The New York City western Chinese chain Xi’an Famous Foods (648 Manhattan Ave.) and local vintage store Fox and Fawn (599 Manhattan Ave.) are the latest closures in Greenpoint as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
A note from the CEO on the front of Xi’an Famous Foods in Greenpoint.
Greenpoint’s Xi’an Famous Foods closed on March 14th following the initial coronavirus outbreak, and a note on the website states that by closing the business took “immediate precautionary measures against the spread of COVID-19,” in order to protect employees and customers.
The local family-owned chain has 13 other locations in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, and a note posted on the front of the Greenpoint shop states that the restaurant is permanently closed, but to keep an eye out for the reopening of the other locations.
Fox and Fawn relocated from 570 Manhattan Ave. to a new space at 599 Manhattan Ave. in Februrary, but the new location is closing following a few “devastating months” as retail continues to takes a major hit while the economy slows due to coronavirus. Continue reading →
This morning, New Yorkers woke up to the unexpected news that famous food writer, chef, critic and travel tv show host Anthony Bourdain, at 61 years old, was dead. He was a legend in the culinary world, inspiring and encouraging countless chefs to follow their dreams, in addition to motivating the world to travel, meet strangers and break bread with them. Jason Wang, CEO of famed Xi’an Famous Foods (648 Manhattan Avenue) says in an Instagram post, “[Anthony Bourdain] helped bring our family out from living in one room in Flushing to living the American dream.” He will be greatly, greatly missed.
Below, here are some tributes from local restaurants and businesses.
Rob Garcia, General Manager at Champion Coffee, 1107 Manhattan Ave
There’s nothing more enjoyable than cradling a hot coffee in this insanely cold weather. In our next interview as part of our winter survival guide series, we spoke to Champion Coffee’s Manhattan Avenue manager Rob Garcia about his favorite cold weather drinks when visiting Champion or when you’re planning a day of hibernation at home. Check out our previous interviews here and here.
COFFEE: CHAMPION| 142 Nassau Ave, 1107 Manhattan Ave Rob Gargia, General Manager
Greenpointers: What is your favorite type of coffee drink to get through the winter?
Rob Garcia: I feel like drip coffee is underrated in general and I know that that is boring, but I really would suggest it. People think that espresso has more caffeine, but drip coffee has twice the amount. I’ve been really enjoying just sitting with a drip coffee. If you do want an espresso drink, macchiatos are also underrated in my opinion.Continue reading →
Photo by rene-germany, via Flickr Creative Commons
In the second part of The Lunch Counter series (part one was North Greenpoint), we explore the “glitzier” south side of Greenpoint. Given the proximity to Williamsburg, it’s not surprising that the food scene follows some of the trends of our neighbors to the south. There are well-known chef-owners, brewers, local chains, vegan-only establishments and some traditional standbys.
From matcha to meat plates to mount qi pork sauce, there are lots of tempting meal options near Manhattan Avenue to lure you away from your coworking desk. Read on for your options after the jump. Continue reading →
We all know that living in New York affords us the ability to travel without leaving the city, and few destination neighborhoods offer as much variety as Flushing, Queens. Even a short trip here is enough to realize how lazy a term ‘Chinatown’ is. Many of the restaurateurs in that neighborhood have begun to capitalize on this, highlighting their regional identity and scoring great reviews in the New York Times while attracting more western eaters to endure the 7 train in exchange for a cheap, delicious meal. Few have done so with the marketing skill of Xi’an Famous Foods, which has now gone one better and recently opened up shop on the corner of Bedford and Manhattan Avenues in Greenpoint, thus sparing us the pre-dinner commute to Queens. Continue reading →
The brand new Greenpoint outpost of Xi’an Famous Foods will be having its official grand opening at 648 Manhattan Avenue this Saturday December 6th.
To celebrate their arrival in the neighborhood, the northwestern Chinese mini-chain will be offering a free noodle dish or burger of choice to Greenpoint customers. To take advantage of this you need to follow them on a social media platform (facebook, twitter, instagram or weibo, whatever that is) then turn up on Saturday between 11.30am and 5pm brandishing your phone.
Anthony Bourdain is a massive fan: “This place is unbelievable!” he says. Now it’s time to see if Greenpoint agrees…
Xi’an Famous Foods is at 648 Manhattan Avenue between Nassau and Norman Avenues.
There’s plenty happening in Greenpoint’s food and drink scene right now. Here’s a few things you should know about:
NOW OPEN: Greenpoint Cheese + Meat Greenpoint Cheese + Meat softly opened their doors last week. We will have full coverage of all their tasty wares soon but in the meantime you should pop in and check out their delicious meats and cheeses for yourself (not to mention the fresh loaves from Bakeri)! The store is at 192 Driggs Ave and is currently open from 12-7pm Tuesday-Sunday (though these times are likely to change in the coming weeks…we will keep you updated). Continue reading →
I’d just like to get this right out of the way and say that black magic works. I’ve dabbled in the dark arts and after all of the proper blood rites have been performed and incantations memorized, I’ve gotten exactly what I wanted.
Xi’an Famous Foods has opened a location closer to me than their East Village spot. Their new location in Greenpoint (86 Beadel St) is a ten minute walk from my house, and I’d personally like to thank the Dark Lord Clothos for making this possible.
For those of you not familiar with Xi’an in all its spicy glory, allow us to show you the way. Originally from Flushing, with two outposts in Manhattan, Xi’an Famous Foods has consistently been credited with helping the resurgence of traditional Chinese food here in New York. Specializing in traditional Western Chinese cuisine, Xi’an represents conventional Americanized Chinese food in much the same way the croissanwich represents French food. A very different beast indeed.
