Not worth the hype - unusually large menu, cooked well, but very little flavor.Waiter was more concerned with his opinion than anything else - really stuck on saying our order was "weird", we were ordering too much food, but also encouraged us to order more (???).The atmosphere is exactly what you would expect in a small shop next to Kroger. Which wouldn't have been bad except the waiter really changes the vibe.Definitely wouldn't spend the money going again.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Kumareson Paranthaman
Great dishes from the Xian and Northern region.Warm and friendly service with a smile.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
John Liu (PatchMeUp)
Overall experience was pretty decent. The workers was nice but the reason why I gave it 4 stars only was because when I ordered the cheese puff there was no sweet and sour sauce (they said they ran out but didn't put in any replacement, had to go back to ask nor did they inform me when I place the order). The other issue is more of a personal taste, I ordered the general tso chicken and compare to many other place that I have tried, their version is more sweet and have a fruity note while others are sweet and savory.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Christiane Borden
The food was great and our server was very helpful and answered all our questions about the menu. If you're looking for a great combination of authentic Chinese food and american-chinese food, this is your place!
Best noodles ever. Found them from an Instagram story and the food looked amazing. Everything was cooked to perfection and so flavourful. Next time we are in Houston, we will be coming back.
This place is amazing, the flavor and quality of each ingredient transports you to northern part of China ??This restaurant is incredible, the flavor and quality of the ingredients transports you to northern China ??
Crab puffs were extremely over cooked. They were not edible. I have a picture but unable to share.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Matthew Chen
TLDR: Probably the best place for authentic Xi’an food and Xi’an style noodles in the Houston area.Xi’an food is quickly becoming one of my favorite cuisines, so I was very excited to try Uncle Lee’s Cafe Xi’an menu! They are a family-run restaurant with a no-frills vibe that is reminiscent of hole-in-the-wall shops in Chinatown. The hand ripped noodles served in their 油泼面 (oil-splashed noodles) reminded me of Xi’an Famous Foods in NYC, as they were thick, chewy, and yummy, with a good amount of flavor from their oil and seasoning. However, I think I still prefer the “tingly” spiciness (and Jiajiangmien) of XFF over Uncle Lee’s more traditional spicy sauce. Regardless though, as you can tell from the redness of my bowl, the spicier the better ? . I also tried the Chinese Hamburger and Big Platter which were both pretty good, and I’d recommend checking out their entire Xi’an menu if you stop by (or they have an entire Americanized Chinese food menu if that’s your preference haha). I will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oil Splashed Noodles
Rory Robertson
The food was absolutely delicious. The weekend was unique. Everything was handmade. The noodles were huge, which I loved. This is my new favorite. I cannot wait to come back and try some more dishes. Owners were so nice and friendly. Wishing them continued success.
I came with my brothers and love the food and the service !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Luna L
Dishes appear very like northwestern Chinese cuisine but does not taste so. Lack of essential flavors. Every dish of the Xian food is a disappointment.Service is very slow.
The absolute BEST hand stretched oil splashed noodles I have ever eaten. Since coming for the first time 2 months ago, my husband and I have come back another 4 visits and we live FAR. It’s family owned, which I absolutely love supporting, and they are so kind. Every recommendation has been delicious. Every time we come we order for 4 or 5 people just because we want to try everything. There hasn’t been anything that was disappointing. This is our new noodle, lamb (Spicy Lamb Shank is Incredible) and new discovery, favorite restaurant.Vegetarian options: The oil splashed noodles alone are worth the drive for any vegetarian ?
Lets start with how ruse the staff is zero customer service skill we made a few orders and all they kept saying is "are you sure thats alot" I'm confused is this a place of business? Are you not in the business of serving food? And then another guy came not sure if he's the manager or what, but he was very loud abrasive he asked us are we sure we wanted all that food now because its a-lot of food lol they just didn't want to make those noodles smfh that's crazy. At the end of the day we would've eaten all that food, but we decided to cancel the last two orders not because we weren't hungry, but because the food did not have ANY flavor to it. I mean, the food can look good, but it needs to taste good too and it doesn't.. Nothing that we were used too, we are very much well traveled and have lived in those country's not that I need to explain that to him or anyone. We know how certain dishes are supposed to taste like, but all in all the worst part is is their service because at the end of the day we would have taken the rest to go even though we didn't like the food but the disrespect was unreal....
Not worth the hype - unusually large menu, cooked well, but very little flavor.Waiter was more concerned with his opinion than anything else - really stuck on saying our order was "weird", we were ordering too much food, but also encouraged us to order more (???).The atmosphere is exactly what you would expect in a small shop next to Kroger. Which wouldn't have been bad except the waiter really changes the vibe.Definitely wouldn't spend the money going again.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Great dishes from the Xian and Northern region.Warm and friendly service with a smile.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Overall experience was pretty decent. The workers was nice but the reason why I gave it 4 stars only was because when I ordered the cheese puff there was no sweet and sour sauce (they said they ran out but didn't put in any replacement, had to go back to ask nor did they inform me when I place the order). The other issue is more of a personal taste, I ordered the general tso chicken and compare to many other place that I have tried, their version is more sweet and have a fruity note while others are sweet and savory.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
The food was great and our server was very helpful and answered all our questions about the menu. If you're looking for a great combination of authentic Chinese food and american-chinese food, this is your place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oil Splashed Noodles, Crispy Salted Chicken, Fried Dumplings 6
Best noodles ever. Found them from an Instagram story and the food looked amazing. Everything was cooked to perfection and so flavourful. Next time we are in Houston, we will be coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oil Splashed Noodles
Best northern China food I had in Houston lately.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Lamb Shank 2, Oil Splashed Noodles
This place is amazing, the flavor and quality of each ingredient transports you to northern part of China ??This restaurant is incredible, the flavor and quality of the ingredients transports you to northern China ??
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Lamb Shank 2, Wonton Soup, Oil Splashed Noodles
Crab puffs were extremely over cooked. They were not edible. I have a picture but unable to share.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
TLDR: Probably the best place for authentic Xi’an food and Xi’an style noodles in the Houston area.Xi’an food is quickly becoming one of my favorite cuisines, so I was very excited to try Uncle Lee’s Cafe Xi’an menu! They are a family-run restaurant with a no-frills vibe that is reminiscent of hole-in-the-wall shops in Chinatown. The hand ripped noodles served in their 油泼面 (oil-splashed noodles) reminded me of Xi’an Famous Foods in NYC, as they were thick, chewy, and yummy, with a good amount of flavor from their oil and seasoning. However, I think I still prefer the “tingly” spiciness (and Jiajiangmien) of XFF over Uncle Lee’s more traditional spicy sauce. Regardless though, as you can tell from the redness of my bowl, the spicier the better ? . I also tried the Chinese Hamburger and Big Platter which were both pretty good, and I’d recommend checking out their entire Xi’an menu if you stop by (or they have an entire Americanized Chinese food menu if that’s your preference haha). I will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oil Splashed Noodles
The food was absolutely delicious. The weekend was unique. Everything was handmade. The noodles were huge, which I loved. This is my new favorite. I cannot wait to come back and try some more dishes. Owners were so nice and friendly. Wishing them continued success.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mixed Pepper Chicken, Oil Splashed Noodles
Restaurantji Recommends
I came with my brothers and love the food and the service !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dishes appear very like northwestern Chinese cuisine but does not taste so. Lack of essential flavors. Every dish of the Xian food is a disappointment.Service is very slow.
Love this food very tasty and
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cumin Lamb, Pepper Steak, Drunken Noodles
The absolute BEST hand stretched oil splashed noodles I have ever eaten. Since coming for the first time 2 months ago, my husband and I have come back another 4 visits and we live FAR. It’s family owned, which I absolutely love supporting, and they are so kind. Every recommendation has been delicious. Every time we come we order for 4 or 5 people just because we want to try everything. There hasn’t been anything that was disappointing. This is our new noodle, lamb (Spicy Lamb Shank is Incredible) and new discovery, favorite restaurant.Vegetarian options: The oil splashed noodles alone are worth the drive for any vegetarian ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lamb Soup, Spicy Lamb Shank 2, Oil Splashed Noodles
Lets start with how ruse the staff is zero customer service skill we made a few orders and all they kept saying is "are you sure thats alot" I'm confused is this a place of business? Are you not in the business of serving food? And then another guy came not sure if he's the manager or what, but he was very loud abrasive he asked us are we sure we wanted all that food now because its a-lot of food lol they just didn't want to make those noodles smfh that's crazy. At the end of the day we would've eaten all that food, but we decided to cancel the last two orders not because we weren't hungry, but because the food did not have ANY flavor to it. I mean, the food can look good, but it needs to taste good too and it doesn't.. Nothing that we were used too, we are very much well traveled and have lived in those country's not that I need to explain that to him or anyone. We know how certain dishes are supposed to taste like, but all in all the worst part is is their service because at the end of the day we would have taken the rest to go even though we didn't like the food but the disrespect was unreal....
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1