One of New York's best Chinese restaurants is preparing for a major expansion

Hollis JohnsonAfter Xi'an, you may never want regular American-Chinese food again.

TimeOut US recently named Xi'an Famous Foods the second-best Chinese restaurant in the US, and now hand-pulled noodle spot is reportedly planning to expand.

According to Eater NY, the New York City-based chain (pronounced "she-ahn") has purchased a central kitchen in Queens that could help support the chain's ambitious expansion plans up and down the East Coast.

Xi'an's northwestern Chinese food has enjoyed a lot of attention since it launched as a food stall in the basement of a mall in Queens. The likes of Anthony Bourdain and Bobby Flay have given it their thumbs-up.

Since 2005 the chain has grown to 11 (soon to be 12) locations throughout New York City, and is proving to be incredibly popular. Xi'an also landed on Zagat's first "11 Hottest Fast-Casual Chains" list, further proof of its rapid rise to fast-casual stardom.

It may just be popular enough to take on a larger market and bring real Chinese fast-casual to the Panda Express fast-food market. Here's what it's like to eat there.