelp.com I'd love to have your company... Bon Appétit!

Love the lamb skewers. Went for their patio. I'd say go for lunch because the lunch specials are way cheaper at around 10~$. I would say the food isn't really that spicy so if you love spicy food ask for extra spicy.

Saw an opportunity to come back to this restaurant for lunch while we were in the area and I couldn't help myself. This was during the warm weather Toronto was experiencing and pre-lockdown. It had been so long since I had dined out that this was a welcome little reprieve to feel a little more normal. The restaurant seems to be doing it right with the patio set up in the parking lot and everything was kept as socially distant as possible. We opted to dine inside that day as it was way warmer then normal and want some refuge in the air conditioned indoors. Again, they seem to be following all the indoor dining protocols to make sure it was safe for everyone. The food here is as good as ever. We ordered the standard staples that we have always enjoyed while here: the spicy lamb skewers, the lamb and fennel dumplings, and the spicy stir-fried diced noodles. Everything was delicious. From the five-spice heat coming from the lamb skewers to the firm and springy stir-fried diced noodles. We were completely full afterwards and couldn't ask for more.

This Xinjiang restaurant (literally - it's in the name!) seems run by Han Chinese, not Uighers. The flavours are lighter than at other Xiniang place (whether this is good is personal preference) but is still good. It gets 3.5 stars. Xinjiang style BBQ lamb & crispy beef were good, with good quality meat & tasty cumin. Xinjiang style handmade sheet jelly was pretty good. The sour-spicy flavour was refreshing (and improved with vinegar). It came with soy bits & shredded purple cabbage & carrot garnish. Xinjiang noodle in tomato soup used cut up noodle bits rather than being noodles per se. The flavour was lighter than expected (even compared to the other dishes) but was still pretty good. There was a lot of oyster mushroom (which is not common), which was nice. The taro biscuit was warm & somewhat flaky. It tasted OK. It was good for a small dessert (other desserts were bigger) though it was listed under dimsum. Membership costs $20 for 2 years and gets you a discount on dishes. If you are going to return or you're in a big group (maybe 4 or more), it might be worth getting.

This is one of our local favorites, and not only are they super close, most of their dishes arent just all bark there is definately lots of bites too. They are most known for their 大盘鸡 big plate chicken and lamb kabobs as this place is actually halal. The big plate chicken is delicious and spicey with lots of food. The chicken and potatoes are stewed for so long that not only is flavor maximized, even the potatoes are brusting with the spicey tingling taste. What tops it off is all orders are served with some steamed noodles which you're supposed to leave to soak up the juices from the dishes. simply marvelous. Their chinese BBQ skewers/kabobs also do not disappoint. almost everytime we come we have to get the lamb, and one of my personal favorites - chicken cartilage. Crispy from the flash fry and crunchy from the cartilage. I highky recommend getting a vip card (~20) which actually just allows u access to cheaper prices because you definately won't come just once.

We're having a late dinner here after leaving the nearby Asian Festival at the Pacific Mall. The food quality should be must better and at a better price. You can become a VIP member for $20 cash and get access to better menu pricing for a 2-year period. We just selected a number of dishes off the menu and are a little rushed because we are hungry and tired. The food was more spicy than to my liking but it was a chance to try this place out. Service was good and quick.

This place is legit!! Fast service Huge portions Reasonable prices Delicious and good quality, noodles were yummy and the bbq lamb skewers are to die for. Definitely will return

This most recent visit nearly scored a perfect 5/5 until I had to lower the score when our 2nd request for lamb and chicken skewers never came... otherwise, up to the end, the meal was delicious and awesome. Location: 4.5/5 Ample parking, conveniently located on the top inner left corner of the inverse L shape of Metro Square on Steele's between Woodbine and Warden. Very accessible by bus, local roads or the highway. Clear signage outside. Decor/Ambience: 4/5 Last year, my friends and I came here as well for Christmas. They recently just had a full renovation and everything looks so much more fancier and modern now! Their outdoor logo and inner decor used to be more red and seating were so old-school or basic. Now they have leather seating and mix of wooden and/or marble tables. The place is a lot more brighter, roomier, and welcoming. There are cushioned booths on the entrance side as well, next to the windows with large round tables for larger parties at the other side. Food quality: 5/5 The food here is consistently AMAZING!! I highly recommend their famous skewers. I just love their spice levels and bold flavours!! You can ask for milder as well. They have a full page for each category: cold apps, BBQ chicken, beef, seafood, rice/noodles, soups, dumplings, and vegetables. Service: 4/5 Cash at the table. Debit at the counter. Pretty frequent refills for hot water and clearing of plates without having to wave or ask. They served everything in our initial order in a timely manner until we tried to order 2 lamb skewers and 2 chicken skewers as add-ons, since my beau was not yet full. We verbally asked twice, but the additional skewers still never came!! Next time, we know that we must order everything all at once on the menu paper that they give us for your orders. Otherwise, if you just verbally tell them, they might end up never giving you the item(s). In the end, we straight up just asked them to cancelled the additional skewers since even after waiting for another 15-20 minutes, and the original waitress saying they will come out shortly, they never did... fortunately they did not rush the order and force it upon us on our bill like some other Chinese restaurants would do. Value: 4/5 I think the value here is reasonable, but while my friend was reasonably full, my beau was still hungry at the end. Hence, he ordered for additional skewers and later was annoyed or 'hangry' when the additional skewers that he requested never came... we ordered 10 items, so I think the price was about, right. They did recently have a renovation, so I expected the price to reflect that. Overall: 4.5/5 If not for the minor hiccup at the end, where the additional 4 skewers never came, the lunch was sheer perfection! Love the taste of everything here. Improved decor. Quite happy that there are so many seagan options here and that this place is not just for skewers, other BBQ items, and/or meat. They also have different northern Chinese food and even this fish and mushroom soup that tasted quite similar to a soup found in southern China in the Guangdong province. This visit has cemented this restaurant as one of my favourite Chinese restaurants in the city. Prices can really add up here if you truly want to be full 'full', but for their consistent quality of food, I would definitely come back!! Just have wrote down all of my orders to make sure they all come next time!

Came here for dinner with family and was pleasantly surprised by how delicious the food was. The skewers were superb, get the lamb! My favourite was ding ding chow mein, it was flavourful, short cut noodles like they were diced. I really enjoyed the lamb pilaf rice as well. Many other dish like steam bun with meat in the middle was good too. Overall, the food was delicious, however it was a hot day and we asked for the AC to be put on, they said it is set at 22, but we sat near the thermostat and it said 27. We were all sweating by the end! Would definitely come back to try other dishes. The place looks popular and good food to try from another part of China.

One of the best lamb skewer places in GTA *Real BBQ skewers, not deep fried* Membership required for discount (you can buy on the day you visit $20 and valid for 2 years) This is one of my go to places for lamb skewers, the skewers are 1.79 with member card and 2.79 without, portion is decent, and it's the one if the main reason for me to visit them, real bbq skewers, Other bbq item I recommend is bbq tentacles, it's not skewered, comes in a small plate, with lots of flavoured onions, we always finish the dish very quickly and love eating the onions as the flavour is great, I also recommend boiling fish (if u don't mind it's basa fish filets) the fish are seasoned and cooked in hot oil, with the spice and fried garlic, it taste great! I do have to say not all skewers are good, for example bbq chicken cartilage (not bbq, it's boiled topped with sauce, use to be deep fried long ago), chicken kidney is also boiled and topped with sauce that doesn't pair well, I do not recommend ordering. The service is on par, nothing great or bad comes to my mind, but the tables/seats can be better cleaned/sanitized as often it's oily, Overall, I recommend this place if you like bbq skewers and spicy food, They now have Yelp seating system which helps greatly as usually there is a lineup lunch or dinner time

The main reason I wanted to eat at Xin Jiang is because of their famous lamb skewers. But when I saw their lunch specials, I just could not resist! Over 35 items around $6 to $7. The huge selection makes choosing what to eat quite difficult as the colourful photos just makes everything looks so delicious. Just be warned even at this bargain pricing, the portion is big enough to fill you up! The complimentary soup would be something I won't recommend. Yes it is free but I just hated that gluey, starchy texture. Xinjiang Style Chicken Combo ($6.49) and Hand Made Noodle with Sliced Lamb ($6.99) were both tasty, not overly spicy and with great balanced flavour. Give Xin Jiang a try especially if you are a lamb lover. I guarantee you won't be disappointed! So I guess I have to make another trip for the skewers! Lunch Special is available only on weekdays from 11 am to 5 pm! So plan accordingly!

There is a good amount of parking in this plaza and not too much trouble finding parking on a weekend evening. We came as a group and had reservations; it gets busy during the evening on weekends so if you are coming as a group make sure you have reservations. It was my first time here even though I'm always in this plaza and passed by this restaurant many times. It definitely won't be my last because I really liked the food here. The skewers are amazing! We had the lamb, cartilage, beef and cabbage skewers. Never seen cabbage on a skewer but it basically has the same spices as the other skewers. Regular spicy is not too spicy and the skewers were very flavourful. I especially loved the cabbage and lamb skewers. We ordered many other dishes like the chicken and eggplant, the chicken with potato (which came with a side of noodles), and fish. It can get quite heavy after eating everything because they all start to taste the same with all the flavours, spices, and oil. Despite this, I enjoyed all the dishes. Most of the staff only spoke mandarin so it was a bit hard to communicate but they are still good and attentive, and refilling our teapot often. I wouldn't come here too often but would like to come once in a while especially for the skewers, and that eggplant dish too.

What We Got: Lamb skewers, hand-pulled lamb noodles, green onion pancakes, barbeque cabbage, barbeque steamed buns, chives and egg dumpling What We Liked: lamb noodles; lamb skewers What We Didn't: cabbage was wet; buns over-salty What We'll Get Next: something new... So many items! I came here with a couple of friends on a Friday night and it was an absolute packed house at 7 pm. There was a line from the cash register to the door, so we had to wait about fifteen minutes to be seated. It's slightly above average in decor and service for an old school Chinese restaurant, but that's not saying much. We ordered by writing in numbers next to the dishes on the takeout menu. BARBEQUE CABBAGE came first. It was rather wet, lacking the dry crispy crunch of other competitors, indicating that it was likely boiled and then draped in seasoning after. The spices had less kick to it as well. HAND-PULLED LAMB NOODLES did not have a gamey taste, which I personally really enjoy, but others don't. It's a bit more tangy. Decent amount of meat. The star of the dish are the noodles, which are definitely hand pulled and very tasty, chewy, and coming in a variety of thickness and lengths... It has a charm to it. GREEN ONION PANCAKES came pre-cut into four pieces. It was extremely crunchy and crispy, although it did not have a distinct green onion flavour. LAMB SKEWERS... oh boy, the thing I was waiting for most. Giant metal skewer rods. I was perhaps overexcited for this... It was thick and meaty, but I would say overhyped by a margin. It was not super special but lamb skewers are lamb skewers. BARBEQUE STEAMED BUNS: this looked and tasted supremely over seasoned. If you are sensitive to salt, stay away! It seemed like they steamed the bun and then dunked it into a tray of sauces. It'll make you thirsty after, but I did enjoy the dry crispy texture... It's what makes a barbeque bun a barbeque bun. Our bill came to just over $50 after tax and tip (we had two orders of some of the above items) and was perfect for three people. I think I'd be willing to come back to try new things: lots of interesting dishes!

Food: 4 Stars Service: 3 Stars Ambience: 3 Stars Fill Factor: Stuffed If someone were to ask me to describe what Xin Jiang cuisine was I would not be able to do so as I have no clue what it is. This was my second time coming here and based on the experiences so far I would describe Xin Jiang cuisine as flavourful and spicy. So far I have tried the Xinjiang style stir-fried bone-in chicken with noodle, Xinjiang style greenbean noodle salad, Xinjiang style sheet jelly salad, Western Chinese style lamb rice, and the shredded lamb with Chinese pancake. One thing in common for all of these dishes except the lamb rice was that they were all fairly spicy. If you do not like spicy food you may want to skip this place as it seems the majority of the dishes here are fairly spicy. The one dish you should definitely try is the stir-fried bone-in chicken. The dish is nothing but pieces of chicken, potatoes and chili peppers...lots of chili peppers. The dish was colourful, flavourful and did I mention spicy? One thing to note is to be aware of small bones as I noticed quite a few pieces when I was eating this. Next the appetizers I had were the greenbean noodle salad which is a jelly-like spicy noodle dish and the sheet jelly salad which was also similar to the greenbean noodle salad. Both dishes tasted really good but if I had to choose between the two it would be the greenbean noodle salad. The lamb rice was a dish of non-spicy rice with sweet potatoes and pieces of lamb. There was next to no pieces of lamb when I ordered this so while the flavour was not bad I would not recommend this if you need meat in your dish. Finally the shredded lamb with pancake is served with one platter of stuffing and a plate of pancake. You have to add the stuffing and wrap the pancake yourself. Again the flavour was tasty and aromatic but I also found the dish to be quite greasy. If you are not expecting amazing service then you will be fine as service here is fairly average. Staff will take your order, bring your food then your bill. They did not seem particularly friendly but I did not expect much so I was ok with this. There are quite a few number of tables here without the place feeling too cramped. The one knock against this place was that it was not as clean as I hoped. There was food on the chairs at the table we initially sat at so we switched to another but even then that table did not seem that clean either. If you are looking for some flavourful and spicy food in the area look no further than Xin Jiang restaurant. Just be sure to bring some tissues or a towel to wipe the sweat off your face from all the spice.

I was craving some lamb skewers from a restaurant that specializes this and found this on Yelp. I decided to give this place a try for their fairly high ratings. And yes, I would give it 4/5 just like what I saw! We ordered the lamb skewers ($2.50 each), cabbage skewers, cold eggplant and the egg with dough stick. They were all very yummy dishes. The seasoning was all spicy but not too hot. I thought that the lamb skewers were a bit expensive especially if you don't have a membership. It was still pretty tasty and much better than what you get at the night market!

[LOCATION] - 4/5 This place is located at Metro Square at Warden Ave and Steeles Ave E. There were ample parking spaces at the plaza. [SERVICE] - 4/5 Most of the servers spoke Mandarin. It was a little difficult to communicate with some of them but we mainly spoke with one server who was fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English. He was very friendly and answered all our questions. [DÉCOR] - 2/5 Tables were wobbly and and chairs felt kind of sticky and not that clean. [QUALITY] - 2/5 Below average. I felt like they used a lot of spice to cover up the lack of freshness in the ingredients. [ORDER] - 2/5 - Stir-Fried Green Beans (Spicy): green beans were dry and spicy. This is probably the traditional style to prepare green beans in Xi Yu (region in Northwest China), but I just prefer the Southern Chinese style of this dish with fresher and juicier green beans. - Sweet Pumpkin with Salted Egg Yolk: the highlight of the meal! Sweet but lightly dusted with savoury dried egg yolk powder. I know it sounds weird, but trust me, it tastes really good! - Noodles with Lamb: noodles were oily and flavours of the lamb were masked by mouth-numbing spices - Chicken, Lamb, and Chicken Heart Skewers: meat was not tender but spices went well with the skewers - Rack of Lamb: this dish was slightly fresher than the other dishes and tasted tender meaty, and spicy. [OVERALL] - 2/5 The only good dish was the Sweet Pumpkin with Salted Egg Yolk. Unfortunately, I would not recommend the other items because the spices were not aromatic and did not enhance the flavours of the food. Instead, it masked the lack of freshness of (or lack thereof) the ingredients.

I ate there this past weekend when I was getting a new pair of glasses. The food was amazing and delicious.

This place is still fantastic. You have to know what you want, of course, and my two previous reviews will give you some of the dishes that are, for me, highlights. Well, today I finally tried something new. Aside from the usual stalworts (that phrase sounds so wrong in the context of food .... let me rephrase .... brief pause ..). Aside from a selection of my usual favourites (see my two previous posts, and those dishes remain as excellent as they always have been), one of my dining companions wanted something beefy, so we tried the mini-wok tofu and beef stir fry with hand-pulled noodles. This was divine ... the noodles, with their silky, stretchy texture. You don't feel like the kid eating elastics at school when you taste the succulent, tender yet stretchy noodles. Such amazing combination of texture. The beef ... lean and tender; the tofu .... Well, as we waited for the dish to arrive, my beef loving dining compainion said, "I thought that tofu was tasteless." I just had to be my pedantic self, and remind him that the word that he was searching for is actually "flavourless", or bland. (Ok, I am not only a pedant, but sometimes annoying ... sorry. It's amazing that anyone will ever dine with me, really ...) Sometimes, fellow diners are tasteless. However, I`ve rarely had a "tasteless" food. Have you? Well, have you? Please, tell me about it, if you have. But I digress ... So I stepped down from my soapbox of pedantry and food snobbery and simply said, "OK, just try it. Please". He did, and he said, in an incredible burst of tofu revelation and sauce-infused joy, "It soaks up the flavour of the sauce!" Oh, the insight! The vision that comes from experience! Did I mention that I can also be sarcastic? Anyway, there is nothing to be sarcastic, or foody-snobby about Xin Jiang. This place is great, consistent, and I have yet to have an even slightly lame (and of course never "tasteless") dish there!!! I am a total devotee. As an aside, over the Winter Holidays, I tried pulling my own noodles. To prepare myself for that moment, I watched this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAzonLpYhRA Hope that you can see it .... The day after that, I went and bought some at Xin Jiang. They are noodle pulling professionals. It is a real craft, and worthy of 5 stars for noodles alone.

This is possibly my favorite place for lamb kebabs (in N America at least). They are really good value too if you have membership (1.5 each).There's a generous amount of meat and its delicious and really juicy. Most of the other dishes I've tried have been good too. In particular, the dry pot and the lamb noodle dishes are really tasty. Loses a star because the Spicy Chicken dish that we've been ordering for a while now has changed in composition over the months, and now consists mainly of potatoes & bones. Takes debit

My other reviews still apply. This one is specifically for their 10th anniversary specials. This week, their special is $0.10 lamb skewers, but only 2/person. Yeah. $0.10. Oh happy day! Promo ends tonight.

I definitely enjoyed my meal here. Do note that this place is halal - which means my pakistani boyfriend doesn't have to worry about pork like at most chinese restaurants. They have a lot of dishes that are like build your own baos which I love. The restaurant also has membership option to buy into if you want to access the cheaper prices on the menu. The service was pretty friendly for a chinese restaurant as well. Will be back and regret not buying a card earlier!

We tried this place for the first time over Victoria Day weekend for dinner. It's located in Metro Square plaza. We were a group of 4 and got seated immediately, despite the restaurant being very full. The staff spoke mainly Mandarin and English. Their restaurant area is clean and new, but their washroom isn't great. Like most skewer restaurants in this area, they have both non-member and VIP member pricing. VIP membership is $20 for 2 years. However, the pricing extends beyond just skewers and applies to all dishes. The savings can actually make a pretty big difference too. For example, one of the noodle dishes we ordered went from $15.99 to $12.99. Lamb skewers went from $2.50 to $1.50 each. We ordered a round of skewers for all of us, a big plate of fried green beans, and a bowl of handmade noodles with eggplant. The lamb skewers were a bit on the rare side, but still tasted good. The chicken wing skewer was pretty good too. The spices in the green beans were very interesting, it was really delicious but it had a mouth numbing effect. We really liked their handmade noodles though! The texture and taste was great. In total, our meal came to about $40 after tax and tip for four people ($10 each!), which is so cheap for a dinner. Our approximate savings with the VIP card were about $10 before tip. It would only take one more trip to this place within the next 2 years to make the VIP card worth it. This is definitely a great place to go if you're ever craving skewers, or during night market season. It's cheap and effective!

A great takeout meal of lamb and two types of really great fresh, hand-pulled noodles. I found the Chinese beef burger to be dry and forgettable. The lamb skewers were absolutely delicious despite the tiny bit of meat you get, which becomes more obvious with takeout, because it is off the skewer. But it's all quality not quantity, and very yummy, with a nice char and seasoned with a delicious cumin spice mix. But the fresh bouncy noodles are definitely the star here, and the flavors are complex and delicious. Don't be shy about asking for them hot, I found my "spicy" noodles to be medium spicy, so no worries things will be too hot. I will definitely be back to try more lamb and noodles, including the Liang pi.

Updates: Yelp only allows one review per user. I'm here to updating my review. FIVE STAR this time!!! As I said before, I came here pretty often. Both my husband and I love this place. They recently finished renovation. We decided to come here and see if they are better than before. 1. After renovation, it looks fancy and is customer friendly. A modern renovation style. Fewer seats with sufficient spacing between tables. They are now have outlets at some of the booths. 2. Better favour overall than before. Chicken cartilage skewers are now more than crispy. They now have some special sauce on it. A little bit sour and spicy. Lamb skewers are just as good as before in tastes and are more tender. The Xin Jiang chicken stew are still good. It will be better if it is more flavourful just like before. Good side is that they are now giving chicken pieces with more meat. Before there is quite a lot of chicken bones like able areas. The fried beef - new in the menu - is surprisingly good. Although beef is a bit dry, but it's meant to be for this type of dish. And, it's very crispy. Onion inside is the best part. Onions are cooked a little bit. They don't have that spice but locks that juice and sweetness inside. Very refreshing and balance off the greasiness from deep fried. 3. Old staff. They are awesome. Very fast and friendly. Old review: 4 stars Love this place. Me and my husband are the regular customers here and got couple membership cards (we already forgot to bring the ones we have This is the place we will definitely go when we are not certain about where to eat. We love their Xin Jiang Dapan Chicken. Chicken is very juicy and tender. Potato inside is what I like too, very creamy. My favourite is the noddles inside. This is a must order for us. We often order additional noodles and soak them in the juice/gravy. This time, we tried something new. Xin Jiang roasted fish is all right and the portion gets smaller. Lamb screwers are always good. Chicken cartilages are good too. Gong Bao chicken is surprisingly good. Very flavourful. I now try to avoid eating carbs, but with that gong Bao chicken I will take two bowls of rice.

I didn't come here for a lunch special. The regular menu has regular prices and "VIP" prices. That to me is a scam. Service is terrible. They don't come to take away plates or to fill tea unless they're actually bringing you a dish. Sitting at a table in the corner doesn't help either. I had to go up to the servers to ask for additional dishes, containers, and to pay. That's 3 times I was doing the job of a server. The food actually isn't bad, but heavy on the grease. Out of principle, I would not go back. I wasn't offered the chance to purchase a VIP card either so that's why I think this place is just a scam. I don't care if you have photos with famous people. Run a proper restaurant and maybe people will actually come back. Not just because you conned them into buying a VIP card. Last thing: they don't even take Visa or any other credit cards, just cash or debit at their inflated prices! Annoying.

Membership: The server told me that I could purchase a membership for $20. This lasts 2 years and lets you order food at the membership price, which is often a better deal. We went for it because we ordered a lot. H42. Xinjiang Style #1 Super Dish: This item was the first item on the menu. It turned out to be a disappointment because it was expensive and did not taste very special imo - It was just okay. I did not appreciate that they made it with bone-in chicken pieces. I would not recommend it unless you are okay with crushed chicken bones in every bite. I think getting 22 lamb skewers with membership is a much better deal. It is roughly the same price. B01. BBQ Lamb Kabob: This is a winner. You can enjoy the lamb BBQ and play with epic steel skewers. I do want to mention that the member price is $2 after HST. You can get comparable lamb skewers for $1.86 apiece at Pacific Mall (the 7-for-$13 deal, no HST, current as of Feb 2019). P09. Spicy Lamb in a Wak: It is essentially a dry hot pot. Very lamb-y. I would order with some steamed rice. V03. Mapo Tofu: I love mapo tofu and I always order it whenever it is on the menu. It was watery, oily, and without flavour. Possibly the worst Mapo Tofu I have ever had at a Chinese restaurant. I know this place does not specialize in Szechuan dishes but it should not be on the menu if they can't bring their A-game. Coriander Egg Pancake with Deep Fried Chinese Dough Stick: This was much better than I expected. The Chinese doughnut gives it substance and the black (hoisin?) sauce adds flavour. This would make a great snack. Servers were very prompt and friendly. I enjoyed the overall experience but did not enjoy everything that I ordered. If I make a second visit, I would just get the skewers, snacks, and try their hand-pulled noodles.

The food is absolutely delicious! I was honestly so impressed with the flavours: they had nice kicks of spice with well-balanced meaty flavours. Both vegetable and meat dishes were great. They also had good proportions. For 2 people, we spent around $60 for 4-5 dishes but we became very full and still had quite a bit left over for takeout! I loved C17: glass noodle vermicelli and lamb in chili oil soup. This came in a large pot over a flame and I would definitely recommend if you like a bit of spice. I would also recommend the basa fish filet in chili oil (looks spicy but was actually very manageable in terms of spice so you can actually enjoy the dish) and the pilaf rice with lamb which came with an awesome yogurt-based sauce. I have not seen many other Xinjiang cuisine restaurants nearby so definitely give this a try if you can. They use flavours typically seen in Chinese and Middle Eastern cuisine, and they have a lot of chili-incorporated dishes with a mala (numbing spice) taste. They are also a Halal restaurant! Food presentation was also beautiful and I loved their tableware. Our server was funny and friendly, and she put in effort into giving great service. I have visited twice now and will definitely be returning!

I would say only come to Xin Jiang Restaurant for their skewers as that is the only thing that's worth the price and tastes better than many other similar restaurants. Environment: The restaurant is located at the Metro Square Plaza (Steeles/Ferrier) and parking has always been an issue at this plaza. Be alert and be on the lookout for careless drivers as well. Save yourself the trouble and try to stay away from the main parking space near the restaurants and go for the parking spots at the back to save on time spent looking and stay away from reckless drivers. For the restaurant itself, I find that it's very loud, the atmosphere felt greasy and sort of stink of BBQ, so it's probably not a good idea to wear anything fancy/expensive that you mind getting dirty there. There were a decent number of tables and they have large round tables for big groups of 10. Food: First thing first, when you first take a look at the menu, you'll notice there are 2 prices, one for VIP and one for regular. I think in general the VIP pricing is $1-3 cheaper per dish. In order to get the VIP pricing, you have to purchase a VIP card for $20 which lasts for 2 years. It's pretty worth it in my opinion as you can basically get your money back after 2 visits. This is actually a pretty good business trick, just make the regular prices higher and have the customers purchase the VIP card to make them feel good about getting the savings. But yeah, the regular price is too expensive for what you're getting. Onto the food, we actually ordered a bunch of stuff, such as lamb skewers, lamb with rice, cold tofu with preserved eggs, stretched noodle with lamb, and seafood with rice crispy. I didn't come from Northern China so I can't comment on the authenticity of the dishes, but just flavour wise the only thing I liked a lot were the lamb skewers, and the rest was just alright. One thing is sure though, everything felt really dry and greasy, so I couldn't stop drinking the tea. Also, I find that the portions are not as big as Southern Chinese/HK restaurants and there were a lot of meats in the dish. Not sure if I'll come back again for another visit, since I wasn't the one who bought the VIP card and their regular prices are a little pricey.

Really nice clean restaurant, with great food and decent service. Tried the lamb skewers and theyre the way I enjoy with lots of meat and cumin and minimal fatty pieces. I would come back for these but pricey at $2.50 for one. Also tried a chili oil fish. So much chili you would never know there's a fish underneath. A little spicy for me but I still enjoyed the soft fish underneath. Overall would definitely come back.

Great spot if you like lamb, baa-baa-baad if you don't (ohohoho). My favourites are the plump and juicy BBQ lamb skewer in spicy which is heavily cumin-flavoured, the lamb with garlic bolt, and the cold appetizer dish of mashed garlic and eggplant. Popular dishes here are the hand-pulled lamb noodles, and BBQ cabbage skewers. Servers are native Mandarin speakers but also speak English. Lunch specials available during weekdays, averaging around the $10 mark. Menu shows two price points, with the lower one for customers who buy the VIP Card (something like $20 for a year's membership). I think I've eaten enough lamb skewers alone to make it worth it...

My favourite place to grab lamb skewers. Their other BBQ options are good too, but the lamb is tops. They close at 3am so it's a good place to relax after a long day at work. Definitely check it out if you're in the area or get cravings for skewers.

A great place for lamb skewers. They make it perfectly here, the right amount of char and spice on the outside of each morsel of moist juicy meat. Each skewer comes with four sizeable chunks of lamb on a metal skewer. It takes a bit of finessing to wrangle each piece off the skewer, but its well worth the effort. The spinach and vermicelli salad is a great counterpart to the heavier dishes, which is pretty much any meat dish you may get). It contains more garlic and vinegar than the usual, but it works perfectly in this environment. The service is fast paced and speaks predominantly Mandarin. I can see how not knowing the language may detract from the experience, but luckily all the menu options comes with rough translations and a lot of pictures. You can definitely get by with just English and a little patience.