XiXi Fried Skewer – Closed

Also known as XiXi Zha Huo Pu and Xi Xi Fried Skewers, Irvine’s XiXi Fried Skewer was one of a growing number of food service businesses that stretch the meaning of the word “restaurant” in various ways – here, by simultaneously sprawling outside its own footprint in a small food court, and sharing a physical space with Ai Yu Fish, a Chinese soup brand that you’re more likely to discover through Fantuan or Uber Eats than exterior signage. XiXi’s open refrigerators spread across its front and some of its shared dining space, offering guests access to skewered meats, seafood, and vegetables, most with handwritten prices. Unlike the full-service Beijing-style grill house Gui BBQ Restaurant and Bar, guests hand-picked items at XiXi, and they were fried in the kitchen.

The concept was simple: take a large plastic bowl, place whichever skewered items you want inside, and bring the bowl to the counter for cooking. Items were served plain, with additional Sichuan-style numbing spices – mild, medium, or hot – and/or with additional items offered by the kitchen, including various parts of ducks and chickens, fried milk, sweet durian puffs, french fries, and even soups from Ai Yu Fish. While most of the individually skewered items ranged from $3 to $8, and lamb kabobs were $4 each, bundles of eight beef skewers could be had for $13. As such, meal prices could vary dramatically based on appetite and particular preferences, but guests could expect to pay around $30 per person for a filling meal.