XLB
Chinese restaurant · Boise
4090 N Williams Ave, Portland, OR 97227
Highlights
Cool, casual counter serve for Chinese soup dumplings & comfort dishes, plus beer & wine.
Cool, casual counter serve for Chinese soup dumplings & comfort dishes, plus beer & wine.
"XLB, known for its soup dumplings, will close its doors permanently. The owner expressed gratitude for the community support over the years." - Paolo Bicchieri
"Coming from former Aviary chef Jasper Shen and Linh Tran, this Williams counter-service spot is named for its signature dish — xiao long bao, aka soup dumplings. Still, its entire menu is pure Chinese comfort food; the Shanghai noodles come tangled with tender pieces of shrimp and crumbles of rendered pork. The ambience mixes Portland industrial with playful Chinese style, with vintage lanterns and animals from the Chinese zodiac stenciled on the walls." - Seiji Nanbu, Janey Wong, Rebecca Roland
"The secret has long since gotten out about XLB, creating mixed feelings among neighborhood regulars who have cherished its delicate soup dumplings and wide noodles since 2017. Chef and co-founder Jasper Shen, who tested a Chinese pop-up at the otherwise French-focused Aviary years earlier, keeps a similar pop-up-style focus at XLB with a concise menu of Chinese comfort food. Inside, the long dining room is adorned with white tile, mellow lanterns, and Chinese zodiac symbols; limited sidewalk patio seating is also available." - Nathan Williams, Eater Staff
"There’s nothing like devouring steamer trays of xiao long bao and digging chopsticks into piles of pork and shrimp noodles on a first date. At this Williams Chinese restaurant, visitors can sip Tsingtao or lychee-lime soda while they wait for an assortment of dumplings and noodles — not to mention an easily shareable bowl of five-spice popcorn chicken. Williams is also lined with bars and cafes, if you want to keep the date going afterward." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden
"XLB, a Chinese spot known for its eponymous soup dumplings, was on a path of expansion that many restaurants aspire to. Owners Jasper Shen and Linh Tran had just opened their second location in Slabtown, and their original North Williams location was going three years strong. However, due to the pandemic, they had to scale back to one location." - Janey Wong
