Xi’an Impressions

Top quality Chinese food — better than lots of places in Chinatown. Lots of different choices to the usual boring menus. The homemade noodles (like tagliatelle) are the signature dish and are delicious. If you can’t choose, the v helpful waiter/​manager will select everything for you. I hope they open a bigger branch!

I’ve been told that here we blessed with an example of great traditional food from the east of China, X’ian; the ancient capital. I’ve also been told that it’s one of the most authentic in a rather unorthodox place right opposite The Emirates Stadium.
It seems to be another example of The Holloway Road becoming more than just an extension of Upper Street and turning into an area all its own. So many interesting places are opening with the mixture of centrality, middle class residents and (relatively) cheap rents. As I’m currently the ‘Duke’ of here it seems to have impressed me too.
Firstly the place is SMALL with room to hardly sit 15. If you are more than a couple of people you must really reserve (yup none of that no reservation policy here!) and it’s BYOB which allegedly keeps prices down. Part of the charm was that it had been very cheap to eat here now sadly it’s as expensive as anywhere else with starters at around £6 and mains around the £10 mark.
They do do some excellent noodles though. They are traditional and hand made varying from thick and flat to vermicelli like. Many of the dishes have a hint of schezwan peppers and the soups are generally beautiful and generous. One must never ignore the starters where we particularly likes the vermicelli noodles, the cold chicken and the slightly heavy dumplings.
The service is always prompt and fast and in the style you would expect from a diner but it’s a pity they had to hike their prices by around 20% recently. If that’s what they needed to do to survive then I’m glad they did but it has cost them a star, thankfully the food remains great.

Situated right opposite Emirates stadium, always packed and very popular with the Chinese so do make a reservation. Décor is very basic, quite similar to the eateries in China being small and simple white walls. Staff is awesome, especially the older gentleman who treats you like a friend. So here is my review after three visits
Xi’an cold noodles in traditional sauce
Served cold you could really appreciate how a dente these noodles were. It wasn’t as spicy as it looks but full of the aromas of Chinese herbs, sesame oil with a sweet vinegary taste. The flavours worked as a team on your tastebuds, luring you in for more and more.
Boneless chicken in ginger sauce
Started off as a perfectly boiled chicken, high in quality and therefore sweet in flavour. The meat was succulent and tender, sitting in a bed of a sesame vinegary ginger chilli oil sauce. Delicious.
Pork and veg dumpling
The most silkiness and thinness Beijing’s dumplings I’ve had, yet it managed hold a juicy and fragrant meatball inside. Sauce was made for you with the perfect balance of soy, vinegar and chilli with added sesame and green onions for a extra boost of flavour.
Xi’an beef burger.
The bun was a bit more dry and more dense which took a lot of moisture away. The beef filling however was more rewarding, meaty with complex flavours of cumin and Sichuan peppercorns.
Hand pulled noodle soup with Qishan sauce
Similar to Tom Yum but less sour and more fragrant in spices. The lovely tender diced pork, mixed vegs gave it nice contrasting texture and extra bite against the lovely thin bouncy hand pulled noodles, adding depth and flavour as you slurp
Xi’an biangbiang noodles
These noodles were incredibly satisfying to slurp and chew, made in house and were wide. You can really appreciate the sweet vinegary spice attached to each strand. Seasoning was balanced with a good punch, making it nearly impossible to stop slurping.
2^nd visit
Cold noodles with sesame sauce.
The aromas of the sesame oil in the cold noodles already entices you in before you even begin to eat them. The taste was very similar to the traditional sauce but minus the spice and therefore the nuttiness and sesame taste was more apparent. Delicious without the numbing pain afterwards.
Hand pulled noodles with pork mince and vegs
On the salty side but the cucumbers helped. After mixing you get a thick coating of a delicious savoury sauce on every strand. The mince meat provided texture and meatiness whilst the vegs makes it somewhat lighter. Perfect comfort food.
Sweet potato noodles in hot and sour soup
Very uneven in flavour — more spice than sour. The flavours were far too strong that it was almost bitter. The noodles were kept warm too long in the broth so lost it bounce and became a bit too sticky and chewy for my liking. So far it’s the only disappointing dish.
Xi’an pork burger in Qishan sauce.
I much prefer this to the beef. The meat was much more tender and juicy, also finely chopped making the texture and flavours more balanced. The sauce was savoury, sweet with a kick of spice for warmth.
Fried pork and seaweed dumplings
The pastry was crispy yet soft and filling was still very juicy. It was great to have the seaweed mix in with the pork as it gave it umami. Still prefer boiled ones for more flavour and moisture.
Shredded Xi’an bread in beef broth
It was somewhat healthier being less fatty than others I’ve had but still had a lot of flavour especially with the accompanied garlic pieces. The bread was satisfying to chew with each spoonful adding sweetness after chewing.
3^rd visit…
Shredded chicken with special sauce
A lovely combination of textures from crunchy cucumbers and beansprouts to tender succulent shredded chicken. The marinate was refreshing being spicy, vinegary and sweet nutty from the sesame oil.
Yikouxiang
A dish made of several layers of rice sheet over sliced cucumber in a appetising hot and sour sauce. It was very simple but incredibly comforting being slightly chewy yet balanced by the crunchy cucumbers.
Hand pulled noodles with Qishan sauce
We were convinced that we were given the correct dish although I’m sure they gave us the noodle soup instead. Nevertheless it was enjoyable, flavoursome being hot and sour and rich in texture from the diced vegetables sad chunks of pork
Hand pulled noodles with tomato egg sauce
It was a light and healthier dish but a weak in its broth. A non spicy dish. I enjoyed the contrast in texture from the silky eggs, juicy tomatoes and crunchy black fungus against the bouncy noodles
Pork and vegs dumplings in hot and sour soup
Were nice and soft filled with a fragrant mix of pork and greens. However it was the same the same soup as the sweet potato noodle that I didn’t like.
So far I’ve nearly tried everything on the menu and yes there were some things I didn’t like but the ones I did enjoy, I LOVE! Of course I will be back to everything else. Prices are pretty cheap too!

I absolutely love this place. It’s on my doorstep, it’s cheap, it’s authentic, and most of all, it tastes absolutely amazing!
Don’t come here if you’re afraid of bold and spicy flavours, as the dishes pack the flavour in by the szechuan peppercorns! Handmade biang biang noodles are spicy and addictive, with long strands that need to be cut in half before you can eat them properly.
The cold noodle starter with gluten is strangely amazing, plus the pork burger trumps the beef.
The chicken has a nice fresh ginger kick, and the dumplings are decent.
All in all, one of the best places for authentic Xi’an food in London, with prices that will keep you smiling through the chilli heat in your mouth!
Top tip, they take reservations. Book! It gets stupidly busy here!

After living in Xi’an for a while, I now miss the combination of flavours that differs from many other Chinese cuisines.
Middle eastern scents of herbs and spices with the use of lamb likely an influence from the western/​northern ethnic minorities of China who have ancestors spanning Mongolia and the Middle East.
The Altaic fusion with more traditional Chinese hand pulled/​cut noodles in clear (ish) broth, xi’an sandwich etc bring me back to my home away from home. Although in Xi’an you can expect the sandwich to be a lot more oily from the street vendors as well as more generously packed with fillings.
Even the smell of the place when you walk in reminds me of xi’an, it’s only missing the smell of exhaust fumes and rampart use of car horns to make it 100% authentic.
It is the closest I’ve come to the food of xi’an since leaving, and it’s a relief to see someone specialise in one area of cuisine rather than trying to do everything.
The staff are great and when not busy juggling customers and plates, are warm and enjoy conversing if that’s what you want.
You should book if you plan to eat from 6pm onwards as it gets very busy. They do takeaway too.
Don’t expect your English ‘Chinese’ food here, but if you’ve been to northern China and miss it, you can come here to reminisce a little.

There are not many restaurants where the mere prospect of going for a meal there gets me jump-​up-​and-​down excited. Xi’an Impressions is one of them! I *love* this place, the food is lip-​smackingly awesome. I’m told by my Chinese colleague (who studied at Xi’an University) that it’s the real deal and the style is noticeably different to both Hunan and Sichuan cooking, both of which share the same spicy/​sour/​numbing flavour profiles. Have been here about 5 – 6 times and haven’t found a single dish on the menu that wasn’t great. It’s a great deal too and the service, while it can get hectic in there (rubbing shoulders with strangers is not uncommon!), is swift and friendly. I’m getting excited again writing this!

Been meaning to come here for a while and took the opportunity to let the outgoing football crowds for tube die down while I popped into this new (ish) place.
You know you’re onto a winner when they tell you order like a regular (and it’s actually really your first time). Finally a place near the stadium that has good quality food and unbelievably it’s Chinese food at that. Be warned it is tiny though! So you might even need to squeeze onto table with strangers.
Pork & veg dumplings with a special (spicy) Xi’an sauce that was on the money. Reminds me of my time in Xi’an City in China. Really really good. Perfect way to combat the cold outside is with a huge pot of jasmine tea.
After doing my research online I knew what I wanted. The Xi’an Cold Rice Noodle in traditional sauce was a triumph. Loved this. Fresh and bouncy. I will definitely be back. Especially since it’s on my football doorstep.
On second visit, I ordered the Spicy hand pulled Biang Biang with some chicken and mushroom pot stickers. As usual the staff were ever so friendly.
The Chilli Biáng Biáng was good. Think the cold rice noodles are still my absolute favourite though. This version a bit too oily for my liking. Dumplings much better. One time I’ll go for the Chinese burger. Oh err. Say goodbye to those greasy burger vendors outside the stadium!
3^rd visit I got all the usual a plus Chinese burger. The pork was ok, but the ginger chicken is one of best dishes I’ve had in London this past year, easily. Soft tender and juicy. TBH the consistency and quality makes this a 5 star now. It really is fantastic. You can tell by the regulars. The booze sold has stopped now probably due to regulars. But you can BYOB it seems which is good!

I made an order to my home, food was cold and even if he was warm it still was disgusting ended up throwing everything to the garbage and stayed hungry!!! My advice skip this restaurant!!!

This place is amazing. Hand-​made noodles, incredible and fresh food from the x’ian province, which is unlike any Chinese food I’ve had before and utterly delicious. My tip: if you’re veggo ask which dishes are veggo friendly — apparently there was a cock up with the printing of the menu and so not all the veggo dishes ended up with the veggo symbol next to them! I don’t eat meat and there’s a surprising amount I can eat there (I’ve been back several times now!).

I’m going to call it now: this is the best Chinese meal I have had since leaving Melbourne. Yep. It was amazing. There was flavour, chilli, so many sauces that I wanted to finish off like a soup (and did) and a touch of grease. Perfect.
This place is no bigger than a takeaway joint but they have managed to squeeze about seven four-​person tables in. So if you want to come here: book to avoid devastation. The staff are so lovely. The guy running the floor is great for a menu recommendation and he genuinely wants you to enjoy your meal.
There are several cold dishes that you have to order, no questions asked. The smack cucumber is out of this world, the fungi are amazing and their signature dish; a cold noodle and tofu thing, has this sauce that you will think about for days. The dumplings are good, the burgers are fun (they will cut these into the appropriate amount of pieces to accommodate your table, choose pork) and all of the noodle dishes are hand made noodles. The ultimate comfort food. The salt and pepper squid is crispy with so much flavour. Yum.
I need to go back and order all of the things that we could fit in.
To top it all off, it is BYO with a small corkage fee. So the bill won’t come to much after eating like kings. Amazing.