Reviewing Shan’Xi Magic Kitchen: Enjoy spicy and tender Chinese hand-pulled noodles in San Diego!
There’s nothing better than fresh, hand-pulled noodles. While some people enjoy their noodles thin or crunchy, I’m partial to the thick and soft consistency you can only find with hand-pulled noodles. Some of the best ones can be found in the Biang Biang Spicy Hand Ripped Noodles at Shan’Xi Magic Kitchen in San Diego.
Shan’Xi Magic Kitchen is located on Convoy Street, where some of the best Asian restaurants are in San Diego. Parking is typically difficult in this area due to the density of restaurants, limited parking spots, and the crowds of college students, but Shan’Xi Magic Kitchen is in a larger plaza with ample parking. Within the plaza are other restaurants and a mango-themed café that we visited afterward for desserts and drinks.
We came to Shan’Xi Magic Kitchen for lunch on a Friday and were seated immediately. When eating in person, the restaurant has updated their technology, so you scan the QR code for the menu and order everything for your table online. Their menu features a variety of hand-pulled noodles, soups, entrees, appetizers, rice, and dumplings.
We ordered the most popular items on the menu: Biang Biang Spicy Hand Ripped Noodle, Beef Hand Ripped Noodle Soup, and the Hot & Sour Soup Dumplings. The Biang Biang Spicy Hand Ripped Noodle is my favorite dish and I’ve only found this combination of textures and flavors at Shan’Xi Magic Kitchen, making it incredibly unique. The hand-pulled noodles are topped with bok choy and crunchy bean sprouts in a spicy chili oil and powder. Make sure to toss the noodles to mix everything together! Taking the first bite of the noodles, Sichaun peppercorns give the mouth a brief numbing tingle. This is balanced by the thick, doughy texture of the noodles and the crunchy beansprouts. The combination of the spice with the thick noodles is addicting and I’m always looking forward to taking the next bite! Even after I finish the dish, I’m still left wanting more! There is no meat served with this dish, which makes it less heavy.
The second dish we ordered was the Beef Hand Ripped Noodle soup which is served with hand-pulled noodles, bok choy, and beef cubes in a spicy soup broth that uses the same mouth-numbing spice as the Biang Biang noodles. The beef was incredibly tender and melted in my mouth, and the spice was balanced by the thick texture of the noodles. We also ordered the hot and sour soup dumplings, where the dumplings were filled with beef and served in the soup. The exterior of the dumplings had a softer texture like they were steamed and absorbed the hot and sour soup flavor. In addition to eating the dumplings, this also provided hot and sour soup to drink with the meal!
In addition to the ease of dining in-person using their online ordering, this can also be used for to-go orders. If you’re in the mood for spicy, hand-ripped noodles, come try Shan’Xi Magic Kitchen! And don’t forget to order the Biang Biang Spicy Hand-Ripped Noodles!