Changan is a regional chain with locations in Monterey Park, Chino Hills, Ontario Mills, and now Riverside near UCR. Parking is now free assuming you don't get yourself towed taking a marked spot for nearby Danny's or Del Taco. Inside is familiar for anyone who ever dined here when Frice was around. I still miss that Szchuan restaurant, but I think this place might be my new favorite in the area. After two fantastic meals I am enthusiastic about trying a wider range of menu items. My initial visits saw me having to stick with softer foods because of an ongoing root canal and temp crown. On both occasions I opted for what I consider a house specialty dish: Ma Po Tofu Brisket, which is loaded with the famous mouth-numbing spices and enough for two meals as well. A warm welcome. My first time was very good all around, especially the friendliness of the employees and good service. I had the Ma Po mentioned above, and the housemade pork and chive dumplings. The dumplings were so good! I had to cut them in half to avoid problems with the affected tooth, but that's how I discovered using some of the hot oil and gravy from the tofu dish enhanced the flavors of the dumplings. I ate all of them and brought about half the tofu dish home for lunch the next day. Second visit. Still affected by the temp crown, and salivating over another round of the Ma Po Tofu Brisket, I headed in just as the employees were about to eat a midday meal of seasoned boiled chicken and pan fried shrimp. It looked good, and I was pleasantly surprised when one guy brought me a small bowl to try. An appetizer. My variation of the first time was moving on to try the pork, shrimp and chive dumplings, which are also superb, and benefit from the tofu sauce, too. Again leftovers, this time with a side of rice ($2. Noodles next! That's the plan, and something else nobody shared pictures of. read more

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The only dish I recommend is the spicy noodles (vegetarian). That dish alone is worth the $13 price. All the other items I've tried have been serious let downs. Like the fried rice was underwhelming (Panda is better, which is pathetic). Service is very nonexistent, but this could be cultural. For instance, on some occasions they take way too long to come take your order. Other instances they bring the check to your table and other times you must go to the register and pay--otherwise you are going to sit there for at least another 10 minutes. Do no plan on trying any other dishes because all the other things have been borderline gross/inedible. Surprised they don't have things like scallion pancake/wonton soup, but they would likely disappoint like every dish besides the spicy veggie noodles. Will return for those delicious noodles and order take-out. read more

Riverside's gold! We don't need to go to Eastvale to get delicious noodles anymore, we found our noodles fix in our own neighborhood. Foods were good and delicious. Service was pretty fast and the restaurant was clean. read more

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Great food! Great noodles !!! Every time we come down to Riverside for tournaments, we eat here 2-3 times. read more

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Amazingly chewy homemade noodles here! This casual noodle spot offered great dumplings and freshly made noodles. Service staff was kind enough to let us in a few minutes early so we didn't have to wait outside in the heat. Flavor packed and extra chewy! read more

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Skewers are on the drier side. Hot and sour soup was good but definitely had to spice and season it to our liking. The noodles were good and I would get again. Service was fast and restaurant is clean. Parking is a little on the difficult side but nothing unmanageable. read more

Changan Kitchen - Noodles Near Me - Riverside, California

Parking: Easy, open, free lot. Fast, casual dining. Overall, some of the best Asian food you'll get in the area. Service was friendly. I ordered the biang biang noodles. The noodles were flat and long--I think it was basically three long, chewy noodles. I really enjoyed these. They're in a garlic chili oil and definitely worth trying. I ordered the skewers, which I thought were kind of expensive compared to Greedy Cat/Meat Love. There were three skewers with a nice amount of meat, but it still didn't feel like enough. The flavor was very cumin-y. We got the pork and cabbage dumplings, and compared to the other dishes, they lacked a little flavor. Even with soy sauce and vinegar, they didn't really have a punch. Lastly, we ordered the stir-fry where you choose six items. It was tasty but kind of oily at the end. All in all, I would come back! read more

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Came here for lunch for the first time per a recommendation. The food was good but nothing spectacular. I got the cumin lamb noodles and beef skewers. I would come back to try something different as well. The service was slow that is why it's 3 stars. The staff was just behind the counter socializing with each other rather than taking our order. The inside is nothing special and the chairs are uncomfortable. Overall, I would give this place another try but it's not at the top of my list. read more

Changan Kitchen - Beef Baijimo - Noodles Near Me - Riverside, California

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I love the food here! There's nothing else like Changan Kitchen in Riverside that I know of. I used to like going to Hong Kong BBQ which is in the same plaza, but Changan Kitchen is honestly just way better with expanded options for people with different dietary needs. I highly recommend the fried mixed vegetables (although it's not restricted to just vegetables). You basically choose six items to have made into a stir fry with a choice of sesame sauce or spicy chili oil sesame sauce. You can make this dish super macro friendly by opting for all proteins (lots of vegan proteins available too), or choose veggies and have it as a kind of side dish. I feel that the potato chips are a must have here. They're thick cut freshly fried potato slices. So crispy and delicious tossed in sauce! The service is not the best, unfortunately. I find one server to be rude and off putting if you have to speak with him longer than 3 seconds. Because of him I no longer dine in here; I usually just get my food to go and I haven't had any issues with him since. read more

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Giving this place 3 stars only because the fried rice was good. 1. On the menu, it clearly states to let them know your type of noodle preference for the dishes (wide, thin, or round noodles). The server told us no they change the type of noodles for us. 2. They didn't substitute the type of meat in the dishes either. 3. We order fried rice with Chinese sausage, but it was hot dogs instead. The flavor of the fried rice was really good. 4. Ordered pork and beef hamburger, the beef hamburger tasted like corned beef. The pork meat belonged in a taco. Both lacked flavor and they needed to add something for texture. 5. The cumin beef with round noodles is ok. The cumin made it hard for me to eat the noodles, but the texture of the noodles was good. Overall, the food isn't for me. The place was clean and had nice lighting though. read more

Changan Kitchen - Beef Hamburger - Noodles Near Me - Riverside, California

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I love a good egg and tomato dish, and as simple as it was the egg and tomato dish over their wide hand pulled noodles left me insanely satisfied!! Service was relatively quick, and the store clean and can hold a decent amount of people. My group came towards the end of the day, so there was still a slight wait, but tables clear out pretty fast. This location is sitting within a plaza, there's plenty of plaza parking. read more

Changan Kitchen - N4. Handmade Noodles with Egg & Tomato - Noodles Near Me - Riverside, California

This spot never disappoints. It's usually hard to find a table but if you're lucky enough to grab one, sit down and enjoy some fantastic food. The pork fried rice, I'm for a leftovers fan and I eat this the next day. We've tried most of the dumplings they have to offer, while my favorite is the pork and cabbage, they are all delicious. The dinning area is always bright and clean. The staff are always super helpful, warm and inviting. read more

I was excited to try this new restaurant in the University Village and it didn't disappoint! Tried their cumin lamb noodle dish and was really impressed. First off the portions are pretty big, the dish was seasoned really well with a tasty and spicy sauce. The noodles were quality and it came with plenty of other toppings as well. I love spicy food so it was right up my alley but just a heads up the dish definitely has a kick. Service was fast and very attentive, our waitress refilled my water a few times without me asking which was great. The restaurant itself is also new and clean. Look forward to trying more of their dishes! read more

Changan Kitchen - Cumin Lamb Noodles - Noodles Near Me - Riverside, California

A new restaurant opened focusing on signature Xi'an dishes. Come with me. I tried: 1. Lamb, beef, chicken skewers 2. Fried mixed vegetables - fish ball, quail egg, beef, chicken, tofu skin, pam sausage 3. Stewed lamb noodle soup 4. Braised pork chop 5. Pork, shrimp, and Chinese green chives steamed dumplings read more

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Came across this spot on the way home. We ordered the Braised Beef Brisket Noodle Soup and Sweet&Sour Fish with a side order of rice. The noodle soup was incredible. I love their handmade noodles and the flavor was amazing. I wished they would put more beef because it wasn't enough. The sweet & sour fish was good too. I give that dish a 8 out of 10. I would recommend getting dishes with noodles here because thats what they're know for. The service was alright and it was super clean here. Atmosphere is decent, nothing too wild. I would recommend this spot if you're looking for delicious soup and noodles. Total cost was $39 for 2 read more

Changan Kitchen - IS7. Sweet & Sour Fish - Noodles Near Me - Riverside, California

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Changan Kitchen specializes in authentic Xi'an cuisine, a taste of Xi'an's culinary heritage. This Chinese noodle restaurant serves up their signature Beef Noodle Soup (spicy) and Stewed Lamb Noodle Soup, with handmade noodles. It is big and perfect for sharing! Just note that their spicy is SPICYYYY so if you can't handle spice, ask for mild. Their Milk Tea was so good! Their new Riverside, CA location has been open for 2 weeks and located in University Village Riverside. Look for Chase Bank, Denny's and Del Taco and you'll find it. The Braised Pork Chop and Stewed Lamb Noodle Soup were my favorite!! Their beef and lamb skewers were juicy, flavorful and spicy. The braised beef noodle soup had tender beef with a spicy broth. Their steamed Pork, Shrimp and Chinese Green Chives were very flavorful. For the Fried Mixed Vegetable you can pick from a list to add. We chose Beef, Lamb, Quail Egg, Tofu Skin, Fish Ball and Pam Sausage. I loved the texture of their fish ball. They also have frozen dumplings, frozen wonton and frozen White Peach, Peach, Grape and Mango Ice Cream (packs of 4) available. Wonderful customer service from Annie and Ming. read more

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I came here based on the reviews of other Yelpers. They highly recommended the Braised Beef Noodle Soup, and it did not disappoint! It was savory and delicious with fresh knife cut noodles and baby bok choy. The service is not as attentive. We needed to flag done staff for the check. The food was quickly served, the ambiance is clean and well maintained. I highly recommend this restaurant. They would have earned five stars if the service was stellar. read more

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This place replaced Frice (Bashu Impression Szechuan Restaurant), which was a solid Chinese restaurant. Fortunately, the new restaurant is the latest location for what has quickly become my favorite authentic Chinese restaurant in the Inland Empire. I've been to the Ontario location multiple times and to the Chino one once. This location is a bit more like the Chino one, with a smaller footprint and smaller menu. The menu here is mostly noodle dishes and dumplings, with a smaller variety of primarily protein or veggie dishes. They also have the "dry hot pot" where you select ingredients and they fry it in chili oil--delicious but not super healthy. Service is good for a Chinese restaurant and the ambiance is bright and clean. Come give it a try and definitely get the "biang biang" noodles. Amazing flavors and texture and I think you can ask for it to be less spicy if that's what your palate calls for! read more

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Love this place! I'm obsessed with their spicy noodles & their dumplings are pretty big & filling too. I really like the beef & onion ones, so full of flavor! read more

Changan Kitchen - N1 - Spicy Noodles - Noodles Near Me - Riverside, California

10/10 Overall: This place has super clean interior and has homey foods that really make you feel warm inside! The service is also amazing, the staff is so kind and friendly and will help you out with any questions you have. Their food is so flavorful too! Stir fried hand pulled noodles with special cumin beef: Super flavorful and the beef is very tender! I love the bouncy texture of their hand pulled noodles! Crab roe and pork wonton soup: Some of the best wontons I've ever had! The soup is so soothing and warm and the wontons are soft and filled with meat! Chinese burger with stewed pork: Super crunchy "bun" FILLED with meat! Such a hearty dish, I loved dipping it in the chili oil they have! Pan fried pork bun: Bao buns with a crispy bottom and a warm, meaty filling. One of my favorite Chinese dishes to get! Lamb skewers: 3 pcs of skewers with tons of seasoning and tender slices of lamb. I love lamb so I really enjoyed these! Chicken wing skewers: Very tender and covered in spices! The server recommended these, and I really loved them! read more

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Horrible customer service and possible food contamination issue. I ordered the beef skewers, and half of them (four of the eight skewers) were lamb. It was obviously lamb-- I bit into one, and the gamey taste filled my mouth. You can also just smell it. I don't know why I'm here describing it, because just about anyone can tell the difference between beef and lamb. It's not that hard to tell. But when I told the male server, he seriously tried arguing about it. And he "checked" with the kitchen for about two seconds, then came back and proceeded to lie to my face that it was all beef, while laughing like it was all a big joke. He even claimed that three people in the kitchen had tried it (lol) and said that it was beef. Is this really the hill you want to die on? Lying that lamb is beef? What, did you happen to give me the world's most rancid, gamey piece of beef (as if that were any better)? Just admit you made a mistake, swap them out, and we can both go about our day. Or if you truly, genuinely feel that strongly about it (lol), I assume you would talk to me and explain what's up with your "beef." Instead, the server decided to try to blow me off by laughing, walking off, and trying not to let me get a word in. And to top it all off, probably making up a story about kitchen staff trying it when I got fed up and told him to just try a piece. Because you wouldn't lead with that if it actually happened...? Absolutely disrespectful and dishonest. If you actually tried it and thought it was beef, I'm sorry, but you should not be working in a restaurant. I can only conclude that they were lying, and again: What's the point? It was seriously so stupid that I'm speechless. Now I'm thinking, do these guys have all the meat mixed up back there? Should I be concerned about cross contamination? read more

Changan Kitchen - Guy who needs an attitude adjustment... - Noodles Near Me - Riverside, California

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New hand pulled noodle spot in Riverside! They are Xi'an (Northwestern China) style Chinese food. I've been to their Ontario location before and definitely recommend the N1, "Biang Biang Spicy Hand Ripped Noodle" or the N5, "Cut Hand Ripped Noodle with Stewed Pork". So far I've only done take-out at the Riverside location. I was craving soup so I got the N2, "Braised Beef Brisket Noodle Soup" and N18, "Braised Beef Tripe Noodle Soup". Last time, I got the N17, "Slow-Cooked Braised Beef Noodle Soup but not sure the difference between N2, seemed like the meat was exactly the same. Either way, it was all delicious! You can even customize the noodle options, hand-ripped, round, wide and thin. Great addition to the area! read more

Changan Kitchen - Braised Beef Brisket Noodle Soup (Original) - Noodles Near Me - Riverside, California

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Noodle restaurant at university village! Located in the corner next to chase bank and insomnia cookies. Park closer to Denny's. Wonderful new addition to the community. Service was welcoming and kind. Attentive and speedy. Hand ripped thin noodles with perfect spice level bok Choi, bean sprouts, green onion, pork burger and Liang Pi cold noodles with tofu & cucumber were all so flavorful. Perfect chew and fresh ingredients. Inside seating only. Will definitely return to try more of their menu. Parking available throughout this plaza just be aware of designated parking spots for vendors and time limits during the week. read more

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Great service and no wait! Great options on the menu for anyone wanting Chinese noodles or dumplings. The actual space is clean with a spacious interior. The bowls of noodles are very large portions for the price. I would recommend the beef noodle soup, but the lamb noodle soup is also very flavorful. Will definitely be back from another meal. read more

Changan Kitchen - N17. Slow-Cooked Braised Beef Noodle Soup ornoodle - Noodles Near Me - Riverside, California

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Changan kitchen is tucked away in a little corner inside of the university plaza in riverside right behind the Denny's and Del taco. This restaurant is one of the most authentic Szechuan restaurants I have had the privilege to discover. They have fresh had pulled noodles that they make in house EVERY DAY!!! This restaurant is a privately owned small chain restaurant with its first location in Monterey park CA and the riverside location is their newest addition. The noodles are fresh and you can taste the love and quality. My favorite dishes are the beef noodle soup I make it spicy with Szechuan spice and it come with their famous freshly made hand pull noodles and also love their Bok choy vegetable plate that's sautéed in a delicious garlic soy sauce. read more

I'm surprised I didn't review this place already. I've been coming here since they open in summer and it's amazing. It's the only place I know of that does beef noodle soup with the option of beef slices with no tendon/bits that are chewy (N17). I love the consistency and strong flavors that they have without being super overwhelmingly salty (though believe me, it's still pretty salty for those needing to watch for it). If you love Szechuan spice and the numbing chilis, this is a great place. I won't compare it to HK because the foods they have are quite different. This place has a large selection of spicy soups and dumpling-oriented items (plus some other dishes as well) to hit the spot while still being relatively fair in price. The skewers is also a nice splurge once in a while. My go-to is N17 for your beef noodle soups! read more

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Very tasty Szechuan food, nice spice, and many dishes to choose from. It's changed owners and names twice, but the food is still good. Service is typical, fast, and efficient. read more

This place is located in the University village shopping center but in the front part outside the guarded parking area. Parking lot is ample. This is a small place. We got Stir-Fried Cumin Lamb W Hand-Ripped Noodles, and Chinese Burger W Cumin Lamb, and Pork W Chinese Green Chives Steamed Dumplings. For the noodles we asked if they could make it with a little less heat and I am glad we did because it was plenty hot and it is delicious! The hand ripped noodles were perfectly chewy and very tasty! The dumplings were ok. They have vinegar on the table and soy and pepper and I added them all. The Chinese lamb burger was way too hot for me. I will try it again with a different meat because the bread is great! Staff is nice. They're very quiet. They serve ice cold water in paper cups that are filled to the tip top and they came around often to refill them. I will be back!! read more

I wish they had places like this to eat for Students when I was in college 30 years ago. In fact, I might even sign up for classes at UC Riverside just to be able to eat here. Love how fast the food comes out really authentic Chinese food Simple clean places to sit down and finish a nice bowl of noodles. The young people serving you there are probably college students themselves and they were quick and nice. read more

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Very yummy. I get stewed lamb noodle soup and slow-cooked braised beef noodle soup. The food comes out piping hot. The braised beef noodle sauce has Sichuan peppercorns so it has numbing spicy taste. The service is good, they give you a lot of water to drink as well. They play nice music and the vibe is very calm. I eat here for lunch. read more

Changan Kitchen - N17. Slow-Cooked Braised Beef Noodle Soup or - Noodles Near Me - Riverside, California

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Our friends recommended this place. They recommended to get the N1 and the lamb burger. I'm not a huge fan of lamb but this "burger" was fantastic ! Instead of a bun it's roti type and the cumin lamb was soooo flavorful ! The beef brisket on the mapo tofu was so soft and tender. The N1 noodles were probably my favorite! I felt like we did order the same types of flavor. We will definitely be coming back here to try other dishes. We can't wait. The service is fine they were very busy, good for them ! I love seeing a bustling business. The ambiance is the same as the other buildings here at the university village. read more

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Great attentive service and food was so quick! Delicious lamb soup with homemade noodles and i love how chewy it was. Cold noodles were also very good. The meat is always tender and well seasoned no matter what dish you get! Great location read more

Changan Kitchen - Lamb soup - Noodles Near Me - Riverside, California

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A very good Xi'an style place. Star is the very flavorful hand pulled wide noodles in the beef noodle soup. Great texture and chewiness. Decent spiceness to someone with a high tolerance like me. Lamb skewers also with a good texture and flavor. The burger was very juicy (maybe a little too much juice dripping out of it!). Service was nice, prompt, and polite. Modern style interior with some decent artwork on the walls. All in all, wish this place had opened when I was taking some summer session courses at UCR back in the day! read more

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This particular location is not very good. Definitely don't give you what you pay for when you get it to go just because you can't see it until you're home. I would give the other locations another try. I'm not sure if the braised beef soup comes with chili oil but we order the original. They dumped so much in there. It's so greasy it leaves a layer of grease all over your lips, there is maybe four of the smallest pieces of beef, the beef was non existent, basically missing from a dish that has beef in the name and one single half of baby bok choy. It's all spices broth and some noodles. The broth makes this inedible. Service was okay except this quality of this dish. And ambiance is a typical for a college location, nothing worth coming back for. read more

Changan Kitchen - Amount of grease and oil in a dish that no chili oil was ordered - Noodles Near Me - Riverside, California

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This place is delightfully delicious!! I saw the signs for it opening and saw that it has another location so I was so excited to come try it! It did not let us down! We got the biang biang noodles which are vegetarian, beef, lamb, and chicken skin skewers, the beef braised noodle soup and the beef noodle soup, cumin lamb noodles, and the cumin lamb pancake hamburger thing. The noodles are the perfect texture and the soups were very flavorful. The skewers I think were one of the best I've had for the lamb and the beef! The chicken skin needed some salt and more crisp it did not have much flavor OR crunch at all so that was a little disappointing. I think their braised beef noodle soup and the cumin lamb noodles were my favorite noodle dishes of the night! read more

This is my go-to restaurant now. It is absolutely delicious and I think about this restaurant weekly. First, everything is incredible and delicious. However, their best items have to be their lamb buns, cumin lamb noodles, and cold soy noodles! The portions here are massive and they absolutely do not skimp on flavor. The service is pretty quick for certain items such as their cold noodles, which comes out in about 5 minutes, but their hot items such as their lamb buns might take 10 minutes to come out. read more

Everything was beyond amazing from start to finish. The menu is packed with unique and interesting dishes, and the hand ripped noodles were perfectly chewy and incredibly satisfying. Every bite felt thoughtful and full of flavor. Service was impressively fast while still being attentive and professional. I honestly wish I had another day in the city just to come back again. I ended up going twice during my short trip because I loved the food, the uniqueness of the menu, and the overall experience so much. This place easily became a highlight of my visit. read more

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Amazing food. Thoughtful and efficient staff. So many amazing options on the menu it will be fun to try new things each time. The spicy lamb hamburger and the house lamb soup were so good. read more

Glad to see a Changan open in Riverside! I used to frequent their Ontario location and food tasted exactly the same. Had no wait at lunch on Tuesday and servers were very fast and often checked on us. Ordered food using QR code on table and food came out fast and fresh. Restaurant is clean with public restrooms. Only issue I can see is the parking, but UCR was off when we went so parking in UV was free and unrestricted at the time. read more

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The food was very good. I can't spell on it though. Authentic food is so hard to come by. Everything was fresh, the noodles tasted homemade and were delicious. We had shrimp fried rice and it was excellent. The lamb skewers had a spice on it that was delicious. We can't wait to come back. Only thing is the ambience could be better. Other than that is wonderful. Service was good as well. read more