Shan Xi Magic Kitchen has been on my Yelp Want To Go list ever since my brother and SIL told me…read morethat they really enjoyed a Chinese restaurant in Las Vegas and were told that a similar restaurant existed in San Diego. After their experience in Vegas, they tried Shan Xi themselves and glowingly talked about the delish food there. Today, 3/4s of my fam ate here and we definitely concurred with my brother and SIL's favorable assessment. 4.5 stars because their grub was amazing, but it could be more customer friendly where one of the staff checks to see if we need help ordering instead of ordering from the QR code menu.
Shan Xi Magic Kitchen is located in the ultra competitive Convoy Asian District specifically on Convoy Street within the Convoy Village shopping center. The restaurant is next to our fave Asian drink place called Yun Tea, it's next to Olleh KBBQ, next door to Szechuan Chef, and a short walk to BB.Q Chicken. This is a popular strip mall, so it could be challenging for you to find parking. Parking is free for 90 minutes, but you'll have to pay after that time ends. Shan Xi is nice inside with gray brick on their walls, decorative lighting surrounded by rattan, Chinese dolls on a shelf, Chinese inspired figurine art on another wall, and a beautiful curio/screen containing Chinese knick knacks. Seating consists of tables/chairs and a long leather bench. Our servers were friendly, but to me having to order from a QR code is impersonal. I'd rather talk to a person, so that I can ask what they recommend. Plus, if diners aren't familiar with this type of cuisine, I'm sure they would have a bunch of questions.
From Shan Xi Magic Kitchen's website, "Bringing the bold flavors of Northwest China to San Diego, Shan'xi Magic Kitchen serves authentic regional specialties. Our restaurants specialize in hand-pulled noodles, savory bread-based dishes, and traditional Chinese comfort food prepared with time-honored techniques." After being told that Shan Xi was similar to their positive dining experience at a different Chinese restaurant in Vegas, my brother and SIL tried Shan Xi and they were impressed by what they ate here and told us that we needed to eat here ourselves. Since my wife and I were off midweek, we invited our son to join us for lunch. We ordered the following dishes and feel free to mimick what we ordered: spicy cumin lamb burger, hand pulled noodle with cumin beef, beef magic fried rice, dry fried green beans, and a side of white rice. My brother and SIL love the lamb burger as a appetizer and we really thought it was tasty too. If you're not a spicy fan, this might not be for you, but the lamb was tender. The pita bread needed to be softer. Their hand pulled noodle with cumin beef was stellar, chewy, and delectable. Loved their beef magic fried rice and it ate really well by itself. The fried green beans were addicting, garlicky, and just yummy. I'm a fan Shan Ci and can't wait to try their other entrees.
My brother and SIL were spot on with their positive reviews about Shan Xi Magic Kitchen. It was a blessing to have a spontaneous meet up with 3/4s of my fam and grub on some memorable Chinese food.