Firstly, let me kick off and say that I am not a huge fan of real Chinese cuisine. Back in the UK I adore the pseudo Anglo-Asian dishes that you'll find on every street corner of every town and a city. It's prawn cracker-tastic. Yummy! Now, since being in Asia I have generally been turned off by all but the most westernized of Chinese restaurants and even then I normally have to be dragged kicking, screaming and offering suggestions to the contrary. Now with Xibo I find very palatable, well portioned and most importantly surprise-free dishes that are served in a welcoming environment. No flood-lights that dazzle you, no cheesy K-Pop (or whatever the kids are listening to these days) and no TV's blaring out the local news at full volume. Great! If you're a fan on those things, plenty of options in the city but not really a need to beat-up of Xibo for not being that. Take is as it is, good food served in a very western-friendly setting.

To say Xibo is a 'fake' Xinjiang restaurant is not giving justice to that great spot. If we had to rule out restaurants because they were not authentic enough in Shanghai, then we wouldn't go out much and we'd dismiss the 'fake' italian, french, chinese, japanese etc. No Haiku. No Mr & Mrs Bund (oh no!). No Din Tai Feng, no Lost Heaven - what a scary thought.

I expected a hole in the wall when i heard the two words 'xinjiang food' with screens playing aged music videos, xinjiang dudes with funky hats, hardcore lighting and a smell that would haunt your clothes for two weeks.

But it isn't like that, at all.

Xibo is for people who like good food, decent price and nice decor. For people who don't need their food to be spiced up by some Xinjiang folk music or exotic looking waiters. No neon bright lights. For people who can be dressed up, or hang out casually.
The seating is simple, if not always 100% comfortable yet it is elegant, the service is attentive, i'd say it's a pretty good value.

I only think some Xinjiang good music would add more to the atmosphere instead of disco or funk music.

This is the opinion of someone who loves good food, including Chinese, European, or Ethiopian. Leave your clichés at the door.

Why didnt I listen to the other review of happier 88?

This is Xinjiang straight from Disneyland. I am kicking myself I didnt listen to the warning.

And the two positive reviews came from expats who by their own admission dislike Chinese food, and who obviously have no idea what Xinjiang is supposed to taste like.

The lamb shanks could have come from any western kitchen and was as dull as dishwater. I stopped after that, and asked for the bill.

Note to self: look for recommondations from people who say they were trying to avoid Chinese food and liked a venue, and then never go near that place...

I don't like going to Chinese restaurants, but I like this place. This is a western friendly Chinese food that wouldn't be out of place in LA or NYC. One thing I particularly don't like about Chinese food is the dozens of bones you need to spit out on your plate like an ogre over the course of a meal. Xibo is bones-free!! Although the menu points out your option to request it "original" ogre style if you so choose.

The staff is all very friendly and English speaking and the decor is modern, clean, and comfortable. I haven't had the chance to dine outside yet, but it looks super nice on their small terrace.

The food is Xinjiang cuisine which means a lot of barbecued meats and cumin and spiced hot! Just about everything I ordered was really tasty and the presentation was excellent. Would recommend the roasted bread and lamb with cumin dish, the meat skewers of course, the chicken omelette pancake, and pass on the meat wrappers. Again the service is above expectations and when the table beside us emptied the wait staff immediately slid it over to ours to give us more space for our dishes.

I also think this is a great place to bring out of town visitors who want to go out for Chinese food in a modern trendy environment.

All in all, it's not bad, but it's not great either. Everything on the table was so-so.

I went there with another girlfriend of mine. We wanted something non-western and non-Chinese, so Xinjiang food came in to our mind. I pick Xibo because there were some positive reviews on SMSH. Guess The postings are not always so true....

We ordered the eggplant appetizer, which tasted really MamaHuhu. BBQ beef sticks were good, but was not authentic taste. We also ordered a veggie pancake wrap, that was better then others, but did not impress me too much. Something else we ordered came out looking like Campbell soup...

All I am trying to say is it's good to try once. The place looks trendy, has nice terrace seating area. Service was good.

Been here a few times with friends. Its also a good place to take out of towners who want to try food that is not so chinese - meaning szechuan, hunnan, hotpot, dumplings, etc etc

Xin Jiang cuisine has a distinct flavour and this place has both modern and traditional tastes..fused.

It's a cosy place, dim lighting, attentive service. Friendly staff that talk to you. English is okay.
It's hearty tasty yummy food. Expect lots of lamb, beef, chicken.

Portion sizes are pretty large.So its good to share. Ask the staff - they are knowledgeable on portion servings.

Get adventurous - it all tastes good.