Xi’an Famous Foods - a New York City mini-chain with locations now in Flushing, East Village, Chinatown, Midtown, Upper West Side, Upper East Side, East Williamsburg, and Greenpoint (!) - serves delicious and inexpensive northwestern Chinese cuisine. AND they clearly state which of there dishes are vegetarian, a major benefit to both this blog writer and readers.
I love spicy food generally, and the combination of Chinese spices and oils with hand-ripped noodles is a particular treat that Xi’an consistently serves up, no matter the location (well, at least for the 3 locations I have visited to date). And if you are looking for a sit-down restaurant experience with alcohol (i.e., a cold beer to wash down the spice), I highly recommend going to their Biang! location in Flushing.
My favorite dishes are the hot oil seared noodles and the spicy tofu. The portions are pretty generous so if you get two dishes, like I usually do, you’ll have plenty of great leftovers for another meal.
(Hot Oil Seared Noodles)
Multiple locations across NYC (Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn)