A Chinese fast-casual restaurant featuring hand-ripped noodles and a unique blend of flavors is preparing to open in Clarendon next week.
Xi’an Famous Foods is aiming to host its grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 15 in The Crossing Clarendon (2800 Clarendon Blvd).
Best known for its noodles served with pork or lamb, the New York-based chain features family recipes from Xi’an, a city in central China with cuisine influenced by its historical location on the Silk Road.
“It’s fragrantly spicy,” CEO Jason Wang told ARLnow of his food. “It’s not burn-your-mouth-off spicy — it’s supposed to have a complexity of flavors. You may have tasted cumin or nutmeg or cardamom, but you probably haven’t tasted it in our food, Chinese food.”
In other locations, the restaurant’s spicy Asian cucumber salad and lamb dishes are hits, but the noodles are the main event, Wang said. In addition to lamb and pork, the noodles can be topped with “spicy and tingly” beef or wok tossed chicken, and they can be served in soup or seared in spicy hot oil.
“I always say the noodles have to be eaten right away for the best experience,” Wang said. “Most of the kitchen is separated from the public by glass. I think it’s really important for people to see how their noodles are made — seeing the noodles be stretched, seeing the artistry that goes into it, hear the noises and smell the flavors of the meats and stews being cooked.”
Wang also highlighted his dumplings, which come stuffed with spicy and sour spinach, lamb or pork.
Xi’an Famous Foods opened its first location in New York City in 2005. The restaurant got a big break in 2007, when celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain highlighted the store’s “burgers” — crispy flatbread stuffed with lamb or pork — on his show “No Reservations.” This led to a rapid expansion in the New York market.
The Clarendon location which has enough seats for 84 people. Another D.C.-area location is in the works in Rockville, Md.
Wang, who immigrated to the United States with his father when he was 8 years old, says he hasn’t lost sight of why his family started the restaurant in the first place.
“Our family is from Xi’an, from Shaanxi province of China, and we are proud,” Wang said. “We enjoy our food. We’re proud of our food, of our recipes, and my dad always wanted to serve it to people.”
Photos 4-6 via Xi’an Famous Foods/Instagram
