About Restaurant Openings Around DC
A guide to the newest places to eat and drink.
Xi’an Famous Foods at Four Mile Food Co. 1033 W. Glebe Road, Alexandria.
Xi’an Famous Foods is a New York destination for chili oil-spiced, hand-ripped noodles and plump dumplings, made famous by the likes of Anthony Bourdain. (“This place is unbelievable. This place is great. I’ve never had anything like this,” the late foodie icon raved in one episode of his show No Reservations.) Recently, the northern Chinese hotspot quietly opened a takeout-only location at ghost kitchen facility Four Mile Food Co. in Alexandria. And it has plans to bring a brick-and-mortar shop to the DC area too. Already, the sales have been record-breaking for the family-owned business.
“The ghost kitchen over the weekend exceeded all locations in terms of sales. Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, Chinatown—every location was beat, almost doubled, by this,” says CEO Jason Wang. At certain points, the Alexandria outpost had to temporarily turn off ordering so it didn’t get overwhelmed, and pre-order slots have sold out quickly. Reinforcements from the New York team were brought in to help keep up with the volume.
Xi’an Famous Foods was started by Wang’s father, David Shi, in basement food court in Flushing two decades ago, inspired by family recipes and flavors of his home city of Xi’an. Wang joined the business in 2009, and together they’ve expanded to 16 locations across New York, Boston, and now Virginia.
Last year, Xi’an Famous Foods launched an exclusive delivery partnership with DoorDash, which financially supported their expansion into ghost kitchens. Meanwhile, Wang says they’ve long had their eyes on the DMV because of the close proximity of city and suburban audiences. “We still have a very strong following in New York, but, you know, we often wonder what is it like to have the food in other parts of the US,” Wang says.
The local menu replicates all the favorites from New York. Among the most popular dishes is spicy cumin lamb hand-ripped noodles (also available as a soup). The thick ribbons can also be paired with “spicy and tingly” beef muscle, cubed pork belly, and more. Northern Chinese-style boiled dumplings with spicy and sour lamb are another signature, but a meat-free version with ground wood-ear mushrooms, seitan, and other vegetables is also available in a spinach dough. You’ll also find stewed pork or cumin lamb “burgers” on a crisped flatbread as well as a can’t-miss cucumber salad in a garlicky soy-and- black-vinegar dressing.
Although sauces come from a central kitchen, noodles are pulled to order and the meat is cooked on-site at the ghost kitchen. Jars of Xi’an Famous Food’s flavor-packed chili oil with more than 30 spices and ingredients are also available.
Wang says opening an additional brick and mortar outpost in the area is “top of mind,” and they’re already looking at counter service locations in Arlington and Rockville.
“We’re very encouraged by the amount of support we’ve received,” Wang says.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
