I can only comment on their Huaxi beef rice noodle soup, since that's the only item I tried. It's their signature dish and what the shop is named after, but after this experience, I wouldn't come back to try the rest of the menu anytime soon. I grew up eating Huaxi noodles, so I had high expectations especially since many other stalls in this food court do a pretty good job recreating authentic Chinese flavors. Unfortunately, this one fell far short. The dish wasn't cheap but the presentation was very plain. The broth didn't taste right at all and was nowhere close to the real thing. Far too light and bland. I was already disappointed after the very first sip. The noodles themselves were also tasteless. Overall, I'd give it a 2/10. I ended up throwing it away after finishing the meat and pickled vegetables. read more

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Got my food here back in later October. I got Beef Bone Soup noodle for $16.75 with less spiciness. My food had lots of tofu noodle, vermicelli, little pieces of toppings with bland soup. It tasted similar to some instant noodle kit I can find at T&T. This place has gone downhill. It's better to buy food elsewhere. read more

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Tried their passionfruit drink. Not bad, but the cup size is definitely smaller than the other stands in the food court. Something to keep in mind. read more

Huaxi Noodle Specialist - Front counter~ - Chinese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

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We ordered the salted veggie Guo kui (梅菜锅盔) and they gave us a little beeper so that when it was ready we would know. It took around 15 minutes before it was ready. Man this was a show stopped. The moment I took this out, someone asked us where we got it from and after that a lot of people continued to look at us in envy. This thing is massive. I would describe it as a salty cracker. They also have other flavours some sweet and some salty. It is the size of probably 2 large faces. It's super crispy and savoury. You get the fragrance of the salted fermented veggies . If you've never had Mei cai before it's like a sweet and salty fermented vegetable. I would definitely recommend this as a snack. It is definitely a show stopped and worth showing off. I would come back to try their noodles as they are also known for that. read more

Ordered the Guizhou beef with rice noodle in mild. Good they have a gluten-free option. Waited a long time, not sure why since the beef were slow cooked hours ago. Okay though we were given a buzzer so the attendant did not have to yell like some stalls and you can potentially sit as far away as possible. Price has jumped 33% from 8.25 (pre-pandemic) to 11$ today 2021/07/31. Portion size I doubt got bigger likely the reverse. But this is the reality we are living in. With governments printing so much money, excessive inflation bound to happen. On to the dish. You get about 8 small thin slices of beef and 90% rice noodle in broth. Although laced with MSG, sour cabbage did offset the knock out effect of MSG. The food coma is averted. The noodle is by far not el dente, soggy is what you get. Overall this was more like a snack as opposed to a meal. Tasty. Maybe it is the MSG. It is a dish with forces of good and evil in a holding pattern. Not sure what to make of it. Ok. Meh. read more

Huaxi Noodle Specialist - Chinese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

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I'm gluten intolerant so this was one of the best choices for noodles in the area! Loved how much variety they had for rice noodles. I got the #2, Beef rice noodle sour with tendon, in mild spicy. I failed to read the "sour" part so was a little disappointed but it was still pretty good. They asked if I wanted separate packaging for noods and soup, which was nice. I had it for takeout and even after 20 min drive home, it was still warm! Also mild spicy level was perfect for me since I can't eat spicy food. Overall, not bad, but not like super impressive. If you're gluten intolerant like me, but want something other than pho that has noodles and warm soup, this is a good choice. Portions are huge too. read more

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This used to be one of the crown jewels of the Crystal Mall food court. For $8-9 you could get an enormous portion of spicy noodle soup (I've tried their beef, chicken, and pork rib variations, as well as their dandan noodles - all were delicious) that somehow wouldn't leave you thirsty, just full and basking in the flavours for the rest of the day. Sadly they recently did a renovation and apparently changed ownership, because while the menu looks more or less the same, it doesn't have that special something anymore. The noodle soups are now smaller in portion, and the soup itself is substantially less flavourful. It's not necessarily bad but it certainly makes Huaxi Noodle a lot more generic. The snacks (like their beef and pork rolls), which used to have two per order, now only come with a single order - despite having gone up in price. Overall the food has lost a lot of its authenticity and distinctiveness for some reason, and the smaller portions means you have to request the add-ons to get a portion akin to what they used to dole out. It's a shame because this was literally one of the main reasons I would come to the Crystal Mall food court. There's still good places there (Baiyulan and Kingspark come to mind) but I had yet to find any other shop that did a spicy noodle soup quite like Huaxi Noodle. read more

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I was craving some XLB's so decided to hit up Crystal Mall for some cheap dumplings. Unfortunately, Shanghai Dimsum House always seems to be closed when I try to go. I did a quick lap and decided to try Huaxi Noodle Specialist. There stall is between Mango Charming and Ipoh Bean Sprout Chicken. I dropped in on a Wednesday evening (around 6:15pm). Food court was busy. No line up at HNS but there were customers coming every few minutes to order a bowl or two. The menu is split into Guizhou style beef rice noodle soup, Guizhou style beef noodle soup and signature noodles. A total of 23 items along with a few more that they've added that surrounds their stall. You order at the counter, get a token and then wait for your number to be called. - Sour & spicy beef noodle (#15) ($8.00) - I asked for medium spice but the broth is more about the sour than any type of heat. It came with beef, pickled mustard, cabbage, green onion and cilantro. The beef pieces were unexpectedly tender and stayed like that the whole time. Noodles were plentiful but pretty run of the mill. I don't know how the broth stayed so hot, especially considering I took my sweet time eating everything. Cash only. I'll have to try a few more things. 3.5 stars. read more

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Crystal Mall is gaining greater recognition as a true Chinese food destination beyond the boundaries of Richmond to the South. Huaxi Noodle Specialist is among the standout food court options here and features great beef noodle soup options. My order: Spicy Beef and Tendon Noodle Soup - $9.50. The broth is spicy and invigorating and a great match with the nicely cooked noodles. The beef brisket and tendon are both tender and flavorful and my only criticism is I wish there were more pieces at the price point. Extra bowls are $0.25 cents and service is a bit nonchalant, but definitely legit noodle soup. Huaxi Noodle Specialist is cash only as most stalls here. read more

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Looks like I had found another gem. Came here with my mom and I decided to order their beef stew (had 3 different part of the body mixed into the stew). While it wasn't exactly cheap but considering that it came from the food court, it ended up being very delicious either way. It's not really the meat that tastes good, but it's really the soup it was served in. Now, was it the best food I've ever had from all of the food court I've been to? No. But it easily is within the top 5. The only suggestion I have is perhaps they'd consider being a tiny bit more generous by adding a couple of extra pieces of beef into the mix, because then it would've been perfect. Bottom line, this is definitely the place to go if you were coming to this mall and needed a place to find a quick meal with a decent tasting soup attached to it. read more

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For $9 I got the half tendon beef rice noodle in soup. The soup base is tasty, with tons of flavour, probably has MSG in it. You can alter the spiciness of the soup and the sour preserved mustard cabbage adds to the hot and sour taste of the soup. Other that that, there aren't any veggies except for a few green onion on top and a few bean sprouts. The tendon and meat is tasty and falls off the bone. The rice noodles are cooked to perfection. It is a really good soup noodle choice at Crystal Mall read more

I have got a trip to China coming up in a few months and wanted to try some regional Chinese cuisine in Greater Vancouver that is unavailable in the Seattle area. Hence, I took a look at Marc D.'s reviews and found Huaxi Noodle Specialist among them. Huaxi is a food court restaurant at Burnaby's Crystal Mall. I was staying at the Hilton in the same complex so it made sense for me to check out the huge food court there with Huaxi being at the top of the list. Huaxi is a city in the Guizhou province which is located in southwestern China. It makes sense that the food offerings here would be similar to Sichuan and Hunan cuisine as those are neighboring provinces to Guizhou. The consensus of the Yelp reviews pointed me in the direction of ordering the #9 which is a spicy beef noodle soup with tendon ($7.50). The food court was packed and there was no seating available from what I could see. Hence, I decided to order the noodles to go and take it back upstairs to my hotel room. I asked that they separate the noodles and soup. I was quoted a waiting time of 18 minutes so I walked around the food court looking for additional good eats. After my food was ready, I headed back to the room. The noodles are wheat based and is a bit like fresh ramen noodles. There were carrot pieces piled on top. I requested for medium spiciness, but the soup base was still a little spicier then I anticipated. I am afraid to imagine what havoc this dish would have played on my stomach if I asked for very spicy. The soup is mainly spicy, but there are hints of sourness. In the soup were chunks of tendon along with a few pieces of brisket. I piled the noodles on top and digged in. I did enjoy the dish, but would have liked a little more tendon. Flavor of the soup was good, but I ended up throwing a little in the sink since it was too spicy to drink on its own once the noodles and meat had been eaten. Enjoyed the noodles that I had at Huaxi while familiarizing myself with a new (regional) cuisine. There are a lot of food options at Crystal Mall. Though if you are looking for something a little different than the usual, Huaxi is worth trying. read more

Huaxi Noodle Specialist - #9 To Go - Spicy Beef Tendon with Wheat Noodles ($7.50) - Chinese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

I asked for extra hot. They delivered, and then some. They broth they serve here is amazingly hot. There were so many assorted spices floating in the soup, there's no doubt that it'll be tasty. Even inhaling the steam coming off the bowl brought tears to my eyes, as if I was pepper-sprayed. I drank most of the broth, but even I had to throw in the towel. It was burning a bit too much, lol. I usually order extra hot because most other places are very conservative about making food too spicy. The noodles are served in relatively small paper bowls, limiting the overall amount of food somewhat. But, there was a lot of meat... much more than I'd expect in such small containers. Next time, I'll be a little more conservative in terms of how spicy I request my food here. But, I'll definitely be back. read more

Huaxi Noodle Specialist - Guizhou style beef noodle soup with tendons. - Chinese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

Bruh. Their food was so good. I don't know if it was because I was starving but damn. The beef tendon soup thing is so good

I decided to finally try this stall in Crystal Mall, as I try to review and eat from this whole food court and wondered as to the reviews not just here, but from also people I personally know, and even my buddy who was with me on this night as he has eaten here, compared to the one right across from it (Favor Eat World!) which I made him order and try. If I had not tried, and eaten, the one across, I would probably have said that this place is ok (and a go to), for the serving, and what you are getting, but for a little more in price across from ths stall is the 'way' better option. This noodle stall does have much more selection in terms of menu items. I just found my dish, from the start of the soup, which was bland, and the noodles, which were stiff, you could tell they were fresh, but the level of care was just not there. read more

Tried number 2 on the wall menu w/ medium spicy soup. The first sip of soup will probably make you cough, but it's no big deal after wating more! Perfect kind of cheey rice noodles, clean tendons, and good quality beef. One should try if they're a soup & noodles lover! Cash only! read more

Huaxi Noodle Specialist - Number 2 on the menu - Chinese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

When I have to eat alone, I choose come to crystal mall food court, it got so many choices and most important I got the spicy food I like. Huaxi is a small town from Guizhou China, famous of rice noodles. This one in crystal is not so authentic, but in Canada I think it's already very good. Each bowl of noodle cost you 8.75, you can choose spicy or non spicy, also the spice level. It can be very hot, so suggest you go for the mild first. read more

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I'm eating these rich smooth noodles right now. As they slide down my throat, hot and slippery, I can taste the savory juices of cow meat. The pickled vegetables add a flavorful crunch that mainly serve to highlight the fact that this is not a very healthy meal, but regardless, it's still delicious. This particular style of broth usually requires super fatty meat which I tend to avoid and push off to the side, but which makes the broth absolutely fantastic. So if you're looking for a steak, go get yourself a steak. But if you're looking for some spicy noodles and beef broth this is the place to hit. They do not have a diverse menu. This is not that kind of place. They are unapologetic about the fact that they do noodles with beef broth, and that's A-OK. A note to the wise, the broth is pretty spicy in its base state, so if you're looking for something very spacey, I bet they will fit the bill. But even if mild the soup is quite flavorful and a bit spicy. (This note was composed primarily with voice dictation on an iPhone. Apologies for misspellings, I take absolutely no responsibility.) read more

Huaxi Noodle Specialist - Chinese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

I used to come here a lot but due to inconsistent food and service I haven't been here for a while. Favor Eat was also across the way and in my opinion had one of the best beef soups around. Well I'm not really a big fan of this food court so looking around and nothing really catching my eye I decided to give this place a try again. Well the girl who took my order was nice. I ordered no. 4 for takeout. It had beef brisket and tendon, it was really good, a very large portion of noodles, good portion of nicely cooked beef and the broth was very flavourful and done to whatever spiciness you like. Yay I'm a fan again! read more

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Good food ($5.00 special) but the service could be a bit more friendly. Obviously the cashier/order taker (short Chinese woman with wire framed glasses & China Doll hair cut) doesn't want to be there. No smile or pleasantries. What ever you ask for she'll give. She did provide me with a paper cup of hot water when I asked for it. read more

Huaxi Noodle Specialist - Panfried dumplings stuffed with ground pork - Chinese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

Snow days = noodle soup days . First time trying Guizhou cuisine which is apparently similar to Szechuan The beef noodle soup (#1 on the menu) was super flavorful, had a kick (even tho I requested mild ) and was also slightly sour in taste from the pickled cabbage. It was pretty good but I've never had it before so I have nothing to compare it with read more

3.5/5 I decided to have lunch here as my hotel was nearby, and I wanted to explore Crystal Mall a bit. From my visit to Vancouver, I realized that Burnaby has more of the Northern Chinese-style food places compared to, say, Richmond. I should also add that the Chinese mall food courts in Vancouver blow Toronto out of the water; you have a lot more variety here! Despite me not speaking Mandarin, I was able to communicate decently with the cashier. I ordered the rice noodle soup with braised pork. Despite the small bowl they give you, there was actually a lot of content inside, so don't be fooled! The noodles they use are what I would consider to be rice vermicelli, similar to Vietnamese "bun" noodles. Both the noodles and the pork tasted great, but the broth was a little too spicy for my liking (even though I asked for low spicy). There unfortunately wasn't that "wow" factor that would make me bump the review from 3 to 4 stars. One thing I noticed was the cashier never smiles when taking people's orders, nor when she's announcing the order numbers. Come on, smile a little more! It's not like you're a quiet stall compared to the others I went to. read more

Good spicy beef noodle soup at a reasonable price! Located in Crystal Mall near Metrotown, this place is a counter in the food court. Cash only! read more

* Definitely a specialist! * The name doesn't lie. This place specializes in Guizhou style noodle soups, and does it REALLY well. The menu is fairly straight forward with a bunch of options listed as different numbers, but if you look closely most of the menu is just modifications of what you put into your soup. I ordered the #9, which is the Guizhou beef noodle soup with tendons. You have the option to have the same thing as a #2 with rice noodles instead of wheat. But I'd strongly recommend the wheat. After you order, they prepare the noodles fresh, so it takes about 10 minutes for you to get your soup. The noodles were the perfect chew, and very plentiful. The broth comes in a variety of heat levels, and I love spicy food, but the medium heat is more than enough heat for me. I've had the hot version, and it packed a delicious sweaty punch! The heat comes from both chilis and Szechuan peppercorns that give a slight numbing to the tongue. You see the chili floating on the top of the soup, even in the medium heat version. The soup is balanced out with some diced Chinese pickles to give a pleasant sour note, along with fresh cilantro springs to add to the flavour of the broth. It also has some pieces of cabbage to give you veggies for good measure! They have a bunch of condiments so you can flavour it to your taste by adding chili oil (not needed!), cumin, fresh garlic, vinegar, etc. The beef and tendons were plentiful, and perfectly cooked. The beef came in two different cuts (chunked brisket and sliced flank) which were both very tender, and the tendons had just the right chew. Lovely. read more

Every time I enter the Crystal Mall food court, I see everyone eating the same, spicy noodles. I've always wondered which stand it came from until I caught someone collecting their spicy noodles from this stand. My dad usually orders from this stand while I get the order food so i'm not too sure what the name of noodle soup is. But it is the classic one that everyone gets (hot, sour, beef, white cabbage). It is perfect for a cold day, and will leave you sweating and nose running. Noodles are really fresh, and the white cabbage is a nice break from all the spice. Ill be sure to add a photo soon, but I totally recommend this place. read more

another Crystal Mall gem. fiery noodle soups here. we just got a medium spicy chicken, listed as guiyang style packed with flavor, oily spicy, complex with some anise notes in the chicken. can't get this type of regional stuff everyday. i'm sure very spicy would be hard to eat. read more

I love this little noodle place in Crystal mall. It's specializes in Guizhou style soup noodles. It's similar to Szechuan and Hunan cuisine, but it differentiates itself from those styles in that it's dishes have a mix of sour and spicy flavours. The dishes are then typically topped off with some salt pickled cabbage. I've been to Hunan before and tasted their fiery flavours and liberal use of chilli peppers and peppercorns, so I could easily handle the spicy taste. I ordered the beef tendon with rice noodle and I was totally blown out with the great mix of spicy and sour flavours engaging my taste buds. The tendons and mix of flanks were very tender to my delight. I really didn't expect this kind of quality from a food stand in Crystal Mall. It's actually better then Lao Shan Dong Homemade noodle across Metrotown. This place definitely deserves more visits. read more

Huaxi Noodle Specialist - Chinese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

Beef broth in the beef noodle was spiced well, however: It was full of tendons. Do you eat these? It's like chewing on gristle at the end of a chicken bone. If they're supposed to add flavor, great, take them out before I have to eat it. Danger: "Medium" spicy will make you sweat. read more

Not knowing what the Guizhou style is, I opted for the simply named "Hot and spicy beef noodle soup," #2 on the far right hand menu. I asked for the soup to be "a little bit" spicy, since I wasn't sure what their scale of spiciness ranged from. However she interpreted that request to be, it made my soup really spicy and had me wiping sweat off my brow (and I can typically handle the heat anytime!) There was two cuts of meat that I could see in my soup: sliced flank and cubes of beef brisket. The noodles were soft yet chewy, but some of them were clumped together a bit and required some detangling. Overall, not a bad choice at all. If you like your soup spicy and enjoy the numbing feeling that the peppercorns give you, try this place out. read more

I don't love noodle soup, but the mild beef rice noodle soup was good (but a bit spicier than expected). read more

Huaxi Noodle Specialist - Beef and tendon soup with rice noodle. - Chinese Near Me - Burnaby, British Columbia

Had the Guizhou Noodle with Beef Tendon ($7-ish). I don't know what Guizhou style is, but it's all just beef noodle to me. There's definitely a bit of sourness in the soup though that is not in Taiwan and Szechuan beef noodles. There's a choice on the level of spicy. I went with medium spicy, and yeah, it was a little beyond my comfort zone (-___-). For some reason, the soup started off fine, but got more greasy later on - I think it's got to do with the chilli oil hidden underneath the noodles that I didn't stir up initially. Lots of beef!! There's tendon, brisket, and some slices of I-don't-know-what-cut-of-beef. Some carrot pieces too stewed to a nice mushy consistency. Noodle is thin and good chewy texture. Overall satisfying, but I think I still like Favor Eat World's soup better. read more

My favorite Chinese noodle soup of all time! I always pick this place in Crystal mall.

The regular beef broth here is flavorful and texture of the noodles are very smooth, sometimes the beef here is tender and other times really tough Their "mild" spice option is spicy as hell, I've had lots of spicy noodles from restaurants all around the area but damn this mild spice level murders them all There's tons of options for noodles in the area but if you want super spicy you should try their hot level Pros: + Noodle texture + Beef broth Cons: - Mild is freaking spicy - Inconsistency - Doesn't offer tea or water compared to alternatives read more

edited : second visit found the soup oily Quality at Huaxi is better than the Taiwan beef noodle right across in the same food court. I ordered beef (slice and cube) noodle and asked for least oily. The lady owner was very nice and gave me what I asked for, few droplets of oil but not a layer as seen from the Taiwan's (yes for comparison I had one serving from each store for comparison, there were two of us.) Meat was tender and rightly marinated. I could not help and told the owner her beef noodle was better than the competition read more

Slow making over 20min wait for cold noodles. Girl seemed clueless behind the counter.

I was looking forward to the noodle soup given the reviews. I had the minced beef with veggies on spicy noodles. The spices and broth was tasty. The noodles were al dente. Veggies over cooked and very little minced beef. Overall not bad for $7 ish. Cash only. read more

I ordered #9, which is the beef noodle w/tendon. There were about 3 large pieces of Tendon and 2 pieces of lean meat. You also have the option to get rice or wheat noodles. I opted for the latter, as I prefer thicker noodles. You also get to choose your level of spiciness: mild, medium or hot. Knowing how spicy Chinese noodles can get, I chose the safest option, and opted for mild haha.I also added a boil egg on the side for an additional dollar. The portion size was very large, and enough to suffice for two meals. I ended up finishing the meat but still had 75% of noodles left over. read more

Once of my favourite places for lunch. It's better to eat at the mall as hot soup is hard to carry and eat at the office. I usually get number 1 (beef soup with rice noodles, lai fun). The beef does have tendon pieces within which makes it more tender. Soup broth is great. Medium spicy is really hot, so if you're not sure, get mild and you can add more spices later. read more