This upscale chain inside Westfield Santa Anita comes from northwestern China. Taking over the old Meizhou Dongpo space, Xibei offers Angelenos a unique glimpse into the culinary world of Inner Mongolia, which relies heavily on wheat, oat and lamb as staple ingredients. Technically, the Arcadia outpost isn’t the first of its kind in L.A. County; its umbrella hospitality group, Xibei Catering Group, also operates a smaller, takeout-oriented outpost in Silver Lake that serves a mere sliver of the same menu. For the full experience, though, you really need to get out to Arcadia, where regional delights like honeycomb-shaped oat noodles and an entire lamb shank combine with more familiar dishes like Xinjiang-style big plate chicken and sizzling cumin lamb for an eclectic, family-style meal you can only find out in the San Gabriel Valley. ersonally, I liked the shredded chicken with chilled oat noodles, reminiscent of Bistro Na’s mixed spicy cold noodles and Japanese hiyashi chuka; Tthe delicate shumai filled with leek and shrimp (which you can also find in Silver Lake); and the sweet-and-sour whole fried fish, skillfully fileted to resemble a blossom. For best results, come in with a party of four or more and follow the trail of stars on the menu to get a signature taste of Inner Mongolia.
Time Out tip: The restaurant only accepts reservations over the phone for parties of six or more on weekdays with a minimum spend of $300. On the weekends, that number increases to eight or more guests.