TimeOut US just named Xi'an Famous Foods the second-best Chinese restaurant in the US.
The New York City-based chain (pronounced "she-ahn") serves authentic, mouthwatering cuisine from the Shaanxi province in northwest China.
Xi'an has enjoyed a lot of attention since it was a food stall in the basement of a mall in Queens. The likes of Anthony Bourdain and Bobby Flay have given it their thumbs-up.
Since 2005 the chain has grown to nine locations throughout New York City, and is proving to be incredibly popular. Xi'an recently also landed on Zagat's first "11 Hottest Fast-Casual Chains" list, further proof of its rise to fast-casual stardom.
It may just be popular enough to take on a larger market and bring real Chinese fast-casual to the Panda Express fast-food market.
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I visited the 34th Street location, right off 5th Avenue, steps from the Empire State Building.
One wall near the register is dedicated to the numerous celebrity foodie visits to Xi'an Famous Foods. The chain has quite an impressive fan base.
The menu is simple yet enormous. There's an amazing assortment of meals to choose from for such a no-frills establishment.
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