Good noodles make me the happiest, freshly made hand pulled noodles even more so. When one of my Chinese friends (and fellow noodles lover) highly suggested me to try Xi’An Delicious Foods, I of course could not ignore his expert opinion. So was it really that good?

At a glance 

• Location: The Hague
• Cuisine: Chinese food
• Price: approx. 10-13 euro per noodles bowl and 3.50 euro per side dish.
• Rating: 9/10

Xi’An Delicious Foods

Xi’An is named after the capital of Shaanxi province (North West China) and the third most populous city of China. Xi’An is a noodles city and have them in all sizes and variaties – from narrow to wide, from cold to hot, from plain noodles to egg noodles – as long as they’re made with their signature: hand-stretched. This was exactly the way Xi’An Delicious foods does it.

The interior is cosy and have the really Chinese traditional look and feel. You can look into the kitchen and see the live actions of the noodles experts. The restaurant is not big, I think about 15 tables, but it was so packed on a Thursday evening. I was glad that I made reservations. Fellow noodles lovers that didn’t had to que for quite a bit.

It was really cool to see how the master makes the hand stretched noodles, a real craftsman, he works fast, precise and takes his job serious. Seeing him pulling, stretching and banging the noodles to the wooden board, he must have build quite some muscles! A reel with him in action will be posted soon on my Instagram. The noodles master was very friendly and fine with me filming him.

The food

Xi’An has lots of different types of noodles dishes: wide variety of noodles soups with your protein of choice, but also fried noodles. They come in all shapes and sizes. Almost all noodles dishes has a vegetarian option which was super exciting! Soooo, what did i pick (after studying the menu for like 15 min)?

I opted for the vegetarian pickled cabbage noodles soup, because I craved something sour and comforting. This really hit the spot!

First of all, the fresh hand stretched noodles were insanely delicious, it had a great bite and texture. The broth was rich and flavorful with a focus on garlic (which i love). The vegetables were also well cooked, not soggy at all. The bok choy still has the crunch. The pickled cabbage was delicious.

It was everything I need in a bowl of noodles soup. The portion is also very generous, especially for that price.

We of course also had to try the small side dishes! All small side dishes are vegetarian, we ordered three!

The side dish ‘mixed vegetables‘ are broccoli, carrot and wood ear (Chinese fungi) was blanched in water and had a garlic flavor to it. It was fine, but it did not stand out for me. Let’s see how the other 2 tasted.

This spicy sour cucumbers tasted so good! Pickled with red onion and chilis, it was the perfect bestie for the noodles soup to eat with. Super refreshing and appetizing. I could have ate another plate.

Save the best for last, the pickled potato strings! This side dish was so unique. The potatoes were sliced super thin and pickled, but still had a kick to it. I never tasted something like this. Again, this was so refreshing and appetizing, a great partner in crime for noodles.

The staff

This place was packed and only 1 superwoman lady was waiting the whole restaurant. She worked quick and efficient, but logically we had to wait longer before our order was taken. That was fine. She was very friendly and had a great energy about her. My friend and I have not seen each other in a while, so we were the last ladies standing in the restaurant haha. It was past closing time, but they did not rush us at all to pay and go.

Final verdict 

9/10. The best fresh hand stretched noodles I had in a long time. The side dishes (especially the pickled potato strings and spicy sour cucumber) are also very affordable and packed with flavors. Xi’An has lots of vegetarian options and the price-quality is great. It was really cool to see how the noodles are made and the staff is very friendly. Don’t forget to make a reservations, because it is packed! I will def come back again, gladly.

Information

Address: Korte Poten 18, 2511 ED Den Haag. Xi’An also has a location in Amsterdam (Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 21H)

Website: Xi An Delicious Foods

Follow me on Instagram for more vegetarian and vegan foodspots reviews and recipes inspo! The reel about Xi An Delicious Foods including action of the noodles master making the fresh noodles will be coming soon on my Instagram.