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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Xi'an Famous Foods, the New York chain whose hand-ripped noodles drew record-breaking crowds to a West Glebe Road ghost kitchen last summer, has closed its Alexandria location.
The chain's website now lists the Alexandria kitchen as closed, directing customers to a Clarendon storefront opening soon instead. Alexandria had been the company's only Virginia location; Clarendon, in Arlington, now takes that place.
Xi'an Famous Foods opens that Arlington storefront — its first in the Washington area — on Aug. 7 at 2800 Clarendon Blvd. CEO Jason Wang told Washingtonian the Alexandria closure comes as the chain's term with ghost kitchen facility Four Mile Food Co. ends, and that the timing lined up with the Clarendon opening, allowing staff and equipment to shift over.
The Alexandria kitchen was not a marginal outpost. Weeks after it opened in June 2025, Wang told Washingtonian that a single weekend of sales there had beaten every other location in the company, including Times Square, Midtown Manhattan and Chinatown, in some cases by nearly double. The kitchen temporarily switched off ordering at points to avoid being overwhelmed, and pre-order slots sold out quickly.
At the time, the company already had plans for a brick-and-mortar location in the Washington area. Alexandria, in effect, served as the test.
The city does not lose the chain's presence entirely by choice or by any dispute — Wang framed it as a lease term running out. But the practical result is that Alexandria incubated the chain's Washington-area entry and Arlington gets the restaurant.
Xi'an Famous Foods opened in Alexandria in June 2025, operating takeout and delivery only out of Four Mile Food Co. at 1033 W. Glebe Road in Arlandria. It ran a little over a year. It was among the chain's first locations outside New York City, along with Boston. The family-run business, started by David Shi in a Flushing food court basement in 2005 and now run with his son, Wang, built its reputation on Shaanxi-style hand-ripped noodles, spicy cumin lamb and cold skin noodles — and on an early endorsement from Anthony Bourdain, who said on "No Reservations" that he had never had anything like it.
Four Mile Food Co. continues operating. The facility, which describes itself as a restaurant co-op with more than 20 partner restaurants, currently lists roughly 55 storefronts on its ordering site, including D.C. soul food spot Oohh's & Aahh's, NuVegan Cafe, Pasta Shop Alexandria and a range of Latin American, South Asian, Thai and Mediterranean concepts. Some of those listings are virtual brands run from the same kitchens, a common practice at ghost kitchen facilities. Four Mile directs prospective tenants to CloudKitchens, the ghost kitchen company that lists an Alexandria facility.
The Clarendon location will seat 66 with bench seating and street-food-style stools, and will run as quick service with a no-tipping policy. Wang told Washingtonian that opening menu prices will be discounted, with many dishes around $10, and that he is bringing experienced managers from New York to handle expected volume.
The chain's regional expansion continues elsewhere. Its Takoma ghost kitchen remains open, and a Rockville storefront is planned for October at 12031 Rockville Pike. Wang told Washingtonian he sees more potential in the region and wants to invest further in the area.
Reporting on the Clarendon opening and Wang's comments was first published by Washingtonian.
